Alive and Kicking

USA 2010. Barack Obama has recently become president. The country believes it is at a turning point and the world is breathing hope. The young Swiss punk band Überyou, which has only been around for two years and is completely unknown, is currently touring the States and trying to land gigs on the off chance. By chance, they hear about a punk festival in Florida, which is celebrating its eighth edition and is supposed to be pretty good. So off she goes. Perhaps a gig could even be arranged. The gig doesn't materialise at first, but the young punks are blown away. The multi-day event takes place in the small university town of Gainesville and is simply called The Fest. The entire town centre is a stage. From the smallest pub to the largest concert hall. Hundreds of bands play. Mainly punk rock, but also related genres such as indie, hardcore, metal and ska. The acts are just as awesome as the atmosphere. It will be a formative experience for Überyou.

Zurich 2015. Überyou have been back in Switzerland for a while now. The punk scene here is manageable and the lustfully wild is only present in niches. They can't get Gainesville out of their heads. A festival would be cool. Like in Florida. But there isn't one in Zurich. So, together with like-minded people from their circle of friends, they come up with a punk-style plan: do it yourself. Five venues are finalised. These included the Kinski, El Dorado and the former Roland porn cinema. The worldwide network is mobilised and in the end 25 bands are at the start. OBENUSE FEST 1: Complete success.

In the following years, editions two to five take place. Then Covid put a spanner in the works and the planned number six had to be cancelled at the last minute in 2020, the year of the pandemic. A three-year break followed. But in 2023, the time has come again and a new festival will be held. 7 clubs, 36 acts. It will be sensational, but the activist, non-commercial event structure takes its toll. An event of this size is hard organisational work. A break is therefore planned for 2024 instead of a new edition.

"Here at Musikbüro. Fancy organising a festival?"

At some point in 2024, the phone rings. "This is Musikbüro. A concert for the summer stage on 20 July has been cancelled. Are you interested in organising a small festival for that day?" We only have a short time to think about it. Break or no break, the desire is great. Desire beats reason. The programme is ready in just a few days. And so an Obenuse festival is organised again this year. Wonderful. Announced with a witty poster (take a look at the covers of your Bad Brains albums).

Only one venue. But open air. Only five bands. But a great line-up:

ANNIE TAYLOR

In 1901, US-American Annie Taylor was the first person to plunge down Niagara Falls in an oak barrel and survive. Wow, thought a band from Switzerland. Brave. Daring. Crazy. Just the right name for us. The English music magazine Gigwise describes their sound as "Mellow, cool guitar romp thought desert rock, shoegaze indie and pop influences. Lush." - And not without reason!

When a record review of the band culminates in the statement "It sounds great. Sometimes even very cool", there's nothing to add. They have rocked almost every continent, found inspiration for punk shows in Switzerland in Florida, are largely responsible for the realisation of Obenuse Fest and also sound great live. At times even extremely cool.

The Zurich band has been around since summer 2013, combining powerful yet soulful hardcore with the raw energy of punk rock. The lyrics are just as important as the sound. Personal matters are just as important as clear social statements. Live, the band guarantees moshing, stage stomping and beer showers.

The charming little sister of the angry older brother. That's how the band describes itself and it's probably smiling. Powerful sound and the angelic voice of the singer as a contrast. In addition to the punk elements, the proximity to new wave heroines such as Blondie or The Pretenders shimmers through very intentionally.

It's not just Zurich that's buzzing. Also in Graubünden. The trio makes unique indie punk made in Grischun. The two front women on bass and guitar sing brilliantly in very different ways and the drummer is outstanding. The hardcore-flavoured sound creates a refreshing, vulnerable and sometimes threatening roughness. And on top of that: great lyrics.