The award-winning comedy sensation Die Roten Punkte (The Red Dots) opened at the Cultch this week. Berlin's Prince and Princess of Indie Rock, dysfunctional, squabbling siblings Otto and Astrid Rot unveiled their eagerly anticipated third album, Kunst Rock (Art Rock).
The hilarious duo sets the scene right from their Rock Star entrance; Astrid decked in an elaborate, unusually high-necked kimono and Otto in a graffiti leather jacket and suspender pants. “It's kind of punk geisha meets snow white you know,” explains Astrid in a thick German accent.
They open the show with their catchy song Burger Store Dinosaur and it's really quite good. They may be squabbling dysfunctional siblings but their musicality is great; Otto on tiny guitars and Astrid on drums.
O: I had seen some amazing concerts like on TV. I had seen Iggie Pop... but I saw Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters and when he is on the stage, like when I saw him, it changed everything for me. I wanted to make the most amazing rock and roll concert that we could do.
tV: How long did it take to develop the show?
O: Well you know we were making music together...
A: Since we were kids
O: yah, well actually it took us some time because we didn't have instruments for a long time so we were just practicing how to stand on stage, how to look good in photos. Like you might see some photos of us and think oh that's really natural but we had to work about thirteen years to look that natural. Then finally we got some musical instruments and started playing.
Their banter with each other, and the audience, between songs is clever and witty and never misses a beat no matter what happens.
A: last night my favourite moment was when Otto fell on his ass. That was a really great moment.
O: yah, that was really funny.
A: yah, I really liked that moment. When I looked over and he was on the floor...
O: yah, Astrid likes it when I hurt myself.
A: yah.
After a quick conversation about pineapple brushing they moved on to their practical gadget inspired Bananenhaus. Astrid busted some memorable moves with Second Best Friend and then they went into the story of how their parents were eaten by a lion (or run over by a train).
O: It took like a whole year of being in therapy to get over my fear of lions. It was one of the first things we did when we started to make some money from selling t-shirts and CDs and stuff...
A: yah, we tried to fix Otto.
O: she said we need to work on some issues because you know Astrid she was really the one who was helping me with everything. She was really like a mother figure to me.
A: he was scared of lions but he was scared of anything that makes growling sounds like dogs or even a pussy cat if it meows very loudly, or like purring, like that. If he thought maybe it could possibly be a lion. But he is better now.
O: now I can listen to that noise and it doesn't bother me at all.
tV: Where did you learn your dance moves?
A: I go out dancing all the time to clubs and Otto watches all the music videos.
O: I found a video tape of... you know there was a film called Breakdance in the 80s? Turbo from that, she has a video teaching you how to do popping and locking and break dancing and stuff. So this is how I learned, from Turbo.
They close their show with their signature song I am a Lion.
A: it's called Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter, I am a Lion which means I am not a robot, I am a lion.
O: It's only three notes.
A: and a cowbell.
The evening goes by quickly and later, we're able to talk with the duo about their music.
tV: can we buy your music?
O: yah, we have to do albums so far that we can buy on iTunes and we are just finishing off Kunst Rock our new album. Then we are going to have another new album next year that we are working on at the moment.
tV: and will you have music videos to go with them?
A: oh yes.
O: we have four music videos at the moment that you can see on our web site or on Youtube.
“Equal parts pop concert, clowning, sketch comedy, and cabaret, Die Roten Punkte is the continually evolving story of siblings Astrid and Otto Rot, orphaned electro-punk rockers and ostensible darlings of the Berlin underground rock scene.”
contact the Cultch for tickets and times.
They open the show with their catchy song Burger Store Dinosaur and it's really quite good. They may be squabbling dysfunctional siblings but their musicality is great; Otto on tiny guitars and Astrid on drums.
O: I had seen some amazing concerts like on TV. I had seen Iggie Pop... but I saw Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters and when he is on the stage, like when I saw him, it changed everything for me. I wanted to make the most amazing rock and roll concert that we could do.
tV: How long did it take to develop the show?
O: Well you know we were making music together...
A: Since we were kids
O: yah, well actually it took us some time because we didn't have instruments for a long time so we were just practicing how to stand on stage, how to look good in photos. Like you might see some photos of us and think oh that's really natural but we had to work about thirteen years to look that natural. Then finally we got some musical instruments and started playing.
Their banter with each other, and the audience, between songs is clever and witty and never misses a beat no matter what happens.
A: last night my favourite moment was when Otto fell on his ass. That was a really great moment.
O: yah, that was really funny.
A: yah, I really liked that moment. When I looked over and he was on the floor...
O: yah, Astrid likes it when I hurt myself.
A: yah.
After a quick conversation about pineapple brushing they moved on to their practical gadget inspired Bananenhaus. Astrid busted some memorable moves with Second Best Friend and then they went into the story of how their parents were eaten by a lion (or run over by a train).
O: It took like a whole year of being in therapy to get over my fear of lions. It was one of the first things we did when we started to make some money from selling t-shirts and CDs and stuff...
A: yah, we tried to fix Otto.
O: she said we need to work on some issues because you know Astrid she was really the one who was helping me with everything. She was really like a mother figure to me.
A: he was scared of lions but he was scared of anything that makes growling sounds like dogs or even a pussy cat if it meows very loudly, or like purring, like that. If he thought maybe it could possibly be a lion. But he is better now.
O: now I can listen to that noise and it doesn't bother me at all.
tV: Where did you learn your dance moves?
A: I go out dancing all the time to clubs and Otto watches all the music videos.
O: I found a video tape of... you know there was a film called Breakdance in the 80s? Turbo from that, she has a video teaching you how to do popping and locking and break dancing and stuff. So this is how I learned, from Turbo.
They close their show with their signature song I am a Lion.
A: it's called Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter, I am a Lion which means I am not a robot, I am a lion.
O: It's only three notes.
A: and a cowbell.
The evening goes by quickly and later, we're able to talk with the duo about their music.
tV: can we buy your music?
O: yah, we have to do albums so far that we can buy on iTunes and we are just finishing off Kunst Rock our new album. Then we are going to have another new album next year that we are working on at the moment.
tV: and will you have music videos to go with them?
A: oh yes.
O: we have four music videos at the moment that you can see on our web site or on Youtube.
“Equal parts pop concert, clowning, sketch comedy, and cabaret, Die Roten Punkte is the continually evolving story of siblings Astrid and Otto Rot, orphaned electro-punk rockers and ostensible darlings of the Berlin underground rock scene.”
contact the Cultch for tickets and times.
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