And then even the shirt falls. Than after almost five hours of non-stop entertainment from young Munich bands Flying sharks When they start their show at Feierwerk, no one in the audience probably thinks that the evening, which is full of highlights, is yet to reach its escalation. In a positive sense.
Long after the festival has ended, many listeners ponder what impressed them most about the return of the “Sound of Munich Now” festival to the live stage. Was it the eastern sounds of the Ogaro Ensemble, the melancholic charm of the singer Malva? Or maybe the electronic, punky sounds of FRAUENSTRASSE?
Even hours before the event begins, a certain nervousness can be felt. How would the audience react to the return of “Sound of Munich Now”, organized by Feierwerk and the South German newspaper, react? Three years off is a long time. Would young people stand in line again, as they did before the corona pandemic, so as not to miss the Munich newcomer show? Would there be an entry stop again after a short time? Would the regular audience gather again in the seats directly in front of the two stages? Or would new music lovers come who have only now found out about the somewhat different Munich show?
“Sound of Munich Now” means 20 bands in five hours. The band, stage and genre change every quarter of an hour. Anyone who came because of a particular band becomes a fan of new artists. More than 250 different Munich formations have already played here – and many fans of the format already thought that the live show had come to an end because of the corona pandemic, especially since the digital festival that was set up as a replacement achieved an impressive reach and provided lasting support for the bands . The videos recorded so far have been played almost 120,000 times on the “Sound Of Munich Now” YouTube channel.
Many fans are relieved that the festival is finally taking place offline again
And yet the fans, but also the musicians, are relieved that the festival is finally taking place offline again. For Blushy AM, one of the artists performing, “Sound of Munich Now” feels “like a big class reunion of Munich artists. An ideal place for networking.”
In addition to the live shows, additional videos will be filmed this year – also thanks to the support of the Cultural Department of the City of Munich and the Jugendkulturwerk. Directed by Marcel Chylla from the video crew Ideal Entertainment. He points out that while the return to live performances is more exciting, it also comes with challenges: “Concert-goers sometimes fall over cables or bump into cameras while recording,” he says. “These are dangers that we did not have to take into account in the years when ‘Sound of Munich Now’ took place online. Nevertheless, the atmosphere with only the guests is a real and unique experience.”
A three-year break is a long time at a festival. At the “Sound of Munich Now” the party was immediately full again. Here is the concert of “INLIER”.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
A queue formed in front of the entrance early in the evening. And there was an admission stop before 8 p.m.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
The musicians were impressed by so much love in Hansa39. Here is the performance of “WILDES”.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
And this mood – relief among the organizers – can already be felt with the first band. Young people wearing white T-shirts with colorful lettering stand in a dim cone of light in front of the stage. The band hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s clear who is playing – the colorful letters on the fans’ T-shirts give it away: Rocket review. The anticipation for the first band of the evening is palpable, an Augsburg student enthuses: “I saw Rocketumschau for the first time in Augsburg and have been one of their biggest fans ever since. I regularly go to their concerts.”
The queue in front of the celebration center is growing. Initially there is only one entry stop in front of the Hansa39 concert hall, half an hour later for the entire celebration. And everyone who found a place in front of the stages is thrilled. “It’s my first time at the Sound of Munich Now. A roommate of mine told me about it. I find the concept really exciting: no break, there’s always something going on – so you get a lot out of Munich,” says Maxim, 21. “Once again I was shown how many versatile, authentic and talented musicians live in the city! Sound of Munich Now is a great glimmer of hope for Munich as a music city,” enthuses another festival-goer. Max, who played at this festival with his band “Endlich Rudern” before the pandemic, is also full of praise. “I think it’s amazing how the scene is developing. A lot of interesting bands have come along, especially in the underground.”
The atmosphere in the concert hall is exuberant, many spectators film the performances, enjoy the concerts, and follow the events with a smile on their faces. “It’s cool to find new and lesser-known Munich bands in this way. This way you get to know your city from a different side,” says Sophia, 29. “The format is very exciting, lots of different impressions, styles of music. All the bands had a very good energy in their 15 minutes, so the change was fun,” says Fabian, 24. “I was worried in advance that no band would be remembered with all the changes, but they all did.” And the change in genre means there is something for everyone. “I was extremely happy about Inlier,” says Augusto, 22. “Munich has such good new metal and hard rock bands that otherwise don’t get enough attention. Hearing them here was just amazing.”
Every listener has a very special musical highlight at the “Sound of Munich Now”. For some it was the appearance of Kokonelle.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Or the feel-good pop of DEVADO.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Others celebrated the dynamic performance of “Pink Blood.”
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
And many have remembered the punky performance of “FRAUENSTRASSE”.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
And so every listener has a very special musical highlight. A 15-minute show that will not be beaten this evening. The appearance of Kokonelle, for example, who is a rapper and activist and combines strong beats with strong messages. Or the concert by INLIER, who gets the audience jumping with their mix of electro and metal.
The escalation in a positive sense only comes after midnight – with the appearance of the “Flying Sharks”.
(Photo: Florian Peljak)
Until Kristina Paulini and Jan König take the stage after almost five hours. They are the Flying Sharks, very driving, their sharp electro pop is very beat-heavy, the audience dances exuberantly. The song is called “Haidy,” a biting take on the television show “Germany’s Next Top Model.” With each verse, the two musicians take off their clothes until they are only standing on stage in tight silver-colored shorts. Then the shirt falls off too. The nipples are taped. Munich lives as a music city. Breathes. Pulses.