I found this old review I wrote for the now defunct website LookListenPlay.com, some five years ago. It's on this wonderful play by Eddy Habbema called 'Anne and Goebbels: A Confrontation'. Reading it I started to remember the play, and I think it is worthwhile to re-publish the review here. The image of Anne Frank on one side of the stage and Joseph Goebbels on the other, both reading from their respective diaries, is quite a haunting one.
Anne and Goebbels - The opposites of right and wrong (written March 2010)
Last week I went to see quite an interesting play at the Bellevue Theater in Amsterdam. Two people who can be seen as complete opposite poles and key figures in the imagery of World War II together on a stage, both reading from their respective diaries. One a man, hungry for respect and honour, with a deep love for his country and for a certain Adolf Hitler. The other a young girl, adolescent in her manner of dreaming, yet almost woman-like in some of her remarks on life.
Putting the characters of German Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels and Dutch Jewish girl Anne Frank on the same stage seems a bit controversial at first, but the play “Anne and Goebbels: A Confrontation” by Eddy Habbema has a lot more to offer than mere sensationalism. The play focuses solely on the content of the respective diaries of Frank and Goebbels, with an occasional original audio bite or film clip to give some extra historical context. Anne Frank, played wonderfully by the beautiful Merel Polat, mostly sits on or around her bed on the left side of the stage, reading from her diary, which she named Kitty. She considers Kitty to be the only friend who can really listen to her, especially when she is hiding with her family in the Achterhuis. On the other side of the stage, sitting behind his desk, we find Joseph Goebbels, played by a charismatic Victor Löw. At times quiet and at times shouting, Goebbels recites his diary starting somewhere in the late nineteenth century. Through his remarks, we travel through the times of World War I and the Weimar Republic as seen through the eyes of a becoming national-socialist. The way Goebbels describes the uprising of Adolf Hitler in the late twenties and early thirties of the last century makes one feel more than a little unsettled, not so much because of the knowledge we now have, but more because it is not hard at all to understand some of the things Goebbels is saying.
It doesn’t take long though before one notices that Goebbels becomes more and more entangled in his own megalomania and neuroticism and starts saying things about ‘the Problem of the Jews’. This is where the worlds of Goebbels and Frank start to touch upon each other. This is where the play offers an intriguing view: on the left we see Anne Frank, sad and confused when she hears about Jewish friends being deported or murdered. On the right we hear Joseph Goebbels being ecstatic about the fact that with Hitler in power Germany finally has a good answer to all the problems caused by Jews. We hear Anne Frank being carefully optimistic when she hears the English talk about a possible end to the war and we see Joseph Goebbels almost collapsing out of despair when he hears of the German defeat in Stalingrad. Anne Frank talks about how she doesn’t believe that war is only something of the leaders of the world, but that it’s just as much something of the little man, who goes along with things and shows an evil side as well. Joseph Goebbels talks about the strength and spirit of the common people, who can help the country win this war by showing a strong backbone. This interplay of opposed emotions and worldviews makes this play wonderful to follow and gives a more nuanced view on the whole subject matter.
Unfortunately, the things being said in this play are not just history. Many things still relate to the world we currently live in. When Joseph Goebbels talks about “the problem of the Jews, who refuse to become true Germans”, we can translate this to many nationalistic and religious warfare. Even in the Netherlands as we speak things like this are going on, with the rise of Dutch politic Geert Wilders, who talks about ‘the problem of Moroccans, who refuse to become true Dutch citizens’. Or take a look at the situation in Israel and Palestina, where discrimination based on religious and nationalistic beliefs is the story of everyday. The play “Anne and Goebbels” is therefore worthwhile for everyone to see and talk about. Apart from it being an aesthetic great piece of work, it deals with issues that no country should ever forget, lest it happens again. As Merel Polat states in an interview: “Anne Frank is not The Jew and Joseph Goebbels not The Nazi.”
"At Roadburn there's this incredible community that forms at the festival."
In 2012 the LA outfit Marriageserupted onto the world stage with a truly delightful EP (Kitsune). The six tracks on that record melt together in a brilliant symbiosis of shoegazy post doom and psychedelic krautrock, overlaid with meandering and mesmerising vocals. Members Emma Ruth Rundle (vocals, guitar) and Greg Burns (synth, bass) both had already proven their musical abilities in post rock masters Red Sparowes, so the overall quality of their output under the moniker of Marriages was not unexpected. Still, they managed to succeed even the highest of expectations and one could only hope for more music.
Today sees the birth of Salome, their debut full length, released on the lovely Sargent House label, home to numerous of your favourite bands. On top of that, Marriages (with added drummer Andrew Clinco) is about to embark on their first European tour, as support of the mighty Wovenhand. More than enough reason to catch up with the band in these exciting time. Greg Burns has been so kind to answer a few questions over e-mail.
Marriages' new album Salome will be released this week. In what ways does this full length debut differ from the Kitsune EP?
Greg Burns: "Kitsune was written almost stream of consciousness: we literally wrote the songs as one large half hour piece. Salome is different. Each song was written to stand alone, so the process of writing was very different. We really tried to focus and evolve our sound between the two records, to challenge ourselves and push the boundaries of our music. Also, Andrew Clinco, our full-time drummer joined the band for this record and had a huge part in developing its sound."
You've played some shows in the US earlier this year, and I imagine the record has been reviewed here and there already. How's the reception been so far to the new music?
GB: "We're just starting to see most reviews in the past week or so. So far the feedback has been very positive - I haven't seen a bad review yet, although I'm sure it's coming, haha! It seems that people get the references as well - a nod to 80's, post-punk, shoegaze. I really appreciate all the good commentary so far; this record was a long and trying process to create, so it feels very rewarding."
You're embarking on an extensive European tour, together with Wovenhand. This will be the first time Marriages will play for European crowds, right? What are your thoughts both on playing together with David Eugene Edwards and on enticing the European music lovers?
GB: "We're very excited to play with Wovenhand - we're all big fans of the music. It will also be a reunion of sorts. David's backup band has members of Planes Mistaken for Stars, and Red Sparowes played a bunch of shows with those guys over the years.
As far as Europe, I'm very happy to go there, and curious to see what the response will be like. Marriages hasn't been there yet, so it's very hard to predict how it will go, but generally my experience with Red Sparowes was that people were very receptive and supportive."
Final one: you'll play the legendary Roadburn Festival, with Helms Alee and Russian Circles, among many others. What are your thoughts on playing there?
GB: "I'm thrilled. I love that festival. Playing there with Red Sparowes was one of the best shows I've ever played. There's this incredible community that forms at the festival and people are just incredibly excited about the music. Walter (Roadburn promoter) is very sweet, and I'm thankful they included us.
Also, there will be plenty of bands that we know - it'll be awesome to be able to get together and get into some trouble. Thanks!"
Marriages will kick of their European tour at the Roadburn festival this Thursday, on Friday they will play Doornroosje in Nijmegen. Here's the rest of the tour dates.
March 28th, 2015. A sullen rainy Saturday in Amsterdam. One of those nights where gloom and misery seem to be cloaked around every hunched body dragging itself along the streets. What better time to dive into one of Amsterdam's rock n roll caves and immerse oneself in a full on stoner onslaught of four great bands from the low lands of Holland and Belgium?
The rock n roll cave in particular this time is Winston Kingdom, at the heart of the Red Light District. First band of the night is Nauseahtake, a local lot from Amsterdam, playing a sludgy style of experimental improv stoner layered with spacey synth sounds. Great build ups make you long for enormous explosions, but the four lads excel in teasing and only rarely does a climactic thunder sear through our souls. But they deliver their music well, and with ferocity. Great band, and I look forward to hearing more from them.
Next in line is The Fur from Belgium. One look at their guitarist Jens Hugo is enough to ascertain the kind of music they will play: psychedelic seventies stoner. The guy definitely looks his music. The first few songs are very promising and take you on long and windy road. Unfortunately the road doesn't seem to be leading anywhere in the end, and the band starts to get lost within their own music, resulting in a messy second half of the show. Props for the banana marketing they did though. Handing out banana's is always a good idea. As The Fur states themselves: Not Enough Bananas.
Then it's time for Mantra Machine to take the stage. Tonight marks the vinyl release of their 2014 album Nitrogen. At least that's what the flyer for the shows says, because the lads of Mantra Machine themselves seem either to shy to tell the crowd who they are and which album everybody should buy tonight, or they just only give a shit about playing their music and screw all else. Their music warrants enough reason to buy their albums anyway, because their psychedelic instrumental space jams transcend the earthly planes and leave you begging for more. The bass lines especially are rad beyond the extreme. Go see them when they are around.
Last up is Yama, Tilburg's finest. I've had the pleasure of doing an interview with them some time ago, and it's great to see they are not only still going strong, but going even stronger still. After a long period of delay their first full length finally saw the light of day in late 2014. Their album Ananta can be considered as one of the finest pieces of Dutch stoner history already and their live shows add some extra raw quality to the songs. Tonight some technical difficulties mess up the first song a bit, but as soon as the bass is fixed the Yama freight train is on its way and cannot be stopped. Unsuspecting people in the front turn into rabid fans straight away when Yama sinks its fangs in their throbbing throats. Singer Alex Schenkels delivers his sermons in a most convincing manner, while Peter Taverne tests the foundations of Winston with his grooving bass lines. Guitarist Sjoerd Albers commands the Vedic deities with his riffs of mythic proportions, while drummer Joep Schmitz just about brings down the entire house with his relentless pummelling on his kit. During the title track of Ananta, everything seems to fall in its right place and all the gloom and misery of the beginning of the night evaporates in an effervescent cloud of joy. Far fucking out, man.
Inmiddels alweer twee jaar geleden had ik een interview met een van Amsterdams meest sympathieke, kwalitatief ass-kickende en fijne bands van die tijd: Tiger Pilots. Dat was 2013. Inmiddels is het 2015 en zijn de heren voor zover ik zelf kan beantwoorden nog steeds zeer sympathiek en erg fijn, maar bovendien kicken ze nog steeds kwalitatief ass. Dit bleek eerder dit jaar maar weer toen ze het nummer Life uitbrachten voor de No Music No Glory campagne, voor de stichting No Guts No Glory, die zich bezig houdt met het inzamelen van geld voor behandelingen tegen kanker die niet door de zorgverzekeraars vergoed worden. Zowel de media als de luisteraar (nummer 1 in de download top 100 van iTunes!) zijn laaiend enthousiast over de track, genoeg reden om hem hier weer eens naar voren te halen.
Het interview dat ik had met Tiger Pilots was toentertijd geplaatst op het alternatieve muziekblog Jimmy Alter, maar dat is helaas ter ziele gegaan. Daarom hieronder nog maar eens dat interview, want deze mannen verdienen de aandacht. Overigens: op 7 mei spelen ze in de P60 te Amstelveen!
Dutch Delight: Tiger Pilots (interview maart 2013)
Soms heb je van die mooie concertavonden, waarbij niet alleen de headliner geweldig is, maar waar je ook positief verrast wordt door het voorprogramma. Onlangs gebeurde dat bij de show van Paul Banks, waar het voorprogramma werd verzorgd door het Amsterdamse Tiger Pilots. We hadden enthousiaste woorden voor hen in onze recensie en we besloten hen op te zoeken om eens nader kennis te maken. Jimmy Alter sprak met hen in het bovencafe van de Amsterdamse Melkweg over hun muziek en hun nieuw te verschijnen EP, die ze dinsdag 5 maart presenteren tijdens een releaseparty in de Sugar Factory.
Het interview met de vier heren van Tiger Pilots (Ramón van Geytenbeek -zang, Derk Zegwaard - drums, Ludwin Schouten - bas en Jonathan Chua - gitaar) doen we in het Engels, omdat gitarist Jonathan het Nederlands nog helemaal meester is. Op een of andere manier past het ook wel bij het geluid van de band, dat absoluut internationale allure heeft. De mannen zijn enthousiast, want over een paar dagen wordt hun EP The Truth About Lies gepresenteerd met een optreden in de Sugar Factory. Ze zijn zeer tevreden met het uiteindelijke resultaat. “We hebben de EP in twee dagen opgenomen in de IJland Studio’s bij Thomas Olivier. Het was voor ons de eerste keer in een professionele studio en we zijn blij met de uitkomst. Thomas kwam met goed ideeen om de nummers met wat kleine aanpassingen hier en daar net wat professioneler te maken. Ze klinken nu echt af, vooral door de toevoeging van electronische elementen. Af en toe kwam hij ook wel op de proppen met wat extreme dingen, maar die hebben we weten te beperken!”
Het geluid is zeker goed te noemen op de EP. De muziek van Tiger Pilots zit in de hoek van de post-punk met vleugjes new wave en indie. De tracks hebben zowel de mooie afstandelijkheid in het geluid dat zo kenmerkend is voor de post-punk, maar tegelijk klinken de nummers ook warm. Volgens de band klinken de nummers vooral erg als Tiger Pilots. “Voor je de studio in gaat heb je een bepaald idee over hoe je muziek moet klinken. Dan is het goed als je met een producer iemand hebt die met een vers oor er naar luistert en dan zijn vingers precies op de goede plekken weet te leggen. Toch is er weinig aan de nummers veranderd. De structuur en de essentie zijn hetzelfde gebleven.”
Tiger Pilots bestaat nu zo’n drie jaar. “De historie van de band gaat terug naar ongeveer 2010. Ramón en Ludwin speelden al wat langer samen onder verschillende namen, maar vanaf 2010 is de band zoals deze nu bestaat compleet, met de toevoeging van Derk en Jonathan. Het mooie is dat het allemaal gewoon klopt in deze formatie.” Het schrijven van muziek gaat de band dan ook goed af. “Het is bijna belachelijk hoe snel we soms nieuwe nummers kunnen schrijven, ze komen werkelijk uit alle hoeken binnen. Het is mooi om te zien dat dat ook geldt voor de complexiteit en volledigheid. We schrijven nog steeds makkelijk nieuwe nummers, maar ze zijn ook steeds meer af en zitten beter in elkaar. Na onze laatste oefensessie hadden we weer twee tracks die bijna af zijn. Op dit moment zitten we zo rond de 30 nummers die we af kunnen ronden.”
Ondanks de ruime keuze aan nummers, was het niet moeilijk te bepalen welke drie er op de EP terecht moesten komen. “De nummers die er nu op staan, geven goed de verschilende facetten weer waar Tiger Pilots voor staat. We voelden alle vier dat met deze selectie de gevarieerdheid van de band naar voren komt. Er staat een wat rustig nummer op, een meer up-tempo dansbaar nummer en eentje die er tussenin zit.” Live kan de band naast mooi en ingetogen of dansbaar zeker ook stevig klinken, hoewel er ook weer geen deathmetal moet worden verwacht. “Haha nee dat zeker niet. Misschien hier en daar wat pirate metal! Maar nee, we hebben wel wat stevigere nummers, maar daarvoor moeten de mensen ons voorlopig live aanschouwen.”
De EP is voor de band een opstapje naar hopelijk meer. De tracks ‘Soothe Me’, ‘Secrecy’ en ‘Ghosts’ doen in ieder geval uitzien naar een volledige debuutplaat. “Op een eventuele LP zullen we nog meer laten zien van onze veelzijdigheid. Dit is nog maar een EP, maar we hopen dat het kan leiden tot vooral meer optredens, zodat we als band kunnen groeien en hopelijk wat geld bij elkaar kunnen sprokkelen om dit te kunnen blijven doen. Dit is onze eerste professionele opname en ook de eerste keer dat we onze muziek de wereld in sturen naar blogs, radio, programmeurs etcetera. Je hebt toch wel een goede opname nodig om op te kunnen vallen. Dat geldt ook voor het artwork, je moet gelijk een goede indruk maken wil je niet ergens onderop een stapel blijven liggen.”
De eerste shows zijn in ieder geval al een feit, met onlangs dus het optreden in de Melkweg en de releaseparty in de Sugar Factory. “Dat was zelfs al de tweede keer in de Melkweg voor ons. Vorig jaar hebben we een korte support tour gedaan met de Boxer Rebellion, toen speelden we ook daar. Dat was sowieso een mooie ervaring en het heeft ons als band zeker sterker gemaakt. Voor het eerst een paar dagen achter elkaar spelen en onderweg zijn, samen spelen met een professionele band van wie je toch dingetjes kunt leren. We spelen nu weer beter dan een jaar geleden. Door zowel die tour als door de opnames in de studio, weten we nu ook beter wat er allemaal mogelijk is met onze muziek, de grenzen van wat Tiger Pilots allemaal vermag zijn een stuk opgeschoven.”
Wat dat betreft ligt de toekomst dus helemaal open en lijkt die ook veelbelovend. We kijken nog even naar de muziek zelf en de invloeden die daaraan ten grondslag liggen. Die blijken zeer uitgebreid te zijn. Van Tom Waits tot aan Radiohead, van vroege punkrock naar post-hardcore, van mathrock tot aan vervreemdende indie -de bandleden halen hun inspiratie overal vandaan. Tekstueel zijn vooral Ian Curtis, Morrissey en Placebo belangrijk geweest. Zanger Ramón haalt zijn inspiratie vooral uit zijn eigen belevingswereld vandaan en schrijft daar donkere teksten over, maar vaak toch met een hoopvolle ondertoon. “De combinatie van de muziek en de teksten zorg soms voor een mooi spanningsveld, omdat de muziek soms tegen het vrolijke en dansbare aanzit, maar de tekst eigenlijk een stuk duisterder is.”
Uiteindelijk is de muziek van Tiger Pilots een amalgaam van verschillende invloeden en stromingen, een perfecte symbiose van klanken en woorden die toch vooral heel erg als Tiger Pilots klinkt. Uniek op hun eigen manier, lukt het hen om een geluid neer te zetten dat zowel fijn als intrigerend is. De teksten zijn sterk en trekken de luisteraar mee een levendige literaire wereld in. Op de EP komt dit al goed naar voren (luister vooral eens goed naar ‘Ghosts’!), maar live wordt hier nog een extra laag aan intensiteit toegevoegd. Tiger Pilots is een band om te koesteren.
The internet can make for interesting and surprising collaborations. Take for example the Dutch rock band A Dark Line. Hailing from the east of Holland, they've come into contact through Facebook with American singer and bass player Brett Hestla, known for his work in Dark New Day and Virgil Merlot. The Dutch lads laid down some tracks and Hestla added his vocals and a collaboration was born, resulting in the EP 'Running from the Light'.
The first single of that EP is Head Through the Wall. The music is recorded at the Split Second Sound studio by Jochem Jacobs of Textures fame, and he has done a pretty good job. The production quality is of international standards, which both works to their advantage and as a slight letdown. The overall sound of Head Through the Wall is very solid, but has an 'all-American-college-rock' feel. It's a little too generic for my taste. Hestla's voice very much adds to this feeling, and the fact that he mixed the songs in the US probably accounts for this as well.
All in all this first single sounds quite alright, but it lacks an edge. It makes me curious about the rest of the EP though. You can check out the song and the nicely illustrated video (done by Remko Tielemans, also from Textures) below.
Update: the EP can be listened to on Spotify (and iTunes). I've checked the other songs out as well, and they fit pretty much under the same umbrella as Head Through the Wall: generic all-American college rock. Not really my cup of tea, but definitely well made.
Blaming well shaped shadows for the fading light. Knowing the sweet sounds in the air come from a certain direction. Looking up, neon lights blinding me.
Another night. Another me. Changing dimensions like clothes. Fresh. New. Trendy.
You. My dimension. Right now. Time doesn't exist. Time is irrelevant. Space. Space is irrelevant.
We are. We dress ourselves in this moment. Let us be.
Putting the characters of German Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels and Dutch Jewish girl Anne Frank on the same stage seems a bit controversial at first, but the play “Anne and Goebbels: A Confrontation” by Eddy Habbema has a lot more to offer than mere sensationalism. The play focuses solely on the content of the respective diaries of Frank and Goebbels, with an occasional original audio bite or film clip to give some extra historical context. Anne Frank, played wonderfully by the beautiful Merel Polat, mostly sits on or around her bed on the left side of the stage, reading from her diary, which she named Kitty. She considers Kitty to be the only friend who can really listen to her, especially when she is hiding with her family in the Achterhuis. On the other side of the stage, sitting behind his desk, we find Joseph Goebbels, played by a charismatic Victor Löw. At times quiet and at times shouting, Goebbels recites his diary starting somewhere in the late nineteenth century. Through his remarks, we travel through the times of World War I and the Weimar Republic as seen through the eyes of a becoming national-socialist. The way Goebbels describes the uprising of Adolf Hitler in the late twenties and early thirties of the last century makes one feel more than a little unsettled, not so much because of the knowledge we now have, but more because it is not hard at all to understand some of the things Goebbels is saying.
