RamTatTa - Bigfood, Kill Your Kitty, Delusive Utopia – Jugendclub Maxim, Berlin @

It's fun to observe bands over the years. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a concert by KILL YOUR KITTY and DELUSIVE UTOPIA at Jugendclub Maxim in Berlin-Weißensee. Many old acquaintances were present both on and off stage, and the atmosphere was lively; unfortunately, I missed the first band, BIGFOOD, so I can't report on them. Instead, I arrived just in time for the first songs of the cat haters, who definitely produced the thickest sound I've heard at this concert venue so far. While I had somewhat categorized the band as Nu Metal for myself, I must correct that, as they have a significantly broader range than most of those slow, blunt bands. Groovy riffs alternate with faster, almost punk-like parts, and you can occasionally hear echoes from the time when the founding members played in a horror punk band. Despite the varied song structures, the guys played so precisely, and the sound was so clean that various breaks and time changes had their intended effect. The audience, which probably listens to punk most of the time, had to acknowledge this performance, as they couldn't easily ignore it. By the way, this is also the curse of KILL YOUR KITTY: Coming from the punk scene, they have outgrown it musically and thus find themselves caught between chairs with their audience. Punks are often skeptical of metal, while metalheads tend to stay in their own lanes and rarely notice the existence of this band.

This did not detract from the quality of the gig; you could see the band was having fun, and even a break due to the leaky roof couldn't dampen the mood. Nice posing further emphasized the hardness of the music, and fortunately, you don't have to worry that the band takes themselves too seriously with their antics – song lyrics about the sex life of the echidna (a four-headed penis!) or a nerdy nod to Darth – pardon, Lord – Vader make it clear that they are processing whatever brings them joy in a relatively carefree manner. I was particularly impressed by the addition of a second guitarist, who has also allowed the band to stylistically evolve with new songs through his singing. Dennis has been with them since last year, and I'm curious to see what comes next.

Then DELUSIVE UTOPIA, whom I've been hearing off and on for several years, but I usually find it difficult to judge them objectively because I'm often slightly tipsy during their performances. This, in turn, contributes to my receptiveness to this portion of crusty hardcore, which the band shakes out of their strings without much ado thanks to long experience and teamwork. There are essentially two levels of intensity: loud or very loud, with variable tempos, and at the center of the storm is singer Peacey with her endlessly long dreadlocks, who sometimes listens pensively to the music of her bandmates before roaring like a lion. Overall, the sound here was rawer and noisier, which unfortunately made it harder to hear the parts of the music that weren't blasting at full volume. Nevertheless, the hall was well-attended despite the late hour, and both musicians and audience got their money's worth; seeing the bassist go wild like Taz from the Looney Tunes always brings me joy. For me, a highlight of the concerts remains the Stones cover "Paint it Black," of which a friend once said that this is how the song was meant to be. Definitely a contemporary interpretation that conveys the darkness in the heart. Just from listening, mind you, because what the band celebrates remains a party despite all the hardness, and thus their performances are a safe bet for letting your ears get blown away without any fuss. A lovely evening with good people and wild music, I'll be back!

Setlist KILL YOUR KITTY:
Can´t You See
Live in a Mirror
W.H.Y. (We Hate YOU)
I Eat Your Heart
Echidna
Song For Your Funeral
The Ocean Between
How to Kill a Kitty
Can You Remember
My Name is Vader
Sailor
Like Fireflies
Die Schnulze
Inside My Head
Into Darkness
Krümelmonster
Dark Days and Black Clouds

Setlist DELUSIVE UTOPIA:
Intro
Redrum
Oblivion
Age of Paranioa
TV-Stupidity
Perfect Machine
Paint it Black
Anthem of Misanthropy
Gentrification
False Prophet
Ship Breaker
Black Blood
Consume or Die

Bigfood, Kill Your Kitty, Delusive Utopia – Jugendclub Maxim, Berlin

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