[2010028] Die Roten Punkte – Rock! [FringeTIX]

Die Roten Punkte @ Le Cascadeur

11:15pm, Sat 20 Feb 2010

This was my sixth Die Roten Punkte gig – and their crowds keep growing. Le Cascadeur is packed this Saturday night, and there are a lot of people who seem familiar with a lot of the new staples of DRP‘s act – Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter and Rock Bang seem to be really well known, now, but I’ve no idea how they’ve become so popular… maybe their YouTube videos?

But the thing is, I could almost copy’n'paste last year’s DRP post in here, and it would still be perfectly appropriate. The extended Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter piece is still in there, and new songs Burger Store Dinosaur and Banananana(?) show a complexity in their composition that was absent from their earlier work.

And that, I think, is where they lose me a bit.

As I keep saying in every DRP post since 2007, the absence of those simple audience singalong songs – the ones where the crowd almost drive the song along – creates a gaping hole in the DRP experience. And that’s demonstrated in this evening’s show by the fact that my highlights were the (audience selected) First Three Tracks From The First Album – the identical-sounding songs that sucked me into the DRP mystique to start off with.

I mean, really – the encore was Super Musikant. All they had to do was drop in Best Band In The World and leave me on a big singalong high. Sure, it was still a decent show – and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen Die Roten Punkte before – but on this form they’re creeping closer to the day when I don’t consider them a must-see act every Fringe.

C’mon, guys. Best Band In The World. You know you want to.

Die Roten Punkte – Robot/Lion Tour

Die Roten Punkte @ Bosco Theater

11:00pm, Wed 18 Mar 2009

This was the fifth time I’d seen Die Roten Punkte; they’re fast becoming Fringe regulars for me, despite the previous show’s letdown. And that means that I’m starting to run out of words to write about this act, as well as losing perspective on its quality – I dare say that familiarity is taking the edge off the quality of the show.

Unfortunately, this performance owes more to 2008′s gig than the fun-filled singalongs of earlier shows. There are a few standout moments, though – the extended Robot/Lion techno piece was superb, and the storming finale left me on a high.

But, while enjoyable, it’s still missing the joy that was in those earlier shows. A bit more fun and they’ll be getting my raves again; regardless, I’ll keep going to see them if they keep coming, just in case that mojo returns.

Die Roten Punkte – Super Musikant (FringeTIX)

Die Roten Punkte @ Bosco Theatre

11:00pm, Wed 12 Mar 2008

A mite bit disappointing, this.

Astrid and Otto Rot are back, with a (mostly) new batch of songs. And, whilst I loved their previous show (I’d seen it 1, 2, 3 times!), this one was somewhat lacking.

Their trademark mock german-isms were intact. All their stage mannerisms – including Astrid’s little cymbal-nut flicks – are still there. The tiny glockenspiel, drumkits and guitars are still there. In fact, the only thing missing are the awesome, chant-along songs from the first show.

And this, it turns out, is a bad thing.

Their replacement is a lightweight story about Astrid’s visit to rehab… er, a holiday. Otto’s more straight-edged than ever, and is eager to keep his “sister” off the booze. The new songs are amusing enough, but that’s about it – only amusing, they’re not the kind of tracks to get you singing and clapping and stomping along. “Best Band In The World” only makes an appearance at the end of the show, which is a real shame.

It’s not that the new songs are bad – it’s just that they’re not great, and completely lack the simple naïve charm of the early tracks. I still had fun at this show, but nowhere near as much as I’ve had in the past.

Die Roten Punkte (FringeTIX)

Die Roten Punkte @ The Garden Shed

10:15pm, Sun 11 Mar 2007

This show was almost identical to the show I saw twice last year – which is just fine by me. Brilliant, in fact.

So, has anything about this lovable Berlin brother/sister rock/punk duo changed? Well, there are a couple of plants onstage. Astrid now has a drum solo. There’s a few new bits of banter. There might have been one new song.

Oh, and I was the subject of Astrid’s “Close To You” dedication (and, hence, Otto’s derision). Which meant I got a bit of a solo sing, too :)

I love Die Roten Punkte – from the blank-faced opening & sound-check, through the (identical) first three songs from the first album, the German-industrial track, all crowd-chant-friendly tunes and falsettos… it’s one of those shows that leaves a massive grin on your face and a head-bobbing song in your heart.

Die Roten Punkte

@ The Gaiety Grande

12:00pm, Mon 13 Mar 2006

Ha ha haaaaa, ahaaa ha haaaa.

Fantastic, just fantastic.

Yes, it’s a short show, weighing in at a tiny 40 minutes. Yes, they only really had five songs (what with the first three songs being… um… identical). But, dear God, they were fantastic.

“Die Roten Punkte” is German, of course, for “The Red Dots”. They are (or rather, claim to be) a brother/sister duo – Otto Rot on guitar, Astrid Rot on drums. And for siblings, they certainly do appear to be… ummm… close.

Hmmmm. That couldn’t be a piss-take of The White Stripes, could it?

Naaaaaaaaaaaah.

Anyhoo, their songs – The First/Second/Third Song, “Die Roten Punkte”, The Explanation Song (and a delightful cover of The Carpenters’ “Close To You”) – are performed with all the subtlety of the aforementioned Stripes, but there’s a wonderful changeup in Otto’s industrial-tinged german electro-pop.

“Close To You” is, of course, used as a dedication to an audience member – and for this performance, the target of the dedication was none other than Pluck’s Jon Regan. Pluck, in general, really seemed appreciative of Die Roten Punkte. Me? I loved it. Loved it. More music references than you can poke a stick at, more gut-laughs than you can imagine.

The set-list:

• Song 1

• Song 2
• Song 3
• Dedication
• Song 4
• Song 5
• Song 6

And, for the record, I went back and watched their 3:00pm show, too. Brilliant.