Reeperbahn Festival 2014

In the swirling, heady maelstrom of glowing neon signs, sex shops, strip shows and swaying drunken crowds, the infamous ‘Rope Walk’ or Reeperbahn in Hamburg comes alive every night of the year as locals, tourists, stag parties and thrill-seekers search for good times and fast, furious fun. With bars and clubs open until at least 6am, music booming from every piss-splattered doorway, 24 hour kebab houses, and women of the night selling their wares, it’s an outright and overwhelming assault on the senses. One must enter this debauched, Babylonian world and immerse yourself. So, where better to host a music festival?

Last year, I travelled across Germany on a music journalist convoy that took in the four major music cities of Cologne, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Hamburg. I discovered huge amounts about a country not necessarily renowned for its creative output, and quite frankly was mightily impressed. Learning more about its krautrock, post-punk, electronica and indie scenes was an eye-opener; but meeting those involved and watching a blossoming, artistic culture close-up left a huge impression on me.

As with most things, the Germans run a tight ship with meticulous attention to detail. When it comes to live music, they deliver high-spec PA systems, well-managed venues and a booking policy that takes in the avant-garde, the downright commercial and everything in between. My 2013 music tour finished at the astonishing Dockville Festival in Hamburg in August, but I felt I needed another fix so returned to the Reeperbahn Festival in September. This year saw me pay the event a second visit to find out more.

"The UK tends to be fairly trend-orientated, whereas on the continent there’s often a more unprejudiced, broad-minded approach"

The Reeperbahn is situated in the St. Pauli district of the city. The football team may be more notorious for its jolly-roger, skull and crossbones merchandise than its actual skills on the pitch, but the area’s anti-fascist, anti-racist, open-minded aesthetic is also extremely attractive. The Beatles’ story is very much celebrated here, and the St. Pauli attitude salutes the libertine life and rock’n’roll’s ongoing mythology. The streets are filled with resident punks, metallers and rockabillies supping beers on the steps of the former squats and communal buildings that line the harbour.

Away from the main drag, you’ll find a honeycomb of unending cafes, bars, restaurants, shops and boutiques as well as a young, hip crowd and visible, political counter-culture. As always in any city however, hipster areas can be somewhat co-opted by the mainstream. Branded hotels, high street stores and fast food chains are all evident, and yet somehow don’t really encroach on the anti-authoritarian atmosphere. It’s still untamed, seedy, scuzzy and exciting. It brims with low-life and wild energy.

Aside from this specific stretch, Hamburg is a hyper-modern, urban sprawl with environmental sustainability close to its heart. Home to what must be the largest port in Europe, it prides itself on being a successful, expanding, international hub with excellent transport links and an overtly high standard of living. The juxtaposition between St. Pauli and other leafier neighbourhoods is clear, and yet they definitely seem to complement each other.

This year the Reeperbahn festival celebrated its ninth birthday. Originally, organiser and founder Alex Schulz visited the South by South West (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas 10 years ago, and, feeling inspired, decided to try something similar along this raucous strip in his home city. Conveniently, the district hosts a sweep of bars, venues, clubs and halls of all sizes that already promote music, and other less salubrious types of entertainment; plus a range of spaces that are transformed solely for the festival’s purpose. All in all, it has the perfect location and a hand-built infrastructure.

As a 13 year long veteran of SXSW, I’ve watched that particular festival grow larger and become gradually more corporate and bloated. Reeperbahn, on the other hand, seems to be hitting its stride. During its short lifespan it has expanded, in terms of spread of venues across the town and number of acts in attendance, but is still totally manageable. There are no queues to get in to see buzz bands, and most venues are within an easy walk of each other.

Ultimately it’s a music showcase festival, but now also has an arts programme and a separate conference specialising in visual, multimedia and digital innovation. Large swathes of the European and Scandinavian music business set up their own specialist parties, but thankfully it’s not solely an industry event. The public can attend and do so in their droves. Much like Glasgow's Stag and Dagger, but over the course of four nights, you pay for a wristband and run from show to show. As the creative industries morph, mutate and change, you find punters, bloggers and fans sidling up next to A&R, agents, radio jocks and journalists.

The main difference between Reeperbahn and a similar UK event is the opportunity to discover music that often remains largely unknown at home. The UK tends to be fairly trend-orientated, whereas on the continent there’s often a more unprejudiced, broad-minded approach. English may be the international language, but respect for different cultures is certainly apparent. Listening to artists singing in their own indigenous languages, using different tempos, rhythms and influences; it feels like you’re experiencing an authentic melting pot, rather than an array of homogenised acts that a few London tastemakers have decided are cool.

As well as searching out new talent to feature, one of my key motivations to return is to help develop relationships between the festival bookers and Scotland’s own vibrant music scene. This year we were represented by Mercury-nominated and SAY Award winning Leithers, Young Fathers with their dark, brooding, post-dub, tribal hip-hop; Glasgow’s progressive emo tykes, Flood of Red; and a new, melodramatic indie combo out of Glasgow called White, featuring members of Kassidy, The Low Miffs and Garden of Elks.

Unsurprisingly, Young Fathers delivered one of the festival’s stand-out performances and were lauded for it, while Flood of Red played to a packed out and highly appreciative venue. White’s show was actually their first ever live performance, at the legendary Molotow club, and very impressive it was too! You are bound to hear more of their Roxy/Chic/ABC styled pop in the near future.

Other highlights included a rapid-fire set from new Domino guitar-slingers The Bohicas, Canadian syncopated popsters We Are The City, unlikely Norwegian R’n’B hero Truls and astonishing performances from dark-soul diva Cold Specks and reggae-pop temptress Hollie Cook. I was also lucky enough to catch South African singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou, Slinky French outfit The Do and a seriously groove-laden work-out from Brooklyn’s phenomenal Sinkane. Germany’s own stoner-rockers Kadavar, piano-abusing composer Hauschka and Shellac-loving noise-rock duo D.Y.S.E also wowed crowds and sent me running to the merch stand. Unfortunately, anticipated shows from Blonde Redhead and Fat White Family were cancelled due to ill health.

When not marvelling at the music and art on offer, the venues themselves also impress at every turn. Take for example the monumental Uebel Und Gefärlich – once an indestructible, World War 2, Nazi-built bunker and fortress; it is now a 1000 capacity club with various additional floors and rooms and concrete walls that are reportedly 10 feet thick. No need to worry about noise complaints then! Other notable spots include the ever-dependable Knust, the peaceful St. Pauli Kirche and the world-renowned Kaiserkeller where The Fab Four cut their teeth in the 1960s.

This year’s statistics are staggering. There were around 600 events within 70 venues, 30,000 attendees and roughly 3,400 trade and media representatives from 39 different nations. During the days, over 100 panels, talks, workshops and networking events took place; whereas at night-time the streets turned feral, the alcohol flowed and the air exploded with live music. It takes a huge amount of clinical organisation but of course, this being Germany, everything went like clockwork.

Only an hour and a half from Edinburgh airport, with a direct rail link to the Reeperbahn itself; no visas are needed and artists can attend for a tenth of the price of a trip Stateside. And without sounding overtly political or partisan, I have also come to realise the European Project is definitely working. At 5am I found myself sat around a table geeking-out about music, drinking, sharing and laughing with people from Iceland, Slovakia, Romania, Ireland, Estonia and Germany. Put simply… Reeperbahn Festival, du bist der beste!