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On November 17, the German punk band “Feinecreme Fischfilet” released their new live album “Alles glenzt – Alles Live”. They will be going on tour with it soon – and will also stop in Zurich. Watson spoke to singer Monchi and drummer Olaf on the release day.

We reach Monchi and Olaf via Zoom video chat. After initial connection issues, our phone call finally took place. Monchi is currently sitting at home in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Olaf is in Berlin visiting his girlfriend before the three-week tour starts soon.

Are you looking forward to the tour?
Olaf: Yeah totally. The nice thing is that we are still rehearsing during the summer.

You have also traveled a lot…
Olaf: The concerts were simply further apart. That’s why it’s something different to do a compact tour now and go through it from start to finish with the same crew. I’m really ready.

What is your daily life like on tour?
Monchi: Most of it consists of waiting: for you to arrive, for the stage to be set up, for the sound check, for the entrance.

That almost sounds boring.
Monchi: For years I just sat in the same halls and locations. Now I accept it
I take my bike on tour with me so I can get around a bit in the cities we visit.

And then you just drive away?
Monchi: That, or I’ll meet up with friends. We’ve been doing this for 20 years – we now know people in every city we would like to see again.

What do you have planned for your stop in Zurich?
Monchi: My friend said there was a lake in the middle of town where you could go to the sauna and have ice baths.

But there’s something about chilling backstage, right?
Monchi: These backstage areas look the same everywhere. They are bare, cold rooms, with a Coca-Cola refrigerator, a sofa and a mirror. That’s why it’s still the icing on the cake of a tour day when I get to experience something like that.

And the rest of the band stays backstage?
Olaf: No, Monchi always knows how to motivate us to do something. I’m getting quite lethargic from the stress of the concert and am happy when I finally keep myself together.

What do you do when you’re bored backstage?
Olaf: Our bassist Kai is a big game fan and usually has something to play with – occasionally there is a game of jeu de boules in the hall.

Monchi: They now think we’re the most boring band in the world (laughs).

Do you have a ritual before you go on stage?
Monchi: We stand in a circle, hug each other and then I usually give a short speech. Sometimes she’s trash, sometimes she’s emotional. So we have one more moment where we come together before we take the stage together and forget everything around us.

Why did you release a live album?
Olaf: We really like live albums, so having our own albums was at the top of our list.

Then unpack: what are your favorite live albums?
Olaf: We all loved the album “Blechdose” by the German punk band “Terrorgruppe”. Even though we are all very different, we agreed early on that we all loved this album.

Did you draw inspiration from that?
Olaf: The live album contains their best songs and we also wanted to record our old songs, which we still play live today, and put them together into an album. Live music has always been our strength.

Are you better live than in the studio?
Olaf: We’re pretty good as a studio band now, but we feel most comfortable out on stage when we can play live in front of an audience. When I hear how loud the crowd is on the record, it warms my heart.

Monchi: We do not make music for the rehearsal room, but for the stage. When it came to live records, I always thought only the real big bands did that. Actually, I rarely hear our own music.

But now suddenly?
Monchi: When I listen to our live album, I immediately think of the performance. If I didn’t know the lyrics or didn’t hit a note, the audience carried us over it. And if we can give other people that feeling with this record, that is the best thing that can happen to us.

Have you received the first responses yet?
Monchi: It’s nine o’clock and I only slept three or four hours that night because I’m so excited and I want to read it as soon as the fans write something.

What are you writing?
Monchi: You could pre-order the CD. And now we’re getting photos and videos of fans listening and dancing to the record at home. Or people who write to us that they listen to the album continuously on their way to work. Those kinds of reactions are the most beautiful thing you can experience as a band.

Of course, what the fan community thinks of the sound is important to you.
Monchi: I recently read an interview where a man said he doesn’t care if people listen to his music because he does it for the art. Of course you can babble things like that, but that’s not who we are. We are happy when our music touches the fans.

How do you do that?
Monchi: You know, I don’t play an instrument, I can’t read music. But if I’ve understood anything, it’s that music is about heart and emotions. It’s not about hitting every beat and note, but about evoking feelings.

You will play in Zurich on December 13. Do you have something special planned?
Monchi: We don’t have to chat too much: we just walk through the doors and are excited about this evening, that’s what defines us. I don’t need to tell you that we still have a confetti cannon – although that could be the case. (laughs)

You’re particularly proud of your opening act, aren’t you?
Monchi: Yes absolutely! “Maid of Ace” consists of four sisters who are the same size as us and play really hot punk rock.

Is it special to play in Switzerland?
Olaf: Your food is always very good and you always look very loving making sure we are well fed. And if you travel through the countryside by bus, it is something different than here in the lowlands.

Monchi: The people here are just as crazy as in Germany. It’s cool to see that people know our lyrics in places we’ve never been before.

Before your performance at the Openair St. Gallen this year, there were anonymous accusations against you, prompting Juso to demand that your concert be canceled. Did you notice anything about that on stage?
Monchi: Selective, yes. It was an absurd feeling to be attacked by the political left and right at the same time.

What do you mean?
Monchi: I said something on stage along the lines of “For the wankers of the SVP” and they thought that such a thing was forbidden, almost as if I had made an official statement with this statement.

How do you deal with such situations?
Monchi: We are familiar with hostility. We received death threats from the right and even had to cancel a concert due to a bomb threat. That’s part of it, we don’t have to please everyone. So we definitely experienced more than just people standing in the crowd with a banner.