Hamburg’s Reeperbahn is synonymous with bohemian cool.
Reeperbahn Festival is a world-class cultural showcase that combines cutting edge live music, DJs and talks in multiple venues on and around the famous street from which it takes its name. The street runs right through the heart of St Pauli, it’s lined with bars and cafes and has long been home to artists seeking an inclusive and vibrant community. What better place, then, for a festival that prides itself on being clued-up and forward thinking.
In the hustle and bustle of gigs and events industry professionals and punters alike share a common goal: stumbling across the next big thing. They might just be on to something too. Amongst Reeperbahn’s rich musical heritage is the famous story that a pre-fame Beatles played some of their earliest gigs on the street before becoming… well… The Beatles.
Nestled among the chaos is the Dutch Impact Showcase. The event aims to bring the best music from the Netherlands to the festival as a celebration of all things Dutch and musical. With a range of acts from all genres there’s something for everyone. This year it takes place at Molotow Musik Club on Thursday 24 September.
To help you choose what to see we’ve hand picked our top 5 acts to see at the showcase. Helpful bunch that we are.
The Womb
13:30 - 14:00Long hair, pancakes and an intriguing origin story are all part of The Womb’s fuzzed out charm. The four founding members burrowed into the underbelly of an abandoned building at The Hague to experiment with pedals, guitars, synths, faders and loads of reverb, sharing music with other bands as they went. They did this for two years, then emerged, a fully formed psych outfit complete with a live set that is two parts kaleidoscope and one part ‘woah, man’. Worth a spin.
Pauw
14:30 - 15:00Pauw take their influences from a thousand different places but don’t let that put you off. The three piece take in bits of Black Sabbath, run them through a filter of Tame Impala and reference Arcade Fire along the way. They’ve already played several international festivals and supported big names like Temples and Kasabian and they’re quickly building up a reputation as a great live act. Their music – so far limited to a few home produced demos – is melodic, heavy and calming all at the same time. If you’re in the mood for some seriously psychedelic grooves Pauw will not let you down.
Bombay
15:30 - 16:00There’s been a recent shift in Bombay’s music. They’ve had a bit of a reshuffle for a start – they’ve swapped one singing drummer for another, and it seems their influences might have had a shift back in time too: they’re moodier, more introspective, and looser. First cut from forthcoming album, Show Your Teeth, is Dolly Doesn’t Want to Face the Facts, a spaced-out lover’s lament. It’s a good indication of things to come.
GANZ
16:00 - 16:30GANZ makes euphoric dance music that samples smooth piano and wolves, and uses the same sort of fizzing floor-filling drops as Crack favourite Hudson Mohawke – both big ticks in our book. The producer started out at the Conservatory in Haarlem but now regularly appears all around the world. He’s not forgotten his roots though – right now he’s gearing up for a show in Amsterdam’s Paradiso Noord with a bunch of his mates, and, of course, his Reeperbahn show.
Weval
17:00 - 17:30Harm Coolen and Merijn Scholte Albers met working in film but they bonded over a shared love of electronic music and soon Weval was born. The Dutch duo have crafted a sound that combines solid, rhythmic hypnosis with spaced out atmospheric melody and soulful vocals. The pair have recently started working with Cologne’s legendary house and techno imprint Kompakt and it’s no surprise that they’ve picked up on their ultra sharp, blissfully stripped back sound. The pair’s live set explores their cosmic jams with all manner of synths and electronic gadgetry. They’re sure to mystify and hypnotise.
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