For a while, AnnenMayKantereit were considered an insider tip among German pop connoisseurs. Now their concert tickets are selling like hot cakes. event. met the band at Zurich main station and knows why singer Henning May (28) thinks the Swiss are cute.
Career-wise, the Cologne boys have taken off like a space rocket: Comet-like. And this without ever aiming for the big concert halls and record sales. Even at grammar school, they were more interested in music than algebra, chemistry formulas or grammar. At that time, the streets were their concert halls, and every university meadow in the area was played in 2011. Their gigs are well received, their trademark: catchy, poetic lyrics beyond the German pop radio standard and, above all, Henning May's grating voice.
"Being able to pack your themes into a song is something that is completely missing in most casting shows. It's all about the big show, about individuals, there's a competitive mentality and people are mowed down."
The first album is recorded in 2013, without outside help, as a self-made company, so to speak. AnnenMayKantereit release "Wohin Du Gehst" on their YouTube channel and hit the nerve of the times. AMK become famous in one fell swoop and are booked for festival appearances. A club tour follows. To this day, it is still important to them to have and maintain their own style. They don't want to be a casting show retort band. "That's not a good way to become famous either," says Henning May and adds: "Being able to put your themes into a song is something that is completely missing in most casting shows. It's all about the big show, about individuals, there's a competitive mentality and people are mowed down." They don't want to support that, because: "For us, it's about making music, about friendship," says May.
Friendship formula as the basis of the band
This formula works well. Their current album "Schlagschatten" is now their third. They have a new contract with a record company for 2019. The pre-release single "Marie" is intended as an appetizer, but its first lines ("The birds are shitting from the sky, and I'm watching") caused a boycott at some radio stations. No deliberate provocation: "We didn't intend to provoke. We liked the idea of the first movement being a bit of a surprise," says guitarist Christopher Annen.
AnnenMayKantereit's lyrics are playful, poetic, witty, sensual and meaningful. But one thing they are not: banal and interchangeable. Although they don't describe them as the heart of their sound, says Henning: "The essential thing about our music is that we make it first and foremost for ourselves. We don't write the songs to be successful or to earn as much money as possible. It's a basic need for us. From my point of view, the most important thing is that it is aimed at ourselves. I believe that my lyrics set us apart from other German pop bands because they have more content."
"I like the
older people here. When I talk to older people on the train in Germany
with older people, they often have a view of the world that doesn't
that doesn't correspond to mine. You Swiss are so cuddly."
They find inspiration everywhere, even on the road. For their promotional tour, they prefer to travel by train - flying is not their thing. They care about the environment - but without being militant. And traveling by train also offers space for observations and conversations. Especially in Switzerland, where the four Cologne residents can still travel rather unknown. They particularly like the country. Henning says: "I like the older people here. When I talk to older people on the train in Germany, they often have a view of the world that doesn't correspond to mine. You Swiss are so cuddly." Anyone who meets AnnenMayKantereit for a chat ends up in the middle of their circle of friends. Speaking of friends: Is one of them the boss? A question that causes a lot of laughter. "Nope, I'm more of the irradiated, nice uncle type," says Henning - and again there is laughter.
Annenmaykantereit
28.02.2020, Hallenstadion Zurich
TICKETS
