A green paper bracelet was enveloped around my wrist, but imprisoned I
was not – for it was the entrance ticket to Spotlight, the finale of this
year’s Strings of Autumn festival and a few hours’ enjoyment of live music. The
evening began with a Q&A session between Ian Mikyska and the guest
musicians. I know that one should not give first impressions much value, but to
me the Gogo Penguin band members seemed a bit dry and Andreya Triana frigid in
her serious behaviour that involved no smiles. It would be an over-dramatized
statement to say that I was worried the evening would be boring, but then, with
the first performance, all of my initial negative feelings vanished.
The three members of the Gogo Penguins kicked off the evening in the
then quite empty ROXY club. However, by the end of their 45-minute show the
under-stage area was filled with people that were stomping their feet to the
amazing drumbeat and swaying laxly from side to side like a pendulum. I was
fascinated by how the members seemed enclosed in two universes: one being with
their instrument (keyboard, bass or drums) and the second was with the rest of
the band. So absorbed were they in their music, they seemed to ignore the
enthusiastic audience. Most of the songs began with the soothing combination of
the keyboard and bass, but with the entrance of the drums, massive energy did,
too – that was the moment most people whooped and jumped.
The headliner of the evening was Andreya Triana. Having “studied” her
music for about a week, I felt slightly cheated by the succession of her
unreleased album songs performed, yet I was all the more exhilarated when the
familiar (and much adored) melodies of songs such as Town Called Obsolete or Lost
Where I Belong filled the concert hall. Lost in the notes, I simply could
not understand those individuals who pushed themselves right into the first
rows, just to take a photograph or video of the performance and then sharing
their “catch” on social networks. The light emitted from the smart phones
interfered with the colourful spotlights on the stage. This was the time to
enjoy the presence with the music; the sensations created by Andreya’s soothing
voice, the time to mutely mumble the lyrics, to dance with the flow, to forget
all essay deadlines, personal battles and the cold weather outside - for the
music of the night was warm both for the body and soul.
Image credits: Barbora Fabiánová, barkafabianova.net
While I slightly grieved the end of the two performances, the evening
ended positively in the Chill-Out room, where the British-Czech band Profound
Bass with Ian Mikyska performed. The smile-filled and light-hearted
improvisations and cosy sofa atmosphere made a delightful combination and
finale of the evening. I am already looking forward to next year’s Spotlight,
for I have greatly enjoyed this one.
- Anna Hupcejová
