Rock Monsters Romania

After a lengthy hiatus due to academic commitments, I finally ran from it all and returned to The Pub Universității in Bucharest’s city center. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a unique venue where I’ve encountered phenomenal underground bands and had the chance to watch some of my all-time underground favourites, as you might have read in my previous reviews. 

I attended the event on July 28 to see a special band for our publication, The Strizzers. What makes them particularly special for us? The answer is simple: on September 28, 2022, we did an interview with them, which marked the inaugural step in their subsequent career. Witnessing their progress over the past year has been a truly remarkable experience.

Enough with the introduction, let’s return to the concert. I walked into the venue, but it appeared empty. I stopped at the ticket booth to receive my concert bracelet, which was incredibly tight – so tight that I had to carefully peel off the glue and reattach it, as my hand was already trembling a bit. I claimed my usual table, the one I always pick whenever it’s available, and ordered a lemonade. I was all set for my first The Pub performance of the summer. Although, was it truly summer? The stage lights resembled more of a Christmas setting than a summer one.

After a short conversation with Monica from The Strizzers, it was time for the concert’s opening act. Dirty Red jumped on the stage.

I heard about them for the first time when this concert was announced, but I knew absolutely nothing about them except for the one song they had released, so I did not know what to expect. I started to laugh a bit when I saw that one of the guys on stage was the one who put on my bracelet.

Brimming with energy and dressed in clothes that exuded a Vama Veche summer vibe , they kicked off the show with a backdrop of music that culminated in a powerful ‘SPARTAAAAAAAAAAANS,’ akin to an entrance in a boxing ring, which took me a bit by surprise. 

Dirty Red played a mix of covers and original songs. The original songs stood out, fitting their style better than the covers did, and some even reminded me a bit of Nirvana in the beginning. What I loved the most were the trumpet parts in their songs, particularly during the cover of ‘House of the Rising Sun.’ This was a new element I had never witnessed before in the Romanian underground rock concert scene. Among their original songs, ‘Samba’ (if I understood the name correctly) really resonated with me, as it embodied the exact kind of song I could listen to all summer. Hopefully they are going to release an E.P. soon.

Although their performance made me feel a bit old, considering the young age of the band members, I enjoyed witnessing their energy and the unique blend of old-school rock enthusiasm and raw talent, coupled with their seamless transitions between soft and heavy elements. If they maintain their current attitude and continue to give their best both individually and as a band, they have the potential to become the next Nuante/Rana-style sensation, or perhaps even surpass them. 

The Strizzers were up next, and I was excited to see them perform live for the first time. The show kicked off with Adrian’s electrifying guitar riffs and a highly emotive entrance by Monica from the side of the stage. Within a few seconds of stepping into the center of the spotlight, she was already in her element–because isn’t that what a rockstar does? However, ‘Life is a Bitch’ in the underground scene, and after the first song, a brief break was needed to iron out some technical issues. During this pause, I could hear Mihai’s (the drummer) voice calling out ‘wait another second’ from behind the drums. Another aspect that’s a hallmark of underground concerts caught my eye as well–the presence of a photographer on the stage, in the lights.

The lyrics ‘I should relax/Take my time’ were likely the words that calmed everyone on the stage. While I understand that these lyrics are from ‘It Makes Me Mad,’ I chose them to illustrate how flawlessly and effortlessly their performance came across. Their passion and enjoyment were evident in those moments.

Following another brief break for Monica to change her wireless headphones’ batteries and a truly spectacular solo by Adrian that brought to mind Slash’s style, the show carried on with ‘You Can’t Say You Never Tried.’ During this song, Monica left the stage and took her performance to the front, dancing and singing simultaneously. I also appreciated the lighting of the concert, particularly during the conclusion of ‘Find Your Pieces’.

Next up was a cover of the famous The Pretty Reckless’ song, ‘Take Me Down.’ Initially, I believed their original songs might suit them better than covers as in the case of Dirty Red, but they proved me wrong. Their rendition made me want to record a video and send it directly to Taylor Momsen if I could do that. Judging a live song based on its first few seconds can be misleading, oopsie.

 ‘Take Me Down’ was followed by a brief toast with the people from the audience, and then, the band started playing ‘This Cannot Be the End.’ I admired the synchronicity of Adrian, Alec, and Andrei, as their guitar and bass combination proved to be flawless. The synergy was particularly noticeable during this song, although it was present throughout the entire concert. The opening riff of the song was absolutely captivating. However, considering the name of the song, this wasn’t the end of the show by any means.

After a well-deserved hydration break, the show resumed with “the reason we’re all here, besides the cold beer,” as Monica put it. ‘Run from it all’ was performed live, accompanied by the enthusiastic voices of the small yet vibrant crowd. This song truly standed out, and its appeal extended beyond the live performance since it was also available on music sharing platforms.

Next up was ‘Free,’ which started with a charming birdsong intro. This was followed by ‘River,’ featuring impeccably executed instrumentals and Monica’s voice once again rocking the stage in an absolutely perfect performance in my opinion.

“See the Lights” and “I am a Winner” ended an evening in which the Strizzers proved that their live performance was better than any recording one could listen to. And trust me, you don’t see that very often.

Monica, Adrian, Alec, Andrei, and Mihai, a.k.a The Strizzers, exhibit a remarkable amount of talent and professionalism. If they continue on this trajectory, I’m willing to bet (for the first time since 2018 when I predicted that E-an-na would become a major name in Romanian metal – a prediction that turned out to be accurate) that we will soon find them gracing the stages of all the minor and major rock festivals in Romania. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to witness their live performance, I strongly encourage you to do so, as it’s truly an extraordinary experience. 

Review and photos by Radu Mihai