Rijeka's rock scene

Before punk: a port city and rock'n'roll

As a port city, Rijeka heard Western music early. According to the In Your Pocket guide, the Husar club on Dežmanova street (1957–1964) was Croatia's first rock'n'roll club, playing records brought in by sailors. The same source lists Uragani (1960) as Croatia's first rock'n'roll band, a 1960 show by Colin Hicks and the Cabin Boys in today's Teatro Fenice, and a 1966 gig by The Rockin' Vickers, whose guitarist was Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, later the founder of Motörhead.

Palach, 1968

In November 1968 students opened a club called Index, renamed Palach in 1969 after the Czech student Jan Palach. Palach became a successful live-music club and one of the longest continuously running rock clubs in Europe. On Kružna street, it is still the centre of Rijeka's alternative scene.

Punk: Paraf and Termiti

Paraf played their first show on December 31, 1976, and their concert at the Circolo hall on March 22, 1978 is considered the first documented punk concert in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. The band released A dan je tako lijepo počeo (1980), Izleti (1981) and Zastave (1984), has been active again since 2019, and released the album Paraf in 2025.

Termiti first played on October 23, 1978 at Rijeka's club Modra, and in 1979 shared a bill with Paraf at the Kristalna dvorana of Hotel Kvarner in Opatija. Their bassist Damir Martinović Mrle later co-founded Let 3. Termiti also opened the first Ri Rock Festival, a showcase for original bands that reaches its 48th edition this year and is one of the longest-running festivals of its kind in Croatia.

New wave and the 1980s

In the 1980s Rijeka produced a string of new-wave and pop acts, including Xenia, Cacadou Look and Denis & Denis. The electro-pop duo Denis & Denis formed in 1982, defined the decade with “Program tvog kompjutera” from Čuvaj se! (1984), and played their farewell concert in April 2026.

Rijeka – Paris – Texas, 1987

In 1987 the compilation Rijeka – Paris – Texas introduced a new generation of Rijeka bands, including Grč, Let 3 and Grad. Let 3 started in 1986 as Let 2 and have used their current name since 1987; led by Zoran Prodanović Prlja and Damir Martinović Mrle, they represented Croatia at Eurovision 2023 with “Mama ŠČ!” and finished 13th in the final. From the same generation came Laufer (1986–1996), fronted by Damir Urban, whose album Pustinje (1994) won the Porin award for best rock album.

Hartera and the scene today

Since 2005 the former Hartera paper mill by the Rječina has hosted the festival of the same name for electronic and alternative music, and in 2020 Rijeka was a European Capital of Culture. The compilation story continues with Rijeka – Paris – Texas II, gathering 22 artists from the last fifteen years of Rijeka's urban rock scene, while original bands from Primorje and Istria play the 48th Ri Rock Festival at Palach.

Today you will most often hear live bands at Palach, Pogon Kulture and The Beertija, while big regional tours come to Pogon and Centar Zamet. All upcoming gigs are in the concert calendar, and more on the clubs in our nightlife guide.

Sources

• In Your Pocket: Rijeka Rock City
• Croatian Wikipedia: Paraf, Termiti, Let 3, Denis & Denis, Laufer
• Ri Rock and Klub Palach: 48th Ri Rock Festival announcement
• Dallas Records, Pogon and Mars koncerti: Rijeka – Paris – Texas II announcement