For over 18 years, Reeperbahn has been a key destination for music lovers looking to discover new talent.
Words: Jamie Muir.
Photos: Robin Schmiedebach, Christian Hedel / Reeperbahn Festival.
Hamburg is a city that always feels on. A mix of rich history and a focus on what’s next, it offers something for everyone, including cutting-edge cuisine and a vibrant nightlife where almost anything can happen. It’s a city that embraces individuality, making it the perfect host for a festival like Reeperbahn. For over 18 years, Reeperbahn has been a key destination for music lovers looking to discover new talent. With its variety of venues – from small, intimate spaces to larger, grander settings – the festival promises a unique live experience that thrives on spontaneity and discovery. Whether it’s emerging talent or established acts entering new phases, Reeperbahn has a reputation for being the place to find your next favourite artist.
In the hazy Moondoo fog, Swim Deep kick off Reeperbahn with an exclamation point. With a new album, ‘There’s A Big Star Outside’, that took a very strident step in a new direction over a decade into their career, it can be a juggling act to blend it all together. Tonight not only finds Swim Deep doing just that with spectacular results but sounding more fully formed and world-conquering than ever before. From the first crash downs of ‘First Song’, the mission is in check. Finding a perfect cocktail mix between their swooning latest chapter and their status as indie icons, ‘Fuehio Boogie’ turns Reeperbahn into a bonafide rave and the one-two punch of ‘She Changes The Weather’ and ‘How Many Love Songs Have Died In Vegas?’ seals it. Swim Deep at Reeperbahn is one of those festival moments where expectation is left in the dust for something far bigger.
Queues reach far into the street for mary in the junkyard, and for good reason: their beguiling alt-rock hooks burst with ambition and excitement. ‘Marble Arch’ is already ready and loaded, and their confident swagger tonight confirms what we’ve known for a while. By twisting what new music can be, mary in the junkyard are setting their own course. The stacked rooms confirm it clear as day; they’re a hot ticket.
It’s the same for Divorce, filling the unique Molotow Backyard outdoor space with a razor-sharp set that signals just how wondrous they’ve become. Clicking the rammed-out space into the palm of their hands, the swooning ‘Birds’ and ‘Sex & The Millennium Bridge’ sound cinematic in their ambition yet grounded like the tales scribbled down in a diary. Whether it’s songs about being horny or heartland storytelling, tonight at Reeperbahn, Divorce make a standout showcase gig feel like a campfire hangout with mates. Judging by the unreleased songs peppered into their night, there’s no limit to just how wide Divorce can paint their canvas.
Reeperbahn thrives in discovery. With hangovers still pounding, Housewife is a revelation tucked upstairs at the Canadian showcase mid-afternoon on Day 2. A glorious combination of Blondshell, Julia Jacklin and soaring US songwriter charm, it’s an emphatic introduction to an artist already screaming “future favourite”. Latest single ‘Late To The Party’ is just a taste of the many layers and directions that a lot of people will be jumping on with Housewife.
Likewise, taking to a popped-up stage outdoors in the middle of the Reeperbahn itself, Philine Sonny is a breath of fresh air, stripped back and showcasing why she’s a sensation waiting for the world to catch up. Usually amped up with a sound echoing Sam Fender and Holly Humberstone, today’s set turns the pace on Reeperbahn and instead showcases that stunning core of songwriting done to an incredibly high level. ‘Berlin’ and ‘Weak Spot’ serve as tasters for an artist everyone needs to put on their must-see schedule.
The rise of your new favourite boyband continues. In the backstreets of Hamburg, Soft Launch arrive ready to play. With a genuine feeling of buzz and excitement jumping around the venue, the likes of ‘Piano Hands’ and ‘Cartwheels’ are emphatic and sound sharper and bigger than ever before, while the incoming next single ‘Milkshakes’ is ready shook as an even sweeter proposition. Confidence flies, a band already commanding their own story. A bulldozer ‘In My Bed’ is just one example of a band who already feel far larger in ambition than the venues they stand in.
“My name is Moonchild Sanelly, and I’m here to fuck shit up.” The mission statement is here, and at Reeperbahn, it’s mission accomplished for Moonchild Sanelly. With the night drawing into the later hours, she serves as the perfect act to add a dose of party brilliance to proceedings. Pinning down one comparison is pointless; where Moonchild Sanelly thrives is in the breaking of any boundaries put around her. Yes, there’s pop. Yes, there’s rap. Yes, there’s drum and bass. Yes, there’s J-Pop. Oh, sorry, if we lost you, it’s because the unexpected is where Moonchild Sanelly revels tonight. Touching upon SBTRKT, MIA, and so much more with drops like ‘Demon’, ‘Big Booty’ and her collab with Self Esteem ‘Big Man’, club-soaked fun with hooks that stick firmly in your head reigns supreme.
There is no such thing as the expected when it comes to Geordie Greep. Late into the night at Reeperbahn and in the surrounding world that is Hamburg, he finds a perfect home for a set that feels effortlessly right place, right time. Immediately grabbing attention, nothing sits still. There’s shuffling samba, prog rock, 80s neon charm, crunching post-rock and punk spoken word – and that’s just one song. He jolts Reeperbahn into life, freestyling on-stage and serving up lyrics like he’s standing atop a pulpit to the congregation in front of him. ‘The New Sound’ feels exactly that, too – taking Geordie into a new playing field that allows him to stretch into areas that previously Black Midi wouldn’t. More than anything, it’s welcoming and fun. On tonight’s evidence, Geordie Greep is stepping into his golden era.
It’s early evening on Day 3 and a band fully dressed in white nun outfits and their own streaming light pyro are laying waste to the Molotow Backyard. Welcome to Reeperbahn and welcome to the world of Battlesnake. Australian heavy metal may not have been on the plan, but it’s where the festival truly comes into its own. Word of mouth talk and eager eyes lead to now, bringing Iron Maiden and the theatrics of Ghost into one erupting mix that trades in the ridiculousness of it all to make their show a proper standout. Barmy and bonkers, it’s a show that won’t be leaving the minds of those gathered any time soon.
When a new band kicks their way to the front of the queue, it’s something special. Introducing BAENCH, packing out Headcrash and giving everyone gathered enough ammunition to make them the best discovery of the entire festival. Hailing from Denmark, their ambition feels global from the very start. ‘Fall Behind’ could sit amongst the most exciting of new bands right now. Blending the synth-pop anthems of The Killers in their early days, the hypnotic whip of Been Stellar and the bulldozing punch of Fontaines D.C. into one, the results don’t feel like watching a band making those early steps but one ready and waiting to go massive. A firecracker ‘Skipped A Step’ brings the curtain down, and BAENCH may have just grabbed the title of best new guitar band of the entire week.
There’s a reason why Good Neighbours are playing one of the largest venues at Reeperbahn this year. The sugary sunshine of ‘Bloom’ and ‘Ripple’ shine, but it’s the unreleased ‘Weekend Boy’ and ‘Somebody’ that signal just how endless the band’s potential is. The sort of soaring stadium ballad that can become a mainstay beyond just the indie heads or TikTok crowds, with the latter scoring singalongs and Passion Pit early 2010s bliss. They’re truly, undeniably brilliant.
Atop the Skybar in Molotow, Girlband! have a roadblock that stacks out the venue and then some. Razor-sharp rock served up like a blistering run of bullets; it’s a sweaty and perfect environment for Girlband! to thrive. Tonight, they’re immediate and buzzing, turning scrappy punk into a laser beam to the moon. Closer ‘Not Like The Rest’ captures it perfectly; a band with their hands firmly on who they are, and, because of that, they have any stage in the palm of their hand.
It’s replicated by Aussie indie-sparklers Girl and Girl, who follow soon after outside in the Backyard. Skittering guitar-pop done incredibly well, it’d be easy to throw in comparisons to Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and, while that hypnotising underbelly is there, they find more fun in classic British hooks done in style. Arriving at the perfect time of night for an adrenaline shot of sun-kissed bangers, it’s a speedy ride that sees choppy vocals blend perfectly with tongue-in-cheek charm.
If summer and sun-kissed vibes come from Girl and Girl, Maruja drag Reeperbahn into something altogether denser and darker, in the best way possible. A band who scratch at the sore spots and use that feeling of discomfort as a thrilling form of release – their set past 11pm on Friday night is a proper revelation. Diving into the crowd, dropping sledgehammers of breakdowns (notably ‘The Invisible Man’ with its snake-charming weaves and detours) and taking that experimental underground punk vibe to bold new places – it’s a captivating combination of mood and melody. Live, the best bands can transport you to somewhere completely of their own making. Maruja do that at Reeperbahn whilst stretching the play-doh of what a band can be. If Fat Dog are the sound of a 3am rave, Maruja are the sound of the menacing side streets where anything can happen.
The N-Joy Reeperbus, situated in the middle of the Reeperbahn itself, has been playing host to stripped-back sets the entire week. That changes on Day 4 with Sawyer Hill. With strident and heart-on-sleeve rock in his back pocket, it’s a full band blistering three-song set that drops in as a taster of the playground he finds himself in. After playing a full set earlier in the week, the Gang Of Youths-sized rock of lighter anthem ‘Look At The Time’ has already seen him seize a crowd eager for more – and live, those chops are even beefier. Raw and with a superstar swagger today, he turns three songs into a bona fide headline turn.
With the back half of the year firmly in view, few bands are stepping as firmly on the accelerator as swim school, and tonight’s turn at Reeperbahn feels like watching a band in full flight. No nerves, no second-guessing; swim school make the Molotow Club feel like they’re witness to a sound that will be inescapable in just a matter of time. The dreamy ‘Kill You’ is spellbinding and ‘Don’t Leave Me Behind’ sees shimmering guitars crash into a proper gut punch that doesn’t let go. They may have had a 2am wake-up and this may be their first time in Germany (ever), but swim school make Reeperbahn their own by turning darkness into confetti-soaked release.
There might not be a live performer as on-form right now as Master Peace. While there are elements of restraint at a new music showcase such as Reeperbahn, with curious music industry heads popping in and out, it can be difficult to light a fuse for a proper firework display of a reaction. It’s no such problem for Master Peace, who, in his half-hour slot at Grosse Freiheit 36, turns Reeperbahn into his own personal clubland. Commanding energy from each and every person gathered, he manages to make all feel part of the same party – with the soundtrack to back it up. ‘Start You Up’ and ‘GET NAUGHTY!’ are but two examples from an indie-rap masterclass. With the closing refrain of recent track ‘Home’ closing the set not once but twice, it can be heard sung by fans as they stream back onto the streets of Hamburg. That’s how you put on a show.
Tapir serve as a soothing hand on the shoulder as Saturday continues. With dreamy and warm soundscapes built on folk but morphed into something altogether more encompassing, it’s a delightful showcase for a recently released debut album, ‘The Pilgrim, Their God And The King Of My Decrepit Mountain’. Enjoying sitting firmly in a wall of sound, for an evening like this, they stand apart from the rest – fresh and comforting.
It falls to Antony Szmierek to close out Reeperbahn 2024 with the jaw-dropping cavern-like setting of the Prinzenbar. Flagging bodies be damned, it’s a jam-packed crowd that welcomes him in and together makes for one of the defining sets of the week. “You’ve insured the ceiling, right?” Antony cracks, dialling things up to heady rave euphoria underneath panoramic lights and rolling visuals plastered across the venue’s grand hall skyline. Any fears of tiredness are thrown away with each person gathered throwing themselves in, and Antony serving as the perfect conductor for a 1am celebration. ‘Rafters’ and ‘Twist Forever’ bounce and glide with Antony’s words melding effortlessly, but new track ‘Angie’s Wedding’ points to something even shinier. A keys-led Manchester-infused anthem, it sits as another highlight from a set that confirms him as one of the best showmen going in new music.
Closer ‘The Words To Auld Lang Syne’ doesn’t just sit as a perfect cherry on top of his set, but of the festival as a whole. Encouraging everyone to place tonight not as the end of Reeperbahn 2024 but instead as a sort of New Year’s Eve, he points to tomorrow being a new day where everything is refreshed and open. It captures Reeperbahn’s drive for the future better than anyone else can. Packed with quality and welcoming in what comes next, it’s a new music fan’s beating heart. We can confirm, the future beats louder than ever.
Leave a Reply