Pigs Parlament
The “party punk/ska-core” band Pigs Parlament represents an irreplaceable institution of the DIY ethos in Slovenia. It is hard to find a band that, with so little institutional and media support, has managed to reach such a wide audience and perform so many concerts. Today a seven-member group, the band was formed in 2004 in the village of Plešivo in the Goriška brda region. Originally a teenage quartet—Vasja Rusjan (vocals, guitar), Matej Srebrnič (bass, vocals, production), Deni Srebrnič (guitar, vocals), and Boban “Bobi” Stojkov (drums, vocals)—they evolved into a septet with the addition of Tina Rebec (vocals), Miha Ivančič (trumpet), and finally Masim Pirih (trumpet) in 2021.
Without ever truly becoming mainstream in the traditional sense, they have managed to reach a broad audience. Although they were never part of the central Slovenian media landscape, they now perform widely—from major Spanish festivals and stages across Central Europe and the Balkans to key domestic venues such as Punk Rock Holiday, Kino Šiška, and large student events like Majske igre. The Punk Rock Holiday festival in Tolmin marked a turning point, as the band convinced the organisers in 2012 to set up an additional stage at the confluence (Sotočje). In the following years, they performed multiple times on the main stage alongside their idols and became the official band for punk rock karaoke due to their mastery of the genre’s repertoire.
While their English-language songs stylistically and thematically draw on American labels such as Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph, their Slovenian-language songs stand out for their originality, irreverence, self-irony, and strong connection with the audience. Over the years, they have also established themselves as a band continuing the tradition of the Briška poet Ludvik Zorzut, using the local dialect as a poetic medium—for example in the song Fsova petka or the medley of Gorizia bands known as Goriški komat. Nevertheless, they remain above all an entertaining band—cheerful, unruly performers and leaders of a punk rock ritual involving a wine bong, which has become an essential element of their stage performance.
Their discography includes the albums Time For Sausages (2010), Different Pigs, Same Shit (2012), a conceptually connected trilogy of EPs (2017–2018), the live album Live in Strelišče 4/20 (2020), and Double Album (2024), released on the occasion of their 20th anniversary. Their latest release, divided into two parts, reflects a new level of maturity. The Slovenian section, with lyrics in the Briška dialect, explores themes such as local life, youth mental health, intergenerational tensions, and work mentality. The English section offers a stylistically diverse mix of hardcore, ska punk, punk rock, and crossover metal, with their characteristic socially critical lyrics.
Avtor: Jaša Bužinel
Kraj: Plešivo
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