When International Music announced a new show in Berlin without a larger tour announcement, I wondered if this was going to be something special, perhaps a way to introduce new material to gear up for a tour. The former wasn’t the case, and the latter doesn’t appear to be; but it was Peter’s birthday, which received significant musical attention from Pedro and the crowd.
I saw the band last year at Immergut when their 2024 album Endless Rüttenscheid was a little fresher, and they unsurprisingly played quite a bit of the album then. To my surprise, at this show it was just a few songs, about as much as from Ententraum (2021). The real focus was on the debut, Die besten Jahre (2018), from which they played almost the entire album. I suppose that is still the crowd favorite, but I missed the psychedelia of Rüttenscheid.
By and large, the songs they chose were great, so it’s hard to complain. The only real dud was “Tür”, a harder and more aggressive song, although it was apparently specifically requested by email. A few others like “Du Hund” and “Mama warum” didn’t speak to me much and felt a bit indulgent, but “Farbiges Licht”, “Metallmädchen”, and the Rüttenscheid songs were all bangers. I enjoyed the harmonies, particularly on “Country Girl” and “Immer mehr”. The latter also had a great open, jammy feeling that let the musicians explore the space, as did “Lass es ziehen”. I was (naturally) entranced by Pedro’s bass, particularly the great tone he got with just fuzz and chorus pedals.
I could tell the band hadn’t played much lately; they were just a bit loose. That said, it kind of worked. They were clearly having fun and were in an upbeat, playful mood. Even when they missed a line or had to restart “Lass es ziehen”, it didn’t feel like a problem, but rather just part of the spontaneity that kept it lively and engaging. They also acknowledged that a certain Ludwig was adding a tape delay effect to the vocals and guitar from the mixing board. It was really well done and never overpowered the mix or went awry. That was a small thing but it added a little extra spice to the songs.
There was an opener, Gregor, but I didn’t like his simple muzak backing tracks or his half-baked melodies. I struggled to keep my focus. He certainly provided a contrast to International Music’s spark!
I saw the band last year at Immergut when their 2024 album Endless Rüttenscheid was a little fresher, and they unsurprisingly played quite a bit of the album then. To my surprise, at this show it was just a few songs, about as much as from Ententraum (2021). The real focus was on the debut, Die besten Jahre (2018), from which they played almost the entire album. I suppose that is still the crowd favorite, but I missed the psychedelia of Rüttenscheid.
By and large, the songs they chose were great, so it’s hard to complain. The only real dud was “Tür”, a harder and more aggressive song, although it was apparently specifically requested by email. A few others like “Du Hund” and “Mama warum” didn’t speak to me much and felt a bit indulgent, but “Farbiges Licht”, “Metallmädchen”, and the Rüttenscheid songs were all bangers. I enjoyed the harmonies, particularly on “Country Girl” and “Immer mehr”. The latter also had a great open, jammy feeling that let the musicians explore the space, as did “Lass es ziehen”. I was (naturally) entranced by Pedro’s bass, particularly the great tone he got with just fuzz and chorus pedals.
I could tell the band hadn’t played much lately; they were just a bit loose. That said, it kind of worked. They were clearly having fun and were in an upbeat, playful mood. Even when they missed a line or had to restart “Lass es ziehen”, it didn’t feel like a problem, but rather just part of the spontaneity that kept it lively and engaging. They also acknowledged that a certain Ludwig was adding a tape delay effect to the vocals and guitar from the mixing board. It was really well done and never overpowered the mix or went awry. That was a small thing but it added a little extra spice to the songs.
There was an opener, Gregor, but I didn’t like his simple muzak backing tracks or his half-baked melodies. I struggled to keep my focus. He certainly provided a contrast to International Music’s spark!
[International Music.]
Approximate setlist:
01. Pfeffer
02. Fehler
03. Country Girl
04. Mont St. Michel
05. Cool bleiben
06. Nebel
07. Raus ausm Zoo
08. Du Hund
09. Unterschied
10. Misery
11. Tür
12. Immer mehr
13. Farbiges Licht
14. Daddy Is Rich
15. Lass es ziehen
Encore 1:
16. Kneipe
17. Liebesformular
18. Metallmädchen
Encore 2:
19. Mama warum
20. Für alles
Scores:
Gregor: D
International Music: A-
P.S. Thanks to Tim!
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