Belgrade Beer Fest this year celebrates the jubilee - 15 years of best music and beer in Belgrade. According to celebrational mood, music programme will be richer for the biggest names of local rock scene. We have already revealed that Asian Dub Foundation, Riblja corba, Hladno pivo and Goblini are guests on this year`s manifestation. In the period from 16th August to 20th August, Usce will burn from top rock gigs, and the jubilee edition brings numerous novelties, surprises and the most famous bands and artists from the country and region.
Van Gogh band will open the popular manifestation. The beginning of the most popular manifestation will be marked by an excellent concert on the main stage and great fireworks. Band, that recently celebrated 30 years of successful music career, promises great fun and spectacle never seen before to the visitors of the 15th Beer Fest. Leader Zvonimir Djukic Djule says, in his style, that ticket for the concert is wide smile and good mood and he adds: "It has been three years since our last concert at Belgrade Beer Fest. We are looking forward to a new meeting with the audience, so we can hardly wait to climb on the stage and explode with pleasure in the arms of the audience. As always, we are preparing an explosive show, and as this year we have been given the honor to open the jubilee edition, we have prepared a special set list." The band was founded on one day in January 1986, and it was consisted of Zvonimir Djukic Djule (back then, he only played the guitar), Srboljub Srba Radivojevic (drummer), Goran Milisavljevic (vocal) and Predrag Popovic (bass). It proudly bears the title of the last band that was created in the region. Apart from great performances in almost all the cities of the country and the region, they performed throughout England, America, Germany, Italy and other countries in the world.
Kiril Dzajkovski, composer and producer from Macedonia, is performing on the second day of the festival, on 17th August on the other stage. The artist from neighboring country is one of the biggest names that will perform this year. Pioneer of electronic music with Balkan elements has achieved significant success by composing film music. Coincidence or not, an interesting data is that he founded his first band Bastion together with famous Macedinian director, Milco Mancevski in the early 80`s. Later, he played in the band Leb i sol. He became famous to a wider audience after the author's albums "Homebound", "Syntethic Theater" and "Religion & Sex" dominated by the unusual fusion of drum and bass genre and authentic Macedonian ethno. During the 90`s, he moved to Australia where he got an inspiration for his own music genre. He released his first album "Homebound" for Tone Casualties label from America in 2000. He performed for the first time at Beer Fest in 2008.
S.A.R.S. (Sveze Amputirana Ruka Satrijanija - The Freshly Amputated Arm of Satriani) is performing on Saturday, 19th August. The band from Belgrade, precisely from Resnik, celebrated their first 10 years of career at this event last year. For this year`s performance, band members have announced that they will play only well known hits from six albums, so far released. A music association, that won local and regional audience for a short period of time, at each concert makes a great atmosphere. Lutka, Budjav lebac, Ratujemo ti i ja and other hits of this band have over a hundred million views. A guitarist Aleksandar Lukovic Lukac and a singer Dragan Kovacevic Zabac fonded the band in March of 2006. Beside the founders, first members were: Vladimir Popovic Hobbo (vocals), Zarko Kovacevic Zare (vocals), Milos Kovacevic Kriva (bass guitar), Branislav Lucic Beban (percussion), Goran Mladenovic Japanac (drums) and Ivana Blazevic Violina (violin). Later, Milos Bakalovic Bakal (drums) and Boris Tasev (keyboard and accordion) joined the band. All musicians came from a different music backgrounds and spheres of interest, resulting in unique fusion sound of divergent music genres.
Atheist Rap, punk-rock giants from Novi Sad, are performing on the third day of festival, on 18th August, at the main stage. Singer, Aleksandar Popov Dr Pop, said on the occasion of their performance in Belgrade: "The audience at Usce is temperamental and its throat and hands are participating in every concert. We are ready for a new exchange of positive energy with them. We plan to present to the audience of the Belgrade Beer Fest the retrospective of our biggest hits from all the band's periods and leave the heart on the field, as sports commentators would say. Three years have passed since our last meeting with the audience at Usce, and in the meantime, we have released an album. Besides numerous performances in the region, we also had two European tours we are very proud of. We will try to sum it up, to wrap it up and deliver it to the public on 18th August in the best possible way." The idea to found a band was created by Aleksandar Popov and Vladimir Kozbasic at the Rambo Amadeus concert on 29th November 1988 in Novi Sad. Vladimir Radusinovic (guitar), Zoran Zaric (bass guitar) and Stevan Gojkov (drums) joined the idea. The first concert was held on 22nd May 1989, and this date is being held as the date of foundation. At the end of the same year, Aleksandar Milovanov joined the band.
With this kind of music repertoire, it is clear that this year's jubilee edition of Belgrade Beer Fest will overcome the attendance of previous editions. Last year, 480.000 people visited this manifestation. A fantastic music programme, that is completely free, and over 100 types of domestic and foreign beers will place Belgrade in the very top of favorite destinations in Europe in August.
