After thanking fans in a statement, they suggested suggesting that their farewell might not be permanent. "We are grateful to our friends, our coworkers, concertgoers, listeners, and everyone ho has supported us over the years." Nine years after their comeback, they may be merely taking a year-long break – or perhaps they’re leaving forever.

A powerful start
Soon after Niet was founded, the group managed to establish itself as one of the most successful on what was then a very competitive punk scene. They named their debut song Depression. A few months later, with was followed by two more: Perspectives and the Rhythm of Humanity.

Their first cassette release, Happy Youth (which has become legendary among fans), was issued with a run of just 200 copies. At the end of the same year, they surprised fans with a song that remains one of the greatest, most-played hits of all time: A Wonderful Day to Die.

At the very beginning of their career, they managed to break out onto the international scene. They toured France and Dalmatia, and held concerts in Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Trieste. In that time, other hits followed, including Violets and February. But not long afterwards, in 1986, they had to announce their first retirement from the stage.

A long pause after the lead singer’s death
They staged a brief comeback ion 1988. That’s when they played their last sings with the singer Primož Habič, who died of a heroin overdose in 1991.

Just as it seemed that Niet would never perform again, they surprised audiences with a comeback in 2008. They had a new lead singer, Borut Marolt, but the rest of the group remained virtually unchanged, and featured Igor Dernovšek and Robert Likar (guitar), Aleš Češnovar (bass), and Tomaž Bergant on drums.

A conspicuous return
With their refreshed lineup, the band performed on the stage of the almost legendary Ortobar. They received a rapturous welcome by fans who had followed their idols from the time when punk ruled Slovenia. Shortly afterwards, the band held a sold-out concert that Ljubljana’s Križanke concert venue, where they proved that punk was far from dead in Slovenia.

That same year, they surprised audiences with two hits: It Was May and Every Day, Something New Begins. They also published a live album and DVD titled Niet Unplugged. That was followed by a studio album titled Thirteen. A promotional concert marking its launch was also sold out at Križanke. Their last CD came out in 2015; it was titled In the Proximity of People.

They also tackled a musical
Among their most interesting projects of recent years was their punk musical Brigands. The group decided to attempt musical theater version of the novel by Josip Jurčič and Janko Kersnik. "This isn’t just a story about brigands. It’s also a story about love and, just as with Niet, we see an intersection of texts about rebellion and love. And death. After all, the Brigands’ story ends up in tragedy," said Marot when summarizing the project.

Under the direction of Miha Nemec, the group recorded seven musical numbers that were later published as parts of a very special album. The band tackled the project very seriously; they studied the history of banditry in Slovenia and read the novel several times.

When asked how loud they were during an interview with MMC several years ago, they replied: "Quite loud! But the question is, how far does our sound travel? We are loud to those who listen to us. But in the media, we only see politicians and the same faces all the time. Other people – musicians, fine artists, ordinary folks, the unemployed – have very little opportunity to say something." With their latest statement – "Nice years after our comeback, time has come to say goodbye; perhaps permanently, perhaps temporarily; we don’t know yet" – the group is still leaving the door open for (another) comeback.

P. B.; Translated by J.B.