PHILIPPOS PLIATSIKAS
Last May, Philippos Pliatsikas, the former frontman of the hugely popular Greek rock group Pyx Lax, had performed two shows at the Athens Concert Hall, culling songs from the past with his now-defunct band as well as more recent efforts from his relatively shorter solo career. The shows were documented for the live album «Taxidevontas me allo icho» (Traveling With Another Sound). Pliatsikas was joined by several pop-rock colleagues – Lavrentis Macheritsas, Evstathia, Theodosia Tsatsou and Vassilis Kazoulis – as well the Greek State Radio and Television’s Contemporary Music Orchestra for the special occasion at the lush venue. Though the coexistence of rock and classical music does not always prove fruitful, the merger proved successful in this case. Pliatsikas’s songs benefit from dwelling amid this symphonic environment. New light is shed on the material, prompting fresh singing approaches, too.