Belgrade alternative guide by Kosta Jovanović

Everyone who has toured the Balcan countries will tell you the same thing: get that fucking ATA carnet and tour the Balcans! It is going to be one of the best experiences in your life. It was the same for us.

It is not just another alternative guide, this is the LiveTrigger alternate guide to Belgrade

Everyone who has toured the Balkan countries will tell you the same thing: get that fucking ATA carnet and tour the Balkans!

It is going to be one of the best experiences in your life.

It was the same for us, that why we decided to create this Belgrade alternative guide, to tell everyone how good Beograd is!

I’ve met  Kosta two days before our show in Belgrade.

We were playing in Novi Sad, he packed a car with some of the coolest guys we ever met on the road and drove straight to our show at Culture Exchange.

I have unforgettable memories of those Serbian nights, and I’m pretty sure all the bands playing there will have theirs.

Two days later he shared the stage with us with his fantastic band Young Husbands.

He gave us a place to sleep and spent some hours around the city just before we left for the Republic of Macedonia.

Kosta is the best (that’s why we choose him to write this Belgrade alternative guide).

All the Serbian guys we met were great, but he’s one of the most honest, genuine and humble guys I’ll ever know.

That’s why we’re sharing his guide to Belgrade’s underground, not just a guide the best of the Belgrade alternative guides: there’s no better guy around to drive you around Beograd (this is the original name of the city!).

So… Sign up to LiveTrigger and book your next Balcan Tour!

Kosta Jovanović

Belgrade is one of the largest cities in the region, with a population of almost 2 million people.

Belgrade, like every capital city, it has a lot of both positive and negative qualities.

As far as culture and entertainment go, there is always something going on, so keep your eyes peeled and let’s dive into the alternative Belgrade!

 

VENUES

My favourite venue is MKC Kombinat.

lIt’s located in Zemun, about 20-30 minutes by bus from the Belgrade city centre and it’s an almost ideal place for smaller DIY/underground shows.

On nights off it serves as a small indie movie theatre.

You can also find a bunch of work and merch from various types of independent artists there – from books, zines, comics, t-shirts and so on.

Another venue I’d like to mention is called Jazz Bar Centar, and as the name says, it’s located in the very centre of Belgrade.

Don’t let the name fool you, aside from jazz concerts, and you can pretty much hear any alternative music any day of the week.

That’s the spirit of the real Belgrade alternative guide, get you in the right places!

Mosh in front of the stage

The last venue you should know about is Klub Fest, also located in Zemun, about 20-30 minutes by bus from the city centre, this is the longest-standing of the three and has a long tradition of being one of the leading rock-music-oriented clubs in Belgrade.

Probably works best out of the three for 100-200 people audience.

From cover bands to some of the world-famous names to DIY hardcore punk shows, Fest has a cult-like status with Belgrade’s audience.

 

BANDS

Technicolor Lies – This is what happens when you collide the raw energy of hardcore punk with some pretty eclectic influences and innovative playing style.

This band’s live show is ever-evolving and changing over time.

Their music is loaded with both melody and aggression, from mid-tempo punk rock jams, delay-laden softer moments to high pitched shrills,

Eaglehaslanded – this is a band that everyone who is into screamo, hardcore and a fresh approach to music in general, should check out asap.

Short, concise songs with riffs that combine chaos with melody and shrieking vocals are h trademark.

They have several Europen tours under their belt and have released era number of albums, including split releases with bands Foxmoulder and Les 2 Minutes De La Haine.

Crvi – what separates Crvi from other bands in this list is the unmistakable sound of being a band from Belgrade.

For some artists, this could turn out to be not so much of a good thing, but Crvi (translates as “worms”) take this approach and elevate it to a whole new level.

With nods to bands like Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and local bands like Jarboli alike, these guys have a unique sound of their own and make every song speak for itself.

PEOPLE

There’s a lot of people putting in their time and effort into keeping the alternative Belgrade scene alive… where to start?!

Deki (Zmrzlina Booking) is one of the people who first got me into booking shows for bands, and for a while there we had a booking collective called Destroy Babylon.

Filip who runs the MKC Kombinat, as mentioned above, is doing a great job, not just with running the venue, but also playing in bands Chresus Jist and Bag Of Dicks.

Brothers Ćirić (Stefan and Nemanja) and are very active and dedicated boys who play in eaglehaslanded and often organise local shows.

Nino who runs Resetor – a booking organisation that manages to bring some of the world’s most famous non-mainstream bands to Belgrade.

 

FOOD

Hanan Caffe Restaurant

 A good Belgrade alternative guide can not talk about great place to eat the best food:

Jazzayoga is a place that emphasises eating food that is both healthy and tasty. It’s vegan/vegetarian food only, but there is a wide selection of cooked meals, sandwiches, salads, desserts and pressed juices to choose from.

Domino Pizza (not to be mistaken with Domino’s) is in the city centre and aside from a pretty good choice of pizza. They offer the best vegetarian sandwich money can buy.

Hanan – a Lebanese restaurant with excellent food and fair pricing. Falafel aficionados, take note.

RECORD STORE

Record store in Belgrade

The last tip for our Belgrade alternative guide is (not advice for hipsters, of course): always go for local distro if there is a chance. If not, some of these places might prove to be useful.

Leila – a coffee shop/record shop in the city centre. You can find both new and used records here in various price ranges.

Muzička kuća Metropolis – more of a traditional record store, even though it also doubles as a café.