Jarboli are often described as Belgrade’s best-kept secret, and that might very well be true.
Nevertheless, we’ve decided to play the gracious host and provide an unofficial glimpse into the band’s biography.
Firstly, don’t let their youthful appearance and slender physiques fool you; this legendarily tall quartet from Belgrade began their journey back when the Berlin Wall still stood firm.
As for Jarboli, legend has it that at their first performance, the drums were played by Igor Brakus, for whom the debut also marked his farewell to music and the beginning of his radio and TV career. If your reporter’s glimpse into some authentic blurry pictures is to be believed, Boris and Nemanja sported curls and hair that reached halfway down their backs. Alas, those were pre-internet days when who knows what people did, but they had nowhere to post their recordings, leaving us helpless to verify. Especially since the band members are in media quarantine as part of their preparations for the performance.
Officially, Jarboli was formed in 1991 in the same lineup that will perform at Kontakt, 33 years after their inception. This makes them one of the longest-lasting bands in their original lineup in our area, truly a rarity. Daniel Kovač (guitar, vocals), Boris Mladenović (guitar, vocals), Žolt Kovač (bass guitar), and Nemanja Aćimović (drums), inspired by garage rock and punk rock, quickly caught attention with their unusual stage presence, so mysterious that the only remaining description is “dadaist” for their approach. It didn’t take long for them to be noticed by their senior peers, often opening for bands like Obojeni Program and Instant Karma, laying the foundations of their cult reputation.
Jarboli’s studio releases always come with some crazy stories. No surprise, considering the timing. The first official recordings were made during the turbulent, war-torn year of 1994, while in 1996 recordings were released on cassette as a “bootleg” album titled “Čizmanoga,” in an edition of 50 cassettes. As of this writing, one cassette is available for sale online.
Jarboli’s first official discographic release, namely their first real, full-length, studio album “Dobrodošli” is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and formally serves as the reason for Jarboli’s emergence after nearly a decade of hiding from the public. The album was recorded and printed with the support of media house B92 and was scheduled to be released on March 24, 1999. Hmm, what could go wrong? Naturally, the release was postponed due to the NATO bombing that started a few days before the planned promotion. A few days later, the government took over the then-opposition Radio B92, so all 2000 copies of the album were confiscated. However, they were eventually returned after the bombing ended, and “Dobrodošli” finally saw the light of day.
Throughout the 2000s, Jarboli continued to release material, including the EP “Samo ponekad” (2000) and the album “Suvišna sloboda” (2003). Their influence on the upcoming generations of Serbian alternative bands was significant during this period. With support and soon collaboration with younger generations, as well as participation in compilations dedicated to Milan Mladenović and concerts at important festivals, the first decade of this century was perhaps the most active for Jarboli. And the next one started similarly – in 2011, Jarboli released their officially 4th and to date last album “Zabava”. However, from then on, they vanished off the face of the earth, only to make their grand return with a double concert at Kontakt on March 23 and 24 at Dorćol Platz. Hurry up for your ticket as the first day is already sold out, the hype is real.
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