Last week, Ljubljana hosted not one but two acts close to our hearts: the Turkish darkwave/post-punk duo Ductape on Friday, 10 October, at Klub Gromka, and the British atmospheric/melancholic dark rock outfit Antimatter on Sunday, 12 October, at Orto Bar. As neither of us (especially me) fancied attending two gigs in such quick succession, we opted for Ductape. The decision wasn't particularly difficult - we'd already seen Antimatter live at this year's Castle Party Festival (report HERE), where we also interviewed Mick Moss (interview HERE). Besides, AKC Metelkova mesto remains one of the few venues in Ljubljana where you're not politely ushered out moments after the show ends. And we've had lovely experiences at Klub Gromka before.

We entered the venue shortly after 20:00 and immediately ran into Çağla and Furkan Güleray, who had just finished their soundcheck. As they were keen to grab dinner first, we agreed to postpone the interview for a bit.

All four of us gathered around a table in the red-hued backstage area and began chatting. The conversation flowed easily - more like a friendly pub catch-up than a formal interview. Just as Tomaz was about to take a few photos to wrap things up, the concert organiser and member of the Klub Gromka collective, Jasna Babić Zrimšek, popped in to let us know it was nearly showtime. We said our quick goodbyes and agreed to reconnect later.

Ductape opened their first-ever Slovenian performance with "Sinners", the opening track from their second album Ruh. A few songs later came two more Ruh's representatives - "Sevmiyor" and, just before the end, "Fire". They continued with "Closer" and "The Unknown" from their latest full-length, Echo Drama (released in March 2024), the album that truly cemented their place on the scene. Three singles followed: this year's "Fade Away" and "Blue Black", both featured on the Echo Drama deluxe edition (out in April 2025), and "Ölüm Günüm", a collaboration with fellow Turkish band She Past Away, released late last year.

With "Neurotic Passion", we travelled back to Ductape's early days - 2020, when they released their debut EP Little Monsters. Midway through the set, "Marian" made her entrance - yes, that "Marian" - of The Sisters Of Mercy - ever enchanting, even in a different guise. In the final stretch, we heard "Rain" and "King" from their debut album Labirent, as well as "Anafor", and two hits, "Veil Of Lies" and "Red Scar", from Echo Drama, the latter closing the set.

We also got to hear the freshly released "Fine" - truly fresh, as it had premiered that very night alongside its video, heralding Ductape's forthcoming fourth album, Faded Flowers, expected next year. The entire performance, lasting over an hour, was thoroughly commendable. The sound did fluctuate, but that's hardly worth mentioning in the context of underground gigs. What matters is the feeling - and that was unmistakably right. While Furkan swayed gracefully with his guitar, Çağla captivated us with her velvet-dark voice and hypnotic movements - occasionally veering into the uncanny with a sudden arm-shaking gesture that brought to mind Peter Lovšin (hopefully he doesn't claim copyright on those moves), frontman of Slovenia’s legendary punk rock band Pankrti.

In short, all 16 songs - hits or not - hit perfectly. I was slightly surprised they didn't play "Evil Me", but the packed venue pulsed in sync with them throughout. After the main set, we naturally expected an encore, but it never came; as soon as Ductape stepped off stage, the speakers resumed. Later, Tomaz asked Çağla about it - she was just as surprised, saying they had three more songs ready. Logistical hiccup? Perhaps. But no matter - the night continued brilliantly.

Dan took to the stage and delivered one of the finest DJ sets I've ever experienced. For almost five hours, he spun one track after another - each better than the last - and the crowd stayed rooted to the dancefloor. Çağla and Furkan joined us in the revelry, dancing alongside many of us until the very end - well past 3:30, when the club doors finally closed and we each drifted off into the night.

The next day, Ductape had one final show of this tour leg in Vienna (given the party, I hope it went smoothly). But if you missed them this time, fear not - they'll be back soon. Their European tour resumes on 1 November, followed by a few weeks in Latin America, and then returns to Europe on 12 December. And the first third of 2026 promises to be Ductape-lively as well. Highly recommended - don't miss them (again). Until the next report - cheers! Jerneja

Report by Jerneja
Photos by Tomaz
Edited by Jerneja
Ductape Links: Official Website, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp