Memorija to play Jane Sandanski Hall on October 23, will perform Bis-bez material

The rock band Memorija will hold a concert on October 23 at Jane Sandanski Hall in Skopje, featuring guest musicians from several generations of the Macedonian scene and a programme that reaches back to the earliest days of local rock.

Band leader Petar Georgievski-Kamikaza said the show will have historical value because it will include songs from the era of the legendary groups Bis-bez and Bon Ton, and will pay tribute to producer Toshe Pop-Simonov.

From Bis-bez classics to newer generations

Georgievski described the venue as the only major hall the group has yet to play, and reflected on a pattern of concert spaces closing after the bands performed there. "This is the only hall in which ‘Memorija’ has not played so far. Usually all the halls in which we have played, unfortunately, ended their history, except 'Boris Trajkovski'. In 2017 we were the last to play at the 'Metropolis Arena' or Skopje Fair. Then the Universal Hall, shortly after our performance, also went into history, and later some even set it on fire. I hope new halls will be built and the Universal Hall will be restored, so that our and future generations have dignified conditions in which they can present their musical art," he said at the press conference.

The evening will span multiple periods of Macedonian rock, beginning with Bis-bez and the song "Dal da placham il da peam" (Should I Cry or Should I Sing), continuing through Bon Ton and moving on to more recent generations of musicians.

Apostol "Poce" Ikonomov, the nephew of Bis-bez singer Koce Ikonomov, recalled how the Bis-bez classic came into being and how it has been part of his family memory. "I remember how the song was created. I was very small, but I remember. I was born in 1965. Someone might say, is it possible to play at four or five years old? It is possible. I really wanted to go to their rehearsals. My father used to say that I would be a drummer, but I did not become a drummer. We have performed that song on other occasions with my uncle while he was alive, in different versions. I was born and raised in the building next to the Cathedral Church, where my uncle also lived. That apartment is still full of guitars. In our version that you will hear on October 23, you will be very surprised how it sounds," he said.

Guests announced for the concert include Igor Dzhambazov with Guru Hare, David Temelkov and a number of younger musicians. Beni Shaqiri with the group Non-Stop will perform the song "Kako po navika" in honour of Toshe Pop-Simonov. "This song is autobiographical of Toshe Pop-Simonov," Georgievski said.

Risto Samarjiev, the band’s second vocalist, noted the date of the concert has additional significance because it falls on the Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle. Keyboardist Davor Jordanovski, recently returned from Canada, said the show is also personal: "The concert is in my old neighbourhood, in Aerodrom, in Jane Sandanski, where as a child I used to go to watch MZT play basketball. My second great pleasure is that after I returned from Canada, the band's sound began to lean more toward organs," he said.

Producer Mite Dimovski will play drums at the concert in place of drummer Aleksandar Sale Jovanovski, who suffered a stroke and was in a coma for 90 days; Georgievski said he is now well but will appear only as a guest. Guitarist Rubin Dimkoski from Prilep, who joined the group in 2024, said travelling back and forth to Skopje for rehearsals has not been difficult and that so far he has made around 40 trips.

Photo: SDK. MK)