The evening before St. Nicholas was set to be a hot night at Berlin's S.O. 36. The ska-punk band BANDA BASSOTTI from Rome invited their guests CISCO and KOP, and as always in Berlin, when this truly great band plays, fans came in droves.
It started at 9:00 PM. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit late due to a subway breakdown on the way. After dropping off our unnecessary clothes at the cloakroom, we entered the already well-filled concert hall. CISCO (formerly MODENA CITY RAMBLERS) was already playing, or rather celebrating their performance. I wasn't familiar with the band until now, and what I heard on MySpace didn't blow me away either. However, what I saw now left me in awe. The band, and especially the extremely present and charismatic singer Cisco, created an atmosphere in the room that made you do more than just listen. Unfortunately, we only caught three songs. But they were all impressive. Musically very diverse, the band's style is still always very folk-oriented. Depending on the lyrics and melody, influences from singer/songwriter, Irish and Celtic music, as well as punk are incorporated. The instrumentation with violin is also very folk-oriented, so the band composes not only atmospheric but also captivating songs. The perfect sound and the really great lighting contributed to seeing the band as the first highlight of the evening. I would have liked to see CISCO longer, but since they were the first band, there was no encore.
The second band KOP from Catalonia was the hardest caliber to be heard that evening. Their mix of metal, hardcore, and punk came through crystal clear and extremely powerful from the speakers. Two guitars, a bass, a DJ, and a drum set—that was KOP. At times, they also reminded me of the Rügen band C.O.R.. The Catalan band played for a good hour. By now, S.O. 36 was nearly sold out, and it can be said with certainty that the audience was thrilled by the band's sound. As the third band and the main act that everyone had been waiting for that evening, the Romans of BANDA BASSOTTI took the stage. Not only because of their musical quality and long existence do they have many fans, but also because they remain very political and do not hold back. BANDA BASSOTTI are not only active on stage but also engage politically outside of concerts. So it was not surprising that it got very crowded at the front. When the band started playing their first songs, a very friendly albeit frenetic pogo broke out. Every song was cheered and celebrated. It quickly became an absolute party. The atmosphere was sensational. Everyone was having fun. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. The colorful mixed audience consisted of punks, skins, some regular folks, and of course many Italians who always support the band in Berlin. It was a celebration that S.O. 36 rarely experiences.
Classics like “Bella Ciao” were sung loudly by nearly 700 people. Anyone who didn't get goosebumps should seriously reconsider. After about 90 minutes, the band left the stage, promising that they would see each other again soon at the aftershow party at Clash on Mehringdamm.
And that indeed happened. The night was still very long.