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EXEUNThttp://exeuntmagazine.com/reviews/laibach-monumental-retro-avant-garde/Performance::4May2012

Laibach:MonumentalRetro-avant-gardeatTateModern,14thApril2012byAndrewHaydonChancesareifyoudontknowwhoLaibachare,youreprobablynotreadingthisreview.However,inthehopethatthereisawideraudienceforthispiece,itfeelsthat,morethanalotofotherbands,Laibachneedafairbitofintroductionandcontextualising.InBritain,Laibachareperhapsbestknowniftheyreknownatallas:thatbandwhodidthosecoversofQueensOneVisionandOpussLifeisLifeintheEighties,whiledresseduplikeNazis.LaibachwereformedinTrbovlje,Slovenia,thenapartofYugoslavia,shortlyafterthedeathofthepost-warYugoslavleaderJosipBrozTitoin1980.LaibachwasthecorearoundwhichtheradicalartmovemenentNSK(NeueSlowenischeKunsttheGermanforNewSlovenianArtpronounced:en-es-kah)wasdeveloped.TheirapproachrevolveslargelyaroundwhattheSlovenianphilosopherSlavojiekdescribedasradicalover-identification.Inatotalitarianstate,thisboilsdowntobehavingmoretotalitarianthanthestateitself.

ThebandsnamecomesfromtheGermannameforSloveniascapitalcity,Ljubljana-firstrecordedinprintin1144,usedagainwhenSloveniawasabsorbedintotheAustro-HungarianEmpire,andforathirdtimewhenYugoslaviawasinvadedbytheNazisin1941.IntheirhomecountryLaibachsnamereflectedthesehistoricaltraumas.Combiningtheirover-identificationwiththeirnominallycommunistleaders,LaibachemphasisedthecorrelationsbetweenfascismandYugoslaviansocialisttropes(AlexeiMonroe,Tatecatalogue).ThereisaveryfamousinterviewthebanddidwithYugoslavstatetelevisionin1983inwhichtheauthoritiesweresokeentofingerthemasFasciststhattheyessentiallycementedthebandsreputationovernightinpreciselytheoppositewaythanintended.Asawayaroundbanningthebanddirectly,theYugoslavianauthoritiesbannedthewordLaibachin1984.Itisstrikinghowlittleofthiscontextisimmediately*legible*inBritain.Withoutbackgroundknowledgeandoutsidethecontextofatotalitarianstateinwhichthebandoperated,whichalsoservedasitslegitimiser,whatoneisleftwithcouldeasilybemistakenforanoveltybanddoinggothcoverswhilstdresseduplikeNazis.

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Now,however,allthatambiguityseemslost;LaibachandNSKarethesubjectofarespectableretrospectiveatTateModern.NowthatLaibachlive,eschewingthehaircutsanddrums,theyrequireremovedfromthefull-onevocationsofNuremberg.

NowthatLaibachthemselvesareasmuchaLaibachtributeactastheyareLaibachNowthatthereisnoconcretecontextforthatwithwhichtheywereover-identifyingWell,youdowonderpreciselywhatitisyouareactuallywatching.Theconcertistitled:MonumentalRetro-avant-gardewhich,astitlesgo,isaboutthemostintelligentIveeverheardgiventoarockconcert.Theinternalcontradictionofretro-andavant-isparticularlyappealing.InSimonReynoldsexcellentbookonthemusicindustryscurrentaddictiontominingitsownpast,Retromania,thereasectionearlyondedicatedtotheworkofIainForsythandJanePollard(p.44-48),whore-stage(filmed)gigsbyoncecutting-edgebandsandthenre-filmthosere-creations-asart.ThefirstpartofLaibachsMonumentalRetro-avant-gardeconcertisalsothere-creationofalegendarygigthatthebandplayedinZagrebin1982(attheNSKsymposium,itwaswrylynotedthatwhilethatgigintotalitarianYugoslaviawentonuntilitwasbrokenupbythestatepoliceat5am,tonight,intotally-free

Britain,itwouldbeendingatmidnight).Amusingfootnoteslikethesenotwithstanding,thequestionhereislessaboutthefakedauthenticityofForsythandPollardsreplicagigsandmorelikethatofthephilosophersaxe.Thebandonstageare*still*Laibach.AndyettheyarenotthesameLaibachwhoplayedthatconcertin1982,thankstothedeathoftheirthenleadsingerandtheeffectofthreeinterveningdecadesontheremainingbandmembersmostofwhomarenolongermembersofthecurrenttouringversionofLaibach.Havingnotseenmuchfootageofthisoriginalgigalthoughsomewasshownonmonitorsduringtheeveningitisdifficulttomaketoomanyspecificcomparisons.Conjectureispossible,howeverIsuspect,forexample,thatveryfewoftheYugoslavswhoattendedtheoriginalgigwentinLaibachcostume.Idoubtthatmanypeoplevideoedthegigontheirphoneortookphotos.Ialsodoubtthattherewasthesameatmosphereofclean,antisepticcorporatism,repletewithwristbandcheckingbyblackbomber-jacketedsecurityguardscarryingwalkie-talkies.Musically,thisfirstsectionis:interesting,impressive,imposing.Severalofthebandsoriginalmemberscrankthroughtheangular,industrialsoundthat

Laibachvirtuallyimprovisedfromwhateverinstrumentsandnoise-makingequipmenttheycouldfind.Thislastsforfiveorsixpieces,then,withouttoo

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muchsignalling,thenextphaseoftheconcertison,offeringaworkmanliketrotthroughofalotofolderback-catalogueworks(nothingoffVolk,forexample).ThiswasamarkedcontrasttothelasttimeIsawLaibachplay.ThatwasinBerlinattheendofDecember2010.Thedifferencesarefascinating:evenin

contemporaryBerlin,flirtationwithandappropriationofcommunismandfascismstotalitarianiconographystillcarriedonehellofacharge.TheirversionoftheTurkishnationalanthem,performedinavenueontheedgeoftheTurkishdistrict,Neuklln,feltincrediblyclosetothebone.Ofcourse,ifyouvegotalltheirrecords(Ihavent),Iguesseverythingisgoingtofeellikeanoldfavourite,butLaibachinBerlinstruckmeasaprettyuncompromisinglotconcentratingmostlyonmorerecentmaterial.AtTateModerntheyseemedfarhappiertoplaycrowd-pleasers.TheircoverofLennonandMacCartneysAcrossTheUniverseinparticularreceivedamassivecheerofapprovalandrecognition.ThethirdphaseoftheadvertisedprogrammewasplayinglivetheircontributiontothesoundtrackoftheforthcomingFinnishsci-firomp(Imguessingromp)IronSky.IllstickmyneckouthereandsaythatIreckonB-Maschineisprobablythebest*original*songLaibachhavewritten,althoughitsellsitselfshortbynotusingitsawesomechorusmorethanonce(theresaversiononYouTubethatrepeatssaidchorusoverandoveruntilyoureinfestedwithohrwurms).But,yes.B-Maschine(myownphone-camvideooftheperformanceisonYouTubehereterriblesoundquality,notapatchontheliveexperience)islikebeinginjectedwithliquidawesomeuntilthehairsonthebackofyourneckbristle.

Afterthat,andA.N.OthersongoffofIronSky,evenmoresurprisingly,thebandactuallybangthroughaGreatestHitspackage:LebenHeitLeben,GeburtEinerNation,etc..IbelievetheresaLaibachGreatestHitsalbumcomingout,andthisconcertwasrecordedtobereleasedasadoubleCD,soIguessthisispartlydictatedbymarketforces.Evenso,itsasurprisetoseeabandusuallysodefinedbytheirunimpeachableintegritybehavingliketheirownspotlesstributeband.Thatsaiditisallofcoursehugelyenjoyable.Andyes,Ithinktheresstillplentyofironyatplayhere,evenifinthisinstancethesubjectsaboutwhichLaibacharenowmostmordantarethemselvesrockhistory,whilethecollapseonwhichtheirattentionisnowfocusedisthatoftherecordindustryratherthantheBerlinWallorformer-Yugoslavia.IfyouknowtheTurbineHalloftheTateModernpreviouslyhometoLouiseBourgeoissGiantSpider,AnishKapoorsMarsayasandOlafEliassorsgorgeousWeatherProjectitbasicallyputsthestagejustbeforethathalf-wayplatform,placingtheaudienceonthepolishedconcreteslopingfloorfacingtheband.Asidefromthefactthatthebandislowerthanhalfoftheiraudience,itmakesforagoodviewfromprettymuchanywhere.Howevermoreusecouldhavebeenmadeofthealreadytotalitarian-lookingdimensionsoftheTurbineHall-

somethingthebandcouldhavealsoembodiedbetteriftheydtriedtolooklesslikeanageingrockgroup.Afterall,whatisTateModernsgiganticismactually

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tryingtosay?Inmanyways,itsoneofthemostcuriousspacestheartworldhaseverconjured.IllsavemythoughtsonwhatitallmeansforanupcomingessayontheNSKsymposium;theinterimconclusion-ifthisisart,thenittotallyrocked,andifit

was*merely*rock,thenitaskedagooddealmoreofitsaudiencethanmostpopularmusic.