Reeperbahn Festival, one of Europe’s biggest showcase festivals and a vibrant fusion of live performances, conferences, and art exhibits, pulled off its 19th edition the third weekend in September and offered us another exhilarating festival experience. Heaps of performances across dozens of venues create an atmosphere where you’ll likely stumble upon the next big act before they hit mainstream success, and the variety of venues, from quirky spots including churches and rooftops to large concert halls like Elbphilharmonie, allows for intimate and immersive experiences. It adds a certain charm to discovering new music in unexpected settings.
But the festival is a lot more than music, it’s also a meeting spot for music industry professionals, maybe even more for the industry than the normal festival-goer. And that makes it intense and tough to do everything you want simultaneously – watch bands, network with industry people, and be at conference sessions. It’s total chaos every year but at least an organized chaos – and very little sleep. I don’t know how many miles we biked or walked as we went back and forth between venues, the press tent, interview locations, and restaurants/cafés (for quick snacks) but the day after the festival ended felt like after a marathon.
The first festival day, Wednesday, is usually a calm start, and while the festival moves forward the less you sleep – on the last day you’re usually too tired to speak anything but guttural sounds. This year, we had that problem already on day 2. We set off fairly early on the first day to get everything sorted out with our accreditations. Although Swim Deep was first on the schedule just before 8 pm, we spent time at the Festival Village and at Spielbudenplatz to watch bands play short sets to haul you in for the real gigs at a venue later, and we got through everything from JAS to C’est Karma and SEDA before it was time for Swim Deep at Moondoo. However, Swim Deep live didn’t sound anything different from the albums, and save for the last two songs it was pretty boring. On the other hand, the first day was all planned to be about SNAYX and Lambrini Girls, and everything else was just added fun. A quick run to the locker in the press tent and a quick coffee later, it was time for SNAYX at headCRASH.
We discovered SNAYX when they supported Kid Kapichi in Hamburg at the beginning of 2023 and did a chaotic performance. One and a half years later, the band has added one band member and have a permanent drummer. SNAYX are one of those rare bands that blend raw energy with a sharp sense of humor, and their live performance at the Reeperbahn Festival was nothing short of explosive, and the connection with the crowd was palpable from the moment they hit the stage. Their set was a relentless barrage of catchy, riff-driven punk with a frenetic pace maintained throughout and no lulls in between songs. The three-piece know how to keep the adrenaline flowing, both musically and with their banter between tracks, which only amplified the intimate, party-like atmosphere. Frontman Charlie Herridge worked the audience with effortless charisma, encouraging sing-alongs, and pushing mosh pits, and bassist Ollie Horner triggered the people to get rowdy – and they did. It’s hard to not like SNAYX, and although it’s a festival for industry people where I assume many haven’t heard about SNAYX before, the calm only lasted two songs before the whole venue went berserk. Verdict: SNAYX are a band that have to be experienced live – don’t miss them out next time in your hometown!
*****
Showcase Festivals are as much music festivals as hotbeds for the music industry. Unsigned bands meet up with labels, PR agencies, and booking agencies for future collaborations, suppliers of goods try to catch new customers just like the sweet people of the Dutch company Merchstore we ended up in a conversation with, and people from all layers of the music industry build networks to expand their private music industrial ecology. The point is that you want to do it all and still watch all bands, and with that comes a lack of sleep. A tremendous lack of sleep.
The start of the second day felt as it usually does on the morning of the last festival which was worrying. We had a full schedule including interviews, photo shoots, and networking at the Canadian Independent Music Association’s (CIMA) reception at UWE and there was no time to whine about too little sleep. After an interview with Danish duo Prisma and a lunch show by Marathon at Molotow, which was amazing, we had a long break at Mamalicious, our favorite American pancake place in Hamburg.
One of the benefits of having a festival right on the busiest street of Hamburg is that you have opportunities to eat anywhere at any time all around the clock; on the downside is that all meetings and gigs and interviews make it challenging to find time to sit down and relax for an hour. It often ends up in a snack on the way to the next gig or meeting, like a bratwurst and a piece of bread or a pitstop at McDonald’s – or why not go to Frau Dr Schneider´s Grilled Cheese Wonderland, a frequently visited place during the festival? Messed!Up can be your guide to any fast food joint around Reeperbahn, we’ve been to them all. Let’s say that during our 8 years at Reeperbahn Festival, healthy food options haven’t been our priority and it wasn’t this time either.
After another photo shoot at CIMA we headed off to Häkken to watch the Swedish band Sunhill. We had the band for an interview a couple of years ago and were at their fantastic show at Viva Sounds Festival in 2022, and they proved that they have taken another step forward with their UK-tinged indie rock sound. In fact, just by the look, you would take the lads for any young UK band out there. Our photographer was also keen to haul the band in for a photo shoot after the shows, and while doing that we got time to network with Westside Music Sweden who was at the festival to check for bands to their upcoming Viva Sounds Festival in Gothenburg at the end of November.
A quick check at the clock and it was time to run back to the Canadian night at UWE to watch the first minutes of Yoo Doo Right, and then leave for Prisma at St Pauli Kirche, the band we interviewed some hours earlier. Now, here’s one of the problems with Reeperbahn Festival: if you’re not in time you won’t come in. Yoo Doo Right, a Canadian krautrock/noise rock act, were amazing and I may have stayed one song too many because I love loud music, and loud it was.
A five-minute bike ride to St Pauli Kirche next to Park Fiction (yes, Germans have some sense of humor – like the burger restaurant Grilly Idol) and I arrived just to see a huge line. Usually, festival delegates have their own line and can pass the ‘normal’ festivalgoer but this year it happened several times that it was full at the venues. This was one of the times. No Prisma. Although I’ve seen them four times already I wanted to hear their new album live but that’s for another day, apparently. So it was back to UWE and watch the end of Yoo Doo Right – fantastic show! I’m sure most people won’t find it super interesting on record, much noise music isn’t, but it should be experienced live as the wall of sound will immerse you into the world of noise and make you move – it’s pure fury!
The rest of the evening wasn’t planned for and while the photographer headed off for networking I went to the basement of St Pauli Klubhaus, in which UWE and Häkken are located, to Banhof Pauli which hosted a night on the heavier side of the music scene. I’m not a death metal fan, not at all, but Lazarvs did a stellar performance. You don’t need to love the music to appreciate amazing live shows. Lazarvs are definitely the kind of band I won’t look for on Spotify, but if they return to any venue in Hamburg I would probably buy a ticket because I want to be entertained, and this was amazing entertainment.
However, the band I really was waiting for was PLAIINS, a Berlin-based four-piece that master the art of churning out great songs. For me, it all started back in 2022 when they released their single “Blindfolded” and shortly after “Wooha! (speak easyyy)” and “Nothing’s Gonna End Us Till The Aliens Do It” – rock songs with that little extra banger touch on them. Having only been together as a band since 2021, PLAIINS have done anything but fly under the radar which I find strange because they’re as raw and wild live as their music is on record; it’s rock music with a heavy influence of punk and garage.
Although the gig was delayed due to problems earlier during the night and people coming in late were there for the Morecore Metal Party, it took the PLAIINS one song and the audience was hooked because of charismatic frontman Christ Reardon.
Well, although it was passed midnight and the lack of sleep so far made it hard to stay awake there was one band left to watch – Belgian garage punks Meltheads. A quick walk down Reeperbahn, a hard turn to the right and we were up Grosse Freiheit and went underground to Kaiserkeller.
Meltheads released their debut album Decent Sex in February this year and is one of very few bands I’ve found through a curated Spotify playlist (I may have discovered five bands on Spotify since 2008). Attending a Meltheads concert is like being thrust into the heart of a sonic hurricane. This up-and-coming punk rock outfit delivered a blistering performance that was equal parts chaotic and captivating. From the moment they hit the stage, the crowd was swept up in a tidal wave of frenetic energy.
Their opening number set the tone with aggressive guitar work and pounding drums that echoed through the venue. It didn’t matter that Kaiserkeller was far from crowded. In fact, I prefer to have some space to move around and not be squeezed in between four 100 kilo lads with beers in their hands that at some point would be all over me (that’s a normal punk show for me and has been for the last 30 years). Frontman Sietse Willems alters between Johnny Rotten and Iggy Pop, and that’s a good start for a band at the beginning of their career – the successful ones all had charismatic vocalists. They just need to build up a good back catalog and write more ‘ups than downs’ as many songs feel like fillers.
Second day verdict: PLAIINS were the band of the day and were disappointed to have missed Prisma’s gig (which was the reason we went to PLAIINS).
*****
Third day, up early due to normal work (but online) after another night with four hours of sleep and barely any energy for another festival day – I thought. However, with the traditional Australian BBQ Day coming up at Molotow I knew this would probably be the best day when I look back at the festival a week later. And it was. By far.
The Australian BBQ Day is just what it sounds like – a full day and afternoon with Australian bands only at Molotow hosted by Sounds Australia, the Australian music export organization. And it was a celebration; Australian BBQ Day celebrated the 10th anniversary at Reeperbahn Festival and Molotow! It doesn’t matter if you know any of bands, the Australian music scene has spoiled us with amazing bands over the years and BBQ Day is a chance to see some bands before they get their breakthrough in Europe. That needs to be pointed out – in Europe. Many of the bands are quite established on home turf but still have to make their first appearances on a European stage, and we always end up with some new favorites after every BBQ Day – DMA’s, Mid City, The Rions, Alex Lahey and many more are proof of the Australian scene’s high quality.
Johnny Hunter, Tia Gostelow, and Mia Wray were all good warm-up acts and showed a great variety of bands in the Australian scene but we were waiting for Battlesnake and The Grogans. I didn’t plan to go to Battlesnake at all after listening to the official playlist for the festival. It sounded like any standard rock/metal band out there, but then our photographer told me about their Spinal Tap-like performances and I thought ‘Why not watch it for the entertainment?’, and it was a high-class entertainment! From the moment they stepped on stage, dressed in their signature snake-inspired armor and eccentric costumes, it was clear the night would be more than just a concert—it was a spectacle. Imagine Spinal Tap crossed with the knights in Monty Python’s “The Holy Grail” and you understand what kind of entertainment you’re in for.
Each member of Battlesnake brings something unique to the performance. Frontman Sam Frank, with his commanding presence, stalked the stage like a rock demigod, delivering vocals with a mix of theatrical grandeur and guttural force. The twin guitar attack of Daniel Willington and Ben Frank was a sight to behold as they traded off intricate solos and harmonized riffs that cut through the air like a venomous bite. Bassist Elliott Hitchcock and drummer Nick Zammit locked in tight, providing the thundering rhythms that drove each song forward.
When you thought they’d reached maximum madness, the real entertainment started. Keytar player Billy O’Key undressed down to his underwear and climbed the rig while continuing to play, and then the band climbed up on top of the backyard bar and continued their show – in underwear. One song later two of the band members ran off to get a ladder and put it up in the middle of the backyard, climbed to the top (while a nervous manager tried to hold it steady), and did a guitar/keytar solo session. Imagine the sight of two band members in the middle of the crowd on a ladder, the guitarist and bassist stuck on the roof of the bar, and the singer in underwear on stage. You can’t beat that, this IS an entertainment industry and we crave to be entertained. Thanks, Battlesnake!
Sure, it’s hard to take it seriously but I would definitely pay to see them at any time soon again, and I’m also sure they’ll headline some European rock festivals next year.
It can’t be easy to be The Grogans and be the last Australian band on stage after Battlesnake but a change of setting – it was in the club, not outdoors – and a completely different type of music got us going once more. The Grogans play a sort of heady, electrifying fusion of surf rock, psych vibes, and raw garage kind of music – it’s loud and it’s noisy but melodic. The band’s synergy was palpable, with Jordan’s dreamy, reverb-soaked vocals blending seamlessly with Quin’s rippling guitar riffs and Angus’s tight, punchy drums, and some of their songs work a lot better live than on record – they need space for the loudness they require. The mix of surf, psych, and garage rock came together seamlessly, and their live presence is one to be reckoned with. If you get the chance to catch them live, don’t hesitate. That was that from the Australians this year.
After a coffee and cake around the corner where our photographer ended up in a minor discussion with the owner about bringing her a bottle of water to a café, we split up once more. I was off to Knust a bit off Reeperbahn to watch Swedish electro/synthpop duo Kite, a band that spend lots of time getting established in Germany at the moment and it should work out when you consider the legacy electronic music left in Germany and the impact it has had on the German music scene.
Kite is the child of singer Niclas Stenemo and keyboarder Christian Berg, two musicians with loads of experience from playing in many Swedish cult bands, and Kite is just the next cult project they’ve created. Kite live is a feast for the senses. The lighting design was nothing short of mesmerizing – beams of light sliced through the fog-filled stage, illuminating Stenemo and Berg in a ghostly glow, and enhancing the ethereal mood of the music. The minimalistic yet impactful visuals played a significant role in elevating the performance, giving the music an almost otherworldly dimension. In an age where many synth acts can feel distant or cold, Kite manages to combine their icy, melancholic sound with a warmth and sincerity that is rare.
I’m not a huge fan of their latest releases – the first six EPs were amazing, then it dropped off for me – but they compensate with their visual performance. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they get the same acknowledgment in Germany as in Scandinavia where they already played the opera houses. Now, here’s where I was supposed to have left to finally catch up with sleep.
It was midnight but it was quite nice weather and I didn’t want to go home. After working nighttime for so many years, my body thinks it’s time for work as soon as it gets dark, it doesn’t matter if you’re tired – it just disappears. And I really wanted to see Des Rocs, especially after his 2023 album Dream Machine. That meant a change of plans and a bike ride back to Reeperbahn to Moondoo which was already packed, but I managed to squeeze myself through and get a good position (one of the perks when you’re a fairly tiny dude).
Danny Rocco, aka Des Rocs, proved once again that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the modern rock scene, his sheer physicality and passion on stage are unmatched. He doesn’t just play music – he embodies it. From the moment he hit the stage, the New York-based rocker seemed possessed by the spirit of rock legends like Elvis Presley, the crowd erupted in screams as Des shredded through the heavy riffs.
The setlist was a mix of newer material and fan favorites like “This Is Our Life” and “HVY MTL DRMR” but we’ll remember the night for Des keeping the energy at an all-time high, moving with an untamed, magnetic energy that never let up.
When it was over I was completely smashed. It had been a long day with so many good shows, and combined with too little sleep that finally caught up with me a few hours after midnight, it was time to take that 5 km bike ride home – I barely made it.
Third day verdict: Tough one; the best performance was undoubtedly Battlesnake but the best performance and music combined came from Des Rocks, maybe even the best gig at the whole festival. Kite was also a memorable show. Let’s just say it was the best day of Reeperbahn Festival 2024 by far.
*****
As the last day arrived we were quite happy to see an end to the festival and get some rest. It’s nothing new, every year we’re smashed on the last day of the festival because we do too much work. At the same, Reeperbahn Festival is one of the best experiences every year in terms of watching new bands and getting to know new people in the industry.
We can survive a few days with too little sleep. We had a full day of gigs today as well but one of our latest local friends, Oktober Promotion, had invited us to their office and we’d pass by for a chat and then leave for a show – but it never happened. A couple of weeks ago we met up with the Oktober Promotion crew at our favorite local bar, Millers, for the first time, and the fantastic Jillian Boyd invited us for a tattoo event at their office, and what’s better than starting the day meeting new people and have a few beers.
Once at the office, the sofa was so soft and comfortable that I didn’t dare to move until four hours later and then we had missed most of the bands we wanted to cover. But that didn’t matter when we had a great time meeting up with new people like the lovely Jocelyn Chignell-Stapleton at SPV and the band Tayne plus a few more people. When you’re stuck in conversations about Lord of the Rings, English pie, and paying your pension funds in different countries – you know, the normal stuff people in the music industry talk about – time flies fast. Let’s say we made some new friends and felt overwhelmingly happy when we left after a long discussion on Peter Jackson’s best splatter movies. After a quick bite, we headed off to headCRASH and the only gig of the day.
Lake Malice are new to us and we wouldn’t know anything about them if it wasn’t that our Manchester photographer joined the band as their tour photographer on their UK tour earlier this year. It’s loud and emotional metalcore. Frontwoman Alice Lake has a very dynamic stage presence, switching effortlessly between melodic vocals and aggressive screams, channeling pure energy, whether headbanging, screaming into the mic, or engaging the crowd. Lake Malice’s live show is nothing short of a sensory overload, in the best possible way. However, when everything hurts in your body after walking, running, biking, and standing 20 hours a day for the last four days, you just want to get back to your bed. Seven songs into their show we left, picked up our gear from the press area, and left for two days of sleep. That was it, there was no energy left.
As a final analysis; Reeperbahn Festival is back to how it used to be before the pandemic. The festival should be credited for being the only festival running during the pandemic although it was far from fun being limited in what you could do, but this is how it should be – a festival with too many people all over Reeperbahn and at the clubs. I don’t care if it means that you can’t get into a certain venue at some point because it’s full, that’s how the festival should be – overcrowded venues and amazing bands.
This was my 9th straight Reeperbahn Festival and I can’t see why I wouldn’t come back next year for my 10th anniversary. Preppin’ for 2025!
*****
Photos: Sophie Dobschall