Antis

lithuanian

One of the most popular Lithuanian rock bands ever, ANTIS began as a New Year party joke. Back in 1984, a young architect Algirdas ‘Pablo’ Kaušpėdas was working as the chairman of the Kaunas architects' union. He had to organise a New Year party at the city union’s hall and decided that the best thing would be to form a band and play some music. The joke proved to be so good, that rumors about the new exciting band spread all over the country. At the very beginning of 1986 ANTIS was joined by the horn section from Vilnius. Fellow architect / composer / trumpeter / guitarist Petras ‘Sniegius’ Ubartas took over the musical leadership of the band so Pablo could concentrate on lyrics and create charismatic images for himself and the band. Soon ANTIS (Duck in Lithuanian means also false mass media sensation) was invited to play at the semi-underground festival in Vilnius University and a couple of other similar gigs. But the turning point of ANTIS career was legendary Lituanica’86 festival, where ANTIS for the first time played in front of the elite audience, composed of the local and guest musicians, official and underground journalists, hardcore music fans and so on. Their show overshadowed Russian rock stars Aquarium and Bravo who were supposed to be the biggest attractions of the festival. Overnight ANTIS turned to the biggest sensation in Lithuania and one of the best rock bands in the whole of the former Soviet Union. Algirdas ‘Pablo’ Kaušpėdas built ...