Cougar Microbes

We caught up with  all female Norwegian 4-piece Katzenjammer to discuss TV obsessions, gigs in the North Pole and Genesis covers. Here is how it went:

Cougar Microbes: What time did you wake up today? Was it out of choice or necessity?

Katzenjammer : I got up at 4 am today and it was NOT out of choice, but because we had to catch an early flight to Austria to get to a festival there in time. But we kind of get used to irregular time schedules in this business.

CM: Describe Katzenjammer to the uninitiated? What have you been up to recently?

KJ: Katzenjammer is a illimitable band both musically, visually and mentally. No limitations and a lot of fun. We´re 4 girls twirling around with 15 instruments on stage. The genre is indescribable, but belongs to the folk roots with hints of rock, pop, circus, and impressions from all around the world. Recently we´ve worked on our new album ‘A Kiss Before You Go‘ and we´ve been touring a lot all over Europe and some in Australia and the US as well.

CM: How have you been killing time on the road, hobbies?

KJ: We´ve got different hobbies. Some of us likes to go for a run or do yoga, some likes to work on new songs and some do the hula hoop. But we all love to watch TV-series and I think we´ve seen pretty much everything by now. Right now we´re waiting for the next season of Dexter, Mad Men and True Blood. Can´t wait!!

CM: What have been your favorite venues to play? Any Venues you hated?

KJ: I can´t recall that we´ve been to any venues we´ve hated so far. If we have, I´ve forgotten it by now. But we´ve played on several great ones. The biggest and most spectacular must be the O2 Arena in London where we supported Keane in 2009. With a capacity of over 20.000 people, it was a positive shock to enter the stage.

The most bizarre venue we´ve played at was in Murmansk in Russia. There were cages a few feet above the floor containing naked ladies dancing energetically to our music even though we did ballads or up-tempo tunes.

And the most beautiful venue we´ve played at was outside on the deck on a boat a few miles outside the coast of Spitsbergen. That is way up north, almost the north pole actually. And we were surrounded by snow and ice covered mountains with hundreds of birds flying above our heads and a polar bear in the horizon.

CM: Is there a song you are simply sick of playing?

KJ: Of course you get more tired of some songs in periods, but the good thing is that we´ve got enough songs to be able to skip the ones we sort of dislike. And after a while it´s just fun to put it into the set again. Right now I actually like all the songs in our set. Because the new songs gives life to the old ones.

CM: What is the songwriting process like for Katzenjammer. Are you able to write on the road or do you do this in your off time?

KJ: Most of the songwriting happens on our off time. When we´re out on the road there´s always something going on and it´s a tight schedule. But if we write songs on tour it´s usually for other projects just to focus on something else when we can.

CM: Favorite Katzenjammer track and why?

KJ: Right now I think my favorite Katzenjammer track is from our newest album, and the song is a cover version of Genesis, ‘Land Of Confusion‘. It´s rock´n´roll, a lot of energy and coolness. I´m very satisfied with the result.

CM: If you could record any cover what would it be?

KJ: Difficult to choose only one. But I think if we´re doing another cover again it has to be something that´s musically very different from us. Maybe ‘Master of Puppets‘ by Metallica or something.

CM: Do your songs go through many revisions via demo recordings?

KJ: It depends on the song. Sometimes the arrangements and the melody is just there ready to be played when we write the songs. Other times the songs require more time and work to become perfect. The way we get to this point is to jam with each other and experiment different ideas. If we record any demos, it´s usually just for our own use and nothing nobody ever gets the chance to listen to.

CM: What came first, the lyrics or the melody?

KJ: That depends on the song too. But most of the time the melody comes first. And the lyrics might even come years later. It depends on many things, what kind of song you wanna write, if it´s personal or not.

CM: What are your views on auto tune?

KJ: I think you should be very careful with the usage of too much auto tune. A lot of today’s, especially pop, music use this both as an effect and to «clean» up the vocals. And by doing so you lose a lot of warmth and temperature in the performance. And for me it´s a big NO GO on live performances!

CM: Any other band/bands from your local scene we really should know about?

KJ: Norway´s got a strong musical scene these days. There´s several great female artists like Susanne Sundfør, Rockettothesky, Marit Larsen and Hanne Hukkelberg. We´ve also got some great bands like Team Me, Superfamily, Knudsen & Ludvigsen and many more.

CM: Most flattering thing you’ve read about yourselves?

KJ: After “Next big thing” in London, a reviewer wrote “With A-ha now retired, who better to fly the flag for Norway than these four talented women.”
That`s a huge compliment and we´ll carry it with us around the world trying to do so.

CM: What was the first record/tape/cd you ever bought?

KJ: It was a tape of the norwegian singer/songwriter Claudia Scott, ‘Flowers and Thorns‘ when I was around 9 years old.

CM: What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

KJ: A Norwegian song called ‘Vår beste dag’ by Erik Bye and Jon Rosslund.

CM: What was the last show you paid and queued up for?

KJ: I think it has to be AC/DC last summer in Oslo. It was fantastic!

CM: If you had to bring on artist back from the dead in exchange for sending a living artist down ,which artists would it be and why?

KJ: I´m not a fan of name dropping other artists I don´t like, because it´s all just a matter of taste and I don´t want my opinions to affect others. So I don´t want to send any living artists down. But if I could bring a dead artist back to life, it would have to be Jimi Hendrix!

TRACKS:

A Bar In Amsterdam by Katzenjammer

A Kiss Before You Go by Katzenjammer

As we headed towards the O2 arena for Smirnoff Sensation 2011 there was a evident buzz on the tube to the venue with everyone already making friends and getting hyped up. Once we arrived we were escorted to the press area but we could admire the insanely long cue of people dressed in white ready to go crazy tonight.

We enjoyed a complimentary drink from our vantage point in the highest tier of the o2 and were shown where we could get the best view which at 9:30 looking down was admittedly still pretty empty. As the venue visibly filled up including the deluxe area -a white castle amongst the stands- we could see the long queues we had spotted earlier gradually trickling in.

As we begun mixing with the crowd one hour lateral and there was a lot of anticipation in the air. It was great to see that Sensation had brought it’s trademark scenery to London. We were able to admire a ginormous jellyfish hanging from ceiling, vast underwater scenery and a spaceship like 360-rotating DJ platform with bubble-like lights sticking out strategically positioned at the centre of the venue.

Nothing was missing from this night that fans wouldn’t recognise from either a previous event or the youtube videos. Close to the launch hour, although not completely full yet, we were ready for the count down which hit us with a repetitive boom. There were fireworks, fountain works, crazy lasers scanning the crowd and the deep echoing recognisable voice of Sensation.

Mr White kickstarted the night injecting the place, which was really filling up now, with dancing fuel. He offered a good electronic beat, deep house with powerful beats. As we moved deeper into the dance floor, we observed (and appreciated) all the kinky and fun costumes. Swans , angels, aliens, carnival, masks, t shirts with puns e.g ’ this is a white t-shirt’, white sunglasses, wigs and all sorts were on display.

Powering on from Mr White‘s performance came Eric E who offered more electric beats to keep the mood going. To be honest the biggest attraction of this set were the huge glowing colourful balls that were tossed around to stimulate the crowd. We tried to get in the mix but it proved really tough to reach up with everyone else.

Joris Vroon & Nic Fanciulli were on next. Their set tick-tocked its way on to the dance floor quirky electronic sounds. First offering the strong beat from Alex Kenji’s ‘Something About You‘ before carrying with classics from Junior Jack, Daft Punk and Groove Armada, as well as more quirky minimal techno from Plastikman. These guys did not disappoint offering one of the best sets of the night in a lot of peoples’ opinion.

The Smirnoff Mix entailed a mashup of well known tracks like the never failing Benny Benassi ‘Satisfaction‘ mixed with unexpected oldies like Depeche Mode‘s ‘Personal Jesus‘. This was a fun set to that entertained and surprised us. By this point I think everyone in the entire arena was wearing a Smirnoff ring. With its LED light you could see all the grooving hands shimmer looking really cool from the distance

Fedde Legrande opened his set with Madonna music. This electrifying start was magnified by fireworks and Cirque de Soleil style dancers coming down from the ceiling- for me this was the best moment, you actually had to stop and just watch. Again, a great set was delivered on the same level as Nic Fanciulli earlier. You could tell that everyone was ecstatic at this point screaming, wolf whistling and yelling with excitement.

Martin Solveig turned up with his trade mark sweat band around his head hitting with his latest tune ‘Hello‘ right at the beginning of the set. All in all, even if was the DJ we were most looking forward to seeing , he was a bit disappointing as rather commercial on the night. he pleased the crowd with some floor fillers that have rocked our us since our teenage years but we might have found it a bit outdated.

No worries though because Sander Van Door managed to lift the spirits much higher after Solveig set. He too dropped some classics like Zombie Nation with ‘Old School‘ but the beats were a bit more lively. Spectacular fireworks appeared again for the ending followed by a deafening round of applause from the whole arena. Of course there was an encore last smashing tune, and no one dared to leave till it was actually all over and the lights came up

What can I say, Smirnoff Sensation 2011 was truly sensational and I didn’t want it to end. The good news is the mc ended things by saying ‘see you next year’. I think I speak for everyone in saying: I can’t wait!

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Post by Scarlett

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TRACKS:

NIC FANCIULLI – Green Tea (Syndrom)

Everything But The Girl – Missing (Fedde Le Grande Remix)

Martin Solveig feat Kele – Ready 2 Go (Billboard remix)

Sander van Doorn- Daisy (Tintdeejay`s Remix)

This Saturday we fancied something a little different so we are heading to The O2 Arena for Sensation presented by Smirnoff. Expect everyone to be dressed head to toe in white while some of dance’s biggest names perform on stage.

You can expect to see the likes of Mr.White, Erick E, Joris Voorn & Nic Fanculli, Fedde Le Grand, Martin Solveig and Sander Van Doorn.

If all this is not enough to get your juices flowing Sensation also offers unique stage shows featuring all sorts of acrobats, performers, lasers and fireworks.

For more info click here.

TRACKS:

The one thing that can be said about 2009 is that I have devoured a ton of live music in all sorts of venues from both emerging and established acts. When my friend announced he had a spare ticket to see Green Day I figured there were far worse things I could be doing with my Saturday night.

I have already caught the band live on a few occasions in the past; notably at one of my first ever gigs on the ‘Dookie‘ tour (where the band even aired the Tre Cool sang bonus track ‘I Was Alone‘). At the time the band’s attitude and energy left a big mark on my impressionable young mind.

After witnessing the ‘Nimrod‘ tour of 1997 I had to wait a few more years before seeing them once more, this time at their massive Milton Keynes shows in 2005 (which became available soon after via the Bullet in a Bible CD and DVD release). The metamorphosis the band had gone through from bratty (albeit enjoyable) upstarts to established rock royalty was remarkable.

The sensational success of ‘American Idiot‘ (its global sales are very close to those of ‘Dookie’ which, considering the advent of downloads  and internet streaming, is a pretty amazing achievement) has allowed Green Day to play to a whole new generation of fans and in ‘Jesus Of Suburbia‘ and ‘Holiday‘ produced tracks as good as anything that has come before.

But back to 2009…. Having not seen a gig at the O2 Arena since its hasty corporate re-branding I felt it was time to give it the Cougar work over. Additionally, I had recently ripped into The Offspring‘s disappointing performance at Rock En Seine so it was time to see how 1994s other break through act were doing.

“The O2” is a huge cavernous venue that manages to be simultaneously imposing yet somehow soulless. Despite the show tonight being sold out  I am surprised at how spacious the standing area appears and how much room is available in the stands. If you listen hard enough you can hear the sound of prawn sandwiches being crunched enthusiastically.

The band hit the stage at the relatively early time of 8 pm to accommodate for their mammoth 3 hours scheduled set. Launching into the opening double whammy of ‘Song Of The Century‘ and ‘21st Century Breakdown‘ it is immediately clear this audience is rabid for its heroes.

Billie Joe Armstrong is punk rocks’ answer to Groucho Marx with the band naturally playing the roles of his famous siblings. Just 3 songs into the set and the affable frontman has already run through the audience and played his guitar round a young kids back for 5 minutes.

Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt are as talented and charismatic as any other rhythm section around today and allow their frontman to focus on his act. It is obvious Billie Joe‘s voice has gone from strength to strength over the years so that not only can he snarl and scream but he can also croon with the best of them.

The fact that the band have a load of material to pick from their back catalogue is not debatable and when Green Day are actually playing they are close to unbeatable. It becomes clear however hat the band have not only been rehearsing their music but also an extensive and goofy stage show. So after the aforementioned walk through the crowd (the first of many) the band tick a few other boxes for safe measures.

In no particular order they lead the audience through long winded ooooohhhh-ahhhh chants, bring two fans on stage to be “exorcised”, shoot toilet paper and t-shirts into the crowd through purpose built cannons, recruit 3 other kids from the crowd to play their instruments (something they have been doing for a while) as well as perform a never ending medley of covers.

Individually each of these actions would be acceptable but coming in quick succession they take on a quasi-pantomine quality. It is perhaps fitting that this venue sometimes hosts NBA and NFL games because this entire performance begins to take on an American extravaganza feel rather than a rock show.

Still, tracks like ‘Welcome To Paradise‘ and ‘Hitchin A Ride‘ are greeted as old friends and I find myself surprised at how current the “old‘ material still sounds. ‘Basketcase‘ has me not so much walking down memory lane as sprinting down like an over excited kid on a sugar rush. The inclusion of ‘She‘ proves the band have a wealth of material to pick from.

Special mention must go to the chosen backdrop which, in contrast with the theatrics, enhances instead of distracting from the show. I appreciate that advances in technology have given new scope for improving the audio-visual experience but it all comes down to how you apply it and today’s setting is nothing short of spectacular.  Visiting a reoccurring city scape motif that morphs into huge speakers and other shapes in accordance to the song being played and it is a true spectacle.

Following a first encore that features ‘American Idiot‘, an epic ‘Jesus Of Suburbia‘ and fan favourite ‘Minority‘ the band return to the stage once more for an acoustic offering. The much awaited ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)‘ is held until the very end for a predictable yet magical finale with Billy Joe Armstrong standing centre stage guitar in hand. It is a somewhat subdued send off to a high-octane night but is pleasing because it demonstrates that Green Day have the tracks to back up the clowning around.

There is a tendency to up the ante when playing stadium shows so as to give the punters perceived value for their money. I strongly believe Green Day don’t have to rely on these gimmicks, tonight’s show could have been trimmed by 45 minutes and still had a similar impact. Fortunately the songs were present in abundance.

TRACKS:

Green Day – Minority

Green Day – When I Come Around

Green Day – Holiday