Skyline ended the season with a traditional pre-Christmas party in the small Lucerne
On the first day of December, Skyline almost demolished Prague’s Lucerna Music Bar. They managed the baptism of fire, or the Prague solo premiere with the new singer Natália, with flying colours. At the pre-Christmas event, there was no shortage of gifts, themed Jacob outfits and an incredible burst of energy.
Live: Skyline
place: Lucerna Music Bar, Prague
date: December 1, 2022
set list:Dance with Fire, Move On, When the Morning Comes, Automatic, Ladies, Ocean, Up in the Cloud, Lost in, Space, Beautiful Princess, Out of Isolation, Past, Godzilla, Partners in Crime, Irie, Smudge Your Make-up, Timeless, Fairytale Teller, Rave
Please excuse the reduced quality of the photos. They were taken with a mobile phone, we didn’t have a professional photographer at the concert.
© Hana Bukáčková
This year was a turning point for Skyline: they announced the change of singer. Marka Rybin ended her work in the group after fourteen years (she decided to stop the six-year-old sitting on two chairs and will devote himself fully to Gaia Messiah). For many it was a shock, but on the other hand it was to be expected. I personally consider Marka to be the best singer in our area. I enjoy her energy and charisma, so I was curious how her successor, Natálka, who stopped being a guest after this evening and became an official member, would hold up. I am relatively close friends of this band led by bandleader Radek Bureš, but this year our calendars didn’t exactly meet. I had to wait until the 23rd concert with a new reinforcement, I was even more tense and full of expectations. Although they had already played in Prague at two open air events, this was their first solo performance.
© Hana Bukáčková
Skyline did not delay and kicked off the evening with the first song “Dancing With Fire”. Jacob did not underestimate the preparation and took Christmas-themed clothes. Green at first, then changed to red on “Ocean”. And he wouldn’t be the one to not comment on it in his own ironic way: he declared to those present that they were better than the jacket he was wearing, which was biting him. The setlist was cleverly put together. It consisted mainly of tracks from the last two albums. On the other hand, it seemed somewhat shorter, or maybe the performance had such an impact that it simply went by quickly. During it, among other things, “Ladies”, which Marka didn’t really want to sing at the end of her time in the band, was performed.
© Hana Bukáčková
The end was the traditional throwing of gifts into the auditorium. Naty put on a red dress and a headband with reindeer antlers, a few notes of “Last Christmas” were played, everything was just as it should be. The new frontwoman seems like a pretty solid replacement, although it may take some time for fans (myself included) to get used to this change. Her voice is similar to Marce, and visually she looks like a younger copy of her. Compared to its predecessor, it seems more fragile, it doesn’t have the kind of character and ferocity that would kick up the spontaneity and animality of the concert more. But I’ll probably get that over time. Everything is on track.
