The twin festival returns

Rock am Ring 2024

Hi and welcome to Behind The Noise!

 

On the second weekend in June, tens of thousands of music fans once again gathered at the twin festivals Rock am Ring and Rock in Park. For three days, the crowds cavorted on the festival grounds to experience their favorite bands. They danced, sang, sweated and, above all, laughed a lot.

 

Here are our highlights and experiences from this unforgettable weekend:

 

Guano Apes

 

Our Rock am Ring weekend got off to a brilliant start with Guano Apes, who stormed onto the stage directly after Queerbeat.

Guano Apes, a band that has significantly shaped the genre of alternative rock, are absolute legends for many fans. Their live performance on the festival's main stage was a real highlight. They got off to a powerful and energetic start with the song "You Can't Stop Me". The audience pogoed, danced and sang along at the top of their voices. Sandra Nasić, dressed in a pink raincoat, wowed the audience with her powerful voice and a performance that radiated pure passion. Her interaction with the audience was particularly impressive during "Lose Yourself", when she rapped the lyrics together with a member of the audience and kissed her forehead goodbye.

The concert ended with the anthem "Lord of the Boards", during which the entire audience went wild. Loud, boisterous and authentic, Guano Apes showed why they are one of the most influential bands of their genre.

 

Royal Blood

 

This grandiose opening was followed by the performance of Royal Blood. The duo, consisting of Mike Kerr (singer/guitarist) and Ben Thatcher (drummer), impressed with a mix of their best songs and dynamic instrumental parts. The fans were particularly enthusiastic about the song "Loose Change", which is also one of my favorites from their eponymous record.

 

Enter Shikari

 

The highlight of the evening, however, was Enter Shikari.

The Utopia Stage quickly filled up for the band, who impressed with an intense performance and profound lyrics. Singer Rou Reynolds opened the gig with an a cappella version of "Meltdown" that gave goosebumps. Enter Shikari often address social and political grievances in their songs, which was also evident during this performance. The introduction to "Bloodshot" was particularly impressive, with Reynolds climbing onto a project cube and hammering on it, accompanied by a suitable animation.

Scene Queen

 

Another highlight was Scene Queen's performance on the Orbit Stage. The musician, known for her revealing lyrics and outfits, put on a dynamic show. Her song "Milf" and the humorous performance in particular left a lasting impression.

 

After these energetic concerts, it was time for some culinary refreshment. The diverse range of food on the festival site offered something for every taste: from vegan food, Italian and Vietnamese to pulled pork and burgers, you really could try everything. A clear recommendation from us: fresh kibbeling from Holland, which was not only attractively priced but also incredibly tasty.

Skindred

 

In the evening, we happened upon the Skindred concert, which was a real party. The song "Gimme That Boom" got the crowd going wild and several mosh pits formed, which merged into one big one.

Die Ärzte

 

The first highlight of the festival, however, was the performance by Die Ärzte. With a set of 27 songs and a two-hour show, they showed why they are one of the best live bands in Germany. Bela B greeted the audience with the words: "Unfortunately, we are still the best band in the world." With hits such as "Deine Schuld" and "Demokratie", the Ärzte got the audience celebrating and provided unforgettable moments, especially when the entire festival site switched on their flashlights during "1/2 Lovesong".

 

But the band was also definitely up for partying and provided what was probably the biggest wall of death of the weekend! The Ärzte not only offered a lot of humor and critical lyrics, but also delivered a versatile music line-up that promised an incredibly good start to the festival weekend.

Day 2: A day full of surprises and highlights

Still excited from the first day, the second day also promised some surprises and highlights, which we were able to experience in sunny weather in the Green Hell.

Dogstar

 

Saturday began for us with a mixture of alternative rock and indie, performed by Dogstar. This band, founded by Hollywood star Keanu Reeves and his colleagues, has been around since 1991. Their story began classically in a garage before they decided to play in front of large audiences. Dogstar has not only toured with David Bowie, but also with Die Toten Hosen and has now taken to the Mandora stage. Their warm, slightly melancholic sound delighted the audience. The musicians clearly felt at home and took the audience with them with a summery mix of old and new songs. Dogstar created a real feel-good atmosphere by singing about everyday worries and problems that were simply washed away with their music.

After Dogstar, we set off to chat with you and explore the various offers. Once again this year, we saw a colorful mix of young and old, crazy and less crazy people who didn't want to miss out on the spectacle. This diversity was also reflected in the concerts, where many musicians embraced individuality and freedom. The diverse range of food on offer and the numerous opportunities to while away the breaks between your favorite bands also contributed to the colorful atmosphere. Whether piercing, funny stage-dive photos of Pringles, clothing for children or adhesive tattoos - there was plenty to discover. The newly introduced seating areas were particularly pleasing, allowing visitors to relax and enjoy their favorite band.

Electric Callboy

 

„All aboard“ heißt es nach Ozzy Osbourne, doch bei Electric Callboy geht es vielmehr darum, auf dem „Tekkno Train“ mitzufeiern. Die Band begeisterte mit ihrem eigenen Stil aus Metalcore und Einflüssen aus Elektro, Techno sowie Pop die Massen vor der Utopia Bühne. Mit Songs wie „MC Thunder II (Dancing Like a Ninja)“ bauten sie eine große Wall Of Death auf, ließen den „Tekkno Train“ mit Konfetti anlaufen und brachten die Bühne mit „Spaceman“ zum Beben. Die Band war sichtlich glücklich, auf der großen Bühne des Zwillingsfestivals spielen zu dürfen, was sie mehrfach betonten. Electric Callboy fiel nicht nur durch ihren gut ausbalancierten Mix aus neuen und alten Songs auf, sondern auch durch ihren Humor, der gerne mal ein paar kritische Worte für die Tribüne übrig hatte. Sie ließen es sich nicht nehmen, ein spontanes Geburtstagsständchen für einen Fan zu singen und gemeinsam mit Babymetal ihren neuen Song „Ratata“ zu performen.

Wer denkt, das wäre schon das Highlight gewesen, kennt Electric Callboy noch nicht bei ihren ruhigeren Stücken, bei denen sie auch gerne mal andere Songs covern, wie „Let It Go“ oder „I Want It That Way“, die sie teilweise a cappella mit der Crowd sangen. Eine schöne, amüsante Erinnerung, bei der die Jungs erneut zeigten, dass sie mit ihrer Musik genau richtig liegen.

Babymetal

 

Ein wenig Zeit blieb uns auch, um den Auftritt von Babymetal zu erleben, ehe es dann im Wechsel zu Billy Talent ging. Babymetal bietet vielleicht nicht für jeden Geschmack etwas, doch ihre Interpretation des Metals muss man gesehen haben. Die ausgefeilten Choreographien, die die Frauen in ihren Kostümen synchron perfektionierten, die beeindruckende Range ihrer Hauptsängerin Suzuka und die Band, die diese mit einem ausgefeilten Metal-Arrangement unterstützte, waren einfach sehenswert. Für das Rock am Ring Festival griff die Band das Konzept des Fox Gods auf, bei dem drei Metal-Ikonen, dargestellt von Suzuka, Moa und Yui, als Boten des Fox Gods fungieren. Mit Musik als universeller Sprache fragte der Fox God gleich zu Beginn die Menge: „Are You Ready To Headbang?“. Natürlich durfte ihr Song mit Electric Callboy nicht fehlen, und auch All-Time-Favorites wie „Gimme Chocolate“ wurden gespielt.

Team Scheisse: Unser Highlight

 

One of our absolute highlights and a recommendation that we would like to repeat is Team Scheisse. This band may be a little different and a little crazy, but their music shows a touch of German poetry that is sometimes missing in the music industry. With their lyrics, they describe life, emotions and everyday situations, which can also be directed against authorities in punk style, but always remain humorous.

A band that introduces itself with stories such as singer Timo challenging Keanu Reeves to a fight backstage (he has a green belt) and the latter having to tell him that he has an iron plate in his neck, which is why he unfortunately can't take part in the fight. As a joke, he told his fans that this was his miracle point if they ever had to fight him - you could only smile and join in the celebrations.

 

Team Scheisse spielte eine bunte Mischung aus Songs wie „Edeka“, „Vorratskamer“ oder „Frank“, ließ es sich aber nicht nehmen, auch Stücke wie „Karstadtdetektiv“ oder „Schmetterling“ zu performen, bei dem sich einige Zuschauer als Schmetterlinge verkleidet hatten. In einem Timeslot, in dem Green Day, Babymetal und Marsimoto (Materias Alter Ego) spielten, war es schwer, sich zu entscheiden, und dennoch versammelten sich so viele um die Bühne von Team Scheisse, dass eine große Traube um die Orbit Stage entstand.

When the entire crowd sang "Ich bin ein Schmetterling, flatter, flatter, flap, flap", the goosebump moment was perfect and the band couldn't help but grin. In addition to funny anecdotes and jokes, there was also a particularly strong moment from the guitarist, who performed one of her songs "Elfmeterschießen" (penalty shootout) and liked to use her stage decorations, plastic plants, to help her and swing them around. Simply insane!

Ein absolutes Highlight war der Auftritt des angekündigten Blockflöten-Weltstars, Danger Dan von der Antilopen Gang, der beim Song „Dudelsack“ sich beim Blockflöten-Spiel beteiligte. Team Scheisse ist nicht nur etwas für sich, sondern auch für die großen Bühnen, und ihr ordinärer Auftritt zählt zu unseren absoluten Ring-Highlights.

 

Antilopen Gang

 

After Team Scheisse, we were looking forward to Antilopen Gang, who also played in the timeslot of Green Day and Marsimoto. Nevertheless, many fans of Team Scheisse remained there, and their own fans quickly gathered around the Orbit Stage when the band started to play. Too bad more people didn't see this gig!

 

The Antilopen Gang offered a welcome change of pace that would certainly have delighted fans on the Mandora or Utopia stage.

Bei der Antilopen Gang gab es nicht nur guten Hip-Hop, sondern eine erlesene Auswahl an Songs und Geschichten, die einen durch den Abend begleiteten. Ihre Songs, die man von den Platten kennt, wurden teilweise neu arrangiert und angepasst, sodass auch Fans, die vielleicht nicht auf Rap stehen, wie Bienen zum Honig angezogen wurden. Aber nicht nur die Arrangements machten den Auftritt der Antilopen Gang so besonders, sondern auch die Songauswahl, wie zum Beispiel „Army Parka“, in dem die Band aus einer anderen Perspektive auf Menschen schaut, die mal im Laden etwas mitgehen lassen. Ein absolutes Highlight für uns war der „Pizza“-Song, den sie mit Punk unterlegten und schneller spielten. Einfach unglaublich! Die Antilopen Gang bot nicht nur eine schöne Mischung aus Rap, Pop und Rock, sondern gab einem beim Konzert das Gefühl, Teil einer großen Community zu sein, dass durch ihre dynamische, mitreißende Performance unterstrichen wurde. Eine absolute Empfehlung an dieser Stelle ist ihr neues Album „Alles muss repariert werden“, das am 13. September in zweifacher Auflage (einmal Rap, einmal Punk) erscheint.

Day 3: Fireworks for freedom

After partying the night away with the Antelopen Gang, the next day started a little later for us.

Blackout Problems

 

Our path happened to lead us to the Orbit Stage, where Blackout Problems, a promising German newcomer band, were playing. The atmosphere was electrifying and the crowd was getting bigger and bigger. The song "Rome" was already in full swing, and singer Mario was belting out the lyrics while standing on the hands of the audience. With a mixture of electro, pop and alternative rock, peppered with influences from dark pop, the band wrote critical lyrics about politics, social issues and inner demons. Their call to vote that day was particularly impressive, accompanied by their song "Germany, Germany", in which the singer addressed his experiences with exclusion and racism: "Don't go back into history. Your walls, your anxiety. See what they've done to me. Germany. Germany." Blackout Problems swept us away with their dynamic performance, their charm and their profound lyrics - a concert that we will definitely repeat.

From there, we continued to the small market square at the foot of the Ferris wheel. There were numerous stands here, including unusual ones such as the Cointreau stand in dazzling shades of orange and Pizza Wolke in a pink food truck. Particularly clever: the reusable cutlery, which was later returned. The crêpes, which were served on a waffle, left only the napkin as waste - a great idea! The site also provided an opportunity to network with many charitable organizations, ranging from cell donation and coaching to breast cancer initiatives.

We also listened to the sounds of Leoniden, who performed on the Utopia Stage and had set up a piano in the middle of the audience. Their medley of "Take On Me", "Pyrotechnik ist doch kein Verbrechen" and "Teenage Dirtbag" gave us goosebumps!

 

Hanabie

 

A real highlight was the Japanese band Hanabie. They looked like they'd stepped out of a visual kei film, with cute pigtails and colorful clothes. But their music was surprising: the finest guttural vocals and exquisite deathcore. The band brought a crazy mixture of metal and the high-pitched voices familiar from Japanese anime to the stage. Each band member played his instrument perfectly and the entire composition was masterfully coordinated.

Hanabie fired up the crowd again and again and didn't miss the opportunity to get the mosh pit in the middle going. The joy they took in their performance was infectious and they ended their set with the song "Pardon Me".

 

The Ring wouldn't be the same without the Donots. Who would have thought that their concert on the second day of the festival would be continued so quickly?

Donots

 

On Sunday, the band posted a picture of a furniture lifter with a homemade, spray-painted sheet with their logo. The exchange between the festival and the Donots led to a spontaneous action, which Rock am Ring enthusiastically agreed to.

 

During the break between Wanda and Kraftklub, a mini stage was set up in the photo pit, where the Donots played an encore to celebrate their 30th band anniversary. 80,000 spectators sang along with the Donots to songs such as "Song 2" by Blur and "You Gotta Fight for Your Right" by the Beastie Boys. An incredible performance that was rewarded with a final circle pit.

Rock am Ring Festival 2024

Kraftklub

 

Kraftklub, a band that played one of the most beautiful and nostalgic concerts on the Ring, took to the Utopia Stage. From their humble beginnings on a small tour bus on one of the campsites when Kiss was headlining, they have worked their way up to the biggest stage of the festival. The band's permanent grin spoke volumes.

Kraftklub kicked off the evening with "Unsere Fans" and took both new and old fans with them. Confetti got tangled up in taut strings above the audience and created long streaks in the sky - a beautiful picture! The band played a colorful mix of songs like "Mike Skinner", "Wittenberg ist nicht Paris" and old songs like "Randale". A wheel of fortune even decided the song selection at one point, with two women from the audience being allowed to spin.

 

The best part came afterwards: As a thank you for the support, the whole band came into the crowd and played "Kein Liebeslied" while we sat around them and listened. Singers Felix and Karl stood on a concert box and performed the next song, which got the whole crowd jumping and dancing. You could tell how moving the concert was for the two musicians, and even a forgotten lyric didn't detract from that.

Kraftklub gave an incredible performance that was simply perfect in the glow of the setting sun. The band said goodbye with "Songs for Liam" and made way for the next act, which the audience was eagerly awaiting.

 

So ended another unforgettable day on the Ring, filled with great performances, new discoveries and a feast for the senses. We can hardly wait to repeat these experiences.

Concerts, festivals and more

In our BEHIND THE NOISE column we write about everything around the metal & rock scene and take a look behind the spotlights to give you a better insight into the concert. At this concert, too, we were able to collect exciting and new memories, which we will of course not withhold from you. Intense, unconventional and intoxicating. Welcome to the concert!

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