| RITAM EVROPE 2010 |
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 For the fourth year in a row, Novi Sad was the only city in the region which gave Europe Day and the Day of Victory Over Fascism the reception they deserve. SKCNS, in cooperation with the Office for European Affairs of the government of the autonomous region of Vojvodina and the city of Novi Sad, under the patronage of the Vojvodina government, organized Ritam Evrope! (The Rhythm of Europe) in Trg Slobode (Freedom Square) on the 9th of May. Ritam Evrope! has slowly become one of the most famous cultural events in our city.
This time, the event was expanded to cover several locations across three days. On Wednesday, the 5th of May, on a small stage in the Katolicka Porta churchyard, the crowd enjoyed the guitarist, songwriter and hit artist Branimir Rosic, then Nenad Patkovic – Screaming Brothers, as well as the exciting project by Lazar Novkov known as Frame Orchestra. Photo Gallery – Katolicka Porta  Two days later at the Fabrika, local punk band Generacija bez budućnosti (Generation without a future), who were the symbol of a generation, with guests Selfimmolation and Frontline, brilliantly marked the 20th anniversary of their formation. This provided a brilliant curtain-raiser, ahead of the main event in Novi Sad’s central square.
Starting at 6pm on Sunday 9 May, the Novi Sad Big Band appeared on the main stage, entertaining the crowd and hundreds of passers-by with children for a full hour with their repertoire. After a short break, the official part of the programme started with a performance by a band from Sombor playing under the name of Neozbiljni pesimisti (The Frivolous Pessimists), so that by sundown, the atmosphere in the square was already buzzing. Macedonian band Superhiks proved once again to be a massive hit in Novi Sad. Their bravura-filled performance drew huge applause from the now-full square, and after a brilliant 45 minute set they left the stage to an ovation. The atmosphere in the crowd was warming up, and it exploded when Italian outfit Talco appeared on the scene. The guys from the suburbs of Venice left no-one feeling indifferent after their performance. It was great to see the guests, waiters and waitresses at the bars, restaurants and hotels surrounding the square dancing on the terraces in front of their establishments while Talco played. “Brilliant concert. We’ve got lots of fans in Novi Sad, we get lots of letters of support from here, but we never could have imagined that it would be this good! The crowd was fantastic. Really, it was unbelievable how many people turned up and sung our songs together with us. The atmosphere was totally unreal!”, said frontman Tommaso shortly after coming off stage. The honour of closing this year’s event fell to one of the biggest ska bands in Europe, Skarface from France. Singer and frontman Fred and the group, by their own admission before going on stage, did something quite different to Talco. However, they gave a performance that will live long in the memory of over 5,000 people (the official estimate of how many people had gathered in the square on Sunday evening). “Thanks to the organizers, who gave us the opportunity to play in this beautiful city, in a brilliant location and in front of such a great crowd. In a 20-year-long career, we’ve played over 1200 concerts, but we’ll definitely remember this one for our whole lives”, said an elated Fred after the show. So, at midnight, the curtain was drawn on the fourth Ritam Evrope! See you next year!
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