«Non abbiamo mai suonato in Italia, per cui siamo elettrizzati»: parole dei Balans, protagonisti venerdì alle 20.30 del terzo concerto all’Hangar Teatri per la rassegna in collaborazione con il Kino Šiška di Lubiana. Si definiscono una “art punk band”, vengono dalla capitale slovena e sono attivi dal 2013, quando Kristin Čona e Andrej Pervanje hanno cominciato, in una casa abbandonata, a sperimentare coi suoni intrecciati a poesie; si è unito più tardi il batterista Jan Kmet che ha aggiunto potenza ai live. Le loro performance sono estremamente creative e le loro influenze «molteplici, punk, post punk, avant-garde, new wave dalla Jugoslavia anni ’80 – raccontano –, in breve: musica che devia dal mainstream». Adorati dal pubblico dell’underground sloveno e non solo, si sono esibiti in diversi festival tra cui il MENT di Lubiana e il Waves di Vienna. Sono famosi per la collaborazione con diversi artisti, fashion designers e fotografi, tra cui Alessandro Di Giampietro, trasferitosi nella capitale slovena nel 2016 e diventato l’artista visuale del gruppo, creando per loro video, film sperimentali, copertine e poster; nel 2020 è tornato in Italia ma continua a collaborare occasionalmente con loro. «Eravamo stati invitati a suonare a Trieste dal Mold – racconta il trio sloveno –, ma poi era saltato per la pandemia. Trieste è una seconda casa per la nostra cantante che conosce bene la città e ci sa indicare dove si mangia la miglior pizza o gelato, frequentava le serate all’Ausonia e al Tetris o semplicemente a bere vicino al mare».
«All’Hangar – continuano – proporremo un’ora di spettacolo con una scaletta versatile. In ogni posto in cui ci esibiamo cerchiamo di portare qualcosa di nuovo. Oltre a suonare i brani dal nostro ultimo disco “sam pravm”, presenteremo due canzoni nuove che finiranno nel prossimo lavoro che uscirà in autunno. “sam pravm” è il nostro sesto album, il primo che abbiamo inciso su vinile e per questo ha un posto speciale nel nostro cuore. È uscito durante la pandemia e abbiamo sofferto il fatto di dover aspettare l’estate per presentarlo dal vivo. I testi cercano di descrivere le difficoltà e le vicissitudini quotidiane di ogni essere umano».
Elisa Russo, Il Piccolo 07 Aprile 2022
BALANS – INTERVIEW
Greetings, can you give us a brief explanation of who you are and what you do? (can you introduce to us each member of the band)?
balans is an art punk band from Ljubljana. It has been producing music since 2013, when Kristin Čona and Andrej Pervanje started creating ambiental, poetry-based music in an abandoned house. Since then, the band has collaborated with various artists and musicians, has evolved its music style and has focused on showing various artforms while performing. In 2019 we started regularly collaborating with Jan Kmet, the drummer who brings live power to the stage.
How would you define the sound of balans and what was the music that influenced you and shaped your own vision?
The balans sound is punky, artsy and poppy at the same time. Leaning on poetry, strong rhythms and creative performances. There have of course been many influences, from the Yugoslavian 80s punk, post punk, avant-garde, new wave and others. In short – music that deviates from the mainstream.
Have you played any dates in Italy yet?
We have never played in Italy before, that is why we are even more excited. We were invited to play a concert at Espace M’old in Trieste, but then we had to cancel unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
You’ll be playing in Trieste next Friday. What do you know about Trieste?
We could say that Trieste is like a second home of our singer! She knows the city very well, for example where to get the best pizza or gelato in town. She has been to parties in Ausonia and Tetris and spent many evenings drinking beer on Trieste’s piazzas and beaches.
What can people expect to see at your Trieste show at Hangar Teatri?
An hour-long performance with a versatile setlist. We always try to bring something new to every venue where we perform. Besides playing the songs from our last album “sam pravm”, we have also present two new songs that will be released on our next album.
What can you tell me about your album “sam pravm”?
The album was released during the pandemic, so it was quite a struggle to us, because we had to wait until the summer to present it with a release concert. It was our sixth album, but the first that was released on vinyl, so it has a special place in our hearts. It presents an achievement for the hard work.
Are there any particular lyrical themes on the record, from your perspective?
Our lyrics are current and try to describe the troubles of the environment and circumstances the humankind lives and breathes every day.
How did the Alessandro Di Giampietro collaboration come about?
Alessandro is an italian contemporary artist who came to live in Ljubljana in 2016. We clicked and started collaborating heavily, he was the visual artist of the band, creating music videos, visuals in forms of experimental films and even covers and posters. He moved back to Italy in 2020, but we still collaborate occasionaly.
What’s happening next, is there anything upcoming and in the works already? Can we expect a new album from you in the near future?
First, we have a lot of concerts planned in spring and summer and in autumn we are planning to release our next album that we recorded in January. It’s been a long and demanding process, but we are looking forward to the new adventures and milestones.
