KAVARNA ROCK 2013
01-02 June 2013, Kaliakra stadium, Kavarna
words by Stefan Yordanov - Stiff, photo: Krasena Angelova

For two years now Kavarna Rock has been craving a different yet promising niche in the overloaded summer rock gig schedule in Bulgaria. It's not as expansive and ambitious as it was back when it was called Kaliakra Rock Fest, but we are talking a different beast here.

Kavarna Rock paves the way for a new and desirable (probably slightly more adult oriented) type of event without the usual headache of clashing metal crowds and surreal three hours sets. It's a cosy and friendly event now, more like a gathering of old friends who share love for relatively old and (in some cases) not very prominent bands. In summer months rammed with corporate juggernauts, Kavarna Rock is some kind of a family festival, the festival to which the grown up kids can bring their own kids or even their parents..



But this isn't only about nostalgia, it's about discovering the depth and reach of music that sits somewhere beyond your household rock and metal names and I don't imply the otherwise legendary status quo of ACCEPT, DORO and DEEP PURPLE, but the chance to allow ourselves the luxury of indulgence by witnessing live sets from bands like the Russian metal heroes ARIA, their fellow-countrymen, the post punk cranks ALISA and the 90's British hopefuls that unfortunately never really made it worldwide, THUNDER. But let's not jump the gun, as they say, and do this properly, day by day.

DAY ONE (01.06.2013)

CHERNO FEREDJE not only open this year edition of Kavarna Rock but also provide a welcome antidote to any solemn thoughts that may torture you. They deliver tons of profane language and bad taste so it's clearly not for every one, but in the end of the day you don't have to be bloody tense about everything in life, do you?



Outside the readership of the specialist music press or the group's rabid Russian fanbase, ARIA remain virtually unknown to the most of contemporary Bulgarian metal fans. Yet they have been three times here, the first being a short tour in the middle of the 80's.

Their music provokes such fanaticism that there are many Russians who have travelled frightening distances just to attend a gig.




Tonight they are simply stunning. With a new vocalist, Mikhail Jitniakov and a fresh album, "Phoenix" (2011) they prove to be quite effective delivering not only classic stuff from their golden era when they were fronted by Kipelov, but also new material that sounds exciting and convincing enough to make even the most sceptic individuals in the audience ignore the Russian Iron Maiden label that media put on them once.



In the beginning of the 90's THUNDER (along with THE ALMIGHTY, WOLFSBANE and LITTLE ANGELS) were the darlings to the British press.

They were not that young however, as singer Danny Bowes, guitarist Luke Morley and drummer Harry James were all in TERRAPLANE, a pop rock band with three decent albums known to most hard rock fans in Great Britain during the 80's.

It isn't until early on Saturday evening that THUNDER take the stage and have us subjected to some of the best rock music there is to offer. I bet not many people around me really expected that level of professionalism, but it's the brilliant and inspired performance i have come to expect from them, especially when they execute perfect and spirited renditions of 'Low Life In High Places' from their second gold album 'Laughing On Judgement Day' (1992) and 'Love Walked In' from their debut 'Backstreet Symphony' (1989).



You need to know that THUNDER is not really a full-time functioning band these days as they have said their goodbyes several years ago, but they still do one-offs and it's been a great chance for us this year at Kavarna Rock to finally see them live.

On the contrary, ACCEPT, the German heavy metal machine, were here less than an year ago, supporting their 2012 album, 'Stalingrad' and now they are back in front of 5000 viewers as the true and undeniable headliners of this first festival night.

No need to say Mark Tornillo does an excellent job singing new material but he also gives his best to make all the classics like "Restless And Wild", "Breaker", "Princess Of The Dawn" and "Fast As A Shark" sound great.

Probably some of the old fans are missing Udo again tonight, but you can't help it. This seems to be a normal reaction with this type of cases, but hand on heart, Mark is a charming, Brian Johnson lookalike dude and what's more he fits in really well.




DAY TWO (02.06.2013)

Tonight festival performances start half an hour earlier. The weather has been playing tricks for the whole day. It's cold and rainy but that doesn't stop ANALGIN from opening the second festival day with an extensive set.

ALISA have a large group of Russian fans with flags singing along with them, but despite the fact that they are virtually unknown to the local audience, the crowd seems to like their heavy post punk. This music definitely sounds heavier when performed live than on a record.
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Just before DORO I head for the toilet in the press area only to discover a number of inflammable bottles backed up inside this small place. Spooky!

Heroic and feminine. These two words describe the best DORO's live performance tonight. From WARLOCK classics to one certain PRIEST cover, the queen of metal is flawless. But she's not the main attraction.

This year has seen things come back into sharper focus for DEEP PURPLE. They have a brilliant new album, "Now What?!" with "Vincent Price" being a great choice for a single off it.



Sometimes they might look like that gutsy old heavyweight boxer caught on the ropes but no matter what this band still punches back.

And they love DEEP PURPLE in Bulgaria, they love them more than ZEPPELIN, more than any other band in the world. You know what?

Steve Morse has been in this band for more years than Ritchie Blackmore, so, please, stop whining and moaning. Plus, believe it or not, Gillan still has it. Able to bring together the most important moments of their career in a live show that demonstrates the weight of their work, the band that walks on stage tonight come accompanied by gravitas, as well as the inevitable charisma that has survived all rock cliches known to the man, to prosper in this more restrained era.



The only thing worth complaining is that the set list is overwhelmed with new material. I can only imagine what would have happened if PUPRPLE skipped 'Highway Star', "Lazy" or "Black Night" for the sake of some new material.

Neither band nor the audience particularly want this to end, so when it finishes grizzled oldies who still insist on referring to as Side One and Side Two seem to be happy; words are roared, eyebrows are raised, heads are shaken in disbelief and teary halves are embraced.

In the end, the music was still reverberating in the air, lots of people were nursing hangovers and the festival grounds looked still smelled of beer. There were definitely some people who had worked out some of their anger issues within these two days of debauchery and it's a good thing, you know?

It's only rock' n ' roll as they say, but we love it!