The largest club festival in Europe brings statements with exclamation points right from the start.
“Diversity is central in our society” and “We have to treat each other with respect,” fires Claudia Roth into the packed Hamburg operetta house, earning the first big applause of the evening. The Federal Government’s Culture and Media Commissioner also sets the essential subjects of the evening. The Reeperbahn Festival 2023 will be about togetherness in times of climate crisis, everyday racism and the rise of artificial intelligence – but will also stimulate discussions about sustainability and diversity. Alexander Schulz, founder of the event, which was launched in 2006, also presents the XL topics with questions. And so the opening on September 20th will be a flagship event not only through the musical contributions (Arlo Parks! Gerd! INIKO!), but also through its positioning as something that will be discussed in a socially critical manner.
No more status quo, we have to do something now
16-year-old Mari Copeny from Michigan is joined via video screen by moderator Hadnet Tesfai to talk about her activism, which has led her to shake hands with Barack Obama in the past. She reports about it full of enthusiasm Zero-waste projects and a specially initiated water filter. The internet connection to Copeny is shaky, but the message is clear. At this festival start, the young generation is showing again and again how they can break new ground with a future with drive and network support. And that is exactly what the Reeperbahn 2023 wants to focus on – because the status quo is no longer enough, something has to be done in our industry too, says organizer Schulz. So we also have to ask ourselves how the music industry can still be an important and attractive place to work and concerts can be a safe space in these changing times.
Newcomers as the main program
The answers don’t even have to be formulated. You will find yourself on the stage of the Operetta House at Spielbudenplatz. The young Swedish singer-songwriter GERD is given plenty of space to reveal her vocal power, which is sometimes even reminiscent of Adele, in the dark red light. The newcomer INIKO is even presented residing on a throne in her first appearance in Germany.
Furthermore, the “Anchor Award” jury, which selects the best new live act at the festival, would like to give the nominees their recommendations for a long-term career. Banks strongly promotes the fun of learning new things – she herself acquired her piano dexterity using a piano toy. Katie Melua emphasizes the power of music and her desire for more positive perspectives in our very dark times. Tayla Parx celebrates the courage to innovate and Tony Visconti, who has sat on the award jury several times, wants to be able to continue to be amazed by new things.
Afterwards, the candidates for anchor will be shown to the hall in short clips: Berq, Daisy The Great, Hannes, Ichiko Aoba, Paris Paloma and Waterbaby. They will all perform at the festival on Thursday and Friday, where the jury members will evaluate their gig skills and award a winning act on Saturday, at the end of the Reeperbahn festival.
Last year’s winner Cassia demonstrates how smoothly such a live performance can run. The indie band walks through their song inspired by The Smiths casually and without much extra, giving such timeless vibes that it’s hard to imagine that they’ve actually only been around as a group since 2016.
The confetti remains
As Hadnet Tesfai reveals during the opening, nothing was rehearsed in advance that evening. And so it can happen that after a lot of confetti cannons have been used during a DJ set, the long paper threads from the lighting installation can no longer be removed from the ceiling.
Some questions during the game round with the “Anchor Award” jury also make those surveyed look wide-eyed in surprise. Like, for example, Tesfai’s follow-up: “Playing live is better than sex, isn’t it?” To which Melua, after thinking about it for a while, agrees and laughs that, all things considered, she would probably give preference to the concerts.
Last but not least, Enissa Amani overstays her appearance, which was originally scheduled to last ten minutes, preferring to find out more about the audience. But it is all of these moments together that make the festival gala so charming and by no means lengthy.
Arlo Parks is far from finished
So it’s very fitting that Arlo Parks is brought on stage to close the event and very quickly starts the song “Devotion” with her cotton-soft vocals and the people who were previously sitting well placed in their dark red velvet armchairs now makes you jump up in the air. Some of them can even be seen moving their lips in sync with the lyrics. But her pieces soon reach for more than just the small space directly in front of her. It’s just abundantly clear that Arlo Parks has a lot to say and that this musical development is something that still needs to be watched urgently.
At the end of the show, Hadnet Tesfai’s words continue to resonate: “We all have a voice, let’s use it properly!” The Reeperbahn Festival Opening showed exactly what this use of one’s own voice can look like – in all its facets.