Venue: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: 18.10.2013
Last Friday, Orto bar hosted a gig in a series of public-drunkenness events, put together by the concert organizers Umazana Dihurja. The event itself, yet another from the two-man crew who work together to create and preserve this very particular genre, drew a solid crowd and showed how important and tireless their effort is to preserve and develop the local (underground-sound) music scene.
Around the hour that splits day from night, meaning somewhere after the start of the well-oiled Keber-style technique of limiting alcohol consumption, the young band from Zagorje, The Fallen Idea, struck up for us. The up-and-coming trio gave us a half-hour, mostly cover-based, set. I have to say they play what’s supposed to pass as ska-punk pretty solidly – syncopated, accented guitar, sometimes (un)distorted, a lively bass and fast drums, beefed up by melodic vocals, which I can say weren’t bad, now and then tonally tasteless, but quite satisfactory considering the singer was playing guitar at the same time. You can check out their single Brez meja online.
I’d point out that youngsters like TFI can grow and progress without a hitch precisely with the help of these public-drunkenness events, which for a good decade now have helped keep alive (among other things) this idea-wise independent and self-standing, party-minded punk variant. In other words, the whole point of surviving as a relatively non-commercial and authentic strand of music and culture, one that in its development and existence shouldn’t need to lean on the inhuman, brutal and twisted ultra-capitalist views that, like it or not, (co-)shape the areas of human progress, culture and music included.
With the guys behind the scenes on the bar (*nicknames: Lučko, Tone, Šanki and Dihurka 1 and 2 in rotation) I enjoyed a beer at the bar for just 1.9 euros. The club’s bar offer (mostly) for the lower, slave-class members of the hierarchy of modern slave-owning society is a lighter dose of the unpleasant logistics of the regime of the now-former Ministry of R’n’R, where there’s less and less humanity, culture and sense with every passing day. A consumer trick? Almost certainly. A sudden concern for the little guy? Yes, if/when he’s worth (at least) 1.9 euros, and I’m not counting the paid coat check …
After a short technical turnaround on stage, Ljubljana’s Spunk On Toast gave me a pleasant surprise. Hard-hitting punk-whatever merchants with a female vocal contribution that’s refreshing and likable. It’s honestly incredible that a girl with such a gentle voice manages to stand godmother to something this noisy. The two guitarists play without compromise, with unclichéd moves that stand for solid performing, backed by a quality rhythm section: the drummer’s relative consistency and the bassist’s lively fingerstyle playing make up this superb hope for the Slovenian hardcore-punk-whatever future. No pointless between-song nonsense, no quasi-comic interludes serving as the (un)obligatory concert filler, supported by supporting material for supporting, SOT are exactly what you’re after in a public-drunkenness gig, in soul and in the blood-alcohol that (can) exceed the legal limit – what punk tradition is supposed to be, namely a permanently raised middle finger to the soul-crushing, looming system that reeks of prime-grade, concrete, rigged crap! At this point I beg the remaining members to sort out the lineup problem and carry on! I recommend the demo Farsa demokracije, and you absolutely have to follow SOT (and Joko Ono too), who are giving this kind of punk back its otherwise disfigured and worn-out expression around here.
That ideological punk isn’t just a serious, spit-in-your-face reflection of the street is proven by the action heroes of the local ska-punk scene, the Ljubljana-based Super Action Heroes. Frankly, the arrival of each individual action hero on stage is funnier than most Slovenian comedy attempts that make the people laugh. Batman and Robin make up the wind/brass section (trumpet, saxophone), the rhythm section is more than satisfying and tight, made up of Spiderman (bass) and Batman (drums), and Flesh, besides representing the Slovenes from across the border, handles vocals/guitar, again excellent. I was especially thrilled by the consistency of the guitar playing while Flesh sings, and he’s got a natural talent for unforced, connecting/humorous banter. If earlier I was covering the still-green lads from Posavje, the action heroes are their complete opposite. Like with SOT, this masked ensemble of entertainers stands for something musically too, and word is that even they, superhuman as they are, pick up their instruments and practice. The heroes, Madcaddies-style, are therefore potential musical guests in your town, if you need a party and you’re not part of the exploitative crowd of profit-hungry satisfaction-seekers.A successful gig in the public-drunkenness series, and as said, glad for what we’ve got, we’re waiting for the next round of series-style refinement on the theme. Next time with us, Golliwog, the Ribnica founders of hardcore-punk-whatever, and others …
* – the nicknames are made up, but they belong to real entities. Don’t steal and you won’t get stolen from, support and spread the word! Uncles!
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