concert #31: brockhoff, oehl @ stromklang festival

2024-01-19 10:58:14

The Stromklang festival brought “Brockhoff” and “Oehl” onto the stage – and into our hearts.

I kept noting that the one-day “stromklang festival“ took place in front of the work on a regular basis. but I never managed to attend a festival day. Until that September day: I had time and I liked the bands that were performing, so I set off.

I was alone there but through happy coincidences, I met lovely people and also met a few old acquaintances. And it’s precisely these kinds of encounters that make a concert evening even more beautiful. But I wasn’t just there to meet people, but also to get a dose of live music.

made the beginning “brockhoff“ – back in June, when they appeared as Paolo Nutini’s opening act at the Gasometer, I thought they were wonderful and now the German band was finally back on a stage in Vienna. It was a bit bitter that there wasn’t too much going on yet, but I was still able to fully enjoy every song.

and then came the main band of the evening, namely “oehl“ on the small stage under the fairy lights. Admittedly, I often had the opportunity, but I hesitated for half an eternity before finally watching an Oehl performance again. There were several reasons for this, including that over the last few years I have developed a dislike for bands that sing in German. I have no idea how that happened, but I was curious to see my own reaction to the German-language songs.

When the first songs came on I was impressed. But it was probably also due to the way “Oehl” performed their songs – it was a musical art language, and not the clumsy singing that many other bands do. Speaking of language: the band had a video wall in the background on which the lyrics were displayed. At first I found it strange, but at some point it made sense – you no longer had to listen to the lyrics so closely, you could rather enjoy the music and see and absorb the lyrics at the same time.

It was nice to see the band constellation that had now formed around singer Ariel Oehl – all the band members were so motivated and talented, I was always surprised when they suddenly sang little solo numbers or played with their instruments. How did he find these crass stage personalities?! But they not only played music, they also sometimes danced really wildly together on stage. That was incredibly beautiful to see!

And of course I was also moved by some of the songs – I was happy to finally hear “overnight” again after years, but “Mängesamplelar” also did something to me quite unexpectedly. We were asked to clap when we heard “Get fed up” and this hymn also stuck surprisingly well in my memory. But admittedly, I got really emotional during the song “ruh” – it was only performed by three people in a very reduced form and I felt everything during the chorus. uff. I didn’t expect such intensity! The following song “Keramik” was also played in a similar form and I was rarely as in the moment as I was at that point – also because at the end the whole band came along and sang together.

and then the concert was over and I actually asked myself why I ignored “oehl” for so long. German language in songs isn’t always terrible, at least that’s what I learned. I was glad that I had made the journey and attended that edition of the Stromklang festival. And I was not only happy that I was there because of the music, but also because of a little speech that Ariel Oehl had made in between – he had raised his voice and because of events that were not right and that affected the work made aware of this. and that was important and right! Conclusion: that was an enriching evening!