The Minions of Zürich

Band: Deine Lakaien

Venue: X-Tra, Limmatstrasse 118, CH-8031 Zürich

Time: June 10, 2012 - 8.30 pm

Entrance fee: 10 500 HUF

I'm leaving the borders of Budapest with this post. Not literally, or at least not yet. My last destination was a concert in Zürich, Switzerland, some 16 hours away by train from the last show I wrote about. It's been about 10 days now since the concert - the approaching summer is all to blame. And no, I'm not lying on a beach, I'm just showing my hatred towards the horribly hot weather by refusing to do any work.

Alexander Veljanov

Back to topics that can so easily overtake weather just by being far more interesting. The concert. It was rather an outstanding performance done by two musicians, who have existed since 1986 under the name Deine Lakaien. Since then, they have worked with many musicians, at the same time releasing a big number of albums, singles, compilations, etc., the last being the album Indicator.


This year, the duo, comprised of two extraordinary musicians - pianist Ernst Horn and vocalist Alexander Veljanov, prepared a short acoustic tour, although it was not the first of that kind to come from Deine Lakaien. Those who are familiar with the band will recall the wonderful acoustic rendition of their music, which they released in 1995 as a live recording under a simple name - Acoustic.


From the first moment when Ernst started playing, up to the long awaited instant in which Veljanov started singing, and all the way throughout the first part of the show, I kept thinking that I could in no way describe the feeling the duo spread across their audience. It was not a simple concert given by a band. It was a breathtaking performance done by, strangely enough, only a piano and voice. However, just as Veljanov combined different techniques in his singing, Ernst produced different sounds by using drumsticks and a glass on the strings of his piano. Apart from constantly astonishing the fans, Horn and Veljanov also made them laugh. During the song Fighting the Green, Veljanov mixed up the verses and turned around shyly, whily Horn tried to hide his chuckle.

Ernst Horn and Alexander Veljanov

Then, just as I thought that they couldn't possibly get the audience to fall in love with them even more, the song Dark Star started. Now, this song has not been my favourite, not even close, and not even now. But it was the Star of that tour. Coincidentally or not, it was also the last song before the first encore, leaving the audience fully in awe, clapping for almost 10 minutes - even after the amazing duo got back on stage. They literally had to ask the audience to quiet down so that the show may continue. Later, another enchore ensued, closing the evening with the ever loved song, Love Me to the End. Yes, we will.

Alexander Veljanov

Setlist: Where You Are, 2nd Sun, Who'll Save the World, The Game, Follow Me, One Night, A Fish Called Prince, The Mirror Men, Return, Gone, Without Your Words, Fighting the Green, Vivre, Over and Done, Away, Blue Heart, Dark Star // Bei Nacht // Wunderbar, Love Me to the End.

Check out the concert gallery.

For a Better Effect, Add a Pinch of Storm

Kerekes Band: Zsombor & Csaba

Band: Kerekes Band

Venue: Zöld Pardon, Neumann János utca 2, 1117 Budapest

Time: June 4, 2012 - 8.00 pm

Entrance fee: 400 HUF

It turns out that lightning bolts and a downpour can turn an almost cancelled concert into one of the craziest experiences lately. With only a small crowd of people gathered under those huge umbrellas, nobody expected the concert to actually happen. However, with a short delay, the Hungarian ethno folk Kerekes Band did give a memorable show. The thunders in the background fit perfectly, not even the cheerful tunes of their music were diminished by the rain.

The first bravehearts to get closer to the soaking stage

Before continuing, though, I'd like to note down a few things concerning the blog. As you may have noticed, it took me a while to do a new post. This was mainly because the semester is just coming to an end, so there is a lot to be done. I also have to think about the future of the blog, as I won't be spending much time in Budapest over the summer, and in the next half a year. However, I do want to continue writing about the concerts I go to. After considering all this, I've decided that it wouldn't make sense to start a new blog. Instead, I'll continue writing here, even though the future concerts I attend may or may not be directly connected to Budapest or folk genre. Hopefully, I'll manage to make this change bearable. :)

Now, back to Kerekes Band. Honestly, I was not quite familiar with the band before attending their concerts. My only knowledge was of their existence. Nothing more. But isn't promotion part of the reason why concerts are done in the first place? I'd say so. That is how I came to know this band. They come from Eger, where they were formed in 1995! I won't write about their history here, as it's not the point of my writing, but I do highly recommend to read their History and Prehistory pages on the Kerekes Band Website. They're, well, hilarious.

Kerekes Band

The show started a bit after 8 pm, while people were still standing in the back, under the huge white patio umbrella, which was already starting to leak. As the show was getting more intense, the rain was trying to break its own records at pouring, while the fans found themselves being pulled closer to the stage with every note. The music was mainly instrumental, with distinctive flute and violin sounds, and a few exceptions to the instrumental part. The flutist, Zsombor, took the role of a singer during some parts, most memorable being the song Ethno Funk.

Fonogram Award for Kerekes Band

They ended the show by presenting their awards, which they received in April for their newest album, What the Folk?. This award is called Fonogram Awards, being a Hungarian version of Grammy. The winning category was the Best World Music Album of the Year.
Congratulations, Kerekes guys!

Check out the concert gallery.