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German punk includes a body of music and asubculture that have evolved sincepunk rock became popular in Germany in the 1970s. Within the subculture of punk in Germany, a style of music calledDeutschpunk was developed; this style of music has developed distinctly fromhardcore punk, and includes lyrics in German as well as a fast tempo. In the punk scene in Germany, some bands play music in the Deutschpunk style, while otherGerman punk bands pursue various other styles of punk music.
The first punk bands in Germany were strongly influenced by U.K. and U.S. bands like theSex Pistols,The Damned,The Clash,The Stooges, and theRamones. Among the first wave of German bands wereBig Balls and the Great White Idiot (fromHamburg, founded in 1975),[1]Male (fromDüsseldorf, founded in 1976),Tollwut (from Munich, founded in 1976),PVC (fromWest Berlin, founded in 1977),[2]Fred Banana Combo (fromDüsseldorf, founded in 1978),Clox (fromDortmund, founded in 1977), andPack (fromMunich, founded in 1978).[3] Early German punk groups were heavily influenced by UK bands, often writing their lyrics in English. For example, Big Balls, PVC, Clox, Pack, and the Fred Banana Combo wrote lyrics in English. Male is generally considered to be the first punk band to write lyrics in German. "The significance of the shift cannot be understated: as Male vocalist Jürgen Engler pointed out even at the time, 'German lyrics led to the development of a new genre.' "[4] This first wave of German punk bands tended to be made up of people who were musicians before they encountered punk, rather than people motivated by political activism to form bands and learn to play instruments.
Notable early Germany punk bands also includeCharley's Girls,S.Y.P.H.,Mittagspause,Din-A-Testbild,Strassenjungs,Stuka Pilots,Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF),Weltaufstandsplan (der Plan),Hans-a-plast,Kriminalitaetsfoerderungsclub (KFC),the Buttocks,ZK,Materialschlacht, andMinus Delta t.[5] Although they played music in the punk style, Big Balls and the Great White Idiot (Hamburg) and Strassenjungs (Frankfurt), were strongly promoted by the music industry as the first German new wave groups, and were not generally accepted as part of the punk scene.[6]
TheSO36 club (named for the postal code in its location inBerlin-Kreuzberg) was opened in August 1978. Its grand opening was celebrated with the "Mauerbaufestival", which included performances of The Wall,Dub-Liners, Mittagspause, Male, S.Y.P.H., Din-A-Testbild,Ffurs, Stuka Pilots, and PVC.[7] This was associated with the LP compilationS.O.36 Sampler - Live 13.8.78. The SO36 became a well-known fixture of the punk music scene in Germany.
One of the first scandals in the German punk scene happened in 1979, when singerNina Hagen discussed masturbation techniques during an appearance on the discussion program Club 2, produced by the radio broadcasterORF.[8] This controversial appearance quickly made her famous. Her debut albumNina Hagen Band (1978), which had just been released, achieved international recognition. This album included a German version of the classic song fromThe Tubes "White Punks on Dope" (published under the title: "TV-Glotzer").[9]
At this point in history, at least in Germany, there were not many ways to release records outside of the standard music business. This included a business-run music press, and limited possibilities for performances. The only nationally distributed music journals that were inclusive of the new punk scene wereSounds (largely to the credit of music journalistAlfred Hilsberg), the magazineSpex (founded in 1980) which consisted most of photos, and Musikexpress.[10] In fact, a letter to Sounds by the band Male in 1977 signaled the arrival of German punk to the international music scene.[4] These first years of the punk scene in Germany were characterized by the lack of infrastructure; records were self-produced, and advertised by word of mouth. In the late 70s, a number of punk bands were founded that had roots in left-wing political movements, and that sang only in German. They were associated with protests against nuclear-power plants, as well as the squatter's movement in Germany. After early punk albums were released entirely on cassettes, the growing punk movement founded the first independent music labels.[11] These labels includedRock-O-Rama,ZickZack Records, as well as a number of short-lived record labels.Der Ostrich from Düsseldorf is generally considered to be the first punk fanzine from Germany; its first issue was released in March 1977, and its last issue was released in 1979. The people running Ostrich also founded the band Charley's Girls.[6][12] Other early German punk zines from West Germany included: Heimatblatt, Der Arsch, Preiserhöhung, KZ-Rundschau, and Der Aktuelle Mülleimer.[6][13]
Around 1980, several different sounds diverged in the German punk scene. Centered in Düsseldorf there was a larger movement toward electronic music. These bands originally performed alongside punk bands but became the precursors ofTechno music. This included bands likeDAF andWeltaufstandsplan (der Plan).[14]
Other bands began experimenting with sound using synthesizers and computers, developing a sound that was a precursor of theNeue Deutsche Welle (NDW).[10][15][16] This included bands likeFehlfarben,Ideal,The Nina Hagen Band,Östro 430,Abwärts, andTrio. This sound was influenced by punk but oriented toward the commercial pop-music scene. NDW would develop further and reach the highpoint of its commercial success in the 1980s.
Around 1979, people began to differentiate between the early punk sound, music that was evolving into NDW, and a sound developed by younger punk bands that had a harder, more aggressive style. Bands likeS.Y.P.H.,der KFC, andMittagspause were also viewed as a different genre from more commercial bands likeHubert Kah andNena. At the same time a new set of bands were being founded, for example ZK andSoilent Grün, that developed a sound and marketability which would lead to commercially oriented punk bands likeDie Toten Hosen andDie Ärzte.
Song lyrics written by the second generation of punks differed from the contemporary German youth culture and also from Hippie culture. Politically motivated punks were often involved in the squatter scene; for example, members ofVorkriegsjugend lived in squatted houses in West-Berlin. At this time the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture lead to the foundation of many record stores and record labels, such asYour Choice Records. Also during this period, alcohol became a central part of the punk subculture in Germany.
In 1981, the labelsAggressive Rockproduktionen (Berlin),Weird System (Hamburg), andMülleimer Records (Stuttgart)[17] released records that became milestones of the genre Deutschpunk. Bands such asHass,Slime,Razzia,Neurotic Arseholes,Canal Terror,Beton Combo,Normahl,Toxoplasma,ZSD, andDaily Terror redefined punk in Germany with their engaging political lyrics, motivated by Germany's Nazi past, the anarchist movement, police violence, working-class desperation and squatter's rights, immigration issues, racism, sexism, and theCold War. Many of these bands are still active today. Popular compilations of this period were "Keine Experimente!" (Vol. 1–2) (Weird System Recordings) and "Soundtracks zum Untergang" Vol. (1-2) (Aggressive Rockproduktionen). The Munich punk sampler "Muenchen: Reifenwechsel Leicht Gemacht" (Lächerlich! Schallplatten) was released in 1981. The Munich fanzineUpstart was founded by Peter Wacha, and other fanzines were put out by the Munich groupFreizeit 81 as early as 1981.[18] The first issue of the long-running punk fanzine"Trust" was released in July, 1986.Ox-Fanzine was founded in 1988.
Aggressive Rockproduktionen released the compilation"Soundtracks zum Untergang" volume 1 in 1980. In 1981, this compilation cd was banned and copies were confiscated and then censored because of "Verunglimpfung des Staates und seiner Symbole" (English translation: "Denigration of the state and its symbols"), a reaction to the lyrics in Slime's song "Polizei SA/SS" andMiddle Class Fantasies' song "Helden". Middle Class Fantasies and Slime thus became the first bands to have their songs banned in Germany. The Slime songs "Deutschland" and "Wir wollen keine Bullenschweine" were also later banned because they promoted the use of violence against the police, and because they compared the police to theSA andSS ofNazi Germany. In part due to this notoriety,Slime became the most well-known Deutschpunk band.[19][20]
In 1983, the Hannover police began an organized action against punks and skinheads targeted toward public safety and public order.[21] As a reaction, punks organized theChaostage (English translation: "chaos days"), a gathering or festival with the aim of attracting media attention. The first official Chaostage were held on July 1–3, 1983 in Hannover; precursors, generally called Punktreffen (English translation: "punk gatherings"), were held in 1980–1982 inWuppertal andDuisburg. Additional Chaostage also took place in Hannover in 1984 and 1985.[22][23]
Around 1985/1986, the active part of the punk movement – those that organized concerts, wrote fanzines, and founded music labels – began to revolve more strongly around AmericanHardcore. During this period, many bands were influenced by U.S. hardcore punk with bands such asBlack Flag andThe Adolescents. Those bands were also known for their left-wing attitude and aggressive musical styles. Some of the most important German hardcore punk bands are also often labeled as "Deutschpunk", includingVorkriegsjugend from West Berlin,Chaos Z from Stuttgart,Inferno fromAugsburg,Spermbirds from Kaiserslautern,Bluttat from Mülheim an der Ruhr, andBlut + Eisen fromHannover. Other bands developed a slower, more melodic style, inspired by American bands likeThe Wipers; among such bands wereTorpedo Moskau from Hamburg and a number of singer Jens Rachut's bands, likeAngeschissen (1986),Blumen am Arsch der Hölle (1992),Dackelblut (1994), andOma Hans (2000) from Hamburg.
Near the end of the 80s, there was a short wave of popularity for Fun-Punk (also known aspunk pathetique). Bands likeAbstürzende Brieftauben fromHannover,Die Mimmi's fromBremen,Die Goldenen Zitronen from Hamburg, Die Ärzte from West Berlin, andSchließmuskel ("sphincter") fromHamminkeln had a left-wing attitude, but their lyrics were not particularly political. Some of these bands became popular outside the punk scene, but were often criticized by the punk scene for being too trivial, and too focused on drinking culture (German: "Sauferei"). During this period, the bandDie Toten Hosen fromDüsseldorf was founded. Along withDie Ärzte, the Hosen became the most commercially successful and well-known German punk band, gaining significant international recognition. During this perioddie Ärzte andAbstürzenden Brieftauben released records on major labels.
In the beginning of the 1980s, a skinhead movement developed out of the early punk scene. The music associated with the skinhead scene was largely inspired by the U.K.Oi! music scene. The skinhead fanzine and labelScumfuck was founded and developed a longer battle with the fanzinesTrust and the hardcore-oriented fanzineZap. Alongside well-known skinhead bands like the "Herbärds" and "Die Alliierten", an extreme-right music scene developed around bands such as "Kraft durch Froide" and "Endstufe". Musically, these bands played in the punk style, but they developed a separate scene aroundRechtsrock. A precursor of this scene was the Cologne Label Rock-O-Rama, which in 1984 releasedDer nette Mann from Böhse Onkelz,Hail the New Dawn from Skrewdriver, and other records that dominated the skinhead music scene.[24]
The small punk scene that developed inEast Germany in the 1980s was underground, and largely disapproved of as an import from the West.[25] Because cassette tapes were expensive in East Germany, it was difficult for punk bands to make recordings.[26] In the last few years of the GDR, some punk bands applied for and received licenses to allow them to perform in state-sanctioned venues; they were often criticized for cooperating with the government.[27] BeforeGerman reunification, few East German punk bands were able to release albums. Albums were released in West Germany by East German bandsL’Attentat (Leipzig) andSchleim-Keim (under the alias Saukerle). Beginning in 1989 a few East German punk bands released albums on the Berlin labelAmiga Records; this includedDie Skeptiker andFeeling B. The West German bandDie Toten Hosen also released records in the GDR on Amiga. In the late 80s in East Germany, the first punk fanzines began to be produced, including: Alösa (East-Berlin, 1986), Messitsch (Leipzig, 1987), Trash (Rostock, 1989), and Rattenpress (Freiberg, 1989).[6]
After German Reunification, East German punk bands who had had little chance to release records quickly began contributing to the greater punk scene. One of the immediate results of this was the 1990 compilation albumSicher gibt es bessere Zeiten, doch diese war die unsere, which included: Sonnenbrille,Schleim-Keim, Papierkrieg,Ich-Funktion,Müllstation, Ugly Hurons, Ulrike Am Nagel, Atonal, Kaltfront,Wartburgs Für Walter,Staatenlos, Haf,Paranoia, andTotalschaden. These compilations featured East-German bands, and seven volumes were produced by 1998; several of the later volumes included well-known bands like Dritte Wahl. In 1989 the compilation album "Parocktikum - Die Anderen Bands" was released, which included the well-known bandsFeeling B, andDie Skeptiker fromEast Berlin;[28]Parocktikum was an East German radio program, anddie anderen Bands is a term for East German alternative bands, often critical of the East German government, that were active during the last few years before German Reunification. Additional underground punk bands in the GDR included:Abraum,Andreas Auslauf, Antirott,Anti X, Arbeitsgeil,Brechreiz 08/15,Die fanatischen Frisöre,Die Firma, Die letzten Rechen,Freygang,Grabnoct,Größenwahn,H.A.U. (Halbgewalkte Anarchistische Untergrundorganisation),Hert.Z.,Küchenspione, KVD,Namenlos,Rattheads,Restbestand,Wutanfall.[29]
A popular series of West-German punk compilation cds produced during this period is "Schlachtrufe BRD" (Vol. 1–8). The fanzine"Plastic Bomb" was founded in 1993.[30]
After theGerman reunification in 1990, the political situation in the east of Germany changed dramatically, and far-right groups became more active. There were attacks against immigrants; the best known of these are theRostock-Lichtenhagen riots in the summer of 1992.[31] During the following years, punk rock experienced a renaissance in Germany. Bands formed in the 70s and 80s, like Slime, Toxoplasma, and Ausbruch reformed and released new, very successful records. This wave of neo-Nazi activity was referenced in many new albums. For example, Slime released the LP "Schweineherbst" in 1994; the title track of this album is a furious polemic against politicians and citizens who ignore the dangers of neo-Nazis in Germany. Many other German punk bands addressed Rostock-Lichtenhagen and theHoyerswerda riots, including: Die Goldenen Zitronen ("Die Bürger von Hoyerswerda", "Das Bißchen Totschlag"), Toxoplasma ("Krieg", "Schwarz Rot Braun"), Atemnot ("Menschlichkeit"), Die Toten Hosen ("Sascha").[32] The Rostock punk bandDritte Wahl later wrote the song "Brennt Alles Nieder" about the riots.[33] Bands like…But Alive, theBoxhamsters,Dackelblut,EA80, and1. Mai 87 brought a new momentum to the scene and influenced a new generation of popular punk bands likeTurbostaat,Muff Potter,Schrottgrenze,Betontod,Fahnenflucht,Knochenfabrik,Der Dicke Polizist,Rantanplan, andPascow.[34] The so-calledHamburg School of popular music grew, which produced bands likeTocotronic andDie Sterne.[35] Eventually the popular rock bandKettcar was formed by former members of…But Alive.[36]
At the same time, punk bands that used humor became very popular. In this category areWIZO and theTerrorgruppe. At the same time bands likeDie Lokalmatadore andDie Kassierer, whose lyrics dealt with themes like alcohol and sex, also grew in popularity.New Fun-Punk influenced bands formed, includingDie Lokalmatadore fromMülheim an der Ruhr, andDie Kassierer fromBochum.
Labels likeNasty Vinyl,Impact Records, Suppenkazper, andHöhnie Records realized they could profit from this wave of punk musicians and released a large number of records. Labels like Wierd System continued to be active and re-released classic records, as well as producing compilations on particular themes.
In 1994, 1995, and 1996 a new series ofChaostage was organized in Hannover. TheseChaostage resulted in riots, and the destruction of cars and buildings. WIZO spontaneously played a show at the Chaostage in 1994, and later wrote a song about the experience titled "Chaostage 94".[37] Terrorgruppe wrote a classic song about the Chaostage as well, titled "Wochenendticket", named after the kind of train ticket that most punks used to travel to Hannover.[38] In October 1995, as a retaliation for the Chaostage, police stormed houses that punks were squatting in the Heisenstraße in Hannover, evicted the squatters, and tore down the houses. In response, the punk community in Hannover put out a compilation album "Heisenstraße: Es bleibt ungerecht aber nicht ungerächt ..." on the punk label AC-Records. On this compilation, the song "Häuserkampf" from the band A.A.K. (Autonomes Anruf Kommando) was particularly appropriate to the theme.[39]
In the 90s the punk subgenres ofriot grrrl andqueercore were established in the United States. The bandParole Trixi (founded in Hamburg in 1998) contributed to riot grrl music, writing songs with German lyrics.[40] The queercore band Low-End Models (founded in Munich in 1996) wrote songs with English and German lyrics;[41] they played with American queercore bandsTribe 8 andPansy Division at shows in the US and Germany.
Beginning in 2003, the record label Weird System documented some aspects of punk history with the compilation series "Punk Rock BRD" (Vol. 1–3). Weird System also reissued the 1983 compilation "Waterkant Hits" that included bands like Razzia and Koma Kombo, among others.
FanzinesPlastic Bomb,Trust andOx-Fanzine, that were founded as scene publications made the leap into the normal magazine market. Younger zines likeSlam"Taugenix" (founded in 2007) reported on the German punk scene, whileSpex has focused more on the Alternative-scene. The fanzineAway from Life was founded in 2015.Since the widespread use of the internet, fanzine culture has transformed into punk webportals and fan-pages.
The first"Force Attack" festival took place in 1997 inBarth; this festival continued to take place through 2011.[42] The"Punk im Pott" festival inEssen /Oberhausen began in 1999, and has continued through 2022.[43] 2023 is the 20th iteration of the "Punk and Disorderley" festival inBerlin. In 2021, when Angela Merkel left office, she chose Nina Hagen's song "Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen" to be played at her farewell ceremony.[44] This song has been covered by many bands, but notably recently recorded in a harder style in 2020 byRadio Havanna (founded in Suhl in 2002) and East German bandDritte Wahl.
In this period, Slime produced three new albums, that are considered to be among their best: "Sich fügen heißt lügen" (2012), "Hier und jetzt" (2017), and "Wem gehört die Angst" (2020).[45] Razzia also released the new album "Am Rande von Berlin" (2019) for the 40th anniversary.[46] WIZO released Punk Gibt's Nicht Umsonst! (Teil III) (2014) and "Der" (2016).[47]
Today there continue to be new punk bands in Germany, who write music in many different styles of punk, and are very popular. Such recently founded bands include:Die Grimmelshäuser (founded inWallis in 2006),Jennifer Rostock (founded on the island Usedom in 2007),[48]Kontrollpunkt (founded 2013 in Düsseldorf),Cold Kids (founded in Bamberg and active 2015–2018),Schnapps (founded in Wernigerode, actively producing albums since 2020), andParkpunk (founded in Regensburg in 2022).[49]
(Listed by publication date;)