How to describe event that is impossible to describe by words – this was the problem when I needed to write about EN concert I had to chance to see in Zagreb. So, after some time of thinking (read: few chocolates and cups of coffee) and breaking down writing blockade, here is a trial to turn this describing into the mood we felt that evening.
Impatiently jogging into the hall, we fans of great Blixa Bargeld and his band welcomed the moment to see them after long 4 years, now promoting their new album “Ales Wieder Offen”.
Those who maybe don’t know the work of mentioned “performance art collective”, the story goes like this: in 1980 in Berlin Blixa Bergeld and American N.U.Unruh formed EN which means “new building that ravage”. The sound they create is a mix of usual instruments and “new” instruments made from different structures objects and materials, even structure garbage, and also electronically aid and tools, as drill, rivet-run…. and in that way they accomplished new wave in music that some called industrial rock. In the beginning they were really noisy but with time they surpass that avant-garde base and found today sophisticated and still metamorphozic sound.
And now that what we experienced that Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in Jedinstvo hall:
on the stage were installed drums that instead of cymbals had metal boards, instrument installed of PVC pipes and different tome undefined object and materials (my friend who is specialist in this area couldn’t come with me so I didn’t recognize all materials).
Then, they appeared…
And magic started, easily as chaff wind, notes leaded us into articulated emotions that touched all our feelings. With each song, we became witnesses everything can be used as an instrument, that even crunching of Styrofoam intelligently added into melody could find its right place as interesting sound. Each perfectly played note made by their “instruments” and incredible voice of Mr. Blixa, opened balanced poise between noise and silence, that so much creative heights  what some musicians can only dream about and will never reach. That impressive distance they did since their beginning 28 years ago, shows that some artists approach to life in some grown-up way and in the same time they have the same approach to music they make, and Blixa and his EN with this concert showed they are really adult.
As everything was so perfect that I was speechless I could only, the same as other people around me, do what was logically – abandon myself to the magic and dance in the rhythm of percussions on PVC pipes and show my enthusiasm with loud applause and interjections in the ecstasy.
This incredible show lasted too short for gathered audience and we managed to call them back on stage for 3 more times, even every time we wanted more.
Of course, they aren’t the youngest people in the world anymore and it’s hard to play under the hellish hot of spotlights on the small stage, and as they admitted, it was even hard to breathe the air filled with nicotine because they recently quit to smoke, but they managed it and the result was fantastic 2 hours long joy.
And what to say in the end – those who were in the hall are now reached for one incredible event, and those who couldn’t be there, they will come again.

Report: Lidija Kovač