The story of Rock`n`Roll made in Pula (and Istria)

This is a blog where you will find music from one of the richest rock-scene from Croatia, the city of PULA rock-scene.There will be some Istrian music too, as Istria is the region of Croatia to which Pula belongs to.You will find here how good and different was the Pula scene, with some of the bands recognised worldwide.

WELCOME TO PULA!

PS:All the infos about the bands are approximative, and will be changed with every useful info I get from the members of the bands!

PPS: Please notice that the NON-HIGHLIGHTED name of a certain release is a part of band`s audiography, but not available for download, for not having the permission or for respecting the authors rights. Or, of course, not yet in my possession.

Thursday 26 December 2013

DJ & THE WOOTCHYAK (2009-)


DJ & The Wootchyak is a great HC/Punk band of the last generation, very active since their beginning in 2009, released a new album this year and reconfirmed themselves as an important band within the Pula Rock scene.




Sunday 1 December 2013

MESSERSCHMITT (1987-)


Messerschmitt were one of the bands that became relatively known much wider than inside the croatian borders. Born in the last years of the past state (Yugoslavia), Messerschmitt were created by Miro Kusacic, a person well known inside the Pula Rock scene of the 80s (Pusteni S Lanca, Boykot Fur, WGP) and were dedicated to a completely new musical path for Miro, Garage Blues Rock. Through the years, the band constantly changed the personnel, except for Miro who was the constant prom the beginning to the (possible) end. Even after years of inactivity, the status of the band is still unknown. Meanwhile, Miro started his new band JUNKERS 5.














Saturday 26 October 2013

CANNONE (2001-)


Cannone aka Hrvoje Levak is surely the most active and successful rapper from Pula, with a respectful number of albums from 2003 on. All his stuff is sung in croatian language, which gives him a bigger note of originality. On the last album "Apokalistra", Cannone sampled one of the most known song by istrian Pop singer Alen Vitasovic, "Ja ne gren". 











Saturday 5 October 2013

NOLA (1993-)


Nola is one of the most popular bands from Pula ever. Founded in 1993. by one of the most romantic pair around, Gabrijela and Marijan Jelenic, this electro-acoustic band quickly topped the radio-charts with their first huge hit "Dio Tebe", a song that nowadays is in the top ten of the most played songs on the radio of the croatian history. Every further album brought Nola another huge hit and acknowledgements wherever they played. Gabi is elected as the best croatian female rock singer in 1998, and the song "Iznad Oblaka" as croatian song of the year 2009. Seems like there is no stop for their successful carreer.


Their last huge hit, the beautiful song "Iznad oblaka" is another video recorded in the streets of Pula, as well as at the Pula train station (The picture up is taken at the video recording session)


And "Iznad Oblaka" videotaped by me, at last year`s Spancirfest in Varazdin.


cassette "Nola" 1994


CD "Osmijeh" 1997

CD "Iznad Oblaka" 2009

CD "Nola Piano" 2012

CD "Negdje Između" 2017

Saturday 28 September 2013

RADIO AKTIV (2009-)


A relatively young band formed in Pula, but with a Pula/Zagreb line-up, very successful in the whole country. Very shortly after the beginning they played at the national demo bands-competition, where they won and after their first album was released, they became one of the bands with the biggest number of radio airplays in the last two years. Very melodic and mainstream Ska-Pop Rock.


The video is filmed in the streets of the centre of Pula:


CD "Grije Nas Isto Sunce" 2012

CD "Stvarnost Između Reklama" 2015


Sunday 15 September 2013

NOISEFIGHT (2010-2015)


Noisefight is a relatively new band playing melodic HardCore Punk in the vein of Ignite, Bad Religion etc. Played a lot during the first years, and in 2013 released their first album "The Downward Spiral". Keep an eye on them!
Update 2020: nothing from them since 2015.


Tuesday 3 September 2013

Rolling to Pula !

This Friday (Sept 6th) I will be DJing in the club Uljanik in Pula !
So if you`d like to meet me, come and join us at the best rocking party around !

Friday 23 August 2013

TUD IMBJECILI (1989)


TUD Imbjecili was a one-off project of 3 members of Devastation (Chriss, Elizabeta and me), planned for playing Punk and Hardcore covers. We rehearsed more or less around 70 songs spanning from Exploited and GBH to Raw Power and Finnish Hardcore. The project played only one show together with Pneumonia. We never recorded any audio trace, but videotaped that only gig (and not even complete!).




Thursday 15 August 2013

MONAH (1985-)


Monah are veterans of the Pula`s Hard Rock scene. Formed in 1982, with numerous line-up changes and long pauses, they still play after almost 30 years, continuing their Hard Rocking with great live shows.


Demo 1987

Demo 1989



Tuesday 6 August 2013

VIVA LA POLA! FESTIVAL (2004-)


Every year, the weekend after Monteparadiso Festival is reserved for another cool festival, the Viva La Pola Festival.
VLP started in 2004. Almost every year was held at the Uljanik Club, except for 2007. when it was held at the Monumenti abandoned army barracks. In 10 years and on their 11th edition, the festival hosted a lot of great bands such as Toy Dolls, Vice Squad, The 69 Eyes, Anti-Nowhere League, Vibrators, Peter And The Test Tube Babies, Disciplina Kicme, KUD Idijoti and many more.
This year`s edition features one informative evening on the past of the festival plus a DJ program the 9th of  August, and on Saturday 10th a big live show, featuring many bands, with Eyesburn from Serbia and Zanamari & J`Animals from Croatia 
co-headlining.
If you are in Pula, you surely won`t miss that!

THIS YEAR`S EDITION IS DEDICATED TO BRANKO CRNAC - TUSTA (KUD IDIJOTI) !!!
R.I.P. DEAREST FRIEND







Sunday 28 July 2013

MONTE PARADISO COMMUNITY (1992-)

Monte Paradiso is the name of a non-profit community/collective formed by a group of Punk/Hc enthusiasts from Pula, successfully functioning almost 22 years now. Except for organising concerts of more or less known Punk bands from all over the world, the community helds the southern Europe`s most important Punk festival "Monte Paradiso" (at its 21st edition this year!!) as well as a great AntiFa festival in autumn every year.

As I said, by now the Punk festival "Monte Paradiso" came to its 21st edition, and it will be held next weekend in Pula, with headliners such as the legendary Sweden`s masters of fast Hardcore MOB 47 and britains RESTARTS. By now, many known names played at this festival, such as Subhumans (UK), Extinction Of Mankind, Conflict, Rattus, Avskum, Nabat, Visions Of War, Skitsystem, Impact, Warfare (I), Argies, Spermbirds and many more.


Monte Paradiso is featured in the movie "Monte Paradiso 20", a documentary about the history of the community.






Sunday 21 July 2013

AEON (1993-1997)


Undoubtely one of the best, and surely the very first Death Metal band in Croatia, Aeon was practicly the same band as Dissection (they changed name to Aeon because of the existence of the swedish band with the same name), only with a keyboardist added, which amplified the innovative sound of the band. Existed until 1997.






Saturday 13 July 2013

TRACELESS BANDS pt.4

Here are four more bands that left no audible and video traces, except for some pics..


FLORIJAN (1981)


LEPI DJOLE (1986)


LUDA KUCA (end of 70s)


NEGATIV (1981)

Sunday 7 July 2013

THE SPOONS (1987-2000)


The Spoons is undoubtely one of the greatest and most successful bands from Pula`s Rock scene. Born at the end of the 80s and leaded by one of the most important figure of the scene, Romeo Djomlija (ex-Visoki Napon, ex-Torpedo, ex-Besposlicari), the band played the most uncompromising 60s Garage Rock that ever came out of Croatia. Took in time by the "Slusaj Najglasnije" label (Majke, Satan Panonski, Messerschmitt, SKOL, etc.), The Spoons overgrowth the undergroundness and became a known name in the whole world, concerning the Garage Rock scene. Lasted with line-up changes until the beginning of the 21st century, but remained a name of the Pula Rock scene.


... and I cannot avoid to put my favourite Spoons tune !! Baby Blue..


Demo 1 1987








Friday 28 June 2013

NEWS from GOLA JAJA !


Wow ! Another world release from the Pula scene! 
This time, the swedish label NERECORDS released the first LP of a trilogy dedicated to the Pula`s cult band Gola Jaja (translated Naked Bollocks). The trilogy will consist of three releases, the first one is the one you see in the pic, the album "Naked Bollocks", which contain the bands 1984 demo, remastered and digitally processed.The album is already distributed worldwide, and the first pressing is released in black and three coloured vinyls (I got the yellow one). The cover is NOT a rip off of the greatest Punk album ever, it is a hommage of the band to their biggest influence, the Sex Pistols. I find it beautiful.




Last weekend I had an extensive talk to Kruno, ex-Gola Jaja and ex-Crnacki Znoj drummer, he gave me a ton of informations that are a fantastic introduction to what will soon happen, and what will make all the Pula scene and especially Pula Punk scene followers extremely happy and unpatient.
After this one, very soon will follow the next  release, a double vinyl album containing demos from 1981 and 1982, and finally the third release, a vinyl album with the last 1990 demo on. I decided not to unveil the covers for those two releases, I am giving you just a hint: they will also be a hommage to two other albums very important for the history of Punk.

Of course, if you like, you can order a copy from:


Besides that, Kruno gave me news about a project on which the main figures of the Punk scene of the 70s/80s from Pula are working.

The project will be called "Pulska Punk Rock Poezija 78-82" (Pula`s Punk Rock Poetry 78-82) with a sub-name "Momak ti si lud" (Boy, you are crazy).

It is an extensive project which will thoroughly describe the period of the scene in Pula between 1978 and 1982. It will be extended to 4 projects : a band S.O.U.R. (Slozena Organizacija Udruzenog Rada), a book, a movie and a vinyl record.

The band will be made of exclusive musicians from the most known bands from Pula`s Punk scene : Kruno (drums-Crnacki Znoj), Miro Kusacic (bass-Pusteni S Lanca), Elvis Radin (vocal-77), Semijan (guitar-Gola Jaja), Sale (KUD Idijoti), Romeo (guitar-Visoki Napon/Besposlicari). There will be guest which will join the nucleus of the band; Pero (guitar-Problemi), Bagar (Guitar-Pusteni S Lanca), Markovic (vocal-KUD Idijoti) and Suzy (The Spoons). Plus two more guests on vocals, Beli and Vladimir.

16 songs from that period will be played, representing a Best Of of Pula Punk  between the mentioned years. I will not write down all those songs, but as a trivia I can unveil that the songs by Pusteni S Lanca will be recorded for the FIRST TIME EVER (30 years later !!!).

It will be an incredibly exciting project, so I myself can`t wait on it.
You will be informed about any news about the project.


PUSTENI S LANCA 
(I was right in front of the vocalist at that concert, and I remember how great they sounded.. :) )

Tuesday 18 June 2013

COMPILATION - PULA GRINDCORE 1992-2002, CD 2003


A rich compilation of noisy bands from the Pula scene from 1992 to 2002, as you can see it is a home made compilation by Rio, the most active guy in that part of the scene (no wonder he is member in each and every band featured here !!!). Eight bands and 34 tracks. A must for all Grindcore fans.




Sunday 9 June 2013

FAST MOVING DODGERS aka F.M.D. (1987-1988)


FAST MOVING DODGERS, also known as F.M.D. were a very talented but shortlived Alternative Dark band, which left us only one demo recording which is practicly a must-have. They also appeared on the cassette compilation "Ovo je Pula, ne Rijeka".


Saturday 1 June 2013

KUD IDIJOTI (part 1 - the demos/live cassetes 1981-1986) (1981-2012)


KUD IDIJOTI were not only one of the greatest bands in the history of Pula`s Rock scene, but undoubtly one of the best Punk bands from this part of the world. Formed February 2nd 1982, the band spanned over three decades, changed the line-up just two times (not counting the pre-recordings years) and left a huge and important mark in the Rock music of the Balkans (and wider). Their opus is so huge that I will divide it into four parts: the demos/live cassettes, the EPs, the official releases and the bootlegs.
In the first years between 1982 and the first EP vinyl in 1986, the band recorded four demos and released two live cassettes+one EP cassette (one live is released later in 1988, and the EP cassette is a cassette released in 1989 by the label, but without the permission by the band).
The most known line-up of the band became stable from 1983. and lasted until 1999.


DEMOS





LIVE CASSETTES



EP-CASSETTE

Sunday 26 May 2013

SPIRIDON MEKAS CRUST (S.M.C.) (1996-2001)


Hardcore Punk band formed by known Pula Punk musicians,being active for 5 years and except for playing live shows they left a demo recording and a split-tape release with Desinence Mortification. They claim they never split, they just stop playing.. Reformed for a one-off show in 2010.




Saturday 18 May 2013

MERCENARY COCKROACH (2003-2008)


Death Metal/Grindcore band leaded by the guitar virtuoso Ivo Petrovic. During their existence they played a lot of live shows, recorded a demo and released a split-CD with their fellow grinders from Bolesno Grinje.



Saturday 11 May 2013

K-15 (1992-1998)


The Punk and HC scene in Pula was and is still very strong, so there were dozens of good bands around, one of them were K-15. Existed for 6-7 years with some minor line-up changes. A good demo recording left.


Sunday 5 May 2013

Remembering: CARCASS LIVE IN PULA - May 5th 1992

CARCASS (UK)
CENOTAPH (Italy)
HATRöSS (Croatia)

Terasa Verudela, Pula
05.05.1992.


On this day, 21st years ago, not only Pula but also the newborn state of Croatia hosted the very first concert of an international band since the proclamation of independency. And what a show it was...
We had the luck to have the best Death Metal band ever, CARCASS, in our town. I know it sounds so exaggerate for you to point out something like that, as you maybe have hundreds of shows like that in a year in your town. But having Carcass in our town, and especially in that very moment, when the winds of war were blowing through the complete country (except for Istria), was more than a miracle. I, as the concert promoter, lost a load of money on that show (just because of not having any experience in concert promoting), but besides that, this remains something I will be proud of for all of my life.

Concert poster and ticket

The concert was held at a tourist village outside of the centre of the town, nearby the seaside. Everything was perfect: the weather, the audience, the timing and accessibility of the main band, the sound.. everything.

The bands playing that evening, besides the headliners, were HATRöSS (my band, the follow-up to Devastation)



The next band playing was from Trieste, Italy. Our dear friends CENOTAPH, playing thrashing Death Metal, were truly essential on an evening like that.



And then, CARCASS.



No need to say, it was a fantastic show. Even the guys in the band were very satisfied (confirmed later on an interview to Vanessa Warwick, Headbangers Ball MTV, where the band recognised the gig in Pula as the best of the tour).

Here are some more pics of that day:

Equipping the stage...



The band with fans...

Bill Steer, Ken Owen and Mike Amott

Jeff Walker

Ken Owen

Mike Amott

...and the show..

 
 
 
 
 

And here is the concert featured on the Croatian National Television`s Metal show "MetalMania"



Wednesday 1 May 2013

DEEPCUNT (1996-1999)

Deepcunt is another fine project/band by one of the most active person of the Pula underground scene of the 90s and on, Dario Kroznjak-Rio. This multi-talented musician and beautiful person brought another Grindcore insanity on, a project that lasted for 3-4 years and luckily left an audible document of their existence.


Sunday 21 April 2013

052 (1987-1990, 2009-)


The band 052 (the telephone prefix for Pula!) is one of the veterans of the Pula scene. They played in the 80s then split-up and reunited in 2009 in a completely different line-up. They play Classic Rock, and besides the demo from 1988, a very important document of the history of the band, they made brand new recordings and continuing with active playing.





Sunday 14 April 2013

TRACELESS BANDS pt.3

Here is another post with pictures of four more bands that left no audible/visible trace but pictures, but have been a part of the Pula Rock scene in the past decades.

SICK WINE FLY (1987-1988)


PUSTENI S LANCA (1981)


RAK (1987)


PLAKATI (1979-1982)






TRIO PINO PAPILON BAND (1987)

Pino Ivancic

Trio Pino Papilon Band was a project that lived only briefly, planned for no live performances, and just one studio recording. Made completely by members of Gustaph Y Njegovi Dobri Duhovi, this project made a fine recording recorded in Koper, and planned to be released as mini-lp. Unfortunately, it never did, but it is a pleasure to have this stuff still available.
PS: Thank you Edi Maruzin for the info !!