If you’re a fan of Die Roten Punkte, you pretty much know what to expect. If you have not seen them before, it’s time you did. Pretending to be a German brother / sister indy punk rock band, they are much more than a mere parody of the White Stripes. Otto & Astrid have created a band with great songs, albums, and merch for sale, and video clips on-line. They put on a hilariously entertaining show and surely, they have as big a following as any straight indy band in Melbourne. Certainly the packed audience was filled with fans who welcomed them like rock stars and sang along with many of the songs.
It was fabulous to discover that their songs have developed in sophistication and that they lived up to our excited expectations. With their talented musicianship it’s easy to forget that they are playing on children’s instruments. I kept worrying that Astrid is going to destroy that tiny drum kit one of these days. Every song was a showstopper. One acoustic ballad sung by Otto (much to Astrid’s disapproval) to a lucky lady in the audience, was called ‘Straight Edged Girl’, an ode to a vegetarian punk dream girl. Astrid’s ‘Oh My God Yeah’ is a rather less romantic punk ode to sex.
“Ich Bin Nicht ein Roboter” is the centre piece with an uproarious nod to 80s electronic music and killer choreography. So how do you follow that? With the epic “4.15 to Spandau”, a disturbing, gothic, punk tale of their dark childhood that gave us a fuller picture of the pair’s back story, hinted at between songs in the show. “Rock Bang” and “Supermusikant” included audience participation and were huge crowd pleasers. The audience delighted in joining in on the joke, playing the part of adoring fans but then maybe they are becoming adoring fans.
The show started late and went for an hour and a half, so just as well it’s only going to be on at weekends, but there is no fear of falling asleep in this show. Its an exhilarating way to end a night at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Otto & Astrid are definitely the coolest musical comedy act around, so be sure to get yourself a ticket for Die Roten Punkte’s Robot / Lion tour of 2009.
Visit the Comedy Festival Website for booking details.