On January 27th, courtesy of Pozitif, Altın Gün ventured from Amsterdam to the halls of Volkswagen Arena, tucked away in Istanbul’s Maslak, for a memorable night of psychedelic Anatolian sounds and a performance that brought together fans of all ages from across the spectrum. The band, hailing from the Netherlands, consists of vocalists Merve Daşdemir and Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız (both of Turkish origin), as well as bassist and founder Jasper Verhulst, drummer Daniel Smienk, percussionist Chris Bruining, and Thijs Elzinga on guitar.
Despite being based in Holland, the outfit’s sounds are a pure blend of Anatolian psychedelic rock with a healthy blend of funky rhythms, surfy guitar riffs, bağlama, and analogue organs that particularly appeal to a Turkish audience. Having gained global recognition since the release of their popular single Goca Dünya in 2017, the band has since been nominated for a Grammy and performed at international events to much fanfare.
It’s perhaps not a great sign to start a review with a disclaimer, but I do feel obligated to briefly mention one. Altın Gün certainly boasts international appeal and dances at the forefront of world music, but to truly appreciate their subtleties and influences, you really do need to have had a Turkish upbringing or be a proper enthusiast of Turkey’s monumental figures of Anatolian rock like Neşet Ertaş, Barış Manço, Selda Bağcan, Erkin Koray, and many others. As a foreigner attending this show, it was abundantly clear that despite a general base sense of Turkish music, there was much that flew over my head in terms of homages, covers, tributes, and so forth. Of course, none of this stopped me from having an amazing experience, but it felt worth mentioning.
Arriving there on a cold January night, there was a buzz of enthusiasm among those getting off the metro and waiting for the mini-bus that would take concert goers to Volkswagen Arena. As far as I’m aware, this was Pozitif’s first big arena concert in the “post-pandemic” landscape, and the energy for such an occasion was genuinely palpable. Arriving into the halls as Altın Gün kicked off was electric. There really is much to be said as to how their music translates into a live show and if there’s a willing audience, one of the largest and most unique dancefloors I’ve experienced in ten years of concerts in Turkey.
Having had their live show recommended to me on multiple occasions, and this being my first outing to see them, a few things immediately stood out to me. First and foremost, the diversity of the audience was a welcomed sight. Despite how far back many of Altın Gün’s influences date, the crowd was largely younger (guessing in their 20s) and all in on the genre which was really delightful as they danced their way through the entire performance with plenty of applause and appreciation. There were many “older” fans as well and I couldn’t help but think of the many clichés that embody Istanbul of the meeting of past and present. I also found myself thinking of my mother, from Istanbul and once a big fan of Manço and others of the genre, and how this would have been her scene if she were a young adult in Turkey today.
Almost to comic effect (in a good way), couldn’t help but also love how a rakı company was clearly involved in some way as there were several rakı bars around the inside of the arena hall. The smell of aniseed drifted through the venue and something about it just felt very appropriate to the atmosphere. I would never have assumed rakı to be a drink of choice for a concert without the accompanying table of food and longing ballads being sung together, but it really worked here and added a flourish to the experience.
Merve Daşdemir deservedly is an icon for the band and her stylings on stage lifted the audience to massive heights throughout the night. Literally bouncing around on stage throughout the peaks of the performance, she made sure the audience was dialed in at 100. She also made sure each musician had their moments to shine and maintained a vibe of love and support. Her talent is obvious, and the musicians as well all had solo demonstrations that were notably impressive and exciting. Hits like Yüce Dağ Başında, Goca Dünya, and Süpürgesi Yoncadan were greeted with boundless energy and lit up the dancefloor. When it seemed like they were to conclude their set, it was no surprise that the audience demanded an encore. Having them return to stage and ensuring that we had a few more songs of joyous Anatolian rock was the perfect endcap to the evening.
As I left the venue, my first thoughts were that I really need to familiarize myself with some of Turkey’s more influential artists from the past, and just how impressive it is that there’s such an appreciation for their legacy in Turkey among much of the youth. The whole Altın Gün experience just felt like something that was really needed after the past two years, and I’m particularly excited to see where they go from here. It was a wonderful first impression from them live, and I now expect to be a regular at future showings.
