A compilation of twelve the very best German punk bands, brought together on one record!
Spanning a range of styles but united by one thing – pure, upbeat energy – ‘Never Mind Brexit – Here’s German Punk‘ from independent label Punk Rock Pigeon Records grew out of and Englishman’s journey across years of discovering bands through gigs, festivals, and trips across Germany. From small club shows, to Ruhrpott Rodeo, it’s a snapshot of a scene that’s loud, passionate, and very much alive.
This compilation includes 12 top tracks from bands across the Punk spectrum – twelve German artists are represented, from Betontod to ZSK.
Punk Rock Pigeon Records and ‘Never Mind Brexit – Here’s German Punk‘ evolved from founder Richard‘s discovey of German Punk bands while at college; “On a student exchange in Germany way back in 1995, the boy I stayed with put on some music that changed my life. I returned to the UK with a homemade Wizo cassette in hand, but back then there weren’t any easy ways to get more music until Napster came along in 2000. To my amazement, Wizo were heading to the UK for a tour that year, and after a couple of shows I was hooked. I started travelling to Germany to see them and other bands, mostly on the Hulk Räckorz label. The more I listened and travelled, the more great Deutschpunk bands I discovered. I started going to the Ruhrpott Rodeo festival and met many great people there. I couldn’t go to Germany as often as I wanted though, but the UK punk scene was (and still is) going strong if you know where to look – Undercover and Rebellion festivals being highlights.”
“Fast-forward to 2024, and I wondered how I could give something back to the punk scene. Inspired by my friend Wolfram, who has put together many great projects in Germany, creating a sampler of some of the best German punk bands seemed an obvious step to spread the word in the UK. Brexit has made it even harder for German bands to come here, and vice versa, but I hope many will discover some great new music in this collection. If you like what you hear, follow the bands and buy their merch to keep the scene alive!”
Emscherkurve 77 open the record with Oi! number ‘Gladbeck’, about the deadly Gladbeck Hostage Crisis in 1988 where the media stepped over the line and innocent young lives were lost. The band started in Oberhausen 26 years ago, and they’re still touring and releasing new material. Emscherkurve 77 recently supported Cock Sparrer in both Düsseldorf and Essen.
Next up, the band who started it for Richard – WIZO with ‘Egal was kommt’. Formed in Sindelfingen in 1985, WIZO have just completed their biggest headline tour yet across Germany and Austria, with many sold out dates – have a listen to this song from 2023:
Track #3 comes from Berliners ZSK, who’ve been playing since 1997. ‘Antifaschista’ is very much relevent to the world we’re in today, about standing against the fascists who are trying to take over our cities and towns. ZSK released their eighth studio album, ‘Feuer & Papier‘, last September, which landed at number 5 on the German album charts.
Betontod‘s drinking song ‘Glück Auf!’ with its sing-along chorus is up next. The band started in 1990 in Rheinberg, and are still going strong! Catch Betontod on their headline tour across Germany in October this year.
Celle band Rasta Knast‘s ‘Räubersaat’ (Robber State) is from their 2001 debut full-length album, ‘Bandera Pirata‘. Also formed in 1997, this track is a blazing punk takedown of the state, which sees us a mere worker slaves for the rich ‘elite’. See Rasta Knast out on the road at festivals and shows this year!
Köln band Outsiders Joy celebrated their 30th anniversary last year. Staunchly anti-Nazi and anit-racist, their single ‘Bessere Welt’ looks forward to a Better World where there is NO exclusion or hate, and diversity is welcome and preserved. We agree with Outsiders Joy – do the opposite of the AfD (afar-right, right-wing populist, national conservative, and völkisch nationalist political party in Germany) and you’ll make a huge contribution towards this.
Richard says on the album inner sleeve that he releases this album with a heavy heart, mourning the loss of Ilijana Jovic, frontwoman of Frankfurt band Suicide Outfit, who tragically died at last year at just 44 years old. ‘Bella Ciao’ is of course an anti-Nazi and anti-fascist Italian folk song, which has been covered by many bands and artists, yet the Suicide Outfit version is the most impassioned I have heard, Ilijana’s voice ranging from gentle to raging across the track:
A real Deutschpunk classic about the sometimes brutal reality of being a punk, Knochenfabrik from Köln’s ‘Grüne Haare’ is from their 1997 debut album ‘Ameisenstaat‘. The band formed in in 1994, butt split just 4 years later. Fortunately for the punk world, Knochenfabrik reunited in 2008, and went on to produce several more excellent releases. They are still touring and recently re-released ‘Ameisenstaat‘ on vinyl for the first time.
Slime, founded in Hamburg in 1979, became a defining band in the 1980s German punk scene, and the most widely recognized example of Deutschpunk. ‘Komm schon Klar’ is a more recent (2022) single, their first with new singer Tex Brasket, written about his life on the streets as a homeless person, and is delivered at 100mph with authentic intensity! Slime continue to release new music and tour regularly.
Another Köln band, playing since 1986, Heiter bis Wolkig describe themselves as “Punk cabaret” – and they certainly look the part with their striped face paint. ‘Forever Punk’ is a great song about the punk attitude; “You will never keep us away from Rock’n’Roll, You will never get us under control”. Heiter bis Wolkig are still touring, and their latest EP ‘Stay Punk Stay Rebel Stay Rude‘ which dropped in 2022 is well worth checking out!
1979 original punk band Razzia from Hamburg released ‘Am Rande von Berlin’ in 2019. Continuing their tradition of writing songs with thought-provoking lyrics, played in a fast, energetic style, Razzia are currently writing new material amidst occasional tour dates. There’s an extensive back catalogue of their music to explore, with 10 studio albums plus 5 live albums to their name.
The album closes with The Lost Lyrics song ‘Zweierminderheit’, a powerful blast of rebel punk! Founded in Wolfhagen in 1990, this prolific trio play melodic punk rock, and have released 10 albums so far. The Lost Lyrics are currently recording a brand new album (which we very much look forward to hearing), before hitting the road from late June – catch them HERE.
We can see that a lot of thought has gone into this great selection of music, and kudos to Richard for what is clearly a labour of love. Like him, we hope that UK punk fans will find new favourites here!
Available only on vinyl, ‘Never Mind Brexit – Here’s German Punk‘ comes in multiple colours and includes an inlay with a little bit of information about each band. Almost all the tracks are in German, but don’t let that put you off – the inlay has translated lyrics in English. Order your copy online HERE – or find it at independent record stores – list coming on the website HERE. You can also buy it in person at upcoming gigs in the London/Surrey area, keep an eye on Punk Rock Pigeon‘s socials for deatails!
- Emscherkurve 77 – ‘Gladbeck’
- WIZO – ‘Egal was kommt’
- ZSK – ‘Antifaschista’
- Betontod – ‘Glück Auf!’
- Rasta Knast – ‘Räubersaat’
- Outsiders Joy – ‘Bessere Welt’
- Suicide Outfit – ‘Bella Ciao’
- Knochenfabrik – ‘Grüne Haare’
- Slime – ‘Komm schon Klar’
- Heiter bis Wolkig – ‘Forever Punk’
- Razzia – ‘Am Rande von Berlin’
- The Lost Lyrics – ‘Zweierminderheit’
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