Author: Urban Bolta
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Orto bar / Slovenia
Concert date: April 26, 2014
Attendance: 120
Ticket price: €5.00
Recidiv (relapse) is the medical term for the return of a disease in the same patient. In the case of treating alcoholism, that means the patient going back to knocking back alcoholic derivatives of one kind or another. As Koli put it, in plain street talk that would mean »he got himself wasted again like an animal«. »Recidiv« is also the title of the new, seventh studio record from Trbovlje rock’n’roll veterans The Drinkers, which officially came out yesterday, the very day of their release show at Orto Fest.
The Drinkers set off down the path of their old glory three years ago, when two former members, frontman Sandi Kolenc – Koli and keyboardist Primož Trebec, came back into the fold, and newcomer Klemen Markelj filled out the lineup behind the drum kit. The chemistry sparked (again), and after two years of recording the result has finally taken shape as the new studio album »Recidiv« (review here), with which the Drinkers return in all their glory after the interim adventure with singer Maki.
The party in the nicely packed upper foyer of Orto bar kicked off around half past ten in the evening, when the Drinkers warmed up with the little number Mat K. Guitarist Robert Likar’s fingers were a bit stiff at first and went looking for the groove right from the start, which, thanks to a few glasses of that hoppy energy drink, happened a few more times over the night, but the crowd didn’t hold it against them. The Drinkers’ recipe is all about reveling in the primal side of rock’n’roll, balls-out heavy, and that party-style serving leaves room for the occasional slip off the perfect line.
The Drinkers split the show into two parts. After a short intro they played almost the entire current album, showing total faith in the material they’re using to storm into a new successful chapter of a history that now spans more than two decades. The instantly catchy choruses of Huda baba, Debeli avioni and Jutro na Fužinah managed to get the crowd going even on first listen, forcing it to start moving spontaneously, and songs that stand out compositionally, like Nenormalna and F.A.S., with their more arrogantly built sonic structures, also went down well. Even Lemmy Killmister himself wouldn’t be ashamed of their punch! Despite their bouncy rock’n’roll structure, the new songs have an intelligent lyrical streak right out of the gate, along with some neat instrumental solutions, so they’re far from coming off as naive. As seasoned musicians, the Drinkers dodged the dangerous trap of simplicity with ease!
Frontman Koli does hell of a job on stage. The other four guys trust him completely with the reins and give him, as the central figure on stage, all the room to maneuver that a charismatic personality like his needs. Koli’s song intros were full of humor and first-person stories whose endings routinely reaped salvos of laughter. And how did Koli justify his abstinence of the last few years, when he sings about the charms of alcohol all the time as a musician? »Elton John writes songs about girls too, and he’s got a boyfriend!«. If anyone on this planet has no shortage of skill at working and motivating the floor, it’s definitely Koli.
The second part of the show was made up of the band’s older hits, mostly devoted to the charms of this or that alcoholic brew and the social stories that go with them. Litr vina, which opened the trip through their discography, the Swabian punch of Jawohl and the only real ballad of the night, Privat bog, drove the atmosphere almost to boiling point before the closing storm, delivered by the evergreen anthems of the hits Ko to tamo peva, Pijemo ga radi and Deset majhnih jagrov.
The live birth of »Recidiv« showed the Drinkers as authentic, wildly convincing rock’n’roll hell-raisers. The Drinkers aren’t bringing any tectonic shifts to music, but at their core they’re so big-hearted and sincere that everyone can easily find themselves in their language. At least in our part of the world, a birth is usually followed by a christening, so go get the new album and you can enjoy their rock’n’roll punch in the comfort of your own armchair at home.
Setlist
1. Mat K
2. Lepi in trezni
3. Huda baba
4. Pridi
5. Nenormalna
6. Trboule
7. Debeli avioni
8. Jutro na Fužinah
9. Pilatus
10. Recidiv
11. F.A.S.
12. Litr vina
13. Jawohl
14. Privat bog
15. Fa Fa Fa
16. Slovenac
17. Ko to tamo peva
18. Pijemo ga radi
19. Deset jagrov
20. Žeja
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