On Pentecost Friday, May 25, 2012, S.O. 36 in Berlin-Kreuzberg invited everyone to the “Pentecost Friday Berlin Freakshow“. This day, which heralds the most beautiful weekend in Berlin for all Psychobillies and Rockabillies before the Psychomania Festival in Potsdam, has now become a staple of these subcultures.
On this beautiful summer Friday, however, the entry to S.O.36 was set for the rather early time of 6:30 PM. The first band started at 7:00 PM.
Instead of OPTIC NERVES, who had to cancel at short notice due to illness, the Psychobillies from DEGENERATED from Berlin took the stage. This relatively young band has been making waves in Berlin over the last few months and will be causing a stir on Germany's stages this year alongside some big names in the scene. The band was, of course, excited to open the evening but unfortunately played in front of only a handful of spectators.
Not that the band was bad, but the pleasantly warm summer weather kept the creatures of the night outside the club. There, one could perfectly start the evening with a delicious beer and other drinks.
It's a shame for DEGENERATED, but that's sometimes how it goes when you draw the lot of the first band.
The second band was THE HOWLING WOLFMEN from Dresden. However, the band also had a tough lot, as ticket holders only slowly made their way into the hall due to the nice weather. Thus, the Dresdners started in front of about 100 people. Their sound was immediately appealing. Nice neo-rockabilly with old-school rock'n'roll influences. One could describe the sound as Elvis with an attitude.
The audience present enjoyed the band. Even though not much movement was happening yet, there was decent applause and the band was watched with interest.
Slowly, the club filled up, so that by the end of the show, the hall was half full.
It was a colorful mix of audience. Psychobillies from Berlin, as well as from near and far, regular folks and punks of all ages were in attendance. Now, the club filled more and more with each passing minute, as the next band FRANTIC FLINTSTONES was up next on the running order. The band has long been one of the big names in the Psychobilly scene and doesn’t perform that often. In Berlin, the band was last seen at the MyFest in Kreuzberg, but it had been a long time since they played in such a large club as S.O. 36.
When the band took the stage, the club was almost three-quarters full, and the audience was excited for the band. Singer Chuck stepped onto the stage with his guys and immediately got started.
The explosive mix of country and psychobilly ignited that evening as well. A proper wrecking pit formed in no time. The already good atmosphere continued to rise. People sang along, danced, and wrecked. The band, especially singer Chuck, was in great spirits, making the show one of the best performances from the band in years. The band, which has its roots in London, played a varied and entertaining set. Songs like “Champagne for all” or “Yabba Dabba Family” with the Flintstones melody were celebrated by everyone in the hall. The good light show and the sensational sound completed the band's outstanding performance.
FRANTIC FLINTSTONES had set the bar very high for the best band of the evening. Could DEMENTED ARE GO top that?
After a final, longer changeover, singer Sparky and his men took the stage. Now the club was really full, and in the front half of the hall, people were packed tightly together. This dispersed as soon as the first notes sounded. The wrecking pit immediately took up a lot of space in front of the stage, the first rows in front of the stage were tightly packed, and those who didn’t want to dance were consistently pushed to the side. Everyone quickly found their spot to celebrate the band. The freaks of the night paid homage to the crazy guys on stage. The band also gave everyone reason to do so. Singer Sparky, in his shiny black latex outfit, purple flat top, and a syringe in his head, looked like a real lunatic. He then sang songs like “Epileptiv Fit” or “Retard Whore”. Any normal person would have turned away by now, but not the visitors of the evening. They were having fun and enjoying the time as DEMENTED ARE GO musically took them into the depths of the human psyche and imagination.
It was a fantastic time that, as always, ended far too early, but left everyone with the feeling of having had a grand gig, indeed a grand evening.
For many night owls, however, the evening was not yet over, as Wild at Heart invited everyone to the aftershow party, which was also well attended.