Fuel Off live: The Lazytrains, The Bad Slide Stam, Eliana

The Fuel Off live at Ilion left the best impressions. The Layztrains, The The Bad Slide Stam and Eliana One Woman Band gave us wonderful moments!

Sunday, March 13th.... Fuel Off live at Ilion plus...my best one, literally.

Partly the stressful week that preceded it, partly being cooped up at home because of the awful weather, the news alone was enough to get me fired up and waiting for it with great anticipation.

…and the much-longed-for day arrives….sorry, NIGHT!

Deadness and silence in the streets of frozen Athens, few passersby…only on the trolley is it going wild….

Few outside Ilion plus, few inside too….but the few and the good ones, who know they'll have a great time here and don't chicken out because of the day or the cold.

Eliana One Woman Band, Bad Slide Stam, Lazytrains...

Amazing musicians who have a real soul and personalities that bring that soul out on stage and offer it to you.

Eliana who instantly conquers the stage and transforms into a true queen of raw blues, which I love so much. Without makeup but with the intensity and passion of ten musicians. Truly, a band all on her own. With a new album titled Prison for Human Souls and songs with lyrics that literally burn. Like Common People which talks about the tragedy in Mati and Free Βirds which has been drawing the attention of people abroad for a while now. Sweet Eliana who hands out slaps with her lyrics and makes you think, friend I'm saying this out of love, honestly!!! 

What can I say about her voice? It raises the dead, no exaggeration!

The Band Slide Stam & Eliana

The Bad Slide Stam, Stamatis Striggaris to his friends, with his punk blues, a true master of the guitar since he's also into building musical instruments, filled the space with fire and energy. Playing and covering songs like Five To One by the Doors or Another Brick On the Wall by Pink Floyd in an unrepeatable way that only he knows how to pull off.

The collaboration between Eliana and Stamatis on stage is also something remarkable. Incredible chemistry between them and a bond you rarely achieve, where one cuts and the other stitches with just a look and a meaning.

The surprise was huge with the two new songs they performed, Κατ'Εικόνα Κατ'Εικόνα with Greek lyrics and Mister P, their own version of Kyr Pantelis by Panos Tzavellas.

And just when you're sure it can't go any further, that the evening can't get any better, comes the moment when the Lazytrainstake the stage, along with Orestis Tsikouris…

All together they perform my favorite song from Eliana's recent album, Dig Down Deep. A song I've singled out because it is exactly what the title says… Dig deep, into your soul…. Pure mysticism that leads to communion… And that's putting it mildly….

The Lazytrains on stage

The Lazytrains are the band that will represent Greece at the European Blues Contest, a competition that has repeatedly fallen victim to covid and has already changed dates and host countries 4 times. The band already has a debut album under its belt that genuinely kills it and has left people wondering what kind of music they play and where to place them. A tough thing to do, because the Lazytrains are many things. They're blues, jazz, soul, they're whatever they feel like being. But above all they're not one-dimensional and they're never boring for a single minute.

There's no way to stay indifferent to their music, no way to sit still on a chair. And believe me, on the one hand it's very hard to keep your phone steady to shoot video when your whole body is swaying to their rhythms, and on the other hand good luck framing Maria - the singer - properly, since no stage is enough for her and she spreads out across the whole venue!

Huge set from the Lazytrains. 22 whole songs for every taste, classics like I just want to make love to you, but also their own from the debut album, like Give me Wings which everyone performed together, and Will you which has already stolen hearts.

The collaborations continued on stage!

On some songs they were joined by Orestis Tsikouris. One of the best harmonica players we have in Greece, with the unique talent of interacting more than anyone with both the musicians and the audience. In constant dialogue with the crowd, he doesn't leave you as a passive bystander, he asks for participation and he gets it. And he, with an excellent album under his belt, with his band the Jumping Bones. Has already made waves abroad. Something new is in the works, as he told me, it just needs its time, and I'm certain it will leave us with our jaws on the floor…again.

I shouldn't forget to mention that the "accomplices" in all this were Nikos Zannis responsible for the sound, and also the excellent lighting guy whose name I didn't catch, since my beloved rascals I told you about above hadn't left me any brain cells.

A fantastic evening in every respect, which warmed our hearts and bodies and lifted our souls out of the gloom of these days.

Congratulations guys, thank you so much….you were a true balm….