ConcertsLive

Hardline & Sevi in Pratteln

September 14, 2024 Konzertfabrik Z7 Pratteln, Switzerland

The summer break is over and we’re skipping fall here in Switzerland, going straight into winter. It’s bitterly cold outside on this Saturday evening, which also means that people would rather spend their time somewhere inside in the warmth than outside. Which is good for the Hardline concert at Z7 and the number of visitors it attracts.

About 400 guests might experience a bit of a deja-vu today. The two bands had performed at Z7 in the same line-up back in May 2022. This duo surely works well together, however, it doesn’t have to be exactly the same every time.

Sevi is the band that Johnny Gioeli discovered at a concert in Bulgaria and since then he has done everything he can to promote this lady and the three gentlemen, in order to advance their career in the music scene. And rightly so, in my opinion. Singer Svetlana Bliznakova, bass guitarist Rally Velinov, drummer Peter Petrov and guitarist Stone Angel do a great job. A great voice meets good music. At the last concert, they had a bit more varied set list selection, this time the songs sound very similar. Nevertheless, I have to point out that there is a really great singer at work here, who is always on the move on stage.

With their new album «Genesis» and the song «World that doesn’t fit», which is in the running for a Grammy nomination, the Bulgarians are slowly climbing the career ladder. Their songs are very critical of society and perhaps the content is just a bit difficult to digest. It seems to me that people are less and less willing to deal with such messaging and would prefer to forget all the crap when they go to concerts. Naturally, the duet with Johnny Gioeli should not be missing from this performance either and so they perform «Jaded». Very nice and a good wrap-up of Sevi’s gig.

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Sevi2024 (17)

After a short changeover, the headliner Hardline gets on stage, Gioeli storming on like a little Duracell bunny and he continues to perform for a full 90 minutes with exactly the same hectic, over-excited power. Good songs, true classics, the occasional new song and his incomparable, witty patter turn the concert almost into a comedy event. But in a good way: the bantering with band colleagues Anna Portalupi and Alessandro del Vecchio are simply part of the show. And in return, Mr. Gioeli is briefly demonstrated that the keyboard master Del Vecchio can sing so well that Gioeli wouldn’t even be needed. Looking like a younger double of Danny DeVito, just with more hair, he proves to be a true musical virtuoso.

Luca Princiotta and Francesco Jovino do a good job, too, even if you hardly spot them on stage due to Gioeli’s hectic back and forth. Great songs lead you through the evening in no time at all and you get the feeling that the show has barely begun when suddenly it’s over again.

Hardline are an act you just want to see again and again, they are simply fun and offer a far better Saturday night entertainment than a dull TV program or a crowded disco. Anyone who hasn’t been to these concerts has clearly missed out.

 

Sandy Mahrer

Fresh Act editor, reports, reviews, photos - - - Favorite genres? - Hard Rock, Heavy Metal and Pop-Rock etc. Less Death, Black, Grind Core