GIG REVIEW: REFLECTION + SPASIBO @ KC ZIVA

Ah, Živa. It's been a damn while since i visited, let alone performed there since that place was just newly opened. It's one of the DIY venues ran by folks who run places such as MKC Kombinat, Matrijarsija and Fijuk Sajam etc. It takes place in the bunker in the middle of Novi Beograd. When i came to, the lack of oxygen was extremely present. You could tell how long has it been laying here, that place hasn't been touched for decades. Nowadays, the air quality has sort of gotten better the second time i visited the venue.

Currently Belgrade-based Russian shoegaze/emo Spasibo started off the event with their statements in English and in Russian regarding the situation their country has been placed in, as well as the Moscow massacre not long ago, stressing that "it has been a catastrophe for all of us" and that "violence is never a solution for the future". The band also states that their lyricism deals with accountability and being compassionate with one another before kicking off their set.

Throughout their activity, Spasibo played various amounts of genres, ranging from Neo-Psychedelia, Hard Rock, Krautrock to Math Rock, Post-Hardcore and Emo. It took them a long time to explore for their own sound.

On this stage, Spasibo tends to lean a bit into the emocore/post-hardcore vibes from the 80's and 90's, with the frontman clean singing and borderline shouting, somewhere along the lines of Rites of Spring, At The Drive-In and Jimmy Eat World. Nearly the entire setlist probably consists of songs from their latest album Terpeniye, save for the shoegazy closure.

Tons of people who are packing the venues are from Russia and Serbia, which goes to show how established Spasibo is during their decade-long career, well before the war, as you can see in the pictures displayed here.

The crowd had carried along their set lasting a half an hour, warming up to the next thing that will eventually shake 'em up. Reflection from Gornji Mladenovac follows up with their usual introduction in Serbian before stomping at the crowd with bass pedals. They're active since 2017 and dropped their debut album Different Paths in 2019, borrowing lots of Melodic Hardcore groups such as Have Heart. They've given out all of their energy to lift up the crowd and even teased their new song.

This is definitely my first time seeing them live. I've been trying to catch up to them and ended up being held back by other day-to-day duties in my life and i finally took an opportunity to see them this time and i was completely intrigued by their raw energy. I figured this would be the next band to review for this blog.

I absolutely do not regret coming here, as it is vital that every active DIY venues of Serbia invites as many emo/screamo acts as possible. I even heard from my friends there that an emo/screamo show will take place in there this June, so i am completely fucking stoked. This is what keeps this otherwise dying scene alive.

Please do not forget to check these aforementioned bands out. They totally deserve your support.

Spasibo

Reflection