Last Thursday, March 8, the verdict of the Stuttgart District Court, which prohibited the Nix-Gut mail order from continuing to sell antifascist symbols with a crossed-out or smashed swastika, was to be overturned in the second instance before the BGH Karlsruhe. Anything other than an acquittal for Jürgen Kamm as managing director would have been a great surprise, given the widespread incomprehension expressed by politicians and legal experts across the country regarding the strange legal interpretation of the Stuttgart judges. It was hardly surprising that not only the defense but even the representatives of the prosecution spoke out against a ban on the contested symbols.
Thus, one could confidently organize the celebrations for the victory of justice. On the evening of the same day, a concert featuring the bands Oralapostel, SiK, and Wärters Schlechte at the AKK on the University of Karlsruhe campus was set to round off the victory celebration. The only hiccup in these plans was the postponement of the verdict announcement to March 15. However, with hardly any doubt remaining about the judges' ruling, the bands and visitors could not be stopped, and the event was quickly transformed into a pre-celebration.
After a long workday, I mustered the energy just before 8 PM, with heavy eyes and not quite a clear head, to make my very first visit to the AKK. Dressed in normal work clothes, but who cares, I really deserved this today. A quarter of an hour later, having parked the car in the first available spot, a quick glance was enough to spot the entrance to the old stadium. The lack of an admission price in the announcements was quickly clarified by the open doors, so entry was free. In the first room, I passed by a staircase and went through a narrow corridor, where the first visitors were already occupying a couch. The next room, snugly small, was where the drinks were being served. But let's check out the concert room first. Hardly had I spoken, when my companion tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the other end of the chamber. There was something like a stage set up, with drums and guitars on a roughly 30 cm high platform. So, have we already arrived at our destination? It's surprising that such a small refuge was chosen for the conclusion of a topic that garnered nationwide attention. And how is an entire band supposed to fit up there on that tiny structure?
This question was answered a few minutes later, it must have been around half past eight, by the local Karlsruhe heroes Oralapostel. Despite their estimated young age, they played a lively, catchy punk rock, and I hardly dared to fumble my earplugs directly in the band's line of sight due to the still very empty room. One song at full volume, which would have easily filled a venue three times this size, became pleasant with high-tech plugs in my ears, and after some encouragement to not be so shy, the area in front of the stage slowly filled up.
After a short breather outside, the special guest Die Siffer from the university pub honored us with student-friendly punk rock. More rock than punk for my taste, which made any embarrassment about fiddling with my earplugs unnecessary. Only the probably most famous song "Nazis ham 'ne Scheißfrisur", after which a few T-shirts were distributed for free, really got the crowd going.
Now I finally wanted to see where that door on the other side led. From a distance, it looked like there was still a lot of space, and the strange light drew me in like a moth to a flame. I realized it was the back exit as I stepped outside. There, the children's choir was already sitting, with many colorful kids performing sweet melodies. It was also getting cooler without a jacket. It would have only been a few meters to the car with warm clothing, but I didn't want to out myself as a wimp and sweat again later in the dense crowd. So I bravely held on, and fortunately, the breaks never lasted longer than an estimated 15 minutes.
Then they came, the founders of Nix-Gut with the fighter for good himself, Jürgen Kamm. Just to prove that an experienced forklift driver can fit five people on this barely postcard-sized area. Things got noticeably rougher and indeed louder than before, which made me wonder how that guy up front could just sleep on the box. Maybe he was deaf. Or perhaps he noticed the punk-friendly drink prices of 1.35 euros for a beer. I stood there puzzled at the bar when they wanted to charge me only one euro for the two waters I ordered. I was also puzzled by the guys who took advantage of the organizers' decision to forgo bottle deposits by smashing glass containers on the street. So this is how fairness is rewarded, and clubs are deprived of the opportunity to continue hosting concerts in the long run.
While I'm at it, I might as well complain about the guys who feel the need to dive into the pogo chaos with their leather jackets adorned with killer studs. Feel free to carry the metal around all day, but please take those things off before someone lands face-first on them. Otherwise, they would probably flail around in a similarly strange manner as the SiK singer, who would have good chances of being featured in a Worst Of episode of DSDS. No, I don't mean to suggest that the singing of a hungry lion on the prowl is more melodic; it just had something very unique and unmistakable about it.
I only experienced the crowning finale of Wärters Schlechte due to the already advanced hour, past the witching hour, and my urgent need to soon drag myself out of bed as a diligent employee after a long journey home, only halfway. They call it street punk themselves, and I would compare it to the classic UK punk rock of the 80s/90s, without ever having been particularly interested in this music style.
In conclusion, I should note that I only learned about the postponement of the court ruling the next morning. The Oralapostel briefly mentioned the "won trial"; otherwise, it was a perfectly normal, nice concert. Perhaps I just left the event too early, and the swastika trial was still discussed during the subsequent canned sounds from DJ Machmallala. At this point, there may not have been much more to say about it.
Thus, one could confidently organize the celebrations for the victory of justice. On the evening of the same day, a concert featuring the bands Oralapostel, SiK, and Wärters Schlechte at the AKK on the University of Karlsruhe campus was set to round off the victory celebration. The only hiccup in these plans was the postponement of the verdict announcement to March 15. However, with hardly any doubt remaining about the judges' ruling, the bands and visitors could not be stopped, and the event was quickly transformed into a pre-celebration.
After a long workday, I mustered the energy just before 8 PM, with heavy eyes and not quite a clear head, to make my very first visit to the AKK. Dressed in normal work clothes, but who cares, I really deserved this today. A quarter of an hour later, having parked the car in the first available spot, a quick glance was enough to spot the entrance to the old stadium. The lack of an admission price in the announcements was quickly clarified by the open doors, so entry was free. In the first room, I passed by a staircase and went through a narrow corridor, where the first visitors were already occupying a couch. The next room, snugly small, was where the drinks were being served. But let's check out the concert room first. Hardly had I spoken, when my companion tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the other end of the chamber. There was something like a stage set up, with drums and guitars on a roughly 30 cm high platform. So, have we already arrived at our destination? It's surprising that such a small refuge was chosen for the conclusion of a topic that garnered nationwide attention. And how is an entire band supposed to fit up there on that tiny structure?
This question was answered a few minutes later, it must have been around half past eight, by the local Karlsruhe heroes Oralapostel. Despite their estimated young age, they played a lively, catchy punk rock, and I hardly dared to fumble my earplugs directly in the band's line of sight due to the still very empty room. One song at full volume, which would have easily filled a venue three times this size, became pleasant with high-tech plugs in my ears, and after some encouragement to not be so shy, the area in front of the stage slowly filled up.
After a short breather outside, the special guest Die Siffer from the university pub honored us with student-friendly punk rock. More rock than punk for my taste, which made any embarrassment about fiddling with my earplugs unnecessary. Only the probably most famous song "Nazis ham 'ne Scheißfrisur", after which a few T-shirts were distributed for free, really got the crowd going.
Now I finally wanted to see where that door on the other side led. From a distance, it looked like there was still a lot of space, and the strange light drew me in like a moth to a flame. I realized it was the back exit as I stepped outside. There, the children's choir was already sitting, with many colorful kids performing sweet melodies. It was also getting cooler without a jacket. It would have only been a few meters to the car with warm clothing, but I didn't want to out myself as a wimp and sweat again later in the dense crowd. So I bravely held on, and fortunately, the breaks never lasted longer than an estimated 15 minutes.
Then they came, the founders of Nix-Gut with the fighter for good himself, Jürgen Kamm. Just to prove that an experienced forklift driver can fit five people on this barely postcard-sized area. Things got noticeably rougher and indeed louder than before, which made me wonder how that guy up front could just sleep on the box. Maybe he was deaf. Or perhaps he noticed the punk-friendly drink prices of 1.35 euros for a beer. I stood there puzzled at the bar when they wanted to charge me only one euro for the two waters I ordered. I was also puzzled by the guys who took advantage of the organizers' decision to forgo bottle deposits by smashing glass containers on the street. So this is how fairness is rewarded, and clubs are deprived of the opportunity to continue hosting concerts in the long run.
While I'm at it, I might as well complain about the guys who feel the need to dive into the pogo chaos with their leather jackets adorned with killer studs. Feel free to carry the metal around all day, but please take those things off before someone lands face-first on them. Otherwise, they would probably flail around in a similarly strange manner as the SiK singer, who would have good chances of being featured in a Worst Of episode of DSDS. No, I don't mean to suggest that the singing of a hungry lion on the prowl is more melodic; it just had something very unique and unmistakable about it.
I only experienced the crowning finale of Wärters Schlechte due to the already advanced hour, past the witching hour, and my urgent need to soon drag myself out of bed as a diligent employee after a long journey home, only halfway. They call it street punk themselves, and I would compare it to the classic UK punk rock of the 80s/90s, without ever having been particularly interested in this music style.
In conclusion, I should note that I only learned about the postponement of the court ruling the next morning. The Oralapostel briefly mentioned the "won trial"; otherwise, it was a perfectly normal, nice concert. Perhaps I just left the event too early, and the swastika trial was still discussed during the subsequent canned sounds from DJ Machmallala. At this point, there may not have been much more to say about it.
