Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Vodice / Kulturni dom / Slovenia
Concert date: 14.09.2012
Attendance: 400
Ticket price: €0.00 (free entry)
It’s nice to drag your ass out of Ljubljana every now and then and head to some village corner where time stands still and you run into that feeling of innocent naivety, of authenticity, where the security guy greets you at the “sinful spot”, on top of it all even reading a Slovenian mountain paper, and politely asks you for a lighter to “fire up” his hard-earned cigarette,… Let’s just say people here still dare to hope, unlike the capital, which is turning more and more into a breeding ground for crazed Orcs. Especially if you’ve got a hell of a week behind you, the contrast hits that much harder. You’ve got just one thing on your mind. A total disconnect!
Vodice and its rock festival! Brilliant! The second one in a row, so a young festival. Five bands with Adam as the headliner and, among others, folk metallers Brezno on the bill. Sounds tempting! It’s eight o’clock, a bit past eight, in the hall of the Kulturni dom in Vodice it’s still happily humming and crackling, L.S.D. – »Lepi slovenski dečki« (Handsome Slovenian Lads) are tuning their instruments up to the right working temperature. Maybe some of you caught this band’s name thanks to the Vala 202 compilation CD »Imamo Dobro Glasbo« for 2011, which features the track Rit pa srajca, and the guys of course ripped through it this time too. The lads dish out punk rock, rock n’ roll, basically not reinventing the wheel. What stings most is the grumpy vocalist, whose roaring pushed us right back out onto the doorstep of the Kulturni dom. Solid performers, but they put zero work into their look. Windbreakers, and red ones at that, have no place in rock music, unless you’re inspired by the “Gasilec Samo” cartoons. But okay. Alternative can take a lot.
Manana built their repertoire out of covers of rock and metal evergreens. Especially in the opening stretch the band kept up a solid atmosphere, constantly holding some 100 curious souls in front of the stage – who bobbed along to the rhythm of the familiar hits. The young guitarist standing on the left (as seen from the stage) definitely stands out in the lineup. He doesn’t look a day over 20. The wireless guitar system, the Gibson Les Paul, and above all the note-perfect copy of John Norum’s solo in The Final Countcown (Europe), plus the nerve of a kid tackling the work of Gary Moore, Slash and Brian May this solidly, say this is a talent who left his bandmates far behind long ago and will soon have to look elsewhere for a new challenge so he can capitalize on and build up his big talent. A talent who, on top of that, takes everything very seriously. Hats off to the kid! The only factor that spoiled things a bit was the occasional vocal, which often drifted at least half a tone off the proper melody. That’s not down to the singer’s ear, which he surely doesn’t lack, but more to the quirks of the stage sound, where the vocals clearly drew the short straw in the mix. The singer obviously couldn’t hear the other instruments, so the ideal melody lost its bearings.
Ne Še, a band with an interesting name that actually says nothing, are from Vodice and have been active since 2005. Last year they released their debut »Iluzija«. Their original music and stage »image« have character. If you analyze it all quickly, it’s not out of place to say Ne Še are trying to play the card of melodic metal catchiness, dosed, at least as far as the keyboards go, with a touch of symphonic flavor. Even though they’re a young band, they’re sly enough to firmly believe in how important stage looks are. And that’s how it should be. Rock N’ Roll can take absolutely anything in this regard, except ski caps and scarves. Sugar-coated rockers in red shirts, trimmed gloves with fingertips poking out, gelled short haircuts, emo looks,… Cunning, no doubt. But what counts first of all is the music. Original, of course. Ne Še dish out metal riffs steered, as mentioned, by symphonic-power-folk elements underneath. So the trendy tricks of Finnish bands, though it has to be said the band has a feel for the shape of head and tail, a standout chorus that redirects your attention. Combined female-male vocals, a dash of flute. Very promising. The guys aren’t even adults yet! The band has potential and, with the right moves in the future, may well break the ice and swing up into the field of wider recognition. The band is friends with Avven. Both bands already played the first edition of this festival, last year. For the occasion, Ne Še invited special guests onto the stage. Alongside Avven’s singer and guitarist Primož Lajovic, a former member of Brezno, Ana Novak, rounded out the stage on violin. The expanded lineup performed Avven’s song Vvile. The set also surprised with a cover of the Uriah Heep classic Lady in Black, which is exactly the song Brezno, who took the stage after them, used to play back in the day too.
Slovenian folk metallers who have been successfully going strong for a while now with a renewed lineup, with Sara on vocals and Eva on flute and whistles, while the core of Katarina (keyboards), Mitja (bass), Max (guitar), Luka (guitar) and Matej (drums) remains unchanged. As expected, the band sawed through proven original material that included the songs Glasnik, V nebo, Dolina, Žanjica, Krst, Solze and Zarja, and showed big progress, so let’s hope the studio debut is really not far off. A former member of the band, violinist Ana Novak, appeared on stage once more as well. Alongside Aperion, Brezno remain the band that has poured the boldest Slovenian folk melody into metal music on the Slovenian scene, though thanks to the generous dose of symphonic flavor it’s a bit less prominent than with Aperion. Another tight and thoroughly successful show, where there’s no nitpicking to be done. Tried and true.
The clock struck past midnight, and because of the late hour and pressing obligations the next day, the journalist half of the RockLine crew unfortunately had to leave the venue early. Adam are a band renowned for their provocative reach of eclecticism and strictly defined artistry. Besides the genius guitarist Peter Dekleva, the Adam camp is ruled by the excellent chemistry of a quartet rounded out by Anavr’s vocalist and theremin lover Damir Lisica, bassist Anej Kočevar and drummer Gregor Jakac. An excellent alternative rock band that dares to experiment and open up new musical horizons, they reportedly delivered another excellent live experience. Adam are considered one of the most insightfully expressive rock acts in Slovenia right now, so we’ll gladly seize the first real chance to enjoy their concert in full. Until then, let’s hope the concert photo gallery of the band’s show will do the trick.
Rock Fest Vodice number two was a full-on success. Let’s hope it sticks around on the scene, keeps developing, growing and cementing its place, as well as gaining recognition and standing. See you in Vodice again next year! Thanks also to the maestro Yowda for the excellent festival sound!
Photo gallery
