Note: Blog posts do not always reflect the views of the whole Indie Libertines crew.

Short introduction: Hello everyone, my name is Dave and I’m going to write reviews on Armenian Rock Bands and Armenian Rock music.

I must say that I’m a very critical person. I find rock music scene in our country quite stuck on the 80’s heavy metal or 70’s classic rock with its sound, style and way of thinking. Old fashion… old fashioned in everything and it’s terrible. It wouldn’t hurt at all if every band here in Armenia started creating something new, with a more modern sound and creativity, ‘cause that’s what makes the music rock.

And now – back to what I’m initially here to do: first live concert review.

May 8, 2011: it’s cold and raining. Awful weather for a rock festival in Ararat. Participants: 4 bands from Yerevan and the festival organizers’ band from Ararat. I liked the audience in that small city, almost 200 people, which is very impressive, because even in Yerevan we play for an audience of 60 or 100 people per a gig at max!

The sound was terrible, I’m not surprised. It’s the usual thing: almost every concert in Armenia has f*ckin’ terrible sound! So that doesn’t matter to me anymore, I’m already used to that kind of stuff.

The bands were: Unknown Artist, Crimesterdam, Coma, Pink City Blues Band and festival organizers – the band from Ararat called Favorite. All these are fresh bands, generation next or whatever, playing not quite old-fashioned music and at least trying to come up with something new musically.

The concert opened and closed with Favorite, the band from Ararat, playing 2 of their songs. I’ll get back to them later.

Then Unknown Artist came up the stage. Interesting… really interesting and strange. Something like a VERY heavy alternative rock. I would say they’re even too heavy for alternative rock, with some noise rock influence. That’s really interesting ‘cause I haven’t heard anything like that before. I liked them but that’s not the kind of music I’d listen to every day. The only problem is that they are too loud on stage, but they are very professional and quite good to open or close a big festival. They’ve also played in the very end of that night’s event (after the festival was officialy closed by Favorite). I heard only 2 songs by them and I liked them. I’m sure I’ll be waiting for their new songs and concerts. Not many people will like or understand their music or even them, but I am the judge here, so I say that they are: cool.

Next was Crimesterdam. But I don’t want to write anything about us (editorial note: Dave’s one of the lead vocalists and plays bass in Crimesterdam) ;)

Coma. Very nice guys. I knew about their band, but I hadn’t heard them before. An interesting musical style, something like a mix of trash metal and heavy alternative. Really good. Whatever I heard about them before was, to be honest, very negative. But, and that’s the card I’ll be playing a lot, – I am the judge here, and I say I liked them, even though I’m not into heavy and loud music that much.

Pink City Blues Band. Let me be clear – they are my good friends. I really like their music. They’re playing classical blues rock, but, to my disappointment, they’re doing too many covers. They do have their own very good songs, and they better work on writing more. The point is that we have too many artists in Armenia, who play that same kind of music, and I think that Pink City Blues Band should try to come up with something new and interesting. But still they’re very good, very professional on stage and have great energy. Many people think that they’re boring, of which I don’t approve… but who cares? They’re one of my favorite bands in Armenia.

Getting back to the band from Ararat, Favorite, who were the closing act of this one-day festival, – they consider themselves a pop band and actually that’s how they sound, but with some alternative and britpop influence. They had no bass player on stage, and who knows, maybe they don’t have a bass player at all, but I don’t care much. I’m more interested in their music, and what’s obvious for me is that they should practice on stage a lot. Their music is good, but I don’t like an easy-listening stuff like that. And I guess people who listen to alternative rock like Oasis, Muse, Beady Eye, A Place To Bury Strangers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Morning After Girls, Ride or Hurricane #1, etc., wouldn’t listen to what those guys are playing. So, since I am the judge here (gotcha!) my verdict will be: not so cool YET. They can be better and I would very like to see them getting better.

That’s all about this event and bands from its lineup, see you soon. Hope you’ll wait for my new reviews.

Dave