Reeperbahn Festival

Now in its fourth year, Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival plays host to a collection of around 150 bands from 20 different countries around the world. The organizers aim is to simply collate as many new and innovative acts as they can handle, and let them lose on the infamous Reeperbahn for both festival goers and music professionals alike. Taking on a similar format to that of the Camden Crawl and The Great Escape, venues along the stretch of road in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg swing open their doors for 3 days, allowing anyone with a wristband to walk freely in and out to sample the delights (used in the cleanest possible sense) of the Reeperbahn. For those of you unaware as to the persuasions of the Reeperbahn, it’s simply a street in Hamburg, which primarily being home to the foremost nightlife of the City, is better known for its notorious red light district.

Day 1

Thursday, the opening night of the festival. Two humongous stages of light sit parallel to each other at either ends of the Reeperbahn playing host to an assortment of unsigned talent, suitably easing in the 17,000 strong attendees. A demographic of indie cindy musos and a selection of music industry coops fill the streets of St. Pauli wide eyed and eager to become integrated in to what is arguably one of the most respected new music conferences in existence.

Molotow, a tiny basement club placed in the middle of the stretch, offer up tropical/goth scenesters Girls to an excitable crowd. Soaring guitars, cordial stories of romance and a slight grunge impact on your customary rock ‘n’ roll all unite to produce a calming and pleasant experience. However, supposed hype surrounding the duo is not to be taken seriously giving the drab sense of musicianship, and tonight, a frankly boring set.

Biffy Clyro tear up the nearby D-Club. ‘Living Is A Problem’ and new single ‘The Captain’ nearly bring the audience to their knees, absolute awe infuses and a state of immensity engulfs the festival. Back to sauna/punk club Molotow where Welsh outfit ‘Future Of The Left’ drag a packed room full of punters through an unforgiving set of genius song structures and demonic, hedonistic anthems.

Having played an outrageously awesome show earlier that evening, spell check annoyances Dananananaykroyd are spotted sipping beers along the stretch whilst (much to their dismay) being busked to by a guitar wielding Canadian.

Legendary US alt-rock outfit Dinosaur Jr. power out an awesome wall of sound towards a packed venue, completely emasculating any other act present this weekend. J Mascis stands coolly surrounded by a concaved fortress of amps, blasting out tracks from the new critically acclaimed album ‘Farm’, whilst iconic tracks such as ‘Freak Scene’ make a more than welcome appearance within the epic set.

Day 2

Sisters Jennifer and Katherine O’Neill join with drummer Matt Bick’s to craft British grunge group Bleech, who play a refreshing and bouncy set down in the basement of Molotow. Talent is ripe here, and Jennifer’s vocals soar amongst arrangements of brilliance. The Kaiserkeller’s basement full of scaffolding plays host to electro/garage group Times New Roman whilst John McClure sets up base at the top of an old war bunker around the corner, to bombard an impressive crowd with his earnest and harmonious collective of songs.

Danish funk/rock 3-piece Who Made Who follow the Reverend on the top floor of the enormous cement war bunker, inviting the whole audience on stage to indulge in a performance of ‘Satisfaction’ (you know, that one Benny Banassi remixed, where the video has all those naked women partaking in manual labor). Eccentric and energetic, outrageous and brilliant – Who Made Who set the standards for an evening full or pure shenanigans for everyone attending.

Day 3

Lord Auch manage to disappoint fantastically. If it were not for the impressive and imaginative gothic interior of the Prinzenbar venue then their ridiculously useless performance of 50’s style goth/rock would have been detonated after the first note. The sweet sounds of US folk artist Simone White lifts spirits over in Grunspan as she sits peacefully on a single stool, singing nostalgic songs of heartbreak and beauty in this, one of Germany’s oldest discotheques.

The closing hours of the Reeperbahn Festival 2009 were owned, without question, by indie giants Editors. Having recently opened the new Birmingham Academy and with their forthcoming third studio album ‘In This Light And On This Evening’ out imminently, the four piece pack out the D-Club venue to its absolute limits. New material from the band invigorates, enthrals, excites. A new direction has been taken. With the prominent additions of innovative, electro soundscapes and eerie melodies, Editors achieve a simply awesome and intense live performance.

Words by Frazer Lawton