There are still true friendships between bands, as often proclaimed. It may have become rarer, but with the Dutch band BAMBIX and the Berliners JOHNNIE ROOK, it sparked immediately. Both bands met at a joint concert. The rest is history, as they say. The trio from Holland and the five-piece from Berlin got along so well from the start that they agreed to play more concerts together. Said and done. By now, both bands are often on the road together. However, the collective evenings on stage have produced more than just a close friendship. Singer Wick from BAMBIX already sang a song with the Berliners on their last album “Rabatz“. It seems there was also chemistry in the studio. The result is now being released to the world with “3:15 AM“.
The joint CD-EP features three original songs from each band and one collaborative song. Everything is unpublished, everything is exclusive.
The opening track is the joint song “Oneway Rover“. A song that serves as a shared business card for listeners who are not yet familiar with both bands.
After a punchy drum intro, the guitar stands at attention, and then the two ladies (Wick from BAMBIX, Franziska from JOHNNIE ROOK) go full throttle at the microphone. Melodic, powerful, and self-assured, the song is delivered. Beautiful breaks, perfectly placed guitar playing, and a drumbeat that powerfully sets the tempo. The men of the bands also get to showcase their voices in the microphone from time to time.
Next, Wick and her bandmates take on the second track, titled the beautifully emancipatory “Marching Girls“. In this song, you can tell that the band from Holland has been around for a long time. A longing intro sung with emotion sets the stage for a great, melodic pogo hit. There’s a lovely, romantic text to go with it. In this song, I don’t understand why I haven’t been a bigger fan of BAMBIX until now.
JOHNNIE ROOK then brings a nice romantic, almost fiery love song into the ears of the listeners. This one is also quite danceable. The band’s sound is harder than that of BAMBIX, mainly due to the more powerful drumming. There are also a few more breaks and musical nuances to be heard here. And who among us hasn’t been at a festival with their beloved and felt just like in “Wellenreiten“?
BAMBIX then takes it down a notch with “Coffee“, but they’ve also created a pleasant punk rock song here. It’s exactly these songs that make me appreciate the band, but they personally don’t have enough to fully excite me.
JOHNNIE ROOK then plays “Rock´n´Roll nach Plan“. A critical song about after-work and weekend rebels. What remains when the makeup is wiped off and it’s Monday morning?! The band has crafted the poignant lines that go as follows:
…your songs of freedom
sell an old dream
yet you still sew on the royal dress
with D.I.Y. at the hem.
That’s something to think about!
The cool, melodic “I wanna be who I am“ from BAMBIX fits perfectly as a response here. After that, with “Liebe reimt sich nicht“ from the Berliners, the gas pedal is floored once again. Ambitious punk rock, female vocals, all wrapped in a powerful package. Yes, it all fits.
JOHNNIE ROOK shows that they are continuing on the path they started with their current album “Rabatz“. Lyrically, the band is no longer quite so sweet. Musically, they showcase what they can do without tiring the listener or presenting their skills as mere self-indulgence. The Berliners are always worth seeing live.
BAMBIX underscores their status as a melodic punk rock band with the three original songs, proving that even though they have been around for a while, they are far from being old news.
So the conclusion can only be: Go to concerts of both bands and buy the CD-EP. The current dates for the release tour of the CD-EP can be found here:
http://www.myspace.com/johnnierook
Oh, and for vinyl lovers, the seven songs are also available as a 10“!
