Tickets für AUTOBAHN (industrial post-punk, uk) + ELEKTROKOHLE (cold-punk, bln) 20.11.23 in Berlin, Schokoladen

little league shows & el borracho bookings prsnt:

AUTOBAHN /// industrial post-punk, leeds
autobahnmusik.bandcamp.com /// instagram.com/autobahnmusik 

+ ELEKTROKOHLE /// Cold Punk, Berlin
https://elektrokohle.bandcamp.com/

at Schokoladen. doors 19 uhr, concert starts 20 uhr. tickets for the concert at the doors and in pre-sale --> https://vvk.link/2rvepjk 

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Reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated - the North has risen again. Close to five years since their last record, Leeds denizens AUTOBAHN re-enter the fray with the release of their third record, Ecstasy of Ruin. Half a decade is both a long time and no time at all: forever changes while some things remain eternal… So it goes that AUTOBAHN may have re-emerged with many of the hallmarks of their characteristic blend of industrial post-punk intact, but under the bonnet they’re a much leaner, more focused machine. AUTOBAHN 3.0. 


If 2017’s The Moral Crossing was a record defined by its dramatic rhythm section, then it’s not insignificant that the 2023 incarnation of AUTOBAHN arrives shaved to a four piece and sans their previous drummer. The change necessitates an evolution. Live drums have given way to drum-machines and sample-based percussion, and with it see the band reconfigure their typically blackened aesthetic into a hardened take on Electronic Body Music. As with their previous record, it’s an entirely self-produced collection, recorded between two self-built studios on a range of analogue equipment, the ghosts of their industrial forefathers haunting the circuits. Indeed, some of Ecstasy of Ruin was made with pieces salvaged from Martin Hannett’s legendary studio. The mark of their presence is clear and AUTOBAHN certainly feel part of the long tradition of crepuscular music to emanate from Northern Britain, be that the transgressive activities of COUM Transmissions from Hull, Sheffield Steel City or the gothic history of their very own hometown. It’s a noble torch they carry. 


Still, if Ecstasy of Ruin forms part of a rich lineage, it also speaks to right now. No album opens with a song titled ‘Post-History’ and closes with another called ‘Class War’ without some concession to the current condition and its place within it. Industrial music by its very nature is a physical concern, often placing the human body and its experience in the context of technology, reflecting the varying trevails of late capitalism. AUTOBAHN strive towards some kind of articulation of that conflict. The music is unrelentingly taut and terse, and the vocals of frontman Craig Johnson are invariably intense, though lyrically there are repeated allusions to beauty, empowerment and, ostensibly, hope. As such, the title of the album is an instructive one - there’s some kind of bliss in all this mess. AUTOBAHN don’t so much push against the pain as ride it out to its (il)logical ends. As Johnson implores on the title track, “focus on living, the pain wont be forgotten”. It’s a relatable sentiment.

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Elektrokohle

International Noise-Post-punk newcomer trio based in Berlin comprises members from Italy, Germany, and Brazil, namely Suzan Flag (bass), Mr. Cigarette Butt (vocals, synth), and Mona Manie. (guitar).Pulling their inspirations from ’80s Punk, Noise, Krautrock, DarkSurf, and Punk-Blues bents, the band’s self-dubbed “Cold Punk” sound is defined somehow as a visceral and gritty mix between Suicide, Birthday Party and Warsaw with a sound palette of its own. Having started as a Duo in the Corona lockdown in 2021, Mona and C.B. demonstrated all of its gloomy times in both sound and lyrics. Sparse bilingual vocals, motorik beats, industrial clangs, screeching and echoing guitar and a hypnotic synth, all amount to an intoxicating mix. The first demo was recorded DIY on a 8 track recorder and convinced with a lo-fi, dark pounding and anxious sound. When close friend Suzan Flag joined the band one year later, to take over the bass the damage was complete. Through the following intense, chaotic and energetic live performances the band has gained a fervent following. Their music pushes the boundaries of what can be, yet remains deeply rooted in the raw, gloomy underground Berlin sound. The band name comes from the documentary about the legendary first gig of Einstürzende Neubauten after the fall of the wall in the GDR in 1989. The venue for this concert was VEB Elektrokohle, an industrial plant in Herzbergstr., Berlin Lichtenberg. In 2023 they released the first 4 track Tape-EP, recorded analogue in Herzbergstr. with Tobias Lill /Dong Xuan Productions. The Tape includes the songs „Junkie House“, a stunning 2 minutes energetic punk track as well as the video single „Vollmond“, a more avantgardistic piece. Both tracks round out Elektrokohle’s strong first impression and awaken anticipation for the band's first debut album.