Bang Bang Berlin
Words by Camille Darroux / Polaroids by Camille Darroux, photos by Rosie Red
“Berlin is fresh”, as the singer from indie act The Michelles, Tim, rightly states. His band relocated from London to Berlin two years ago, and it looks like this a good decision. Leading an exciting and interesting life, this international band might well have found a home in the bustling counter-culture of the city. Indeed, with its unique history, colorful buildings, cheap rents, never ending list of bars and music venues, art galleries and more, Berlin is quickly becoming the epicenter of alternative and indie culture in Europe.
There is a lot of space for electronica here, but indie music also plays its part in the city’s music scene. Indie club nights are flourishing, with venues like the Bang Bang Club or White Trash leading the way. Following a tradition set in the 90s, illegal parties are a strong asset to Berlin’s thrilling night life. Underground clubs are often disguised as house parties, which goes some way to explaining the DIY feel of this ever changing city. Those living in Berlin clearly love their city and do their best in making their everyday life as interesting and free as possible, so it is no wonder that a number of indie bands have moved out here.
Indie rock combo The Myriad Creatures decided, like The Michelles, to move to Berlin two years ago. In the words of their singer Jamie, it’s “bang bang, Berlin!” Things are happening, and the city definitely offers bands more freedom and more room for experiments than, say, London. While the latter is all about looking cool which might lead to conformism among the music scene, Berlin offers bands the possibility to try new things since there is less pressure and fewer (unspoken) rules. “In London I was trying to be special, now I’m just trying to be myself”, Tim from The Michelles told us. In his opinion, Berlin is all about “keeping it real” and “doing as you feel”. Bands don’t need to try to fit into a scene, there is a very friendly atmosphere and people are helping each other more in Berlin, as the members of The Myriad Creatures also pointed out. “Things are happening”, and they feel like it shares many similarities with what occurred in New York in the 60s and the 70s.
While there might not be such a thing as an indie scene with a distinctive sound, the city is home to many, many bands that could be described as indie. A fashionable concept, certainly, but it does fit these bands’ take on music rather accurately, although for some bands the music seems to come after the idea of becoming rock stars. The Michelles’ German bassist, Christian, says, “they’re trying to be part of a scene that doesn’t exist”. This, however, doesn’t quite tarnish Berlin’s image and most artists do make music in the most honest way. The city’s great cultural policy also helps them to do so, with an incredible number of festivals and other events giving them the chance to perform very often. Not to mention the cheap rents that also make it easier for musicians to live off their music.
To put it in a nutshell, Berlin is unconventional, thrilling and fascinating. This can largely be explained by the number of young people who are living here and trying to make the most out of their city. They act and think uninhibited, and can be creative in the most true-hearted way. We had a chat with the members of Two Shoes, one of Berlin’s up and coming bands, and to their mind, the city’s multiculturalism definitely influenced their take on music. The young members of the band all have different backgrounds and listen to different kinds of music which allows them to perpetually try out new things and express themselves without regards to conventions and unspoken rules. Those German indie kids do think it would make their career easier if they were based in London, and look up to bands like the Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines, but still make music just the way they feel, beautifully putting together many different influences with an unadulterated innocent grace.
The members of Two Shoes make the kind of music people would label “indie” but they prefer to call it rock ‘n’ roll. Their sound is bouncy, danceable, urgent and extremely catchy. While their music somehow has a British feel to it, they list iconic German bands such as Tomte, Tocotronic or Die Goldenen Zitronen as inspiration, but do want to avoid sounding like typical, traditional German music (such as Schlager and Volksmusik). German music does not have it easy, in their opinion, and they feel like the breakthrough of now internationally famous band Tokio Hotel was a stab-in-the-back for their country’s music scene. However, many current German bands are worthy of attention, like Bonaparte (who are also based in Berlin), 1000 Robota (a teenage band based in Hamburg), The Audience, Planningtorock (a band that’s already been playing in the UK and who has an extremely interesting and original sound) and electro-rock combos such as Frittenbude, Fickscheisse or Egotronic.
With so many exciting things happening right now, Berlin certainly looks like the place to be. The city has been rising ever since the fall of the Berlin wall, and the past few years have shown that it has not finished its ascension yet. Visiting Berlin feels like falling in love: it is an incredibly addictive city, and the affection that Berliners show towards their city is contagious. To convince yourself, you probably just need to spend some time observing them, gazing at Alex (the nickname they gave to the Soviet monstrosity of a TV tower on the Alexanderplatz) or spending endless afternoons sitting in cafés before partying the night away.
Posted Thu, April 02, 2009
Comments on Bang Bang Berlin
berlin ist doch der dämlichste abgefuckteste affenzirkus überhaupt…
Posted by: flori | 28/04/2009 at 12:02
wonderful article! Berlin could never have been described in a better way ♥
Posted by: Danyy | 28/04/2009 at 14:21
@ flori: good point mate! great research, based on facts and well thought out… too sad that our no german speaking followers don´t have anything out of it.. best, Julius - Two Shoes
Posted by: Julius | 30/04/2009 at 12:03