Author: Urban Bolta
Photos: Urban Bolta
Location: MIKK / Murska Sobota / Slovenia
Concert date: December 16, 2010
Attendance: 10
Ticket price: €4
This year’s November and December are shaping up to be seriously busy at the Mladinski informativni in kulturni klub Murska Sobota (MIKK), because the club is celebrating its 15th anniversary. The main hub of Prekmurje’s scene, where young people can spend their free time in a meaningful way, has beefed up its cultural program even more in the run-up to the holidays, so there’s really something in it for everyone – from guitar and drum workshops and assorted other workshops all the way to a colorful lineup of concerts across different genres. One of them went down on the coldest Friday night of the whole of December, when Muškat Hamburg and No Rules took the stage.
That night MIKK was hit by a familiar syndrome, typical above all of gigs in the Primorska region or in Italy.. I’m talking about a late start, probably in the hope of squeezing in a few extra people, or a better turnout. On that front the evening was a huge letdown, since you could count the crowd on the fingers of two or three hands. The surface-level reason was the extreme weather – heavy snow and Siberian cold probably kept plenty of people from coming out – but the second, more serious reason runs a lot deeper and sits in the sheer misery of the Slovenian rock scene, where young people these days only listen to whatever the commercial TV channels serve them on a platter, and digging into music doesn’t feel like any kind of challenge to them. To be honest, I knew next to nothing about either of the two bands myself before the gig was announced, but that was, if anything, one more reason to show up and treat myself to another rock’n’roll night in the company of quality musicians.
MUŠKAT HAMBURG
First on stage (only at half past midnight!!) were Muškat Hamburg, a relatively long-running band working the Maribor – Gornja Radgona axis. The quintet has been piling up musical experience for a decade and a half, and it shows – they know exactly how to carry it onto the stage. Their set was professional and delivered “with balls”, something all those teenage punk-rock “attractions” can only dream about. An uncompromising stage setup, excellent stage presence built mostly on the charismatic bassist Silvo and the goofy vocalist Madam Fucker, and total command of the show from start to finish – some people are simply born with these qualities. The Styrians didn’t let a completely empty club cramp their energetic performance one bit, and they deserve all the praise for it. In a set that ran a good hour, Muškat Hamburg gave a retrospective of their career and won me over with their cross between punk melodies and raucous guitars with a rock’n’roll rhythm section. The short, punchy songs are all built on the same last, but they’re plenty tasty once they come alive on stage in the hands of these Styrian musicians. Wound-up guitar lines and a never-letting-up, expressive tempo get your blood pumping faster, the ultra-melodic guitars and vocal harmonies in the choruses make the songs catchy, and the cherry on top is a healthy dose of goofing around in the performance itself. A positive approach to music, a knack for writing original songs with a recognizable style, and a confident stage show all back up the theory I picked up when their album “Umri Pokončno” (2007) came out: Muškat Hamburg are the golden egg of the Slovenian punk scene.
NO RULES
The headliners of the night were No Rules, a band from Tuzla that has been playing its vision of blues-rock since 1999. In a bit more than a decade together No Rules have put out three albums, played plenty of shows around the region, and even done a few gigs in our little country, and the Bosnians probably count the peak of their career so far as the Sarajevo show, where they warmed up a crowd of fifteen thousand before the legendary Deep Purple. No Rules walked a gentler path than the band before them, but one that was no less energetic. Following in the footsteps of older heroes Partibrejkers, the music of these likable Bosnians took us deep into the world of pure-blooded blues riffs, with occasional dips into funk and rock waters, backed by lyrics in their native Bosnian. The guitar partnership of bandleader Goran Čampara and lead guitarist Dražen Mulaosmanović shone, with Dražen drawing attention to himself through inventive guitar ideas and virtuosity in the longer instrumental parts. In the style of good old ZZ Top, No Rules even had a few choreographed bits worked out, and it was the technically excellent guitarist Mladen who added the most to the stage show with his fully immersed playing. The repertoire was dominated by songs from the album “Homesick Blues”, released this past fall. During the set, No Rules at times reminded me of our own Don Mentony Band, but with one key difference: the Bosnians’ songs are built on dynamic instrumental compositions that keep evolving as they play and hold the listener captive with their energy. No Rules shone that night too and proved they deserve much more media support than they get.
One more thing to add at the end: pairing two bands from completely different molds was no accident, since Muškat Hamburg and No Rules are friends, so the Bosnians were in fact guests of the Styrian-Prlekija team-up at this Slovenian show. Despite the dismal turnout, both bands gave it everything, and the few of us who were there got to enjoy the intimate atmosphere and hear with our own ears what it means to make and play music with heart.
Photos: Urban Bolta
Setlist
Muškat Hamburg: 1. Banda prihajam domov 2. Manijak 3. Tukaj si sam 4. W-T woman 5. Punči nocoj 6. Odpri oči 7. Nekega lepega dne 8. Jacuzzi man 9. Kongo 10. Ona 11. Ne daj se motit 12. Rupurut 13. Nicht hin 14. Vse sem si zaslužo 15. Delaj & papaj
Photo gallery
