Isatha in Vadvirág

After keeping vigil at Tündérgyár, I’ve sort of become enlightened. Not in the traditional sense, of course; but in connection with music. Until the Virrasztók concert I was reluctant to listen to folk metal, black metal, and other similar genres. Now I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of this sort of music. When my friend, Attila, asked me again to have a folk night with him, I couldn’t refuse. His band, Isatha, was slated to perform in Vadvirág tánház. Little did I know about the hell that was about to break loose that night.

Vadvirág is located in the XIV. district of Budapest, not far from Stadionok Station. To get there, you can use any kind of public transportation: trams 1, 1A; trolley-bus 75, 77, 80, 80A; bus 95, 130, 178; and metro 2 can also get you there. I went there by metro, and after getting out from the metro station you should turn left into Kerepesi Street and walk past the Hungária boulevard intersection. After five minutes of slight walking, you should find the club on the left hand side. It is easy to find, right?

Gate opening was at 7 p.m., but I was only interested in my friend’s performance, so I got there around 9.30. Vadvirág is another underground pub; it was the most appealing from all of the previously visited ones. The pub places huge emphasis on rock music; a small list about the genres you can listen to: rock, rock and roll, rock a billy, punk, dark ghotic, heavy metal, folk. Translating an excerpt from the introduction page of the site describes what you can expect from the place: “we wanted to establish a place that would be home to people who love Rock, Drinks, Girls (Boys); who are zealous, frowzy, tattooed, and pierced.” And indeed, I was standing out; the introduction was no joke.

It was almost ten o’clock when I headed towards the restroom to inject the 10 units of insulotard I need every night, and I had a funny experience while carrying out this task. Both of the two closets were occupied, so I thought I will not wait and inject the stuff in front of the sink. I took out my pen, pulled up the sleeves of my shirt and stabbed the insulin pen into my arm. As if he was waiting for this very moment all this while, one of the closets opened, and the guy coming out of it froze in his tracks. He has been staring at me for 5 long seconds when he finally cried out: “What The Fuck Are You Doing?!“ This was a funny experience I doubt I will ever forget; after explaining the situation he calmed down and we went back to the pub together. I ordered a drink; the place is cheaper than the previous ones, 1dl coke light cost 90 HUF, so 270 for 3dl sugar-free drink is really inexpensive, I must say. Now that the diabetic straight edge dude has taken care of everything, it was time for the concert to start.

Isatha is the name of the band my friend, Attila plays in. They are a striving folk metal band, whose concert I’ve been waiting for ever since he told me about their possible appearance. Their performance was superb, and it was unbelievable how much they hyped up the audience despite this being their first concert. They literally took Vadvirág apart, shredding it to pieces. However, as I give an objective account about events, I must mention the slight technical problems that occurred: the sound tech guy was messing around, and the mic died occasionally. After the concert, my friend was kind enough to answer some of my questions, so here I gladly present my 3rd interview:

Leslie: When did you form the band exactly? Who are the members?
Attila: Isatha was formed on January 21, 2010; I was the one who mentioned the idea to form a folk metal band to Borsi.
Since then, the lineup changed a little bit. These are our current members:
Judit Dauda (clean female vocal), Péter Rajna (scream), Bettina Kovács (violin), Róbert Dékány (rhythmic guitar), Tamás Tombor (solo guitar), Tamás Győrbíró (drum), and myself Attila Bulenda (bass guitar).
L: Don't you find it difficult sometimes to work together with 6 other people?
A: Leading a folk metal band is never an easy task. This is especially true in our case, as there are 7 of us. Many ideals and conceptions need to be harmonized. This can be a really unnerving task sometimes, but it has to be done, otherwise the band would fall apart. Basically, democracy rules among the members; all of us has an equal say in the matters regarding the band; however, if there is a stalemate in a crucial debate, I have to measure and make a decision I think is most beneficial for the band. The hardest thing is to find time for practicing; time that is suitable for all of us. There are instances when we practice without 1 or 2 members. Once we played without drums; we played that prerecorded part from an mp3 player and the rest of us played on that.
L: Who is responsible for writing the songs? Who writes the lyrics?
A: We compose the songs together. All of us contribute our own ideas to them. That's why our musical style is so miscellaneous; all of us represent a different musical style, so you can find elements from all kinds of genres in our music. Usually, we start with Betti writing the violin theme, and then build up the whole song based on that; but there was an instance when the violin was later added on a finished piece. Even now we work on a song that's going to receive the violin theme after it is done; but I must admit, it is much harder this way. As for the lyrics, those are usually written by me; after all, the majority of our members have just recently entered the world of folk metal. Exception is the song Álomsövény; its lyrics were written by Peti.
L: What bands influenced your work?
A: Truth being told, I don't think that our band was influenced by anyone. There certainly are some ideals who could be followed, like: Finntroll, Niburta, or the Virrasztók; but our music does not resemble theirs. Perhaps the music of Ásmigen is the closest to ours, but then again, they are a Norwegian folk band, and that is alien from us.
L: Do you plan to stick to the folk metal style now?
A: You know, I wouldn't even call us at the moment a true folk metal band. Instead, I will say that what we play is 70% folk metal and the other 30% is a mixture of black metal, pagan metal, heavy metal. Rock bands are constantly changing. During their time they evolve, and with that comes a change in sound. During this one year our music has changed so much, I can imagine us playing totally different songs in the future; however, we plan to stick to the pagan-black-folk line.
L: What’s your opinion about the concert on Saturday?
A: The concert on Saturday, you ask?! IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME! It was our very first concert and we were amazed how many people turned up to see us perform. That applause we received at the end was simply unbelievable, we never imagined this much of a success. We play for the sake of our audience, we wanted all of those who came to go home with an experience they would never forget, and I think we managed to give you that experience.
L: Any news about the second concert?
A: The exact date and the location of our next concert is pending. Chances are that you can expect it sometime in July. At the moment, it looks like we will have the chance to play with foreign folk metal bands; what is more, we got an invitation from one of Hungary's striving folk metal bands, Niburta. We hope to do more and more concerts in the future to give our fans similar experiences like we did on Saturday.

Closing this blog entry I must say that I really loved both Vadvirág and Ishata. The pub is easy to find, and cheaper than other rock bars. The repertoire of musical styles you can find here is vast. I recommend visiting the place, especially when there is a concert. At the end, I would also like to thank Attila for answering all of my questions.

Keeping vigil in Tündérgyár

A friend of mine has been trying to convert my from the hardcore and metal path to the black and death metal side for a long time now. I did not pay much attention to him, but he insisted that I go with him to a concert, and I had no other option than to cooperate. I knew nothing of the band whose concert we were going to attend, nor did I know about the place itself, so I thought I could make use of my friend’s request. One the 6th of May we visited the pub Tündérgyár and listened to the concert of the Virrasztók.

I’ve already told this in the previous blog entry; rock pubs are generally positioned in the town so that they can be easily found and approached. This is the case with Tündérgyár as well, although I had a little problem finding it. The pub is located in Tűzoltó Street; it doesn’t matter whether you alight from tram 6 at Mester Street or Ferenc Boulevard, it takes five minutes to walk to the place from either tram station. The exact address of the place is misleading, however. Tűzoltó Street 22, although it appears on the map, does not exist in actuality. I know this sounds strange, but I have been following the street numbers on the walls and strangely enough 21 was followed by 23/a. This revelation kinda threw me off, and when I started to walk back the street I realized that I passed Tündérgyár long ago.

After miraculously finding the place, I headed inside and paid the entry fee, which was 1 000 HUF. I got a fancy armband, which I was told to show the bartender if I wanted to drink 500 forints out of the entry fee, and that I did. They’ve run out of alcohol free beer, nor was there any kind of light pop; so I had to make a decision: alcohol or sugar. I thought that the insulin I gave myself not long before would be able to handle the stuff, so I went for a normal cola. It cost 100/dl, so I utilized my armband in exchange of 5dl free coke.

The pub can be divided into three parts: an exterior part they call gyárudvar (mill yard); an interior drinking area, called pince (cellar); and the separate area where the concerts go, called hangár (hangar). The gyárudvar is a nice and large area with many chairs and tables, ideal for enjoying a drink outside with friends. Pince is usually full in winter, but it isn’t really preferred in this season. Hangár is not really large, around 100 people can get in, and the stage inside is also a bit cramped for a six man band. This area can be shot off, and soundproofing works quite well; once the door is closed, those who are not much interested in the concert inside can still have a good conversation in the gyárudvar.

The first band to appear on stage was Virrasztók (vigilants/those who keep vigil), a Hungarian folk metal, and psychedelic band. Most of their songs lyrics revolve around death and this was accompanied by great stage performance; during one of the songs the singer imitated his hanging by making the microphone lop over the microphone stand. The whole performance was highly spiritual, and amazing. After them, Moon and the Nightspirit has taken over the stage. Their musical style differed from that of the Vigilants’ in the sense that they did not play folk metal, but simply: folk. Drum, bass guitar, violin, and acoustic guitar; these were more than enough to turn the stage upside down. Their songs were full of Hungarian derring-do, it was my first time listening to such music; now I encourage everyone to do the same.

Tündérgyár was a place well worth visiting. It is easy to find, take tram 6 if you ever decide to go there. The 100/dl basis seems to be reasonable, prices are moderate. The place is pretty big; everyone can find the place they prefer from the gyárudvar, through the pince, and to the hangár. Last but not least, I recommend checking out A kaszás by the Virrasztók, and Regő Rejtem by The Moon and the Nightspirit; I hope one of the bands is to your liking.

A38

I have heard about this ship so many times before. When it comes to rock music and concerts, the ship is the place huge bands prefer. As I Lay Dying, In Flames, Darkest Hour; all of these bands have played here before. This isn’t even a mere ship. This is the cradle of rockers. A38.

So far, almost all of my blog entries said that the place I was visiting was easy to approach, the situation is the same with the ship as well. By now I have learned that rock clubs and taverns are all situated so that it would be easy to get there and back home. A38 can be found by Petőfi Bridge. Tram 4-6 seems to be the obvious choice to go by, and Petőfi híd Budai hídfő is the station you have to alight at. After five minutes of walk leading down to the bank of Danube, you can already see the spot the ship with the huge A38 written on its side.

As far as I know, the ship is a pontoon; it always docks by Petőfi Bridge. When I walked on the plank over to the ship, I thought that it would wobble at least a little, considering that it is a ship on water, but it was totally steady. After purchasing my ticket, which was 1 000 HUF, I took a look around the ship. It has 3 levels: an interior concert hall, a restaurant above it, and that has a terrace section on top.

Obviously, my way lead down to the concert hall, which was huge; able to house 400 people easily. There is a slop-room that can be used for 100 HUF; I gave my bag with my insulin inside it to the lady and told her I’m gonna need that bag for a moment around 10 pm. and she told me not to worry about it. With that taken care of I proceeded towards the bar where I asked for a light coke. 2dl cost 250 HUF; the place is a little bit more expensive than the previously visited Rocktogon. Now I just had to wait for the concert to start.

This night was dedicated to metal bands. The main event was Watch My Dying, but before their concert 3 guest bands appeared on stage. Conan’s First Date, a Hungarian underground metal band was the first to go on stage. They played songs from their recently released EP, Jailbreak. They were followed by Sunday Fury, another Hungarian band, whose exact style could be hard to define as all 4 of the guys were influenced by different genres and they don’t try to force their music into one category. They were followed by an even more diverse band, Pedigree. This band from the Baltic States play in all sorts of genres: industrial, metal, electronic, post-rock; their power lies in effectively combining all these genres. Last but not least came Watch My Dying, a Hungarian death/trash metal band. Their performance was beyond reproach; while playing some of their new songs, they also entertained us by playing such great songs from their past albums as Fényérzékeny or Hattyúdal. The concert lasted until 1 a.m., but it was definitely worth waiting until the end.

The ship A38 is the place for metalheads like me. It can be easily found at the bank of Danube, there is no way someone can miss it. World famous hardcore and metal bands are frequently giving concert there, so chances for seeing great stars there are high. Prices are a bit higher than in Rocktogon for example, but still between the reasonable boundaries. Anyone interested in P.O.D. in June?

Rocktogon

Rocktogon. A true place for rockers; in fact, this is the only place among those I visited that actually contains the word ROCK in its name. I thought that a place so openly advertising itself being a rock tavern must be a good choice to visit. I had high hopes for the pub, and it managed to live up to those expectations. To tell the truth, I have planned to visit Rocktogon for a while now, but never felt the right time has arrived for visiting it. With the concert of Holiday Crüe, the time has finally come.

As the name of the rock tavern suggests, it can be found near Oktogon. Any kind of public transportation device can get you there; bus, tram, but even the metro. From Oktogon station you will have to walk five minutes at most to get to Mozsár Street 9. Just like the previously visited Underworld, Rocktogon is a basement pub. The place has a really nice feeling to it; the crappy walls, posters of metal bands hanging all over the place, and the indispensable cigarette fog you have to cut yourself through, are the things that constitute a real rock tavern.

Upon arrival I immediately took my way to the bar in order to take a look at the prices. When I tried to order an alcohol free beer the bartender told me they already ran out of it, but I shouldn’t worry, he will give me normal beer. I resisted by citing my ideological reasons for not drinking alcohol, but he didn’t care that I was straight edge. I thought I could fend him off with medical reason instead, but it turned out that the bartender is diabetic just like me; and he tried to convince me that strong water is good against high blood glucose level. After 3-4 minutes of persuasion he finally gave up and gave me cola light (which does not contain any sugar). 2dl was 200 HUF, a perfectly fine price.

Now that I had something to drink I headed over to the concert hall. Before the Holiday Crüe concert a guest band appeared on stage: the Royal Flash. After them, the main event started without any delay. Holiday Crüe is a Hungarian tribute band to the world famous American Mötley Crüe. The members of the band are all famous Hungarian musicians, the drummer is none else than Endi from Hooligans. As the tribute band of the famous Mötley Crüe, Holiday Crüe plays glam rock as well. The singer of the band, Sidd, possesses an unbelievable voice, almost too similar to, or one might argue that he has an even better one than Vince Neil, the singer of MC. The audience loved the band, and showing how much they appreciate the support, diverged from the original setlist, playing songs that the audience demanded. Dr. Feelgood, Wild side, Shout at the devil, She goes down, Too fast for love, Rattle snake shake, Ten seconds to love, Primal Screem; these were few of the good old MC songs that we heard that night.

Rocktogon is a nice little rock tavern that I am definitely going to revisit in the future. It can be easily found, Oktogon station is a traffic junction where you can go by any form of public transportation. The club itself is an authentic rock pub that easily winds its way into rocker’s hearts. Prices are reasonable, although diabetics should watch out for the bartender; he can talk people’s head off and if someone is not careful enough he will talk her/him into drinking alcohol. The pub has always some bands doing a concert, and no matter what genre you like, you can find bands that suit your taste. It is important to highlight that every Tuesday is hardcore night. Let’s meet there sometime!

Kamelot in Club 202

Kamelot. The sight of this bands name was more than enough to get me excited. The lyrics of my favorite song by the band, Karma, immediately started to resonate in my head. Entranced by the thought that I would be able to listen to that song while performed live on stage, I took my way to the nearest Ticket Express outpost and purchased my entry to heaven. This is how I got to visit Club 202 on the 3rd of May.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I envy the lucky bastards who live in Ajtósi dormitory of ELTE because of their closeness to Dürer garden. Now I’ve come to hate the inhabitants of Nándorfehérvári úti dorm as well. The rock club can be found not far from the aforementioned student hostel, it can be easily approached with tram 47. Those wishing for a good heavy metal night will have to alight at the station Budafok kocsiszín. The exact adress is Fehérvári Street 202.

Club 202, or Wigwam club, is a nice and huge place; also functioning as a restaurant. It has a huge dance floor; the club can house around 1 200 people. There are many bars on each side of the dance floor, all of which sells drinks for a moderate price. Tables and chairs are also ample, so there is opportunity to listen to the concerts while sitting in the company of your friends, enjoying some drink. The whole building is timber-construction, and while this gives mood for the place, this might also backfire; nothing would be left of the club in mere minutes if it would ever go up in flames for some reason.

The night started with the Italian/German progpower band Sons of Seasons. The band has already been here before in 2005, so they were familiar around here. Although they had a short concert, around half an hour long, playing only five songs, they managed to warm up the audience. The next band to perform was Amaranthe, a Swedish power/melodic death metal band. I loved their performance; the beautiful voice of the female singer accompanied by clean vocals, and scream was a great combination. You can see how this is achieved in their newest song: Hunger. The third band, Evergrey, is a progressive metal band, just like Sons of Seasons, from Sweden.

At last, around 11 p.m. the Kamelot concert finally started. The concert was scheduled to be held at Petőfi csarnok; however, due to some unknown reasons they ended up in Club 202. Perhaps the recent departure of vocalist Roy Khan was the reason behind the transfer. Many people voiced their distress about the departure and said that they wouldn’t attend the concert this way; so it wouldn’t have been remunerative to hold the concert in PeCsa. Fabio Lione is a great substitute in the American power metal band, however. The change was almost unnoticeable, his voice is just as powerful as Khan’s was, and the band managed to hold an astonishing promotion concert for their latest album Poetry for the Poisoned. Of course they also played some of their older songs, so my wish was also granted when they played Karma. It was great.

To sum up my experiences in Club 202, I must say this place is a must for every rock loving person. The club can be easily approached by tram, the station you have to alight at is right in front of the club; you can’t miss it. Prices are reasonable, although if we add up the price of the ticket and your expenses in the club, it can prove to be quite expensive. However, it must be noted that the ticket cost 7 000 HUF because of the huge names: Kamelot, Amaranthe, Evergrey, Sons of Seasons; you can expect cheaper tickets for other concerts. Club 202 is a place you cannot leave out!

Dürer kert

I hate those lucky bastards who live in the Ajtósi dormitory. Dürer garden was the next place I visited to review and to attend a concert there, and I just ended up being mad at those fellow students who live only a few buildings away from that great place. The main reason I visited the place was that a friend of mine sent me a link to one of the video clips of the band Idoru. I’ve immediately become hooked on it, and when I saw on the internet that they will have a concert in Dürer there was simply no way that I would just sit home.

I already voiced my distress for not living in Ajtósi Dürer; it is close to the Humanities faculty of ELTE and right next to this rock heaven. Like always, public transportation is the obvious choice to go by; in my case for example, although it was a bit complicated, with the use of tram 49, than M2 metro, and finally tram 1 I got there in an hour from the XI. district. As you will see it on the map, after alighting at Ajtósi Dürer sor station, you just have to walk down the street; the place is impossible to miss.

The club itself is a really authentic place; it is like a ruined building that has been taken over by squatters. It is a “nice” place where a rocker would feel at home. There is an open area where you can sit down having a chat with your friends in the company of a beer, but you can even play ping-pong or pétanque outside. The Wifi connection reaches outside to this terrace area. The interior is divided into a small and a large concert hall; and of course there are multiple bar sections, one right beside the entrance and another inside the large concert hall. Prices, as you can see, fit the budget of a university student, and for some concerts there is the catch that if you arrive before 8 p.m. you can get in for free, another economical thing for students.

Moving on, I should talk about the concert, and the performing bands. Before the main event, 3 bands set up the mood: Nova Prospect, The Sorrow, and Velvet Stab. Although I went to Dürer specifically for the Idoru concert, there was a band that I liked much better: The Sorrow. This metalcore band from Austria managed to hype up the crowd in a way I never thought it would be possible. Pogo, stage diving, these were basic things; however, this was the first time I saw The Wall of Death. The singer of The Sorrow divided the crowd into two, forming “walls” that he later unleashed against each other. It was total chaos, but I loved it. At the end of the night it was finally time for the Idoru concert. The Idoru is a Hungarian band, formed in 2003; who play alternative rock music. Their style also incorporates elements from punk rock and hardcore as well. At this night they were promoting their new album, so we could hear few of their new songs, including “Friends”, which not long ago was made into a video clip.

Dürer Garden is one of the best places a rocker could visit. It is a favorite gathering spot for ELTE students, evident from the closeness to one of the university’s dormitory. It can be easily approached by public transportation; it is well situated in the heart of Budapest. The place is inexpensive; it is geared towards the budget of students. Small and large concert halls provide the opportunity for the visitors to choose from bands, if they are interested in another genre after an hour long death metal cornet they just go over to the other hall. Dürer left a favorable impression on me. What about you?

Diesel

It always fills people with excitement to find out that their favorite band, who they thought never would see perform, actually decide to come and hold a concert in their country. I was amazed as well, couldn’t believe my eyes at first; but it wasn’t an illusion, my mind did not play tricks with me. Girugamesh was coming to Budapest! Not that I would have left this gig out anyway, but now that I am reporting on rock clubs and such, I had one more reason to go, I will have a blog entry on Diesel club.

Without belittling the previously visited places, I must say that this was the best and greatest of the places I have visited so far. Situated in Népliget, I recommend using the M3 metro to get there; the metro station Népliget is the place one has to alight at. The address of the place is misleading, Népligeti út 2, it refers to the whole Népliget, and as you will see on the map the club is not quite there where it is shown. Diesel can be found on the right side of the Planetárium, there is a letter E with a restaurant symbol beside it; that is Diesel club.

The place used to be a theatre before it was bought and turned into a club in the 90’s, BME (Technician University of Budapest) bought the place, after it had to close down its E club at the Petőfi bridge, dubbing the former theatre the next E club. From that point on, right until 2007 it served as a disco club; but now, renamed to Diesel, the place provides opportunity for rockers to blow off steam here. The best thing about the place is that the owners are fully aware how much the craze for Japanese bands spreads all over the world, even here in Hungary. The club is the only place where bands like Mucc, Deathgaze, and Girugämesh perform.

As I already mentioned before, Diesel club is huge, it used to be a theatre before. It can house approximately 850(!) people, and considering that not even a needle could have been dropped down in the crowd, I assume that all of the tickets were sold for this concert. This was the first time I went to a concert after escaping from hospital so I had to take an insulin pen with me that night; the men at the cloak-room were considerate and readily give me my coat for a moment to give myself a shot around 10 p.m. Looking around myself I realized that there was something off. Save for me, everyone in the audience was either a teenager aged 13-18 and girl mostly, or a parent in his or her forties. No in-betweens. Than another thing occurred to me immediately: lots of guards were walking around; and all of a sudden the thorough check before entering the club has also become striking. I do not know whether this was due to the events of West Balkán or they simply wanted to protect the japs, but actually I was happy to see such protection at the club.

The band in question is one of my favorites among the Japanese ones I listen to. The name Girugämesh wants to be Gilgamesh actually, but Japanese are unable to pronounce the sound “l” and they do not use it while writing English words or names in katakana either, that is why the name of the great Sumer king is written this way. The genre the band fits into is hard to define as they mix almost everything, but if I had to choose an existing genre, maybe numetal would characterize them best. The concert was promoting their fifth album titled GO, which can either mean the English word “go” or five if we assume that it is written in romaji. Because of this, almost all of the tracks were unknown to me, but the concert achieved the desired effect: I am sure I will download Go as well. At the end of the concert, some of their previous songs were also played, what I liked the most was the song Evolution.

Watching the weeping, sobbing, teenage girls around me at the end of the concert made me slightly uncomfortable, although I was part of that same generation not long ago, I felt so distanced from them. I also felt that the concert was ground breaking, but it did not move me to the tears. Although it did not make me cry, the concert did impress me. Diesel club is a really good place: hundreds of people can go there and enjoy the night; multiple entrances, a thorough check before entering, and a number of patrolling security guys make it one of the safest clubs; prices are reasonable and staff is considerate about diabetics; and most importantly: great Japanese bands like Girugämesh appear on stage.

War in Szeparé

Dear readers, I would like to apologize for not posting these past weeks (or rather months); it turned out that I am diabetic; I had to lie in hospital for a few weeks. Bound to bed, hooked on infusion, surrounded by nurses, cut off from the internet I was unable to tell you about my third adventure. There is no need to worry, now that I’m free (and now that time urges my), it is time to make up for those missing posts. On the first week of March, I visited the club, Szeparé, and listened to the concert of the band: Háború.

I would lie if I were to tell that the place is easy to find. Of course, it can be easily approached by public transportation: whatever route you take, you just have to go as far as Nyugati Station. Although my information was correct, there was not adequate information on where to go from there next. As it turned out, the place is located in the vicinity of Nyugati, you have to go past the ice skating rink there, and at the end of the road you can finally find the stairs leading down to the club.

Club Separé itself was a very nice place, much nicer than the previously visited Underworld and Traffik, it was living up to the European standards. After checking in the slop-room, walking right will lead you into the bar area. Prices were pretty high: 2dl of coke costs 350 HUF, a total rip-off if you ask me, so going for the only other non alcoholic drink: the alcohol free beer is a much better choice, 5dl being worth 450 HUF. The dance hall opens right from this area, where around 80 people can stand conveniently in front of the stage, enjoying the concerts.

Mentioning the concert, it is time to move on to describe the event. Háború (means war in Hungarian) is an independent band, unsigned to any label, who nevertheless released 2 CDs on their own. The band has been around for a long time now, and it seems to be well received and prolific despite of the fact that they went on a longer hiatus and that disbanding: they held a farewell concert in 1999 only to have a strong comeback in 2003. I hope they will be work together for a long time, as contemporary music needs to have quality rock n’ roll bands like Háború among its ranks, not just commercial ones. Sample of the band’s songs can be listened to on their myspace profile.

I visited the club with my friend, Bonifác, whose dad just happens to be the drummer of Háború. Thanks to his intersession I was able to talk with Hirlemann Bertalan, and Mohai Tamás and ask some questions about the band and their future:

László: Would you tell me some basic information about the band: when it was formed, and what the current line-up is?
Háború: In 1997 was the first time that we got together to work, which resulted in a long lasting friendship and musical relationship. Although we had our hardships and collating with the others was also a problem, but there was no change in line-up. I play on the drum and keyboard, Mohai Tamás is the lead guitarist, and Szappanos György is our bassist.
L: Could you list some bands or artists who influenced your musical style?
H: All of us are professional musicians, been in constant contact with music, all of us like different things, and we have brought and put these in our work. We influence ourselves.
L: What is the greatest strength of the band? The lyrics with the deep content or the unique musical style are what make your music that great?
H: I would say it’s both. This kind of rock that we play is hard to find nowadays, not to mention the different world views we have and what we meld in our lyrics, we created something powerful.
L: Younger generation does not even appear to be aware of the existence of Háború, besides Bonifác and me, there were not many from our generation. What do you hold responsible for this? Is it younger society’s fault; they cannot understand and appreciate what you are trying to say?
H: Personally, I hold media responsible for this situation. Rock music does not receive as much public attention as it needs; TV and radio should broadcast more of the genre. Not just our band, but basically every rock band is fighting this futile war against commercial TVs to have more appearance. We always have been an underground band because of this, and I don’t think things will change. The small fandom we have, their number is around a few hundred at most; we try our hardest to preserve them, but with the media behaving this way it is impossible for us to win over the younger generation.
L: Could you tell me a few words about your albums?
H: Our first album, Dr. Csónakos, came out in 1998, and the second one was released in 2003 under the name Harmadik Világ. We are currently working on our third album, we already have some of the songs ready, but there is still new material we have to work on. There is no release date for this new album.
L: Besides the new album, what other things can Háború fans look out for?
H: Negotiations are still going on about it, but if everything goes well, we will be frequently performing in Rocktogon from October. A monthly concert would do a lot of good for the band; we ought to play more frequently together. So watch out for our concerts from fall 2011.

Szeparé a little bit expensive it may have been, because of the concert it was totally worth visiting. The only reason that the memories about this visit are bittersweet is that I landed in hospital 2 days later, and I have fallen behind with writing the blog. I advise everyone to visit Szeparé at least once, and listening to Háború songs is also encouraged.

Traffik Jam

Last week’s blog entry was acceptable as a starter, but I decided after it that I am going to raise the stakes next week. The time I chose for visiting the Underworld was unlucky because of the lack of live performance, and it made me somewhat sad. This left me no other choice but to search for a place where there would definitely be a concert. After a short googling my eyes stuck on two capitalized letters: HC. For those of you who don’t know, this beautiful combination of the consonants c and h stands for HardCore, so you all know the reason behind my excitement. The place in question where the HC concert took place is called Traffik, and the bands MIR and MoNNo were totally unfamiliar to me, but the night hold some great surprises and I am sure I will not forget them. After this little introduction, let me tell you about the club and the bands.

The club’s located in the 8th District of Budapest, not far from ELTE’s Humanities Faculty, where I study. Traffik is in Mikszáth Kálmán square 2, and the easiest way to approach it is to alight at Kálvin sqare tram station. Both 47 and 49 can get you there, and the rest of the distance will be covered by a little walking. First objective is to go through the underground and come out at the side where the National Museum is. Then go all the way through Múzeum Street, at the end you should turn right into Szentkirályi Street. If you managed to get this far, you should only walk for half a minute or so to reach Mikszáth sqare with Traffik club just on the corner. The place is some sort of joint operation: a restaurant called Zappa works on the ground floor, and the place in question where rock bands perform every night is downstairs.

I decided to visit the club on the 23rd of February and this time around I happened to be alone, because all of my friends turned down the generous offer to go to a concert with me. Perhaps that was the reason why I descended the stairs with a little fear in my heart, but that fear was gone in a moment when I reached down. The entry fee collector girl was smiling so beautifully that I would have gladly given her another 1000 HUF if she’d have asked me to. After I snapped out of it and put my jacket on a hanger I decided to check out the bar. At first I thought that my eyes are deceiving me, but unfortunately they were not: the menu looked like as if it was specifically designed to screw around with straight edgers like me. A 0,5l coke or any kind of pop was 600(!) HUF. My fellow straight edgers are advised to bring lots of money with them, others don’t have to worry, because alcohol is MUCH cheaper: draft beers were 400, 450 HUF (depending on brand) per 0,5l.

After I calmed down, the concerts finally started, so I finally got the chance to check out what the place has to offer in terms of music. The bands had to use a very small platform; the members were cramped on it and the guitarists were in the worst situation, they were basically unable to move. The audience on the other hand had a lot of free space, my guess is that roughly 90-100 people can get in, but that night there was a number clearly much lower than that, no more than 40 were present. The arch ceiling, the stone walls and the shady lighting all gave off the feeling of being in a wine cellar and as an added effect the acoustic of the place was therefore exceptional. The person who was responsible for adjusting the volume went a little bit overboard, however. When the bands played, the level of noise, and especially the noise of the bass guitar was so loud that small pieces of the ceiling was raining down on us. Frankly, this gave me the creeps.

Both of the bands were unique that night, and I doubt that I will ever hear a band like MIR and MoNNo in the future. MoNNo was first on stage, a band consisting of a bass guitarist, a sort of scratch man, a drummer and a saxophonist(!), now that is quite an unusual setup if you ask me. At first I had my doubts about them, but when they started playing, all of my doubts faded away. The saxophone was a perfect replacement for the lead guitar, I would even go as far as saying that this substitution gave birth to something new. MIR was following them with a rather regular looking line-up consisting of a drummer, guitarist and a scratch man; however, this band was exceptional in its own way as well. The scratch man added scary noises to the music, and the drummer occasionally used an empty beer keg to beat instead of the drum, but he produced sounds with the same profession as he did with the drum.

Before wrapping up the event and giving my final comments on Traffik, there is one other thing that should be mentioned, however. As I was on my way leaving the club, I saw a familiar guy sitting on the swing in the hall in front of the front door: the saxophonist of MoNNo. I had the plan of interviewing him formulating in my head, but I wasn’t sure whether I should/could do it or not. With some hesitation I approached him, and I was happy to find out that Antoine Chessex, the guy playing on the tenor sax, is a nice guy, willing to answer my questions. So here is my very first interview, and let’s hope there will be more to come:

Leslie: I hope I won’t offend you, but I never heard of you, could you tell me a few things about your band?
Antoine: We are MoNNo from Switzerland, the band has been together for at least ten years now, and right now we are on a tour.
L: Your music was quite unique, I never heard a band featuring saxophone. What genre would you put your band in?
A: You know, that is an interesting thing. I do not believe in genres, and don’t care much about what genre they put us in. I heard some labeled us hardcore, some other said we are a doom band, yet another said we play experimental noise. But, you know, music is music. The only thing we care about is to entertain those who like what we do.
L: Did you get any chance to go around the city? If so, how did you like Budapest?
A: Oh, I love Budapest, I have been here before; however, we don’t have the chance to go sightseeing this time, because the tour must not stop.
L: Could you tell me a little about this tour?
A: Of course! We are doing a little European tour together with MIR, we planned a tour consisting of 8 concerts, and currently we are halfway through. So there are still 4 concerts left, the next stop will be Ljubljana.
L: How did you like the Hungarian audience tonight? I noticed that only 3-4 people were headbanging, we didn’t show much enthusiasm, didn’t we?
A: You know, I don’t mind if the audience doesn’t headbang, in fact I prefer if they do not do that at all. They should actively listen instead, like you did tonight. About the Hungarian audience I must say that they are good listeners and have been very kind to us, coming over to our table congratulating or asking questions relating to our band. I am also very grateful to your questions as well.
L: No, I should be the one thanking you for answering all my questions. Thank you very much and good luck with the rest of the tour.
A: Thanks, good bye!

Now it’s finally time to evaluate what there could be said about the Traffik club. It is not far from ELTE, it is easy to approach. The club is in good condition, it was renovated not long ago from what I heard, and it has a nice atmosphere. The prices are pretty steep, this being one of the greatest cons against the place. In terms of safety, Traffik doesn’t fare that well either: besides the little problem with the ceiling that I mentioned before there is a bigger issue: there is only one way to exit. A narrow stairway leads down to the club, and this also serves as the only means to exit it. Good thing is that the music compensates the shortcomings of the place. There are bands performing there every almost every night, and the entry fee is totally worth the price. Should you not care much about safety and your budget, this is the place for a rocker like you to visit. Traffik club rocks!

Welcome to the Underworld

Underworld might have been the resting place for many heroes in mythology and literature alike, but do not worry my readers! For me, this place was not the end, but the opposite: The Beginning. I made it back, and I will try to give you a clear overview about the place in order for you to muster the courage to endeavor on the same path as I did. Let us take a look at the Underworld rock tavern.

Situated in the heart of Budapest, the tavern is an easy place to reach. It is just 2 blocks from Jászai Mari square in 13th district Tátra Street 1. The easiest way to get there is to get on the tram line 4 or 6 and alight at Jászai Mari square. The tavern is open from 6 am. to 12 pm. on paper, they won’t kick you out if you enjoy yourself and want to stay longer however (I have been there with my friends ’til 1 am). Although in this case one has to bear in mind that trams won’t run on their full line (just until Blaha Lujza square), so plan your transportation accordingly, and find out how late night buses run!

Once you get there you cannot miss the imposing double doors that lead down to the Underworld. As soon as we got there I could hear some familiar sounds escaping through the crevice of the doors. I knew this was the right place. While my ears experienced a slight orgasm caused by the fantastic music, I also took a look at the tavern, which can be split into 5 parts. The bar can be found on the right hand side, just as you walk in. On the left hand side there is a larger section with 4-4 booths on each side, where 4-6 people can comfortably take place. As the place also serves food for its customers, there is a restaurant section in the back with accommodation for 32 people. For those who want to spend their time playing, there is a separate section with table football (csocsó), darts and slot machines. Last but not least come the restrooms, but I would like to come back to them later.

After I quickly estimated the situation it was time to order some drink. My friends of course went for the local draft beer first. Seeing their happy faces as they reached for their jug of beer, I decided to order an alcohol free one myself, so that I could look badass among them. The attempt to get alcohol free beer was a futile attempt however, so I had to resort to drinking coke. If the fact that pops are the only alcohol free drinks one can get wouldn’t have been enough, I was also enlightened by my pub-visiting friends that the prices are not that good either. A jug of Holstein was 330 HUF, the draft brown beer (csapolt sör) was 360 HUF, and 3 dl of coke was 210 HUF.

The tavern itself is in relatively good condition and the furniture, painting, posters, pictures, the nice bartender guy as well as the customers give the place the distinctive rock tavern look. However, a rock tavern wouldn’t be a rock tavern without rock music, so let me talk about it a little. Sad thing is that I was visiting at a bad time: there was no live music. There were several speakers screaming the best metal songs one can imagine. All of the songs were new to us, and although the music was loud it was not so loud that we couldn’t hear each other talking. Lastly I would like to mention that there will be a concert on Thursday (24 Febr. 2011), so anyone who likes screamo should go and check out the Hungarian My Small Community’s performance.

In the last part of my first blog entry I would like to pay some attention to cleanliness and safety. This is the funny part where I will elaborate on the restrooms as I promised earlier, as the simple expression: pub-like, is simply not enough to describe them. Basically the toilet entering process could be done in three different ways:
1. You can go and figure out which door leads to the female or male toilet by trial and error, if you are lucky and see a pissoir on the wall you are on the right spot.
2. You get yourself caught red-handed while trying to get into the wrong place and take the advice of the owner of the bar to use the other door.
3. Or you can learn from my experience and go there with the invaluable knowledge that the door on the left side leads to the female toilet and the right one to the male.
Once you enter you can take care of whatever business you have there, just endure the stench and try to move constantly to avoid sticking to the floor. In terms of safety the tavern lacks nothing, the front entry is spacious enough to flee through and there is also an emergency exit, so feel safe to visit!

To sum up my first experience about the Budapest rock life, I must say that the Underworld rock tavern was really a nice place to start with. The tavern is easy to approach. Prices could have been better, but the place is huge and you can have a good time with your friends there. Although, a hazard sign should be put on the toilet doors (or at least they should indicate which door belongs to which sex), the other parts of the pub are nice and it also suits safety regulations. Music, which was the primary reason behind my visit, is great for those people who like hardcore and metal. With being that said, there is no rock loving person to whom I would not recommend the Underworld rock pub.