“Fans of Spinal Tap and Flight of the Conchords, say ‘hallo’ to your new favourite band.” Now that’s a bold and confident statement. Having read this, I went with high expectations and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed.
After an inauspicious start, where I feared it was just going to be eighty minutes of cheesy and exaggerated banter between the bandmates with a few half-baked songs thrown in, this dynamic duo show that they do have the talent and musical chops to back up their claim.
Otto and Astrid are siblings from Germany and, at first glance, their gothic appearance is a bit daunting and garish but we soon learn that this is all part of the act and their persona. Art Rock may not suit everyone’s taste but you cannot deny that their tunes have a great sound and are certainly very catchy.
What I found most interesting were the lyrics. From a fetching track about a vegetarian dinosaur whose dream is to go to art college to a hilarious number about a ‘banana house’, their songs have great comedic value, are loads of fun and definitely very cheeky.
It’s evident that Otto and Astrid are talented musicians and vocalists but they are also engaging and energetic performers whose compelling stage presence keeps you hooked from start to finish. They also interact and develop a great rapport with the crowd – you really do feel like you could be at a rock concert.
‘Sex, drugs and rock n’ roll’ move aside for art rock, cabaret, theatricality and a whole lot of attitude. Die Roten Punkte may not be the first band to combine comedy and music, but they definitely bring a unique flavour, colour and panache to the table.
