Author: Urban Bolta
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Kranj / Transtation Squat / Slovenia
Concert date: December 29, 2012
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: €4.00
Right before we stepped into the longest night of the year, Rockline treated itself to one last rock’n’roll debauchery of 2012. And where else but in Gorenjska, Kranj to be exact, the cradle of Slovenian hard and glam rock! For many years Bazen was the cultural spot where Kranj’s youth gathered for alternative gigs, but after its sad demise the local scene found a new home in an abandoned shack by the train station. The people of Kranj fixed up the new digs and named it Transtation Squat. And it was right into its bosom that Wild Crew and Tomcat, two young acts from the Slovenian hard rock school, lured us on the last Saturday of the year.
The rowdies from Tolmin, Wild Crew, rose from the ashes of a band called Wild Child. The urge to create and perform survived the breakup of the original lineup, so Anej and Jernej found new members and got the gears of the young Tolmin machine turning again. This summer Wild Crew released a self-titled EP, and riding its wings they’re now frantically hunting for gigs where they can present it. One such chance came up in Kranj, in front of a fired-up home crowd – and Wild Crew, of course, grabbed it with both hands!
The initial nervousness did present the Tolmin boys in an almost punk-flavored distortion, but to the crowd’s delight they managed to swim into more hard rock waters as the set went on and recall the golden days of the eighties. Sadly, only fleetingly. Their backing vocals didn’t satisfy the hunger for melodic perfection, and neither did the far too limp stage performance, which left way too much empty space on the stage, even though going by the band’s name you’d expect a proper kinetic bomb! Never mind, the band has a strong bond of friendship, which showed on stage in a collective attitude with nobody hogging the spotlight, and that’s a solid foundation for building their musical journey from here.
After a break came the set from the Gorenjska-Ljubljana alliance Tomcat. Having opened shows for more established domestic and foreign acts in the past, this gig on practically home turf was, two years into the band’s life, actually the quartet’s very first real headline show ever!
And that’s not all. The band has recorded its debut with producers Beni Kic and Matej Sušnik, and even before its release they managed to fill an hour and ten minutes of stage time at the Kranj show. With the obligatory touch of covers, of course, which surprised right from the start with the ZZ Top teaser Tush. By the sound of it, Tomcat have moved a notch closer to the legacy of classic hard rock, though still with a strong melodic component, which could be heard in the intense chorus of the original song Edge. Their backing vocal lines are getting noticeably sharper, a sign of successfully capitalizing on their songwriting talent. The most visible progress was at the frontman spot! Denis is more and more convincing in the highest registers, so he works them into his basic repertoire more and more often, which is now richer by a new dimension of vocal maneuvering. Nice! To Denis’s right, Rok was cradling his guitar, already a real master of the six strings despite his youth, filling out the overall sound to the max! Even though Rok could have stepped into the spotlight more often, especially during the solo parts, with his lush mane he once again preferred to hide under his hat. Rok doesn’t like putting himself out there, and instead keeps pushing the band as a whole to the front, which shows his maturity of character. The minor slip-ups in the transitions of the Black Sabbath classic Iron Man were forgivable, since the guys apparently couldn’t hear each other on stage, and the medley of covers continued with the goofy Manowar and Lady Gaga numbers. An interesting pick, but because of its variety it raises the question: where exactly is Tomcat headed? Confusion about genre focus is usually a beginner’s problem for inexperienced bands, so given the mileage of Tomcat’s chieftain Šujot on bass, the remark quickly stung the ears. The nicely played ballad Good Bye was drowned out near the end of the show by more upbeat rhythms, peaking with the Crüe cover Kickstart My Heart, which got almost the entire little hall headbanging!
A great hard rock vibe and a rowdy, high-spirited atmosphere were the hallmarks of Saturday’s get-together in Kranj. A get-together that announced the upcoming release of Tomcat’s debut. According to the band, we’ll have to wait until February to hear it. Let’s hope they keep their pre-New Year’s promise!
Setlist
WILD CREW:
1. Intro
2. Riot in My Head
3. Wild Side
4. Midnight Fight
5. R’N’R School
6. Night Knights
7. Cryin’ In The Rain
8. Running On A New Day
TOMCAT:
1. Purgatory
2. Tush
3. Girl in Leather
4. Domino
5. Follow You
6. Breaking Chains
7. Edge
8. Hangover
9. Iron Man
10. Good Bye
11. Carry On
12. Fortunate
13. Riders
14. E.O. Glory
15. Dirty Old Mind
16. Kickstart My Heart
Photo Gallery
