Golden Apes
Russia Feels Like Coming Home

05.07.2016

Golden Apes, that fascinating gothic and post-punk band from Berlin, have visited Russia twice. As frontman Peer Lebrecht said, coming back to Russia feels like coming home. It was a big surprise to realize that the serious, cool and self-confident singer of a gothic rock band may be so nice and friendly. And, actually, Mr. Lebrecht has much more in common with Russia than it may seem at first. We met Peer late in the evening in St. Petersburg’s ClubZal after the last concert of the band’s 2016 Russian tour – that evening the band was the headliner of Radio Inferno Festival. A very special chance to ask the gothic stage icon about his feelings about Mother Russia, German music fans and plans for the nearest future.

Peer, there are a lot of interesting gothic and post-punk bands around. What is your recipe to make Golden Apes unique, different from the other bands?

I think that the “secret” (if you may call it like that) is that we have never tried to fit any shape or any genre – gothic rock, post-punk, dark wave – they are just templates restricting creativity. We don’t say, “Oh, we can’t do this because it’s not enough gothic”, we just do it. There is no need for us to say, “Ok, we are making post-punk, so it only has to be post-punk”. It is just the music we like and the music we want to make, and maybe that’s why we are not like the other bands. We are a bit different, because there are no borders, no limits for us. ‘Cause in the end it´s the genre that has to fit the music not vice versa.

Peer, what are your favorite bands? Are you personally fond of post-punk music?

I was and am a really big fan of the late David Bowie. He hugely influenced my appreciation of music. Besides I´m still into those bands we grew up with like Joy Division, The Cure, The Chameleons, The Sound, Nick Cave, Sisters of Mercy and Fields of the Nephilim. But recently I´m more into the music of young and exciting new bands, curiously a lot of them are from Russia. Like Brandenburg from Moscow, Motorama, Human Tetris, Blackmail, Cold Comfort, but also less darker bands like Parks, Squares and Alleys and The Retuses.

This is your second visit to Russia, the first one was in 2007. Then gothic subculture was in bloom in Russia at that. As compared to 2007, how has your audience in Russia changed?

I think when we were here for the first time, nine years ago, it was completely difficult because we were completely unknown and the audience didn’t know our name, let alone our music! Now it was completely different. We have played in four cities – Volgograd, Voronezh, Moscow and St. Petersburg – and there were so many great and lovely people in the audience and we got such a stunning feedback, it was really, really amazing. We have had so much fun on- and offstage that we can´t wait to return. And of course we hope it won’t take another time to be back!

A lot of musicians say that fans today don’t like coming to concerts, nobody wants to buy CDs and support their favorite bands. What is going on about that in Germany?

About buying the CDs, it’s different times today. Now the people take the music from the Internet, legal or illegal, and listen to mp3s on their phone - so there´s no really need for music in a physical shape. And I´m quite sure that it will be outdated in the near future.
The situation with music fans in Germany is a bit different. I think here, in Russia, the problem is the money. I don’t know about the prices of concerts but I suppose they are very expensive. In Germany people have a bit more money and they go more often to concerts but I think they´re almost satisfied by the possibilities. In Russia the people have a much more emotional presence at concerts – you see them dance, hear them sing and most important; they are still listening to the music. That’s a bit different in Germany, where people are more expecting being entertained, judging very rudely sometimes. You always have to fight against demands and prejudices.

What is more important for Golden Apes – to stay alive with new releases or to stay alive with new concerts?

I think you can’t say “I like this more or I like that more”. I think it’s both important and different. I am fond of being in a studio doing new music. I like it so much to see the songs being created and grow, walking the way that starts with a little idea in the beginning leading you (more or less) to a complex piece of music in the end. That creative process is what I think it is about. But in the studio, you are on your own, getting no echo from what the song is effecting and that´s why it is always exciting to be on the stage, because you see the people, you feel their reactions and their feedback is the only proper reward.

What is your band working on at the moment?

Today you’ve heard a lot of new songs because we are preparing our next album that will see the light of the day this coming fall. We only interrupted the recordings for this great trip to Russia.

What are your feelings about Russia? What do you like most about Russia?

Most about Russia I like the people. Because all the people we have met here are so amazing. Everywhere we have been everyone was so great and bountiful, so kind and warmhearted – taking care of us in every situation.
And I also like Russian culture and the architecture and the music… where to stop? I think I have kinship with the Russian soul. I was born in the GDR, in Eastern Berlin, so I have very close relationship with the Russian state. I grew up at school where I learnt Russian language for about seven years. But there’s nothing left, only some words: «спасибо», «Добрый день!», «Доброе утро!» («thank you», «Good afternoon!», «Good morning!» – ed.). So, there are a lot of things I like about Russia and there´s this kind of familiarity, a bit like coming home, that’s why we like it so much being here.

When two parties are interested in each other, they always get together. Golden Apes are about to bring us thoughtful lyrics and mysterious melodies with their upcoming album. And we look forward to having another chance to give Golden Apes a warm welcome in Russia.

Golden Apes on the Internet: http://www.goldenapes.com

Special thanks to Leonid Novikov (Club Zal Ozhidania) for arranging this interview
 
Interview by Alexandra Prozorova
Photos by Alexander Devishin
April 24, 2016
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