German-language rock band Frei.Wild have landed success without major label support. Thanks to their dedicated fans, they have conquered the German charts and played to thousands. The four-piece from South Tirol in Italy are heading for the UK this week, kicking off with a sold-out London show, so Music-News.com gets the lowdown from singer Philipp Burger (pictured)
Music-News.com: You are the ‘current stars of Germany’s music scene’. What do you have that David Hasselhoff doesn’t?
Philipp Burger: Haha! You really got me! Hasselhoff is the Knightrider and Baywatch at the same time. We will never be able to reach this level.
MN: What was the biggest challenge in getting the band started?
PB: Maybe the year 2009. In this time period we needed big efforts and a lot of luck to survive. It was our ‘black September’. Everything went wrong, just everything combined. It was a real shitty time.
MN: Did the media dismiss you in the early days?
PB: Well, ignored is maybe not the right word. Frei.Wild was interesting from the beginning for the media. Most of them tried to write negative reports. It was a challenge for us, to pick serious people from the media. Some journalists just like to put the artist down.
MN: Now you’re successful, what are they saying about you?
PB: Actually, it is still a little bit the same. Jealousy provokes writers to do less than positive reviews, I guess.
MN: How has success changed you?
PB: Well, we no longer wear a hard hat to work as a construction worker and carry heavy shit. Haha! But everything else is the same: we work hard and try live our dreams.
MN: You say ‘nothing is more important than the fans’. Doesn’t every band claim that? What’s special about your fanbase?
PB: Our fanbase is different than most of the other bands. Fans are family. Fans are very close to us, get involved, can influence decisions and are really the most important thing for us. We give that back to the people, include them in activities, invite them into the recording studio. We see them as friends, not as consumers of our CDs.
MN: Do you think you’ll see homegrown fans at the UK shows?
PB: We have some?! Let’s see. For sure, people from the UK should feel welcome to be part of our family.
MN: What are you expecting from your UK tour?
PB: We expect fun, a good feeling really. We look forward to going on stage and rock little clubs like we played last time in 2006. I am excited.
MN: Do you still get to play little club gigs in Germany?
PB: Yes, we do, even if our last ‘club’ tour in Germany was sold-out halls with 5,000 people. So to play clubs as small as in the UK on this tour is a new but great experience for us. We love the sweaty club atmosphere and we know how close we can be with the audience. That’s what we are!
MN: What’s the best thing about making it on your own terms? Do you think you can sustain it?
PB: Definitely. Freedom is the basis for everything, the same as with music.
Frei.Wild play the following UK dates:
London, Underworld, 26 May
Birmingham, The Library, 27 May
Newcastle, Academy 2, 28 May
Manchester, Moho Live, 29 May
Boys gone wild: watch the video for
Weil Du mich verarscht hast Frei.Wild website
