Down The Years //
Pictures and Stories

Our highlight of the festival summer 2004: Vom was elected “Mr. Thousand Stages” during the “Rock im Park” and “Rock am Ring” concerts; we already appeared Saturday night, on the parking lot of the Nürburgring; and apart from drumming legend Wölli and Kuddel’s son Tim two more guest musicians collaborated on stage.

Our favourite alternative to South America: during our tour of Eastern Europe 2004, we played club gigs in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia and checked out all the things you can buy on the flea market in Sofia, but this time we unfortunately had to miss out on our obligatory sightseeing tour.

Home game outside of the city borders: under false colours, we appeared at Wölli’s festival “Rock am Turm” as “Die Jungs von der Opel-Gang” (the Opel-gang boys) and played a few new songs. Also, for the first time, the Cherry-Schnapps king (Wölli) stood on stage with us again.

Away game in Argentina: in Buenos Aires, we met the Argentine Hosen cover band “Opelgang”; played our first living room gig on Argentine ground; and were lucky to experience two unforgettable shows in the sold-out “Luna Park” and at the “Quilmes Rock 2003” festival, held next to the River Plate Stadium.

Warm-up for Buenos Aires: we were deeply amazed by what happened in front of the stage during our club gigs in Leipzig’s “Conne Island”, which were our first live concerts since we had finished the “Auswärtsspiel” tour.

The way we spend the summer when there’s no festival to play: in 2003, we climbed our crew bus and went to Aderstedt near Halberstedt, where the 3rd DTH fan football championship was held. It was a big surprise, when, instead of the announced JKP team, suddenly the complete band stood on the field.

In our second home once more: a few snapshots to prove that first, we did make it to Buenos Aires yet again in 2002 , and second, that this time the stage was firm enough to withhold all tests and storms!

A midsummer night’s dream in a double sense: in 2002, we invited to the DTH barbecue party on the Loreley – and everybody came: bands (The Boys, Muff Potter, Donots, Backyard Babies, Beatsteaks, “A”), chefs (Stephan Marquardt & Red Gourmet Fraction), and well-rested Tipp Kick players.

During the whole of our festival season 2002, our drummer Vom always had his camera at the ready. Here’s his personal photo report.

“Is this still punk...?” - Dr. Faust has busily been writing his tour diary during the Auswärtsspiel tour.

The Ruhr area’s premiere league stadium: the “Auswärtsspiel” tour 2002 showed once again, why sold-out shows in the Westfalenhalle Dortmund always turn out to be highlights for us.

Farewell to Rhine stadium: one last time, we were allowed to tread on Düsseldorf’s holy green, where Fortuna had won so many important matches and suffered so many bitter defeats in all those past years.

The carnival double pack: we started our “Auswärtsspiel” tour in Düsseldorf’s Philipshalle with two “home games” that coincided with the climax of Rhenish street carnival.

“Abvent – A Pre-Christmas Evening”: We and Gerhard Polt with his Biermösl Blosn combined Bavarian musicality and Düsseldorf noise in Vienna’s Burgtheater.

Magical Mystery Gig: in 2001, in between playing in Katowice and Scheeßel (near Bremen), we also played a living room gig in Osnabrück and were welcomed with potato salad, grilled meat, and juniper schnapps.

Something to browse through: the diary covering our trip to Cuba!

The Living End in Germany: Andi and Vom dropped in to see our old Australians mates perform a concert in Cologne.

We and our old pal T.V. Smith climbed onto the roof of the old “Diamant” flour factory in Düsseldorf’s harbour to be in front of the camera together.

The “Remember ‘91” Ice Hockey Gala: in 2001, we not only dressed sharp to coach the former DEG champion team (Düsseldorf ice hockey), we also successfully bribed the referee to secure another away victory over Cologne.

You can check our “Unsterblich” tour special to find out what happened between Mai 10 and June 12.

Ready for shooting, 2: in 2000, we worked with master director Wim Wenders, all the while being just as professionally photographed by his wife, Donata.

“And then the stage collapsed...” A report about our “smashing” concert in the “Museum” in Buenos Aires.

Ready for shooting, 1: in 2000, we and director Peter Thorwarth stormed the ash court and club house of Alemannia 08 in Düsseldorf Flingern.

For those who stayed at home, we took a few photos and wrote a little diary to go with it.