Rock Monsters Romania

Text & Photos by Ana Corjos

Am Fost la Munte Și Mi-a Plăcut is a Romanian band that has been lighting up our souls with their music since 2016.

The concert at Expirat from March 28 started with a little jumpscare, with a sudden loud note coming from all five members at once: the lead guitarist Vlad Enescu, the other two guitarists, Mircea Becherescu and Alex Zamfir, the bassist, Matei Pușcaru, and the drummer, Stere.

I also saw the merch stand and I personally loved the band’s merch because it reminded me of the woods. There are five members, therefore the T-shirts were printed with five wild animals, each probably representing each member. The other models were also very artwork-oriented, with abstract yet simple illustrations of mountains and landscapes.

One thing that definitely stands out when one hears their name is that it is a very long title for a band. It translates into English as “I went to the mountains and I enjoyed it”. Also, if you look at any of their songs, well, the titles are unexpectedly long too. Despite what we learn in school about titles, that they have to be short to be catchy, these guys managed to make their fans remember long names for songs without lyrics. Yes, AFLMSMP only releases instrumental rock music (with a few exceptions), which might seem contrary to their long titles.

I believe an amazing feature of this band is that their music tells stories, even though unsaid in words. The titles of the songs are sometimes memes and seem like jokes, but this might be just a way to express feelings and emotions for the younger spirits. Still, as they stated in a press release in 2023, they encourage enjoying the instrumental music as it is, without overthinking too many interpretations based on it.

During the concert, they didn’t do a lot of talking. The lead guitarist announced some of the songs and thanked the audience, but other than that, this band is pretty silent when it comes to words. However, Vlad did joke around a little, despite his straight stoic face. In contrast, Alex Zamfir was very playful while playing the guitar, taking up a lot of space, dancing around, and clearly externalising his experience on stage.

The members communicated very smoothly while playing: you could see them nodding at each other or even whispering. They really seem like good friends and a strong team. One particular action they did on stage best conveyed the vibe of a united band: the moments when they were playing standing in a circle. The guitarists and the bassist formed a circle around the drummer, which is a pretty tribal gesture, but clearly signifies a sense of unity and camaraderie.

This concert was especially important because it was the last concert of Mircea Becherescu, one of the band’s guitarists. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who has been involved in their project for the past eight years, saying, “I want to thank the guys for supporting me so much, but there is a one-and-a-half-year-old human being waiting for me at home, who slobbers a lot and who has all my love. I want to dedicate more time to her; she needs me more than these nerds do.” He encouraged the audience to keep an eye on the band because great things are to come with the new guitarist who will replace him, although he did not want to give away any spoilers.

Before AFLMSMP offered the public the encores, they told us that they were not going to play hide and seek with us. So they remained on the stage and played the last songs that they had planned as encores for us, and then left in glory.

The music made by Am Fost La Munte Șii Mi-a Plăcut can truly be categorised as art, and it aids in meditation. It is calming enough, but at the same time, interesting enough. Make sure you don’t miss their next announcements, and see you at their next concert!