Pankrti

Pankrti are a Slovenian punk rock band from Ljubljana, formed in 1977. Known for provocative and political lyrics, they billed themselves as "the first punk band behind the Iron Curtain", and they are counted among the first punk bands formed anywhere in a communist country. The band split in 1987 and has come back together for major concerts since 2007.

The band was started by two friends from Kodeljevo, Gregor Tomc and Peter Lovšin. Tomc thought of the name and managed the band, Lovšin sang and wrote the lyrics, and the two wrote most of the songs. They first played in 1977 at a school in Moste, with covers of the Sex Pistols, The Clash and New York Dolls next to their own songs such as "Za železno zaveso", "Anarhist" and "Lublana je bulana". Their first record came out on ŠKUC in 1978, and they were on the compilation Novi punk val.

Their debut album, Dolgcajt (1980), with "Totalna revolucija", "Lublana je bulana", "Jst sm na liniji" and "Anarhist", made them a cult band across Yugoslavia. Državni ljubimci (1982) won the 7 sekretara SKOJ-a award, then the most important cultural award in Yugoslavia. Rdeči album (1984), a play on the Beatles' White Album, brought their version of "Bandiera rossa", and Pesmi sprave (1985) moved away from their harder sound with "Osmi dan", "Zvečer v mestu" and "Sistem svobode". The last studio album, Sexpok (1987), had "Adijo Ljubljana", "Zadnja ljubezenska pesem" and "Bratje in sestre".

They toured Germany, Poland, Sweden and Italy, John Peel played them on BBC radio, and NME wrote about them. In 1987 they said goodbye with a sold-out concert at Hala Tivoli, Zadnji pogo v Ljubljani. Azra mentions them in the song "Balkan", and in 1996 they reunited for a night to open for the Sex Pistols in Ljubljana.

In 2007 they returned with a sold-out concert of almost three hours at Hala Tivoli, with Patti Smith's guitarist Ivan Král as guest, and a tour that took them to Zagreb and Belgrade. In 2010 they played Belgrade's Kalemegdan fortress at Beerfest, and the live album from that night came out in 2016. Their 40th anniversary was celebrated at a sold-out Arena Stožice on 20 October 2017, with Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock as guest.

In 2017 the City of Ljubljana gave them its plaque for an outstanding cultural contribution, and in 2022 they marked 45 years with another sold-out Hala Tivoli. In 2024 the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, gave the band a state decoration.