Messed!Up
Antilopen Gang is a rare kind of band and although most people would label them a hip hop act, my interest is in the punk side of the band. Listen to any of their albums and you’ll find at least two hardcore punk songs – and lots of hip hop. My first experience was at a festival, and while I was passing by the stage to find a cold beer they started to play ‘Anti Alles Aktion’, an epic punk piece, and a punk version of ‘Pizza’. Imagine my surprise a few years later when a friend told me they’re a hip hop band. On top of that, they throw in a piano ballad once in between. But that’s what makes them unique: they’re raw, unpredictable, and, even better, wildly entertaining.
As far as the setting goes, Grosse Freiheit 36 fits a pretty decent amount of people and it was almost full already when the support act, local rapper Marie Curry (also MC in Neonschwarz), started off just after eight, and she did an amazing job getting people warmed up. An hour later the crowd was buzzing with anticipation as the lights dimmed, and Koljah, Panik Panzer, and Danger Dan entered the stage with a palpable sense of confidence and irreverence. With a full band on stage – live drummer, guitarist, and beatmaker – it was full focus on their latest and highly recommended album Alles muss repariert warden and the night takes off with ‘Nichts für immer’, continues with ‘Patientenkollektiv’ from, in my opinion, their best album Anarchie und Alltag and had people fired up to the max with their third song ‘Auf sie mit Gebrüll’. Although the audience was heated up to the max already after the first three songs, Danger Dan looked like he had been in a sauna for the last hour. Maybe work on that cardio a bit, dude?
What’s fun is their blend of politically charged lyrics and self-aware humor. You don’t know if you should take their message seriously or if it’s all just a joke, even in the more serious topics. However, even more fun is the sudden turn in tempo – and genre. The reason I came here tonight wasn’t primarily for the hip hop vibes and the heavy beats, I wanted punk and mid-set it took the nasty turn I wanted. The epic ‘Muttertag’ fires up their session guitarist to level 11 (out of 10, just like in Spinal Tap) and continues with Oberbürgermeister’, the best song on their latest album Alles muss repariert warden. It’s a pure high-octane performance that is both thought-provoking and cathartic and pushes it even more in another punk banger called ‘Kein Problem’ and ends it with the brilliant ‘American Fitness am Hermannplatz’. I won’t ask for more than that, it was amazing!
There’s amazing chemistry between Koljah, Panik Panzer, and Danger Dan on stage, with each of them taking turns to show off their lyrical prowess while playing off each other’s energy, just like when they tried but failed to coordinate waving hands with the audience but totally failed and burst out in laughter instead. That’s a sign of having fun while making a stellar performance that people will remember.
The last part of the show brings down the tempo again and they play two of their biggest songs off the latest album ‘Pizza’ and the ballad ‘Für wenige’ before another major banger ‘Anti alles aktion’ closes the night.
It was an experience that can’t be easily put into words. It was loud, passionate, and unapologetic – just like their music. However, I still hope that one day they play a full punk show. OI would be the first to sign up for that show.
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Photographer: Niko Schmuck
