Backstage

Backstage is a Slovenian punk rock band from Ljubljana, formed in October 2001. The band took its name from the backstage area of a concert venue on Metelkova street in Ljubljana, where it started rehearsing. Its music mixes punk rock, skate punk and pop punk, and its biggest hit is "Misel nate".

In November 2002 the band recorded its first single, "Confused". Mitja Okorn directed the video, which among other things was chosen video of the month on the national television show Videospotnice. In April 2004 Backstage signed with Nika Records and the debut album Backstage came out that autumn, together with a video for "Misel nate", again directed by Okorn. A club tour of Slovenia followed, with festival stages at home and abroad: a concert with Beatsteaks in Zagreb, the Aerodrome festival in Austria, Viva la Pola in Pula and Popkomm in Berlin.

The second album, Trends Are Changing, followed in 2006 with twelve punk rock songs, released by Kapa Records and Nika Records. Good reviews and strong live shows brought them to the booking agency Roadshock, which sent them on concerts in Austria and Germany, and in November 2007 on a three-week tour of South Africa. Back home they recorded the single "Trust" and then took a longer break.

At the end of 2008 guitarist Tomaž Pišlar joined, soon followed by Andrej Ogris, which gave the band two guitars and three-part vocals. The first single with the new line-up, "Dougcajt" (October 2009), went onto radio playlists and charts and became song of the week on Val 202. In January 2010 they shot the video for "Bitter End" at RTV Slovenija, and in May 2010 they played the Križanke in Ljubljana with the punk veterans Niet.

The third album, Independent, closed 2010 with ten new songs, among them the Slovenian-language "Nov dan, nov svet" and "Kadar v mojih mislih si", both songs of the week on Val 202. Early in 2015 Backstage released the self-produced EP Ipi, with their first cover version on record: "Himna mladosti" by Agropop, from 1989. The line-up today is Luka Virens on drums, Mitja Uhan on bass and vocals, and Tomaž Pišlar and Andrej Ogris on guitars.