We were at the Bear Stone Festival again this year, where we wrote about the innovations of the two-year-old festival, and we also talked to Azutmaga about their first performance at the festival. During our time there, we also were at the Croatian band, Nemeček‘s concert, and then we spoke to the band’s drummer Borna Maksan, who will be back in Hungary in August for the second time this year at the Fekete Zaj festival.
It was the first time when you played at the Bear Stone Festival, how did you experienced it?
However we are from Croatia, this was the first time, when we performed at this festival. We didn’t have any idea beforehand, but I think, this is the best festival in Croatia. The organisers and the staff are very hospitable and correct in any little aspect of making concert.
You play a very unique music. What do you think is the most appropriate form for bringing your art to your audience?
We like to play at concert venues, where the maximum capacity is around 100 people. That’s what suits is the best for our music right now. In Croatia we do such things, it’s very different for us to play open air concerts because we’re not used to it. This is the second open air show, that we did, after the first one, which was in Zagrab three months ago.
Did you have to change something in you preparation?
We needed to cut songs, because our songs are pretty lenghty and when you go to an event, where a band is playing at a smaller show, you have capacity of attention for that band for maybe two hours. But when you are on a festival, you just listen to a band for thirty minutes and go away. So we had to adapt the whole show to that.
Why did you start doing open air shows now?
It wasn’t a targeted plan, it just worked out that way. As we released the second album, we started playing much more shows, as it became popular more shows and festivals came to our tour dates, which contain open air places.
There is some excitement in giving open air shows, because there is always a chance of having an extreme weather.
Not only the weather but also the sounding can go wrong. For example there are six bands playing in the scope of four hours and there are sound check after sound check, and the guy who does the sound needs to memorise everything, and usually it doesn’t go well. It’s pretty problematic. Every time something comes up.
Acoording to these situations which is the better; being the first or the last in the lineup?
The best is when we are the first, because then we are the last, who do the soundcheck. When you’re playing first, everything is set up according to the last soundcheck, so nothing gets changed in between. You have a guaranteed best sound when you play first. Sometimes problems can easily come up also in this way. On the Bear Stone we played first, which was great, the only bad thing was the sun. On the stage there were like 50 degrees, and it’s very hard to play, it is like you run a marathon.
Speaking of the new alum, you are doing a thrilogy, and the mentioned album, the Prokletije II was released at the beggining of the year.
It was Vedran Živković’s, our main singer’s idea, to make a trilogy and we just released the second piece of this storyline, but the last one is in the process.
It is a full storyline, which develops as we add people and instruments to the band. I think the next, the third one will be more classically based, not so much dark rock.
Your music contains traditional elements and you mentioned the dark rock side. How does the traditional and the rock side come together?
All traditional stories are pretty dark and it fits perfectly together. It fits to the music, to the crowd and fits with darkness.
Besides the new songs and the thrilogy you are making vinyls. Why do you chose this method of giving out new music, however everything is available on the online sites in no time?
I think it is more of a memorabilia than an actual device. We cherish the quality of the sound and we did vinyl on the very high standards in a factory in Germany. We did new mixes for the vinyl of the same album, but it’s pretty much a memorabilia for fans to buy because you have a physical artifact of a band you like.
Not only the sounding, but you also have a very unique name. Where does your name come from?
The name was inspired by a Hungarian book, Pál utcai fiúk. In elementary school we needed to read it, it was a part of the schedule of books that we need to read.
I didn’t imagine that you have a connection with Hungary through your name. Do you have any other experience which is linked to the country?
We played in Budapest three months ago at the Szimpla Kert, and we met the guy who, is one of the organisers of the Fekete Zaj festival, and he invited us to come to Matra, so we are giving a show in Hungary on 18th of August, and we are very excited about it.
What about the show, you gave in Hungary? Was it different in any way from the others shows you play in Croatia?
I think the show in Hungary went pretty good, even though that was our first time there. People react differently in different countries, in Croatia people know our language and know us, we have many friends. I think the hungarian audiences has welcomed us pretty warmly, so it is going to be nice, coming back to play at the Fekete Zaj Festival.
Tickets for the festival are still available. Details are available on the band and Fekete Zaj Facebook page and website.