Get The Blessing
Kip Hanrahan & Beautiful Scars
1 July, Križanke

At Križanke Get the Blessing from Bristol surprised with its freshness, merging modern rock drumming with modal jazz and adding a tinge of fusion. The trumpet player and the saxophonist often engaged in a duet, while the sound of the trumpet was frequently redoubled or distorted through effects, which Pete Judge was able to put to good use skilfully and, above all, tastefully. The cheesy bass player Jim Barr, quoting his words, in between compositions charmed the audience with his pronounced dialect and pranks, while the atmosphere was nothing alike the signature sound of the Portishead, whose members are bass player and drummer Clive Deamer as well as occasionally the trumpeter.

Next performed the percussionist and songwriter Kip Hanrahan’s Beautiful Scars; the band played Hanrahan’s songs that ranged from pop to funk, throughout imbued with a distinct Latin American dance hue, audible either in the Cuban-sounding rhythm section or some guitar solos that resembled Santana’s. The concert was marked by some excerpts from utterly standard love songs, where the vocalist (not always the same one) lingered at various points, imitating an on-the-spot rehearsal with the intention of bringing a certain part to perfection.

                                                                                          Andraž Jež