Valečovské léto: Morčata, Alkehol and Trautenberk unleashed an evening under the castle that had it all

Three bands, three completely different worlds, and one evening packed with energy, humour, beer-fuelled rock and mountain madness.

From the moment we arrived, it was clear that this would not be one of those evenings you simply tick off in your concert calendar. The venue had a special energy from the very first minutes, and people gradually gathered in front of the stage knowing exactly why they had come. The twenty-seventh edition of Valečovské léto brought together, for its penultimate concert night, three acts capable of drawing a sizeable crowd, each in a completely different way: Morčata na útěku, Alkehol and Trautenberk. No-holds-barred humour, honest alcohol-soaked rock and, finally, a concert transformed almost into mountain theatre. An intriguing combination on paper. Live, it hit like a truck.

Morčata na útěku: no brakes, just humour and energy

First to launch themselves at the crowd were Morčata na útěku. Anyone who knows their shows knows perfectly well that polish and restraint are not part of the deal. Morčata are born showmen, for whom the boundary of good taste is more of a guideline than a solid wall. But that is exactly where their charm lies: they pretend nothing, they do not take themselves too seriously, and they serve the audience precisely the kind of politically incorrect humour their fans love them for.

Familiar favourites included Bych blil, Hledá se děda and other staples of their repertoire. The whole show was then brought to a close with Šalina. The band had energy to spare, and even the prospect of a long journey home did not show. The audience got a full dose of Morčata-style chaos - loud, filthy, funny and, above all, entertaining. Exactly what they had come for.

Alkehol: raising a glass to honest rock beneath Valečov

After the barrage of humour, it was time for a band that has become practically an institution for several generations of Czech rock and metal fans. Alkehol took the stage without unnecessary fuss and launched straight into their trademark alcohol-soaked rock. No complicated posing, no chasing effects at any cost just songs the crowd knows, choruses sung together, and a band that still knows exactly how to win an audience over after all these years.

The set included tracks such as Spalovač chlastu and Strážnej anděl. In front of the stage, you could feel how many people had grown up with this music. Some songs stopped being mere entries in a discography a long time ago; for fans, they are tied to concerts, pubs, festivals, friendships and pieces of their own lives. And that is precisely what gives Alkehol shows their distinctive atmosphere.

A nice moment came even after the performance itself. While the stage was being prepared for the closing act, Trautenberk, guitarist Petr was still moving among the fans, greeting them, high-fiving people and handing out picks. A seemingly small gesture, but one that can say more about a band's relationship with its audience than long speeches from the stage. These are exactly the moments people often take home from concerts along with the music.

Trautenberk: the stage turns into mountain theatre

And then came Trautenberk. At that moment, the concert stage transformed into a completely different world. Anyone who had seen this lot before expected costumes, exaggeration, theatricality and their trademark mountain atmosphere and that is exactly what they got. The iconic wooden outhouses were there too, and the entire visual setup felt like the backdrop to an absurd story where heavy music, humour and the band's unmistakable brand of poetry collide.

But Trautenberk are not built on costumes and jokes alone. The moment the band digs into their instruments, the whole spectacle gains serious momentum. Fan favourites from across their repertoire filled the set, including Himlhergot, Hory volají, Jelito and Umaštěný tváře. In front of the stage, things gradually descended into genuine mayhem. The fans reached boiling point, and the energy between band and crowd grew with every song.

At one point, things in the audience became wild enough for security to step in. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, and the evening could continue exactly as it should  with music, shouting, laughter and a crowd that refused to ease off. It was that perfect edge of concert chaos where you can feel that something is truly happening in front of the stage and that the band has the audience firmly in its grip.

When summer ends with a roar

And with that, the penultimate concert night of this year's Valečovské léto came to an end and certainly not quietly. Each of the three bands offered a completely different kind of entertainment, yet they worked surprisingly naturally side by side. Morčata na útěku made the crowd laugh and got them moving, Alkehol reminded everyone why their songs have survived generations of fans, and Trautenberk finished the night with a spectacular mountain show that left very little room for calm in front of the stage.

It was one of those evenings you do not leave with only a setlist in your head. You leave with your voice wrecked, a smile on your face, perhaps a guitar pick in your pocket, and above all with the feeling that, once again, a concert was not simply music played loud. It was an experience. And if summer has to slowly close the door, then this is exactly how it should do it guitars at full volume, the crowd in motion, and one hell of a roar beneath Valečov.

Denča