Slovenian Avant-Garde Band Performs Rare Concert In North Korea

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - AUG. 19: A Slovenian avant-garde band, known for its frequent use of totalitarian imagery, performed on Wednesday a rare experimental music concert in North Korea's capital city. The show by Laibach, which lasted about one hour, coincided with a series of events marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japanese colonization. Laibach played about 10 songs, including one of its own pieces called "The Whistleblowers" and reworks of the Beatles' classic "Across the Universe" and the titular song from "The Sound of Music," at the 1,300-seat Ponghwa Art Theater. North Korean spectators appeared to be puzzled with the performance of the band, which also played the famous Korean folk song Arirang. Access to Western popular culture is extremely restricted in North Korea. Since Laibach was formed in 1980 in what was communist Yugoslavia, the band has stirred controversy, especially in its early years, as its visual style included the use of military uniforms and Nazi symbols on stage. The band's name comes from the German name for the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. This time members of the band were attired in clothes commonly seen in North Korea. North Korea's decision to allow the concert is seen by outside observers as part of its efforts to portray itself as an open country. The band is scheduled to stage another concert in Pyongyang on Thursday.