Written by:	Abattoir
Published:	August 09, 2020

134 days have passed since the last concert I attended just before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted globally (well, at the time primarily in Europe). Under normal circumstances, there would have been around 15-20 gigs behind me by now, if not even more. With all this chaos that has been going on for a few months now, however, we all have had or will have to adapt in some ways and on different occasions. It will take quite some time before most things will normalize in everyday life (if that's ever possible). As a consequence of the improved pandemic situation in some of the European countries/regions in recent weeks (a decline in new virus cases), some things are moving forward and being loosened up in terms of restrictions. This fact applies also to the cultural field, in a sense of reopening and relaunching the cultural venues/places (especially the smaller ones) that have the capability to organize live events under certain conditions. Mostly outdoors.

After events started to happen again at different places, the opportunity came soon for me to attend my first live concert in our main city after all these months. It was at a regularly visited venue, outdoors this time, with around 100 attendants (limited to 200 people). This particular concert featured two Slovenian groups. The music wasn't metal-oriented, but it was still acceptable and appreciated. The first band was bluey psychedelic rock outfit Spaceship Earth, followed by the post-rock/ambient duo Shadow Universe. I was not familiar with the music of the first band at all prior to this gig, while on the other hand I had caught Shadow Universe live about a year and a half ago.




Spaceship Earth's music coalesces the primary sound of blues rock, conveying light tones of psychedelia in particular parts of the songs, which I find a quite natural and suitable combo. Aside from the guitarist/vocalist, the performance of the rest of the band was kind of stoic/impassive-looking; they acted more like bland support up on the stage. The frontman's appearance was the opposite for most of the set, being competent and frisky with his solid-sounding guitar. Although it is not that easy to summarize the 30-minute-long performance of a band you're seeing for the first time, this was the better part of the show for sure. All in all, it made for pleasant listening, although not really a high-level experience.




The act to follow on stage was Shadow Universe, the reason that I had decided to be part of this gig in the first place. This duo portrays their post-rock sonic foundation with a fair share of soundscapes and mixes it with sensible ambient elements. This combination generally suits and comforts my aural sense gradually in a hypnotizing way. It was not as fulfilling as I had wanted it to be - especially compared to the previous gig, when I saw them live for the first time. It was indoors, where the overall sound was way better and more complete. On this occasion, it kind of lost the momentum, strength, and distinctive, dispersed echoing of the melodies.

Nonetheless, given the fact that this was the first live gig I had been able to see after months of drought, I can't really go on being pedantic about the sound, high-leveled performance, etc.; after all, I should be thankful for Spaceship Earth's and Shadow Universe's appearances. In the second half of August, I plan to attend my second mid-corona concert and the first metal one, still in Slovenia with Slovene bands on the menu. After that, if everything goes according to plan, a massive show should follow.