From August 6 to 8, 2010, it was that time again: For three days, the deepest East Berlin prefabricated housing region Ahrensfelde was filled with loud music, plenty of chaos, and certainly some culture shock, because: RESIST TO EXIST was back. Now in its fourth year at the Roof site, after searching for a new venue following the now too small OpenAir stage in Biesdorfer Park. Nevertheless, it is still non-profit oriented, and the beer has not become more expensive, very solidarity-minded. After hearing that attendance numbers at this year's Force Attack seemed to have collapsed significantly, I did not notice anything like that at RESIST; it seemed just as well attended as in previous years, especially since I think that once someone has caught a whiff of the RESIST atmosphere, they won't be able to shake it off quickly and will return to the festival. Not only because it is well connected in terms of transport, and the ticket price is reasonable, but also because RESIST has a lineup that is impressive, and on the other hand, it still maintains a family-friendly and peaceful atmosphere, with a fairly manageable festival area (campsite, first stage, second stage, beer counter: all reachable within a minute) and is still well organized. The program flows seamlessly into one another, with the Small Stage and Main Stage alternating in sound; when there is noise from one stage, there is quiet on the other. This way, you have the opportunity to actually see every band.
The first highlight for me was OHL on Friday. Even though I am not quite sure what OHL actually stands for amidst all the opposition, their provocative style has captivated me. Somewhere deep behind the militant facade, I suspect great sarcasm. About 400 people gathered in front of the stage, and with increasing alcohol consumption, the mood also rose. After the propagandistic-sounding "Freedom, Justice, Equality" slogan bashing from OHL, I inadvertently got a glimpse behind the festival scenes after I (I think unintentionally) got hit on the nose. Everything was also well organized backstage, with friendly, attentive, and overprotective people from the medical service, even though one should ideally spend their time at a festival somewhere other than in the medical tent; it was still very pleasant there. I was back in shape just in time for KAFKAS. After hearing their new CD "Paula," which features more electronic sounds over long stretches, I was curious to see how they would implement it live. Keyboards and electronic drums came from the tape during the "electro songs" like "Klatscht in die Hände," yet it was a great show with the familiar KAFKA-esque show elements like the audience bolognese or seated pogo. New this time: a second guitar or rather a second guitarist on stage. In a brief conversation with Markus from KAFKAS, he also mentioned the family character of RESIST, which he also appreciates. ZAUNPFAHL heroically closed the Friday night. Cheerfully celebrated by about 1000 people in front of the stage, all the songs that make the ZAUNPFAHL heart beat faster rang out, including (like no other band) pogoing almost to the last row.
After a long night, after all, you don't go to a festival to sleep, the BlumentoPferde fought against the hangover of about 20 people in front of the stage as the first band of the day on Saturday; the singer was visibly not very enthusiastic about the lack of audience reaction. Otherwise, Saturday still had some gems of German punk in store for the audience, such as MISSBRAUCH from Munich, DÖDELHAIE, ACK, COR, and the Saturday headliner FAHNENFLUCHT. The sharks from Duisburg, led by the charismatic singer Andy, were the perfect warm-up for the evening. Andy is so full of humor; every Haie concert also thrives on him, no matter what he says, he always manages to make me laugh. And yet they always convey a political message. A very good mix. Just as Andy's sharks live, the Rügen-based COR live by their slogan "Freistil, Kampfstil, Lebensstil" from singer Friedemann, who seems to be getting a little more tattooed at every concert. The energy that these four island dwellers radiate live is truly unique. Although RAWSIDE unfortunately had to cancel, FAHNENFLUCHT still ended a fantastic festival day with a typically fit, clean, and energetic show and also presented a preview of the upcoming album. I am certainly looking forward to it. The third and final festival day was opened by INKOMPETENT. A band unknown to me until now, which I still want to mention briefly. They were just the right fit for the start of a third festival day when one is already quite exhausted and battling a hangover again. The guys from Luckenwalde presented themselves fully costumed and offered a comedy-worthy show, performing Rammstein songs in their brightly colored costumes with slightly altered lyrics ("Der Schuh passt nicht" instead of "Du hasst mich"), making them seem completely unbelievable and out of context. No one could suppress a grin. A small highlight of Sunday before Skarface ended RESIST 2010 was certainly the Bernauer beer chansonists OXO86, who drained the festival audience of almost their last reserves of energy and presented themselves in their usual manner with their three (I would guess) four-year-old children on stage (OXO singer: "Please refrain from throwing plastic bottles on stage. What should my children think? That the deposit money is just coming to them? With this attitude, they will never go to work again. It will cost me a lot of educational effort to get that out of them"). One last beer at a solidarity low price and then off home.
All in all, another fantastic festival, for which I would even travel a while if it weren't right at my doorstep. Next year again!