Wir sind Britisch. Daher sind wir kühl.
Here come a few more extracts from our rock 'n' roll excursion to Leipzig. Here we are on a tram, on our way to see yet more bands. Note that in an off-guard moment, I allowed my face to assume its normal expression:
I think this year there were something like 15 UK bands at the WGT - a pretty good total, and definitely up on previous years. I don't know if this is because the WGT has discovered British bands, or whether British bands have discovered the WGT - probably a bit of both. What's more, the total includes old bands, current bands, bands on big labels, bands on small labels, and bands on no label at all. Proof, I think, of what I've said all along: the WGT is not some sort of mysterious forbidden zone for UK bands. It's an entirely achievable goal.
If we include Noblesse Oblige, who may not be based in the UK now, but certainly formed in the UK and played all their early gigs here, we can bump up the Brit-total to 16 bands. Here's Valerie from Noblesse Oblige at the Moritzbastei (note my use of Leonardo da Vinci-style sfumato effect on this one):
Here's a silhouette pic, which is usually a kind of last resort technique if the stage lighting is so unhelpful that full-frontal photos of the band don't really work. I was struggling against the lights a bit in the photo pit at Werk II when Cauda Pavonis were on, but when the bassist turned away at the exact moment the smoke and the light came together in a neat way, I thought, 'Aha! Art shot!':
When New Days Delay came on, the stage lighting became a bit more photo-friendly (less red, more white, not so much light behind the band), and I got this rather nifty pic of Insa. The slight blur actually helps the pic, I think - it conveys a nice sense of movement and action (well, that's my excuse, anyway):
One odd phenomenon you see quite a bit in Germany is the use of the Union Jack as a kind of symbol of rock 'n' roll coolness. You see people wearing badges, T-shirts, etc, featuring the Union Jack as a way of conveying an all-purpose message: 'I'm into cool alternative stuff, me'.
Strange though it may seem to us self-deprecating Brits, in Germany the UK really does seem to be regarded as the source of all things cool - a phenomenon which I maintain instantly gives British bands a natural advantage. In Germany people will be instantly interested in bands from the UK simply because they come from The Source Of The Cool.
I remember mentioning to ant_girl that if the Screaming Banshee Aircrew contrived to put a British flag on their German flyers - thus sending out the message 'WE ARE BRITISH! WE ARE COOL!' - it would function as an instant heads-up for the kool kidz. Obviously the reaction in the UK would be very different. People might assume that the band was trying to pull some cheesy Cool Britannia stunt, or had signed up with some loony-right political party. But in Germany, the Union Jack really does convey a certain rock 'n' roll attitude, and it's used as a symbol of such. I actually managed to grab a couple of photos in Leipzig that prove the point...
'Original Boots And Braces' brand shoes (nope, I've never heard of them, either) footwear on sale at the WGT market. Note the packaging!
Undercover Boots - an allegedly British brand that I've never seen on sale in the UK - largin' it with the Union Jack for extra rock 'n' roll cool points:
I didn't manage to get any photos of people wearing Union Jack badges or other suchlike accessories (although I saw quite a few, particularly among the deathrocky contingent). However, I can still prove that in Germany the Union Jack really is an all-purpose symbol of supercool rock 'n' roll style. Have a look at this page from the catalogue of Queen Of Darkness, the German alterno-fashion retailer (they had a huge stall at the WGT). See that interesting item, bottom right? I rest my case!
I do think that these people were taking things a bit too far, mind:
(Strictly speaking, they're using the wrong flag there, and all....)
So, there you have it. Being British gives you instant rock 'n' roll hipster status in Germany, to the point that our flag is used as a cool alternative symbol. If you're a British band, and you're keen to make some headway in Germany, there's a natural advantage there for you. Grab it and use it, is what I say.
That concludes my lecture 'Pan-European rock 'n' roll marketing strategies for the twenty-first century'. More random photos of bands will follow shortly...
I think this year there were something like 15 UK bands at the WGT - a pretty good total, and definitely up on previous years. I don't know if this is because the WGT has discovered British bands, or whether British bands have discovered the WGT - probably a bit of both. What's more, the total includes old bands, current bands, bands on big labels, bands on small labels, and bands on no label at all. Proof, I think, of what I've said all along: the WGT is not some sort of mysterious forbidden zone for UK bands. It's an entirely achievable goal.
If we include Noblesse Oblige, who may not be based in the UK now, but certainly formed in the UK and played all their early gigs here, we can bump up the Brit-total to 16 bands. Here's Valerie from Noblesse Oblige at the Moritzbastei (note my use of Leonardo da Vinci-style sfumato effect on this one):
Here's a silhouette pic, which is usually a kind of last resort technique if the stage lighting is so unhelpful that full-frontal photos of the band don't really work. I was struggling against the lights a bit in the photo pit at Werk II when Cauda Pavonis were on, but when the bassist turned away at the exact moment the smoke and the light came together in a neat way, I thought, 'Aha! Art shot!':
When New Days Delay came on, the stage lighting became a bit more photo-friendly (less red, more white, not so much light behind the band), and I got this rather nifty pic of Insa. The slight blur actually helps the pic, I think - it conveys a nice sense of movement and action (well, that's my excuse, anyway):
One odd phenomenon you see quite a bit in Germany is the use of the Union Jack as a kind of symbol of rock 'n' roll coolness. You see people wearing badges, T-shirts, etc, featuring the Union Jack as a way of conveying an all-purpose message: 'I'm into cool alternative stuff, me'.
Strange though it may seem to us self-deprecating Brits, in Germany the UK really does seem to be regarded as the source of all things cool - a phenomenon which I maintain instantly gives British bands a natural advantage. In Germany people will be instantly interested in bands from the UK simply because they come from The Source Of The Cool.
I remember mentioning to ant_girl that if the Screaming Banshee Aircrew contrived to put a British flag on their German flyers - thus sending out the message 'WE ARE BRITISH! WE ARE COOL!' - it would function as an instant heads-up for the kool kidz. Obviously the reaction in the UK would be very different. People might assume that the band was trying to pull some cheesy Cool Britannia stunt, or had signed up with some loony-right political party. But in Germany, the Union Jack really does convey a certain rock 'n' roll attitude, and it's used as a symbol of such. I actually managed to grab a couple of photos in Leipzig that prove the point...
'Original Boots And Braces' brand shoes (nope, I've never heard of them, either) footwear on sale at the WGT market. Note the packaging!
Undercover Boots - an allegedly British brand that I've never seen on sale in the UK - largin' it with the Union Jack for extra rock 'n' roll cool points:
I didn't manage to get any photos of people wearing Union Jack badges or other suchlike accessories (although I saw quite a few, particularly among the deathrocky contingent). However, I can still prove that in Germany the Union Jack really is an all-purpose symbol of supercool rock 'n' roll style. Have a look at this page from the catalogue of Queen Of Darkness, the German alterno-fashion retailer (they had a huge stall at the WGT). See that interesting item, bottom right? I rest my case!
I do think that these people were taking things a bit too far, mind:
(Strictly speaking, they're using the wrong flag there, and all....)
So, there you have it. Being British gives you instant rock 'n' roll hipster status in Germany, to the point that our flag is used as a cool alternative symbol. If you're a British band, and you're keen to make some headway in Germany, there's a natural advantage there for you. Grab it and use it, is what I say.
That concludes my lecture 'Pan-European rock 'n' roll marketing strategies for the twenty-first century'. More random photos of bands will follow shortly...