Kawasaki 3P and IDEM at Šalata Show Croatia’s Alternative Scene Still Draws Big Crowds

Kawasaki 3P and IDEM will take over Zagreb’s Šalata on consecutive nights, offering a symbolic meeting between two generations of Croatian alternative music. Kawasaki 3P performs on Sept. 11 to open the late-summer, or early-autumn, concert season, while IDEM follows on Sept. 12 with what is billed as his biggest concert so far.

Kawasaki 3P returns to Šalata behind two new comeback singles released this year, “Di je tata” and “3 crte.” The songs point toward the Zagreb band’s fourth studio album, its first since “Kawasaki 3P,” “Idu Bugari” and “Goli zbog pasa.” The new album will also appear on vinyl.

IDEM, the stage name of Antun Aleksa, has moved beyond the status of a promising newcomer and become an artist capable of drawing a large audience. His buildup this year included collaborations with Edo Maajka on “Proljeće,” Ki Klop on “Popis stvari,” and Mašinko on the double single “Lijepo i ružno” and “Himna nepripadanja.” Mašinko will also appear as a special guest at the Šalata show.

The two acts have different styles, but the article finds a clear connection between them. When Kawasaki 3P began 33 years ago, it represented the kind of fierce alternative that IDEM represents today. Both are known for powerful live performances and a magnetic pull on audiences, while remaining distinct from the domestic mainstream that dominates media coverage.

Kawasaki 3P’s concert could symbolically mark 33 years since the band formed. The group previously let its 30th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of its first album pass without major commercial celebrations, although it did mark its 25th anniversary in 2018 with a concert recording that became one of its strongest live releases.

This will be Kawasaki 3P’s biggest Zagreb concert since its 2017 appearance at Dom sportova. The band also remains the only Croatian act to have closed INmusic’s largest stage, stepping in after Skunk Anansie withdrew in 2016 and winning over around 20,000 people without a soundcheck. The article presents the Šalata concerts as evidence that Croatian rock and pop continues to produce new names capable of disrupting the established order.