Die Krupps are forty-five years old. We'll have to accept it. Too rare in France (their last Paris concert dates back to 2018), the masters of German industrial metal were finally back to celebrate this symbolic date with a concert that promised to cover their entire career. We admit that the announcement of the concert at Petit Bain surprised us: last time, it was at La Machine, which is almost twice as big! One should not arrive too late at the unmissable barge, where quite a few people are already waiting in the rain before the doors open. Another reason not to be late was the opening act, Jesus On Extasy, who had to perform with limited space because each band had brought their own drums (and with Die Krupps, there was also Jürgen Engler's metal percussion), making the stage quite cluttered.
JESUS ON EXTASY
The band led by Dorian Deveraux went through quite a rough patch before finally being able to perform here: their last album before Between Despair and Disbelief (review) was released almost fifteen years ago and Jesus On Extasy had called it quits... but even their comeback didn't go as planned. We remember that they were supposed to open for KMFDM at the same Petit Bain venue a few years ago, but then a pandemic and a line-up to rebuild kept the suspense going. When the trio took to the stage to the sound of Ghosts, which opens their new album, we were delighted to finally rediscover this influential industrial rock project from the late 2000s, which we feared would remain locked away in the drawer of nostalgia.
After a tense start, Jesus On Extasy raises the tone. On his latest album, the guitars bite harder, as can be heard on Somewhat Happy. It's around 7:30 p.m. and the pre-apocalyptic atmosphere of the evening begins to float in the air with this series of new songs haunted by the collapse of the artist's inner world. Facing a quiet but attentive audience, the trio plays the most effective tracks from their latest release (Wide Awake, Soulcrusher, Days Gone By and its particularly aggressive ending). The mix of raw sensitivity and danceable beats works, as illustrated by the classics played tonight. We didn't think we'd have the chance to hear Assassinate Me live in 2025. While the grey hairs we see on quite a few heads in the audience suggest that some will be reliving their youth later with Die Krupps, this takes us back to a time when our bodies were more flexible and our eyes saw more clearly!
This moment spent in the company of Jesus On Extasy was far from being based solely on nostalgia, as most of the songs played were very recent. They put their heart and soul into it, gradually winning over an audience that was initially shy. It's a shame the concert was so short: perhaps if they come back, this time as headliners, we'll have time to dive into more atmospheric tracks like Will it Ever Stop or Puppet (since we've finally been treated to a new album, anything is possible)!
JOHNNY TUPOLEV
Well, we're not going to pretend to be nostalgic old sages or experts here: Johnny Tupolev, never heard of them! However, when you see them take to the stage, you can tell from the colour of those who still have hair that they weren't born yesterday! Well, believe it or not, Johnny Tupolev has just released their first album, produced by John Fryer (who's also been producer for Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins and Nine Inch Nails, among others). It's never too late to become a rock star! So, which one is Johnny Tupolev? None of them. The guys are called Dietmar, Jens and Tom. But Johnny sounds like a rock star name, it sounds American. And Tupolev, well, um... it's the name of a Russian defence and aerospace company. That explains the cosmonauts decorating the back of the stage.
American rock stars, Russian engineers, space... It all smacks of the Cold War, and even though Johnny Tupolev is only a few years old, the project exudes a certain nostalgia for old-school rock, with catchy choruses, simple riffs, and something that makes dads tap their feet and want to drive their cars a little too fast on deserted roads. Cold War, end of the world: we come back to this when, at the beginning of the concert, singer Tom Berger, surely a distant cousin of Anton LaVey, dedicates the song Bomb Your Head to his ‘great friends’ Donald Trump and Putin, before reminding us that we are still, for the moment, all united. In any case, tonight, it's true that we're all in the same boat. There's a smell of the end of the world in the air again, isn't there?
While their rock music, with its industrial influences and subtle synths, is pleasant to listen to but lacks the rough edges and darkness that usually get us going, it's clear that the audience is receptive. The trio's friendliness has a lot to do with it. Very quickly, drummer Dietmar Noack asks if it's time for a drink of water, Tom Berger teases him for forgetting to take off his glasses, then asks the audience who's over 50. Only a few hands go up: Petit Bain is full of liars or people who don't speak English! Relaxation, groove, infectious smiles, a desire to have fun and that innate German efficiency when it comes to rock music: these are the ingredients of Johnny Tupolev. Next time we see them, we'll pretend we know them really well.
DIE KRUPPS
When the bosses arrive, you know you're going to have a great time. Die Krupps live is always excellent. We start by discovering the new line-up, with guitarist Dylan Smith (who joined the Sisters of Mercy a few years ago) and Paul Keller on drums, travelling companions of the unshakeable Jürgen Engler and Ralph Dörper. In the past, Die Krupps have never been shy about playing politically charged songs (the cover of Ich Bin Ein Ausländer, the recent F.U., Fatherland, etc.), and it's certainly no coincidence that they start with Nazis Auf Speed at a time when the far right is gaining ground all over the world and democracies are turning to fascism. Decidedly, this pre-apocalyptic atmosphere continues to cling to the walls of Petit Bain.
The concert kicks off with EBM, we sway with clenched jaws during Schmutzfabrik and Engler starts banging on his stuff, making an unbelievable racket during the cover of Der Amboss. Black glasses, muscles (he often lifts his microphone stand, come on hop-hop-hop, we're sweating, we're flexing!): all the gimmicks are there. We then discover On Collision Course, the latest single: although the track, apparently influenced by the recent tour with Ministry, seems to lack a little punch, it reminds us that the end of the world has already started. We much prefer Will Nicht - Muss!, a previously unreleased track that we were able to discover tonight. Die Krupps appropriates Peter Lorre's famous line in M, an expression of his murderous impulse (‘I don't want to - I must!’), and accompanies it with the melody of Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King, hummed by the child killer in Fritz Lang's film... It's clear that Die Krupps didn't choose this randomly: while the result is super catchy, it takes on a much more sinister connotation when you know the inspiration behind it, especially if you remember how M clearly foreshadowed the rise of Nazism in Germany in 1931. Die Krupps may smile, communicate and make us dance, but this evening really does have an underlying air of foreboding!
The world is falling apart, but Petit Bain hasn't sunk yet, so let's get back to having fun. Engler announces ‘a song for the ladies’ before launching into Industrie-Mädchen. The pit erupts and the crowd starts moshing to the most metal tracks: The Dawning of Doom, High Tech/Low Life, Crossfire, Metal Machine Music, To the Hilt... It's awesome! After 45 years, Die Krupps remain the undisputed bosses of Deutsch Qualität industrial metal, with their energy, their frontman's voice, but also by frequently putting the machines and anvils back at the centre of the stage, something their electro-metal descendants have somewhat forgotten in their bawdy martial parades.
We mentioned earlier that we were surprised to see Die Krupps playing at Petit Bain. It seemed a bit too small for such a band. However, we did get to experience a rare closeness with them, with Jürgen Engler being very friendly. At his age, he should be careful bending his knees to greet his audience and shake hands, so often! Dylan Smith, whose appearance already stood out with the Sisters of Mercy, also stands out here with his long, straight hair and dark glasses, like a surfer hard rock star, but he also gives his all to ensure the show goes well and frequently climbs on the monitors so that everyone can see him. The audience knows the lyrics, which is normal, as they've only had hits. Hear them sing Robo Sapien like a football stadium, what music they make! When the evening ends, after a tribute to Nitzer Ebb via Machineries of Joy, the band stays on stage for a few moments to take their bows while the crowd continues to sing Robo Sapien. We ask for one more song, but they say they can't because the boat is soon leaving port. We've never heard such a lame excuse: we know it's not true, we were there the night before to see Wiegedood, we're going back on Sunday, we've never seen it sail... and we don't see how that would prevent them from playing, come on! Then again, it's going to be 11 p.m., they've been making music for 45 years, we understand that they want to have a cup of herbal tea in front of a Derrick episode and go to bed!
Die Krupps live is always great. Unflagging energy, timeless power in their songs, charisma and fun despite the darker themes in their music: they've got it all. However, we might be a little disappointed that, out of their forty-five-year career, we mainly got to hear songs released from the 1990s to the early 2010s (no trace of 2020 Vision, for example). We mostly would have loved to hear some tracks from Volle Kraft Voraus! Or anything else, in fact, it doesn't matter, any excuse would have been good to prolong the pleasure. At the end of the concert, Engler promised that Die Krupps will be back very soon. They'd better be, because if we only see each other on anniversary tours, we'll end up at funerals, and then all we'll be able to do is lift the gravestones and bang on the coffins to keep EBM alive as it should be, but that's likely to sound a lot less industrial.
