“A lot of stress, a great party, and a huge pile of trash! Of course, also the fantastic commitment of all about 250 volunteers! Lastly, as in every year, the struggle with the accounting and the hope of not having dug ourselves too deep into financial trouble!” This is what Thommäs from the RESIST team thinks about when he reflects on the past seven days after RESIST TO EXIST 2011 on Wednesday. RESIST TO EXIST has now become as much a part of the Berlin summer as the chicken is to the egg. Or the egg to the chicken. Whichever way you look at it, what should be said is: RESIST is an integral part of the Berlin summer! It is certainly one of those festivals that you visit once and then, hooked by the RESIST charm, keep coming back to. At least that was my experience. In 2011, RESIST once again showcased its unique character, setting itself apart from the mainstream festival landscape.
RESIST is particularly distinguished by the large number of supporters and volunteers, and of course by its DIY approach. The core team of RESIST consists of about 20 people who voluntarily tackle the mountain of bureaucracy year after year and try to manage the avalanche of state regulations. On top of that, they also handle the entire organization, including band booking. In addition to the core RESIST team, another 250 volunteers work each year on the implementation of the festival in areas such as setup and teardown, catering, medical assistance, security, technical support, and bar service. Regarding the latter, I want to mention that RESIST continues to maintain a policy of solidarity beer prices: With a price of 1.50 euros for a freshly tapped beer, no one can really complain. The question of whether outside alcohol can be brought onto the festival grounds does not arise for RESIST: Of course, yes!
Those 200 volunteers receive free entry to RESIST along with just 5 beer tokens for their efforts. When you think about it, you can understand how much RESIST means to many Berliners. And rightly so. This is what ultimately makes RESIST a festival from the scene for the scene.
While RESIST managed to overcome all hurdles leading up to the festival, other DIY festivals unfortunately faced different fates, as this year's BREAK THE SILENCE had to be canceled due to excessive implementation difficulties. After all, the financial expenditures for a festival of this size need to be covered. While RESIST 2011 seemed better attended to me than festivals in previous years, it still did not exceed the 2,000 visitor mark. This may also be due to the fact that Wacken or the annual and free Haltestelle Woodstock, which is not even 100 km from Berlin, took place, reportedly attracting even 900,000 visitors. Yes, unimaginable, but I have been there myself three times, and it is truly unimaginably large. Bands like DONOTS, FARBEN LEHRE, and PRODIGY naturally draw many Berliners who would otherwise have attended RESIST to Poland. What this means for a potential RESIST 2012, Thommäs commented for me with the following words:
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t break the 2,000 mark, which would have been more than necessary from a financial perspective. As a result, we will have to slightly reorient ourselves for – should it happen – RESIST 2012. Whether this will manifest in a reduced number of bands, only 2 instead of 3 days, smaller stages, higher admission prices, more expensive beer, or whatever else is currently very open. The fact is, however, that the necessary revenue likely did not come in. Our finance people are currently going around in circles trying to communicate a final status.”
Moreover, some bands at RESIST 2011 can also be found on almost every lineup from previous years, such as POPPERKLOPPER, FAHNENFLUCHT, RASTA KNAST, and ALARMSIGNAL. Nevertheless, RESIST also offered various treats. The grounds and the campsite were as manageable as usual, but one could also find a quiet spot on the campsite if one wanted to.
Friday was opened by the Berlin band TEMPO 30, after they won a band competition called Battle to Resist. Of course, at 3 PM the festival grounds still resembled a ghost town, and the campsite looked more like a few scattered wild campers, but I was full of anticipation to be part of it again in 2011. For me as a Berliner, RESIST feels like a class reunion; you see many familiar faces and old friends again, whom you last saw exactly a year ago at RESIST. I was particularly looking forward to the band NI JU SAN on Friday. However, I learned that they had canceled at the last minute the day before. A replacement that was at least as good was found on short notice: KASA from Hanover. It took a minute for the people in front of the stage to realize that KASA was on stage instead of NI JU SAN, but once the last person caught on, the expressions were more joyful than disappointed. It was already quite crowded in front of the stage with about 400 visitors. KASA played a fine mix of older tracks and “newer” ones from their last album “Rock `n Roll und Schafe schubsen.” Even though Atti (vocals/guitar) claimed that the last rehearsal had been a long time ago: You really couldn’t tell. Well, with three to four chords per song, that shouldn’t be an insurmountable problem, but the lyrics are something the gentleman on vocals has to remember. And they consist of more than three or four words... Following ALARMSIGNAL, SIK played on Friday, whom I was already expecting. I had never seen SIK live before and only knew them by name. However, a few weeks ago, I came across their 2009 and thus last CD “Hältst du still?!”, which absolutely convinced me: The proof that a band can still produce excellent German punk in 2009 that sounds fresh and new while remaining true to itself, continuing to pursue its own style without trying to reinvent itself, as I noticed with the band that played after SIK: FAHNENFLUCHT. Their last album “Schwarzmaler” unfortunately did not convince me at all, as it sounded to me like a failed attempt to sound a bit like bands like RISE AGAINST. Fortunately, FAHNENFLUCHT played mostly their classics live instead of their Schwarzmaler songs. My highlight for Friday was undoubtedly BUMS, a band whose live performance I had never experienced before. Unfortunately. Maybe it was also due to the advanced level of alcohol, but the guys absolutely convinced me live. They played old BUMS songs (i.e., FLUCHTPUNKT TERROR songs) like “Los, steht endlich auf” and all the BUMS classics that everyone knows, even those who don’t know the band. When I first heard the BUMS album “neun zehn null neun” about half a year ago, I admit I was left speechless and thought, “Are they trying to mess with the esteemed listener?” But no, BUMS are self-proclaimed BVB fans, which they have to express in every song on this album dedicated to BVB, ending in infinitely flat lines like “We stand together in joy or pain, black-yellow wall, what color is your heart?” or the phrase “Only BVB” repeated to the point of exhaustion. As a self-proclaimed atheist of such football religions, I find that quite amusing. When I first listened to the album at full volume just to annoy my roommate, it turned into a real fun enthusiasm, and I was looking forward to RESIST 2011 when BUMS graciously played a BVB song as an encore, which not many listeners sang along to anymore.
The Saturday lineup featured bands like RASTA KNAST, POPPERKLOPPER, or NO EXIT, who played their usual set, which experienced RESIST-goers likely know inside out. The Saturday headliner was OI POLLOI, the Scottish legend, which is now in its 30th year of existence. The festival concluded on Sunday with bands like the OFFENDERS, BRUTAL POLKA, or the BAD NENNDORF BOYS, which was at least a small consolation for all those who were looking forward to OXO 86. OXO 86 had to cancel all further concerts due to internal band issues. Let’s hope that the Bernauer beer chansonists can sort out their problems.
A significant innovation of RESIST 2011 was the first-ever after-show circus tent for those who did not want to return to their tents after 24 hours, where scene documentaries like “Nazis im Hardcore” were also shown.
RESIST TO EXIST 2011 once again met all expectations and impresses with its family charm and its well-organized structure. A true festival from the scene for the scene. To ensure that RESIST can continue to be an integral part of the high-caliber German festival landscape and the summer in Berlin, I can only recommend that all Berliners attend the solidarity events organized by the RESIST team so that RESIST can be a complete success again in 2012.
Atti (KASA / RASTA KNAST) summed up the charm of RESIST for me with the following words: “I think it’s a very nice festival; it is particularly characterized by the voluntary organization and a truly friendly atmosphere. There are nice people here, no brawling security, little aggression, and you can take a great shit.” Thanks to Atti for this excellent summary.
Furthermore, many thanks to Thommäs for answering one last question that certainly leaves no content-related questions about RESIST TO EXIST unanswered:
The festival name RESIST TO EXIST originated as a counterpoint to the privatization of Biesdorfer Park in East Berlin. The festival has not taken place at the Biesdorf park stage for several years now. What does RESIST TO EXIST mean to you in 2011?
“Whether it’s about Biesdorfer Park as a space for alternative culture or an industrial area on the outskirts of Berlin, it ultimately doesn’t matter. The underlying problem remains the same: Clubs are closing, buildings are being evacuated, youth centers are receiving less and less funding, rehearsal spaces are being contested, scene pubs and shops have to close because rents have skyrocketed – in short, the actual problem is gentrification and social exclusion! Considering that Schokoladen, KVU, Drugstore (including Potse), Köpi, XB, and many more are currently threatened with closure, there is not much space left for the subversive, critical, alternative culture in Berlin. Biesdorfer Park was one of the first visible development trends within the “new” Berlin. The district of Prenzlauer Berg certainly speaks volumes in this context. Neukölln, X-Berg, and F-Hain are currently following suit. What is left for people who want to engage culturally and do not want to chase after the gentrifying mainstream? Right: Burnt earth! The motto and name RESIST TO EXIST is thus probably more relevant than at the time of the festival’s founding! Create free spaces! Shape free spaces! Defend free spaces!”