Rock musician Detlefs has returned to the public in a bright way

When the winner of the “microphone” gets only the role of a warm-up

Last weekend, the Alternative Rock mini-festival took place in the premises of the creative quarter “Tu jau zini kur” and “Angāra” on Tallinn Street, where two seasoned rock musicians – Detlefs (real name Uldis Dirnēns) and Lapsene (Artis Dvarionas) performed. If the warm-up status is given to Lapsene, the recipient of the Latvian music recording annual award “Zelta mikrofons ‘2024” for the best album of the year in the category of rock and metal music, then it still means something – this is exactly the kind of advance that was given to Detlef. Also, the long queues that formed at the entrance to the mentioned entertainment places showed the desire to see the Liepāja man live.

Although Artis Dvarionas, or Lapsene, returned to the big stage in 2022 after a 12-year break, which seems like a wildly long time, he loses in this field to Detlef, who ironically could say at the concert: “The album came out very recently. 20 years ago…” And now – Detlef’s cult album “You pretend to be yourself” was released in 2004! Many of its songs are still loved by fans, which is probably why Ulda’s comeback was so easy, quick and successful. It should be recalled that Detlef’s first single “Four Walls” dominated the Radio SWH chart for about five weeks at the time, and was followed by several more songs that gained hit status and a lasting place in the memories of fans – “Stils nainnīgs”, “Blind Actor”, “The Time Has Come” etc. In 2008, the second studio album “Skapī” was recorded in London, which did not create such a great resonance, but this album was also rated with a plus sign. But after that, Detlef quietly disappeared from the scene, and nothing was heard about the group in the public space for ten years. Although it is currently claimed that Uldis Dirnēns “continued to create music and spent time on self-development”, he had focused more on the video field – even developing a video game.

Good songs are not forgotten even after 20 years

Returning to the concert – starting with “Blind Actor”, Detlef led the audience deeper into his ten-year-old sound. Listening to these songs, one had to wonder how resistant they are to the test of time – the concert absolutely did not feel like immersing in the old hits. The reviewer caught himself thinking that his own opinion about Detlef’s offer has changed over the years: if at that time the album “Tu izliecis par sevi” seemed close to the label “Latvian Placebo”, now the sound of Liepaja rock shone through more; if at that time the top of the CD player was such pieces as “Stils nainīgs”, “Four walls” and “You pretend to be yourself” (which, of course, are still praiseworthy songs), now “Sen tu ljugi” and “Even if I try”. I had already forgotten that Ulda’s album “Skapī”, which was released under the name “Detlef Zoo”, had great songs, first of all “So Cold”, also “Mana krātā” and “Skapī”, while the hypnotically fascinating ” Good morning, butcher”, which created an almost surreal feeling.

The audience showed an amazing knowledge of Detlef’s repertoire, as almost the whole hall sang along to several songs (mostly the voices of the fairer sex were heard), during “Stils innocent” and “Four Walls” the audience jumped or up to the ceiling of the “boxes” of former ambulances, but “Sen you beg” the reticent Detlef was even asked twice. Although the musician’s new pieces are not very convincing, he can safely continue – the audience needs this guy!

This summer’s biggest stop – “Positivus Festival”

It’s interesting that Detlef hasn’t even changed much visually – he has the same British rock hairstyle, only he’s become a little more bearded. Last autumn, at the beginning of the century, the popular group “Detlef”, whose leader and founder is Uldis Dirnēns, with the stage name Detlefs obtained in the show “Talentu fabrika” (it is one of the characters in the 70s Berlin teenager-addicted novel “We – Children of Zoostation”), after 15 years of silence returned with a new song “1998”, followed by the second single “Veiksmīga nesanāk”, and a new album is also promised, which will see the light of day at the end of 2024.

“This is a continuation of the “unrecorded and unreleased songs” series – this time as a collaboration with 2012, when the idea for this song was born,” said Detlef about the first songs. New musical ideas have not left him for a moment, and right now could be the right time to make them public. Uldis doesn’t comment much on the new recordings (he’s not one of the most talkative ones at all), because the creative work is still ongoing, however, listening to both songs, it’s clear that the course taken already at that time is being continued in the direction of a very interesting and memorable alternative guitar rock with Liepaja characteristics.

We will hear more about Detlef this summer – he has already been confirmed among the members of “Positivus Festival”. It should be noted that the group also had an excellent line-up – at least Pēteris Lunde himself sat on the drums, but Uldis did not name (or forgot to name) his accompanying line-up at the concert. It’s a pity that it is, it would be interesting to know the name of the guitarist who played even the most complex solo parts in such a cool English calm that even doubts arose whether he was really doing it, maybe it’s a computer…

The block of Tallinn street drew the full lot

On the other hand, the already mentioned series of mini-festivals on the block of Tallinn Street has proven its viability and even more. It should be reminded that it was launched in winter with the aim of promoting the provision of concerts even in the “off-season”. As part of these events, “Dzelzs vilks”, “The Sound Poets”, Chris Noah, Patrisha, Katō, “Baložu pilni pagalmi” and others have already performed, and the double concert of “Tesas” and “Židrūnas” on May 10, also “Lingas” and ” Darkness” mini-festival on May 17.

Gatis Popovs, the host of “Tu jau zini kur” and “Angāra”, hoped to prove that attending high-quality concerts of favorite artists, and turning it into a whole night-long adventure, can be equally successful during the other nine months of the year, not only in the summer. At the moment, he already says that the plan has come true – the festivals are well attended, and the people who have been there return to these places every day to eat and/or drink, and the musicians show more and more interest in playing here.

Be the first to find out what interesting has happened in Latvia and the world by joining us on the Telegram or Whatsapp channel