by François CoutureOn May 28, 2003, Echt! celebrated its 15th birthday with a live show in front of the enthusiastic audience of the Paláci Akropolis. The performance has been nicely recorded and makes an honest live album, capturing the flagship of the Czech pub rock scene in its element. The lineup is the same as the one featured on the group's previous studio album, Je Mi Krásne. Karel Malík may have a little less energy to give (you can almost hear him gasping for air toward the end of the set), but he is well supported. The songs are not as tight or well executed as on studio albums -- the sudden shifts in "Mám Vseho Dost" are not so sharply rendered, and the whistled melody of "Písen" is only a faint approximation of the original -- but the guys are obviously enjoying themselves and the energy they put in the performance is enough to satisfy the fan. The track list takes us on a round trip through Echt!'s records, without putting too much emphasis on the most recent (only three selections). Jirí Michálek … » Read more