L A I B A C H

OVER T HE E UR OP E
(occupied europe tour 1983)
 D A R IN G T O T O U R . . .
f% NNOUNCING THE Last F®w Days before HIs comlng!!! though hsrdlya festlve nlght, December 23
M hrlngs to London 's Dlorama (Euston Road W1)the final date of thls y&ar’s most daiing tour. Called
J J I Through Occupied Europe Itpalra severe prophets Last F&wDays wlth Vugoslavprovocateur*
M m Lalbach, who together dId exactly that. BeginnIng In Lalbach ’s homeland thelr convoy ot trvcks and
m 1 cera sklrted Czechosla vakla to Hungarlan Capital Budap e s t, on to Poland, through East Germany to
Beriln, Copenhagen and eventually here.
tf after takIng Into account the shoestrlng loglstlcs ofsuch a tour, featurlng two “dtfflcult" groups and thelr
memorles of endless bureaucratlc wrangles and border croaslngs, It stili doesn ’t sound like any big deal, then
It ahould be explalned that the alght ofa group like Last Few Days, Intonlng messages ofdoom through
megsphones to a soundtrack that mlght comblne the tolllng of bells and an unr®mi?tlngly austere nolse, Is not
a common f&ature of East European pop. As East German bordor guards hlnd&rlng thelr ®ntry to W®st Berlin
wlll atlest. Nor Is the teamlng ofsuch a group wfth a YugosSav unlt whoae r!aky toylng wtth the mechanlsms of
totalltarlanlsm has teasedout the ugllerslde ofihelrState's normally1olerantcensom.
In Yugoslavla they have been accused ofplaylng Nazls. In Poland they were barracked for belng
Communlsts. Needless to say ih Is tour through occupled Europe caused an uneasy m M ure of constematlon
a n d c o n h J 8 lo n f a tth e v @ r y l e a s t l n c ft l n g c u r l o u 8 lty .
Thelr London concert Is a rare, tfnot only opporiunlty to Investlgat® Lalbach and catch a fleetlng gllmpse at
the Last Few Days. Promlses to be the most fun packed beglnnlng to the hollday slnce Throbblng Gristle’8
Chrlstmaa concert ofthree years ago. CNRIS BOHN
 in Peto |
Place off London’s Euston 1
Ohearest' tube Great
Portland Street) — plays
host to one o f the most
energetic and inventive
tous o f the year.
L ast Few D ays, who’ve ;
not been seen in the UK
since their appearances at j
the alAcademy, and
in
F
Laibach from Yugoslavia —
who are making their first
appearance in this country
— will be comandeering
the oddly constructed venue
on December 23.
It's the final date of their
Tour Of Occupied Europe’

whichhas take n them to

nine countries on both sides
of the iron Curtain The tour
has been tota lly self-
financed and the industrious
intentional liaison has
received some rapturous
responses, most notably in
Poland. See page 36.

December 17, 1983 SOUNDS

LAIBACH/LAST FEW DAYS
Warsaw Riviera
THE POSTER screamed 'Occupied Europe
Tour', and so did the faces.
The Yugoslavian and English collaboration
of Last Few Days and Laibach are halfway
through a 17 date, nine country tour of
occupied countries both East and West of
the Iron' Curtain.
From slaughterhouses in Vienna to
chapels in Budapest, the audiences-share a
Passive acceptance of their plight. Reactions
a ve ranged from reserved voyeurism to
h the group build a vibrating wall of noise.
numbed outrage.
The first impression you get of the
W arsaw Riviera is akin to a Sixties
conference hall awash w ith sound, L ast Few
Days had started to play before the
audience was admitted entry, and as they
troop in, a malignant grinding harmony fills
the air. But the brutal assault of
'Megaphobia' cuts through their
apprehension.
The use of megaphones must have
seemed ominously familiar. The
presentation of weapons of control as
entertainm ent' visibly shocked the
onlookers.
As 'Song O f Angels' shifted the emphasis
onto choral seduction and cleansing of the
senses, Last f e w Days evoked and
manipulated emotions to the extreme. They
toy with structures and accepted formats,
leaving the audience with no trace of start
and finish.
Laibach music is the music of machines
and workers, the music of power. Its
directness and truthfulness is awesome.
Their uniformity is visually stunning.
Tow ering, images from nationalist films
dwarf the proceedings on stage. Milan
circulates in the audience, hands behind his
back, spreading confusion while the rest of
POWER! POWER! POWER! Orders are
bellowed through the cacophony. Shadowy
silhouettes mimic the energetic exercises
which are projected stage centre: Fractured
images zoom into focus as Laibach quote
Jaruzelski speeches and redirect the assault.
They are to o far. ahead of this audience.
In a country only recently gripped by punk
and new wave, rock fans aren't used to
performers redelivering the words of their
puppet government.
The opposing styles and disciplines of
Last Few Days and Laibach met with polite
but convused applause.
In a country where political views are
daily oppressed perhaps to o many nerves
were hit, EVE LAWRANCE
 In Concert
Laibach
G an z am R ande der jugos-
lawischen R ock-Szene vege-
tiert die Band ,,L aibach “ .
Standig von der Z ensur ge-
ja gt füh r en sie ein schwieri-
ges Dasein am R and e der
jug oslaw ischen K ulturszene.
Ihre Insp iratio n beziehen sie
aus I n d u s trie p ro d u k tio n , Na-
zik u n s t, T otalitariusm u s, Tay-
lorism us, B ruitismus u n d ähn-
lichem. Die innere S tr u k tu r
der G ru p p e ist nach eigener
A uffassung ,,kohär e n t, tota-
litär, hierarchisch u n d folgt
a u t o l itä tdiszipliniären Prinzi-
p ie n .“ Leider gehö rten nich t
alle Mitglieder zur starken,
überleben sfähigen A rt: vor
eini Zeit beging F ront-
m a n n Ivo Salinger Selbst-
m o rd . U nverdrossen arbeiten
n u n E ber (M o d u la to r ), Keller
(Bass) u n d D achauer (G e n e ra ­
to r , Tapes, G r a m m o p h o n e ,
P ercussion, S y n th i) w eiter an
ihren h o h e n Zielen ,,Mobilisie-
rung der Massen fur ein star-
kes, m on olithisc hes Ganzes,
A n h e b u n g des M assenbewuß t-
seins, Ehre u nd G efühl für
die eigene Kraft, S tarku ng
von Disziplin und V erant-
w o rtu n g , D ynam isierung der
m ateriellen P ro d u k tio n und
des tech nisch en F o rtsc h ritts,
V e rb a n n u n g der Privatinteres-.
sen un d des Privatlebens, Ent-
w icklung eines instinktiven
A k tivism us u n d A rbeiterhe-
roism us, S tark u n g der Fa-
m ilienm o ral, F o rd e ru n g u n d
U n ifo rm ieru n g des sozialen
u n d ku ltu rellen Lebens, so-
wie der gesam ten P olitik,
U n ifo rm ie ru n g un d Standar-
disierung der p olitischen P r o ­
paganda, Organisierung gros­
ser V e rsam m lungen u n d Aus-
fliige, J u g e n d a r b e ite rb ün d e ,
H e ld e n tre ffe n , E in füh ru n g
von Massenliedern (,,Jugos-
lavijo“ ), F o rd e r u n g von S po rt
u n d T u rn e n (grofte Wett-
k a m p f e ) , Verbesserung des
S chu lsystenis u n d der natio-
nalen G esu n d h e it, A b h a lte n
p a ra m ilitä rischer O bu ng en,
K on so lid ierun g der allgemei-
nen V erteidig un gsbereitschaft
(SSS R - nichts würde uns
üb errasc h en ), system atische
V e rn ic h tu n g des inneren u n d
äu ß eren F eindes un d der
F e in d p r o p a g a n d a -- Schaf-
fung einer g estaltlose n Masse
und eines h o c h e n tw ie k e lte n
Mani p u la tionssy stems. “ Bei
ihren A u f tr itt e n o rientieren
sich L aibach an massenpsy-
ch ologischen S tu die n. Mit Ge-
sang, I n s tr u m e n te n , synchro-
ner V ideoiibertragung u n d
. F ilm p r o je k tio n e n gestalten
sie pro vo kative H appenings,
die „die Sicherheit des Sub-
je k t s erschiittern, die gew ohn-
te n E rfah ru n g en der Zuschau-
.. .• e r “ . In Jugoslaw ien tr a te n sie
? in N a z iu n ifo rm e n a u f — hier
w e rd e n sie den jugoslawi-
schen Militä rlo o k vorfüh r e n .
( L aibach b e to n e n , daß alle
S t ö rungen u n d V e rb o te ihrer
A k tiv i täte n nu r a u f Miftver-
standnissen seitens e inzelner
S ta a ts fu n k tio n a r e zurü ckzu-
füh re n w aren . H o ffen tlic h
weiß das der S enat. Laibach
leh nen n ä mlich jegliche poli-
tische u n d k ultu relle Z u ord-
n un g ab: ,,Jeder V ersuch, uns
m i t K o n z e p tio n e n zu etik et-
tieren , wie links- o d e r Rechts-
o rien tieru n g , Revisionismus,
A rtism u s, politische K unst,
etc. ist ein fach ein F e h le r ! “
Last F e w Days sind be-
k a n n t aus ihren Tagen m it
T h ro b b in g Gristle u n d 23
S k id o o . Sie sind die erste
englische G ru p p e seit T G ,
die ,,Neue M usik “ m ac h t.
G em einsa m m it Laibach ha-
ben sie in diesem Ja h r eine
Kassette veroffentlicht. L FD
geben ihr Material m it d em
Ziel heraus, Miß verstandnisse
zu erzeugen. Ihre bisherigen
A u ftr itte b egan nen stets u m
6 .3 0 Uh r m orgens, aber sie
versprech en, sich k ünftig zu-
sam m en zu re iß en u n d Sets fur
,,eher o r t h o d o x e Um gebun-
gen zu e n tw ic k e ln “ . Wie der
G ru p p en slo g an ,,Die letzten
paar Tage? Wirst Du sie
e rle b e n ? “ , so sind auch die
d a rg e b o te n e n Kl ä nge ä uß erst
elegisch. In Berlin w erd en die
Bands d an k einer Sonderge-
n ehm igu ng am T o te n s o n n t a g
spielen. Wie erst sollen wir
diesen F e s ta k t im sagenum-
w o b e n e n Ja h r 1984 begehen?
Eraserhead
Dave Henderson achieves maximum penetration

SINGLES OF THE
WEEK
SEVERED HEADS: 'Dead
Eyes Opened' (ink Records)
As a taster for the Heads'
soon to be released mega-LP,
'Since The Accident'
(undoubtedly the first ever
eight star review is on the
way), 'Dead Eyes Opened' is
a quirky, less extreme,
sample of these antipodean
anarchists. While synths play .
melodies and effects are kept
to a m in im um , Severed
Heads toy w ith the electro­
pop genre to great affect.
A rampant, strained guitar
- I think - warns of more
extrem ities to come and side
tw o reveals a couple of
looped gems that w on't be
on the aforementioned LP.
Like Holger Hilier, the Heads
are dabbling in an area that,
up to now, nas retained an
alm ost clinical sound. Both
are introducing a more gutsy,
em otional and melodic
sound; the com bination is
exquisite.

LAIBACH: 'S ila' (L.A.Y.L.A.H.)

In the wake of their tour of
'Occupied Europe' with Last
Few Days, Laibach's first
release, through this
Crepuscule subsidiary, is an
awesome percussive barrage.
W ith guitars on overload and
vocal chants, 'Sila' is
incredibly powerful.
A bustling rallying call, it's
only the tip of the iceberg as
the other tw o tracks on this
tw elve inch EP adequately
display. 'B oji' and 'Brat Moj',
although still upfront and
effective, adopt a slower
pace and introduce
fragm ented constructions to
confuse the issue.

FRANK CHICKENS: 'Fujiyama

M am a' (Kaz)
A ctually, 'Fujiyama Mama' is
a throw aw ay piece of kitsch
w hich falls somewhere short
of being bearable after the
second play. By contrast
'Shellfish Bamboo' - which
only appears on the 12 inch
cut - and 'We Are Ninja' are
a different kettle of raw fish
altogether.
W ith esoteric renegades
David Toop and Steve
Beresford in tow, the
Chickens come up w ith a
very strange mix of the
> orient and currently 'hip'
western disco sounds. Maybe
I just like English spoken with
a nip of pidgin, but 'Shellfish
Bam boo' is an enticing
p^n

fiS*1
I

I
i
Page 36 SOUNDS October 29, 1983

ACQUIRING A video of Laibach was intriguing and a m u s ing. see themselves not as antagonistic, but merely unorthodox in
It felt illegal. The cacophony highlighted by un r e l a t e d i m a g e s their consolidation w ith the totalitarian government. By using
stills from some secrets tl.T
u
h
c
d
n
a
ire
o n ationalistic films depicting the birth of the present Yugoslav
smuggled out Laibach/La s t f e w d a y s c a s s e t t e u n r a v e ls a State and tapes of prominent politicians, they are not
different tale. . degrading power but exploiting it to reinforce itself.
Released to promote a series of Yugoslavian dates featuring Their ideology enables them ; using complex doublethink, to
Laibach/Last Few Days/23 S o
id
k th e message was much assume persona totally aligned to the government.
clearer, the sound more contro lled , power and aggression
were still the main focal W hilst their strongest influences are the recurrent images of
Laibach are a screeching holacaust of noise at times, but t he State Art (the official truth) they also consider themselves to be
multi-layered sounds are subtle, textured to a point, striking a l i k e any other rock group.
vital spinal chord. All rock groups are, is a filter for the masses. We use music
F. Hämaan of 23 Skidc a n d D . S ty m e o f L a s t F e w D a y s l i k e - f orce, like — power . ”
talked extensively w ith oftheLaibachwhilst in L ju b la n ja a nd gleaned The same as Michael Jackson?
the following insights of Yes, w hy not? The phenomenon of disco fascinates us. We
recorded conversation admireall groups since w e consider the rock culture as a
A
fe
w
d
a
ysb
e
fo
rew
es
p
o
k
eto
L
a
ib
a
c
h
(M
a
y8
3
)th
e
yp
la
y
e
d
th
e
irfs
tc
o
n
c
e
rtsin
c
etg
eu
n
ty
p
ic
a
ld
e
a
th
o
fv
o
c
a
lis
ta
n
d
fo
u
n
d
in
g
m
e
mb
e
rT
o
m
a
žla
s
ty
e
a
r meanscontrolling the masses, a form of repression which
suceeds in channeling people into a marginal, unimportant
smless to the authorities,
c
h
lw
a
ritu
Althesepeoplewho come to see
t us think w e are
ri.B
e
v
b
u
s
our concerts are not forbidden. They are
controlled by the police so there can be no form of subversion,
it is an illusion, the audience are O ic
s
rm
u
really controlled by Laibach,
Their performances in Ljubljana and Zagreb displayed a new
cohesion and determination which had e m e r g e fromthe ight for these people because they are out of
crisis. The audience, from their initialn
c
-id
s
u
o
rv
e t h e s y s t e m . They can enjoy Laiba ch playing against
by a half hour introductory tape of guard dogs barking — w er e
the system, but we are the group w ho control them in the
like rabbits mesmerised by ferrets by the end of t he concer t s name of the system
The authorities reacted w ith the decision n o t t o feature a n y
rock music at next year's'M usicki Biennale Zagreb fe s
tiv
a
ln
d D o yo u tell th em ?
" I n a l l ,control the
m
lh
s
e
rv
tw
in
front page news items On th e m isuse o f rock appeared.
pe
o
l,w
c
o
n
trlthe subversive structure of the audience."

D o e s t h e g o v e r n m e n t consider Laibach subversive?

'We are the soldiers o f freedom ’

To understand the ideologies of Laibach a b a c k g r o u n d o f t h e Y e s .

Isn't that acontradiction? "If we contradict XXXX, it is a conscious processmevery
political situation in Yugoslavia is necessary. A c i
try
n
u
o
which feelings of r epreissionandrestrictionareinexplicably political systemcontradictsitself" Laibachhaveapolicyof escalationfor their imagewar
bound in an intense nationa l lo y a l t y w h i c h e n c o m p a s s e s a "each tim e w e play, w e probe a little further"
basic faith in the system in si t e o f a n y f a u l t s .
The musical activities of Laibachareinmanyways u
n
likeg
ro
u
p
sin
,say,E
n
g
lan
dan
dG
erm
an
y,L
aib
achp
rep
are
consideredprovocativeandextreme,Laibachprepare
inseparable from their co ncio u sn ess of th eir ow n cou n try. Th e themselves psychologically for XXXXX each performance
music is unemotional in its d o c u m e n ta tio n o f e m o tio n s . T h e There are XXX watching them , em ploeeys of the people.
to play music to placate large crow ds and let the m usic control
the musicians as w ell as th e a u d ie c e . T h e s tr e n g th lie s o n ly
within the combination of thispartsandtheformthattheytake
is controlled by the group.
In JUNE an interview
“Authority is m aybe unlikeable, on Slovenian television, a million viewers ended in an appeal by the presenter for
way to peace andstabilisation , " - J e r u z e ls k i citizens to finally stop and destroy the group. This was
f o l l o w e d b y an intensive Media campaignagainst Laibach.
LaibachK f
o
le
rc
p
tia
s
n
u
'We identify with our government. taste Judgem ent a n d o p i n i o n W
h
o
m
a
d
e
s
h
irto
fLaibach.
Their use of ambiguousimageryis part o f a n a i m t o a l l o w T h e ir L
w
a
irc
,h
d
e
tn
s
o
p
P and live
We want to finish with all decadent people to draw their ow n conclusions and fear their ow n fears to Factions prohibited, the group worked on the organisation of a
s
a
L
w
E
d
ie
p
c
g
rh
u
The strong g lo rific a tio n o f th e w a te r is b o th c o m m u n is t a n d
forms. We agree with at! groups fascist. M
isinterpretationbecom
escorrectifitistheviewof
who manipulate the masses and the majority, hencetheim
when it has beene ic
b
u
n
a
rlv
ageryofLaibachisonlycom
th
d
s
o
p
x
plete

want to control them." Despite their increasingconflictwiththeauthorities,Laibach

A w ild p la n e t s p e c ia l f e a t u r e c o m p ile d b y D a v e H e n d e r s o n f r o m in t e r v ie w s c o n d u c t e d b y 2 3 s k id o o 's F r it z H ä m m a n a n d D . S ty m e o f L a s t F e n D a y s

 w o r d t , w o r d t de l ogica in hel denken vafi
het publ i ek o n d e r m i j n d . De muzi ek, saxo-
food, viool . Harden gel ui d. o p g e n o n i en m
een i n n c h l m g voor gee s t e s / i ek e n , herken
n m g s m e l o d i e e n van oude t v - p rog rani -
m a ' s . roept speci fi eke c o nnol at i es op,
w a a r d o o r de i ui steraar een i mti erende
e m o t i e krij gt en zo k we t s b a a r d e r wor dt
v o o r ver der e b e w e r k i n g van de geest. En
d a a r m e e nadert Last Few Days haar doe! it
is a c l o u d l e s s sil ence wher e all has g r o w n
still to listen to ou r l ongi ng and the r h y t h m
of ou r whi p. Vol pat het i ek, r efer erend aan
a n g s t en dood, w o r d t wi t zwart en telkens
omgekeerd.
De mensen van Laibach, die frequent met
Last Few Days samenwerken, wor s t el en
op een vergelijkbare manier, maar bi nnen
een ander kader. O p g e g r o e i d in een onal -
hankelijk communistisch systeem ont dek-
ten zij de mechanismen die werken bi nnen
een totalitaire staat. De overeenkomsten
Af en toe iijkt he! tegenovergestelde waar tussen Nazi-kunst en het sociaal realisme
te zijn, maar er gebeurt nog wel degelijk
van aiies op de nevelige wateren van de
Styx. E6n van de bewijzen daarvoor werd
ons geleverd middels een cassette met bij-
behorend blad5 die niet in Nederland ver-
krijgbaar is, van de Engelse groep Last Few
Days en de JoegosSavische groep Laibach.
Bands die, gezien de beeidtaal en bijbeho-
rende symboliek die ze gebruiken, in eigen
landen al snel van fascisme werden be-
schuidigd, maar die bij nadere beschou-
wing natuurlijk heSemaal geen bruin-
hemden biijken te zijn. Last Few Days heeft
nog maar nauwelijks opgetreden in haar
vierjarige besfaan (onder andere op de
Final Academy). Dit is voorai toe te schrij-
ven aan hun vofstrekt compromisloze ma-
nier van werken. Gemotiveerd door de ab­
solute waarheid en de volstrekte leugen
brengen hun optredens, die bij voorkeur
worden gehouden op tijdstippen waarop
de geestelijke en lichamelijke weerstand
van het publiek het geringst is, bijvoor-
I AIM! A

bee!d om half zeven ’s ochtends, grote ver-

warring teweeg. Door, onder andere in een
continue poster- en graffiti-campagne, ge-
bruik te m a k e n van beelden, waarvan de
obl i g at e inhoud Vervangen is doo r een
 h o u d ofn k r i t i ek u it te kunnen oefenen op Ue muzi ek is hard, s u m s chaohsch en
h e ( b e s t aa n d e s ys t eem. In h et de cassette f o e-pt associ at i es op met de h e m e v,m
b e g e l e i d e n d e blad w o r d e n de di epgaande m a c h i n e p a r k e n Hot is dan ook met vei
t h e o r i e e n van Lai bach zeer g r ondi g uit- w o n d e r l i j k dat hun we r k op de/e.iN11*
g e l e g d in een i nt er v i ew met Dzuboks, een et hi sche en es t h e t i s c h e p n n c i p e s b e m s t
j n e q o s l a v i s c h m u z i k b a l d . Met i nt er v i ew 3Is b i j v o o r b e e l d dat van t h r o b b i n g G r i s U r
' / a s t h o u d e n d aan hun ei gen. de o o r s p r o n
keiijke c o m m u m s t i s c h e zeer nabije i d e o l o ­
gic, w e r k t ook Lai bach c o m p r o m i s l o o s en
i d e o l o g i s c h zeer goe d o nder l egd aan de
d o c u r n e n t e r i n g van de o n d e r d r u k k i n g . En
de z e l f m o o r d van v o o r m a n Ivo Saliger is
" een bev e s t i qi n q van hun vol st r ekt e
 L a i b a c h s c l i o k t m e t e n g

g e k o k e t t e e r m e t n a z i s m e

pe£ liet men aï die tijd angstvallig in

het duister gehuld, wat op zich ai een
Concert: Last Few Days I Laibach. Plaats: vervreemdend, desoriënterend effect
Paard van Troje-Den Haag. Andere speelda­
gen: Effenaar-Eindhoven (2/12), Kombi-Maas-
had.
tricht (3/12).
O m g ek ee rd
D e K apel, e e n n ie u w e r u im te Waar het er Last Few Days nog doel­
in e e n b o v e n za altje v a n h e t bew ust om gaat om verwarring te
P a a rd v an T ro je in D en H aag , d ie stichten, de groep bedoelt eigenlijk
het omgekeerde van wat ze zegt, kost
g e b r u ik t g a a t w o rd e n v o o r
het meer moeite om de dubbelzinnig­
g re n s v e rle g g e n d e k u n s t e n cuS- heden van Laibach ie waarderen. Ook
tu u rs tro m in g e n , w e rd w o e n sd a g Laibach poogt geijkte patronen te
in g e w ijd m e t c o n c e rte n v a n doorbreken door te shockeren, maar
tw e e m u z ie k -c o ile c tie v e n ; L a st legt er nog een bloedserieus schepje
F e w D ays u it L o n d e n e n L aib ach boven op. Een provocerend element in
Joegoslavië is het feit dat de groep zich
u it h e t Jo e g o sla v isc h e R ijek a. tooit met de oude Duitse naam (Lai­
Deze twee collectieven maken elke bach) van de stad Ljubljana en boven­
vorm van individuele expressie onder­ dien ideeën voorstaat, die neerkomen
geschikt aan hun ideologie. Namen op een terugkeer naar het enige ware
van muzikanten worden daarom lie­ communisme. De manier, waarop het
ver niet genoemd. Omdat Last Few collectief haar maatschappijvisie
Days en Laibach in hun levensfilosofie weergeeft brengt haar echter pas goed
en de manier waarop zy daaraan ge­ op gevaarlijk terrein.
stalte geven, vrijwel op één lijn zitten, Een ncoit gepubliceerd interview
lag een gezamenlijke tournee voor de met een Joegoslavisch magazine, waar­
hand. in de tien geboden van de „Laibach
Dat beide groepen gebruik maken Kunst-doctrine” in een niet door te
van de diensten van Fritz Haaiman, de worstelen, taai, wazig en wijdlopig
drummer van 23 Skidoo, maakt ai vakjargon worden uitgelegd, maakt in
meteen duidelijk uit welke hoek de elk geval duidelijk, dat de groep in
wind waait. William S. Burroughs, en hoge mate gefascineerd is door dood
vooral diens te pas en te onpas ge­ en geweld en haar inspiratie put uit
bruikte cut-up techniek, geldt name­ het socialistisch realisme, nazi-kunst
lijk als hèt grote voorbeeld voor 23 en meer van zulke apekool. Doodeng
Skidoo en Last Few Days, en de nauw wordt de ideeënwereld van de groep
verwante Cabaret Voitaire en Psychic echter als haar ideale samenleving
TV, een nazaat van Throbbing Gristle. blijkt te bestaan uit een uniforme,
identiteitsloze massa.
’s Ochtends
Last Few Days, een toepasselijke M ilitair
naam met het oog op 1984, geeft maai* De zanger van Laibach, eveneens
weinig concerten (in de eerste vier met een megafoon bewapend, het
jaar van haar bestaan waren dat er hoofd kaal geschoren en een militair
zes). De groep gaf deze concerten op uniform en rijlaarzen aan, kan zich
ongebruikelijke tijdstippen. Bij voor­ met zijn ui ter lijk dan wel afzetten te­
beeld om half zeven ’s ochtends. De gen de gevestigde opinies, maar zulk
lichamelijke en geestelijke vermoeid­ gekoketteer met nazisme en fascisme,
heid van de concertgangers zou hun als het niet verder gaat dan dat, komt
weerstand moeten wegnemen, waar­ toch erg smakeloos over. Zo ook de
door ze meer open zouden staan voor tijdens Laibach’s partij-meeting ver­
het gebodene. toonde films van gedisciplineerd uit­
Hoe zo’n vorm van massa-manipula- gevoerde excercities, massale sport­
tie moet worden geïnterpreteerd laat manifestaties, pogroms en menselijke
Last Few Days aan haar slachtoffers proefkonijnen. Waarbij moet worden
over. Want, zoals de groep stelt, het vermeld, dat de rauwe, grauwe, a-rwe-
gaat haar niet om roem of erkenning, lodieuze oefeningen in wanhoop en
maar om het verkondigen van de abso­ nihilisme van Laibach die van Last
lute waarheid én de absolute leugen. Few Days qua onbehaaglijkheid in alle
In Den Haag gebeurde dat door middel opzichten overtroffen.
van brallerige, door een megafoon Zonder zulke deprimerende doem-
versterkte kanonnades, begeleid door muziek is het leven voor velen al geen
de klanken van bas, viool, met om­ lolletje. Laibachs „Music for the
woelde sticks bespeelde drums en een mind” , binnenkort ook bij Crépuscu-
klaaglijk snerpende klarinet. le-records op een 12-inch plaat ver­
Daar tussen door tapes met geluids- krijgbaar, kan dan ook alleen aan die­
collages van kerkklokken, demagogi­ genen worden aanbevolen, voor wie
sche commentaarstemmen en Grego­ een apocalypsje meer of minder lood
riaanse gezangen, geïllustreerd door om oud ijzer is. Zwemmend in hun
e.en zwart-wit film van een uitslaande eigen tranendal kunnen zij er hun
brand. Een naargeestig, bleek, post­ hart aan ophalen.
industrieel klankbeeld kortom. De Ka- PETER KOOPS
 M A R C H 8, 1984— 2 1
THE S
T ANDARD. THURSDAY

Granny sings the gospel

- — ~ v,aif HOME : I live ~ on
,c-r>thejr

___ — ..— — — mbmbwMMHI

I/o r a Arm stead

Rock around
the Bloc
R E C O R D c o m p a n y b o s s T a in
M c N a y w a s s u b j e c t e d to a n
e x t ra o r d i n ary i n d o c t r in a t i o n
s e s s io n w h e n h e s ig n e d h is \
f ir s t b a n d f r o m t h e E a s t e r n 3
B lo c .
Y u g o s la v o u tfit
m ade h i m

s
P a g e 58 SOUNDS J a n u a r y 14, 1 9 8 4

p .,

Dave Henderson
LIVE IN POLAND, Last Few Days/Laibach, private
tape
ANTHEM, Black Uhuru, Island LP
DO IT CLEAN, Echo And The Bunnyrnen, Korova
mini-LP track
 The Trax organisation in Italy
have compiled a real mixed bag
with their 'Anthems' collection.
Groups from all over the world
were invited to compose new
national theme tunes and the
results are, although very
variable, quite enjoyable. Those
featured in this mammoth task
are DDAA from France, Renaido
And The Loat from the UK,
Yugoslavia's Laibach, Canada's s
Haters, Merzbow from Japan and
a host of other luminaries.
 ® p « f
*&

Somewhere jn the flood of 'Chrissie' gigs and performances by pin-ups and OAPs, you're going to
need some antidote dr other to all this Yuletide ick. Look no further than the Diorama performance
by British trio Last Few Days and the Yugoslavian group Laibach (Fri 23). LFD ('Could they be yours?'
being one clue left lying around by the group) play rarely, concentrating on a strange form of 'dis­
carded' street propaganda reminiscent of the mysterious postal system in Pynchon's 'Crying of Lot
W
henthey do play, they adopt electronics, megaphones and classical instrumentation to
produce a striking style of music which might be pigeonholed as somewhere between the 'industrial'
w
b a v e a n d th e E u r o p e a n c la s s ic a l X X X X X X . Laibach are simply extraordinary, a quasi-official Iron
fT
l/X
s
m
e
k
h
p
o
g
in
rta
u
c

•' •V'

TIMEOUT 77
r

FRIDAY 23
Duran Duran Wembley Arena. Sold Out.
Paul Young & The Royal Family + Felicity
Factory Hammersmrth Odeon. 8.00; £5, £4.
The crowning glory for a successful year from
Paul Young where ail the Smash Hits-styte
infatuation has obscured the fact that he's
basically a good-time pub-rocker w ith a few
tunes, a good votce and chubby sex appeal.
Still, he's bound to a jtja c t S massive crowd.
Billy C o n n o l l y Apolto TheatreVictoria
Street, SW1, 8.00; £5. £4. See C a baret.
L a s t Few Days + Laibach Diorama, Peto
P la c e Euston Read, NW1. 7.30; pnee
unspecified. Non-conformist group ju st back
from a tour of Eastern Bloc nations link up with
Yugoslavian band Laibach who are giving
th e ir only English performance. An evening of
what has been desenbed as 'm ilitant classical
music’ .
G u e s t S t a r s + Chu ck Any M eat O r PH Howl
F ruit How B ush Hotel' 8:00; £ 2 , £1 cones.
Juice On The Loose Pegasus, 8.30; £2.50.
Bar extension.

CITY LIMITS DEC 16-29. 1983

Tip: OCCUPIED EUROPE TOUR 1983

LAIBACH

LAST FEW DAYS

U v o d /O verture

1. Ljubljana, YUGOSLAVIA, 22. april 1983

dvorana "Svobode" - Šentvid/Hall of Freedom
gostje/guests: 23 SKIDOO

2. Z agreb , YUGOSLAVIA, 23- april 1983

KD "Moša Pijade”
1.2. zagrebski biennale Nove glasbe 83
12th Zagreb Biennale of New Music 83
gostje/guests: 23 SKIDOO

T u r n e j a / Th e To u r

3. Vienna. AUSTRIA, 3 . november 1983

"Arena" club
- dan Črnega križa/"Black Gross day"

4 . Budapest, HUNGARY, 5. november 1983

Collegium
- praznovanje obletnice Oktobrske rev
- celebration of October Rev.

5. Krakow, POLAND, 9. 11. 1983

Club Rotunda

6. Warsaw, POLAND, 11. 11. 1983

Club Riviera Remont
- praznovanje obletnice zdruzene Poljske
celebration of the "United Poland" day
- veliki ulicni. nemiri/riots of Solidarity
- LAIBACH dobi povabilo kulturnega ataseja
Jugoslovanske ambasade (razgovor o kulturi
in umetnosti)
LAIBACH was invited by cultural attache to
 !

Yugoslav Embassy (the discussion about culture)

- LAIBACH povabi kulturnega ataseja in ostale
usluzbence ambasade na koncert
LAI'BACII invited cultural attache to Iho concert

7• Warsaw, POLAND, 12. 11. 1983

Club Riviera Remont
- dodaten koncert/second concert

8. lorun, POLAND, 17. 11* 1983

Club Odnova

9 . Wroclaw, POLAND, 19. 11. 1983

Collegium

10* W. Berlin, WEST GERMANY, 20. 11. 1983

Loft (Metropol)
- Totten Sonntag/Dead Sunday/Smrtna sobota
(Dan mrtvih)

11. Copenhagen, DENMARK, 26. 11. 1983

Ungdomshuset club
ii
12. Hamburg, WEST GERMANY
Poppengiittler Weg Kir (disco club)

13. Den Haa^, HOLLAND, 30. 11. 1983

Paard die Kapel club

14. Amsterdam, HOLLAND, 1. december 1983

NL Centrum

15. Eindhoven, HOLLAND, 2. 12. 1983

Effenaar club

16. Maastricht, HOLLAND, 3. 12. 1983

De Kapel

17. London, GB, 23. 12. 1983

Diorama
- božični večer/Christmas days
t LAIBACH commemoration day
 GAL^RIJA HKUC IZDAJA i t . .25

ggM s a s s

to številko ,je uredila skupina LAIBACH

uredništvo : likovna redakcija

maj 1984, Škuc Ljubljana

naklada: 5 0 0 izvodov