Rock Monsters Romania

Summer can be a million things. It can be the heat that keeps you stuck on the floor, or the fear of missing out on a certain party. It can be the feeling of being lost in translation, wanting to have fun, longing for a car ride where you can pretend you’re in a music video. For a while now, July is the month of everything happening all at once. It’s the festival season with cocktails at noon, and the silly little side quests, where I have the urge to live everything to its full potential. However, whatever I do, the tank is never full, and I always seem to have to go to work the next day. For me, this month kicked off with a concert in Quantic, on July 8th, watching Dimitri’s Bats, along with Fata-n iarbă and miau.wav.

I endured the heat and the feverish rush to Grozăvești, only to arrive to a sparse crowd, one that wouldn’t fill the room until the main artists took the stage. I’ve never been too punctual for my own sake, but it always saddens me when people care too little to attend an opener’s set. Those are the moments you’ll recall in the future, bragging about how you caught those artists before the rest of the country or the world did. You never know where you’ll find your next favourite artist. I know I would have missed out on a lot of great music on a few occasions, if I’d arrived just thirty minutes later.

Exhibit A of my previous argument: Fata-n iarbă. They were, to me, the loveliest part of the night. I witnessed this fresh and funky young trio of middle school boys jam their hearts out on a stage that probably felt so big for them. But they didn’t let themselves get carried away with that. They played their original songs, two of which are out everywhere now, “Nu pleca” and “Foaie după foaie.” Their alternative, slightly grungy instrumentals, along with the vocals are just as dreamy as their band name might suggest, and just as shy as you might think they were for their age. However, they delivered a professional set in every sense and were comparable with a bunch of names in the local scene. And I said a million times before how much I admire leads playing the bass at the same time. I’m grateful when established artists choose their openers wisely, because all three bands that night fit together so naturally. Fata-n iarbă reminded everyone who’d ever picked up an instrument before in their life that beginnings are golden and worth embracing. Sure, I believe with both their age and experience in the field, that these boys have a tremendous amount of blood, sweat and tears in their future. But this will only sharpen their skills and ripen their voices. Nevertheless, the kids are alright.

It took me long enough to finally make it to a miau.wav concert after discovering them about a year ago. I think the worst thing that happened to miau.wav was the fact that they didn’t exist during the tumblr ages. Because my 2014 version would have probably eaten that stuff up, with gifs, quotes and everything. There’s a certain aesthetic that precedes them, but it isn’t performative or stretched to fit a certain recipe. Their dream pop riffs are tied to no blood contract, and can shapeshift to the taste of rockers, or take it up a notch and go to the electronic side. Tedi’s live vocals are no doubt stronger than the studio versions suggest, and I would love to see her build a signature for herself, like Mica Tenenbaum from Magdalena Bay, or Michelle Zauner from Japanese Breakfast. Overall, while listening to this band I felt all fuzzy and sweet, and their good vibes were infectious. I felt the purr but I’m still waiting for the scratch.

I first saw Dimitri’s Bats live in 2023, when they opened for The 1975. Somehow, in my life, I was navigating a tide similar to life’s current events: I was finishing med school, I had no clue about my purpose in life and I didn’t know a trace of Bucharest yet. And I honestly feel the same way three years later, but in a seasoned, less chaotic way. I then thought they were a pretty good match as openers for one of my all time favourite bands, and the influence was obvious from the start. 

Dimitri’s Bats is quite the serotonin band, which is the word you should have in mind when you set your expectations for an indie pop sound. Every time I attended one of their shows, I left with a warmer heart. They’ve been running around the local and international stages for over eight years now, and their music is a soulful blend of pop rock with alternative riffs, but no matter the combination, the result always feels like a fresh Tequila Sunrise at the edge of a pool. 

The fun bits are a given for their shows, both scripted and unscripted. There was a ”hydration break,” as you’ve seen at the World Cup this summer, in the middle of the set, where they gave away a bunch of cold juice boxes for everyone so that we could battle the heat. At one moment, Bop’s guitar accidentally caught the radio frequency of a local channel, and everyone jammed to an Aerosmith chorus for a minute. The band’s stage presence is always sweet and spontaneous, which adds to the warmth of their music. This warmth really grew on me for a while, but I’ve always believed they could go an ounce crazier. Especially whenever I would hear Radu Osaciuc letting out an occasional scream at the end of a song, that’s what reminded me of tracks like “People” or the bridge of “Robbers,” when Matty Healy would allow himself to extend his sad boy energy to a more alternative face. Dimitri’s discography is diverse enough to allow for heavier riffs, which already happens for a bit in the instrumental aspects, if you can read between the lines. 

The set had a pretty fun run for everybody in the crowd. I loved Ana’s energy on the bass from the start, and how the band prioritized having fun before anything else, cracking jokes and making everybody feel as welcome as possible. In the end it felt as if it had been a gathering between friends. Their delivery was harmonious as always, and I would add that the band’s overall attitude was cooler and more sure of themselves than their previous shows.

In the end I caught the last train home, reassured that I got my fix today. This event’s trio felt like a gradient of feelings and stages in life. I discovered a new band with a great future ahead, I finally got acquainted with a new name on the rise and I reunited with the Bats for a lovely live experience. July’s looking good so far, and that’s a good reassurance, since Mercury is now in retrograde. Life changes, the climate shifts, but at least music’s doing alright for now.

“Crowd Diaries” is a series of heartfelt articles with the purpose of reviewing live music from a personal experience.

Text by Raluca Baciu
Photos by Iulia Valeria Vătui
Edited by Radu Mihai