Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Kino Šiška / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 20.10.2010
Attendance: 350
Ticket price: €12.00 (advance) / €15.00 (day of show)
Društvo mrtvih pesnikov, 25 years! How time flies. The circle has closed. Time for a new one, and this one’s going to be completely different. The guys made that loud and clear with their new album, which isn’t really a proper studio album in the classic sense, but “just” a new album. It’s a compilation, a retrospective cut through their back catalog. A string of the band’s well-known songs from earlier years, with the arrangements rebuilt, finding a new home on this release. These songs sound surprisingly different in their new clothes. So different that we can now talk about Društvo mrtvih pesnikov as a band that has changed its musical style. If you listen only to the new album “Krog” (hmmm, what a telling title, RockLine review HERE), you’ll surely come away with that impression “from this rebirth of the band”.
The band marked 25 years of activity, the symbolic closing of past deeds and a turn into a new, creative circle of musical evolution with a symbolic concert at Kino Šiška. The stage was set up in the middle of the hall, where there’s normally standing room, with a huge projection screen hanging behind the band. The curtain on the right (looking from the stage toward the hall doors) was used for projections too. With the band in the middle on a semicircular stage, it was even easier to connect with the crowd, and the atmosphere got even more genuine and intimate.
For this milestone the guys also invited a few special guests onstage to spice up the night. Mojca Mavec hosted the evening. Dan D drummer Dušan Obradinovič – Obra pounded away on extra drums (the brand-new song Kaviar), singer Maja Martina Merljak joined the band onstage for Rabm 2, founding member (now ex-member) of DMP and guitarist Borut Tiran stretched his fingers on guitar for Ustavil bi svet, and the ever-excellent and gently mysterious Jadranka Juras shone in Komu zvoni. Former guitarist Jernej Zoran popped up onstage in Kje?, and in the acoustic Otrok, violinist Marijan Dović kept Vitezič company and gave the song an extra lift. DMP thought of everything. For the occasion they called up the excellent keyboardist Boštjan Artiček, who adapted in record time and nailed the band’s upgraded arrangements.
DMP now have Peter Dekleva on guitar. Wherever Peter shows up, it’s time for a qualitative change and transformation. In the past he left such a creative mark on the always hard-to-predict, spontaneous rockers Srečna mladina, and the debut by the band Adam, “Alfa”, released this year, is surely one of the peaks of alternative rock releases in Slovenia in 2010. In short, Peter is the key that can bring change. Can. It depends on whether the others are ready. And DMP are ready. They were downright hungry for it. Besides Peter, bringing in concert keyboardist Boštjan Artiček is what adds further novelty to the band’s stage charisma today.
DMP have grown up. They’ve matured. From trivially conceived little ditties, which the hot girls of Lower Carniola still faithfully squeal along to, real, modern alt/indie rock songs have grown, songs that are current, and after what this concert showed us we can talk about a straight upward leap in quality. A mix of indie rock drawing on post-punk elements, with added programming and sampling for hypnotic effects, which is all the rage today in precisely that “MTV-style indie”, is a proven bold move that opens new horizons of creative challenges for DMP in the future and new fields for racking up possible successes. Some moments on the album Krog are so interesting (Pingvin, Krog, Ko prižgeš nov dan, Pod oblakom, V tvojih rokah) that they chase what’s happening in the related genre abroad. The first half of the concert was mostly devoted to presenting material from “Krog”, while the second half made more room for the previous album “Vojna in mi” (2008), which also wears new musical shoes.
The wildest one onstage was Peter Dekleva, who once again served up a real reason to enjoy music even for spoiled music gourmets. The sight of the wide array of effects pedals, how he uses them, the sheer inventiveness and sharpness of a guitarist going loose and wild across the stage with his instrument, spontaneously put a smile on the faces of us fellow guitar enthusiasts, who got to watch another excellent performance by this versatile guitarist and musical oddball from up close.
The band prepared superbly for this gig. Everything went for DMP that night exactly the way they wanted it most. Tightness, looseness, a spontaneous exchange of energy between crowd and band, an atmosphere enriched by projections,… We can say DMP passed the maturity test that night and caught the wind in their sails with real vehemence, ready to set off carefree on a new creative musical adventure. Into a new circle. It’ll be worth sailing along with these freshly baked indie rockers, because judging by the concert and the release of “Krog” itself, we can look forward with great interest to how the new, first real studio album will sound, after this important turning point in the rebirth of DMP’s musical ID, or rather their musical metamorphosis. Welcome to the new circle, guys!
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
1. Pod oblakom 2. Ko prižgeš nov dan 3. Tvoj svet 4. Nebo nad Berlinom 5. V tvojih rokah 6. Jaz grem s tabo 7. Pingvin 8. Kaviar 9. Vse reke tečejo 10. Rabm 2 11. Sveče 12. Komu zvoni 13. Monsun 14. Ustavil bi svet 15. Kisik 16. Kje 17. Bojna črta 18. Trampolin 19. 25 —encore— 20. Otrok 21. Me že ma 22. Superheroj 23. Ti si vse 24. Čutm
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