There are some music venues that are not easily accessible. You slowly have to conquer them. This is certainly the case for Bikini Test (located in La Chaux-de-Fonds/Switzerland) and Bad Bonn (Düdingen/Switzerland). In fact, the promotional “slogan” of this second venue is: “Where the hell isBad Bonn?” This is definitely a well-chosen motto (and it could actually be used by both clubs).
If you don’t own a car (this is proudly my case), reaching these legendary swiss venues involves a lot of walking (through dodgy industrial estates for Bikini Test and through bucolic agricultural fields for Bad Bonn). But this is not a problem if you take some malted cans for the trip and it’s definitely worth it. Bikini Test sounds great (acoustically speaking, I mean) and Bad Bonn has an incredibly edgy program.
But let’s come to the point. I visited Bikini Test on the 15th of March and Bad Bonn on the 27th. Why? Because of Peter Kernel (of course!).
It’s been a while now that I’m vigorously spinning the records of this delightfully rugged duo but I never had the chance to see it rocking a stage in flesh and bones. Well, now this is done – twice.
It all starts with a friendly verbal welcome in french (pronounced with an italian accent): “Bonsoir, nous sommes Peter Kernel et nous venons de la Suisse-canadienne”. …They start playing…bewitching the audience with their new gateway song, Ecstasy…and then BOOM.
The set gets very physical and intense. Wild and “animalesque” moments alternate with more intimate and soft musical textures. Sometimes, the audience is invited to smell the atmosphere of the stage and sometimes to swing its knees like fennels (en français “genouilles” rime avec “fenouils”, che è diverso dal finocchio italiano - sorry English-readers you won’t get this one, it’s PK multilingual humour).
Anyway, to summarize the experience, PK live is a blast and it’s really fun too. So is the new album (Thrill Addict, On The Camper, 2015). This last opus of the band sounds pretty amazing and traces a coherent continuity with the previous work. From Ticino with love!
But PK is not just great because it’s great. It’s also great because their wicked live sets are always supported by others wicked live sets.
In Bikini-Test, I happily assisted to the performance of Metzger und Bauer. This crossed-influences “tomwaitsesque” five-piece saxophone-led pastiche is pretty interesting (even if it maybe doesn’t sound as a totally mature sound yet). If you are intrigued by the universe of M&B (see video below), you can freely download their digital album here.
In Bad-Bonn, I got an unexpected rocking surprise with a cherry on top. It is called Overdrive Amp Explosion, it comes from the city of Fribourg and I liked it a lot. With a precise as-a-swiss-watch rhythm section, enticing guitars and pretty good vocals, this combo got it all and delivers a fresh and travelling indie-rock. For the moment, the band has just released a split EP - together with a band called Easy Tiger (Subversiv Records, 2011). Affaire à suivre. We want more of this…
Happy listening (and watching).
Ian
Listen to Overdrive Amp Explosion’s Spring grows here
