German Europop siblings Otto and Astrid Rot of band Die Roten Punkte talk about their new show Eurosmash! and the highs and lows of working with your family.
Otto and Astrid
By Astrid Rot
We can’t wait to rock out in Edinburgh! My brother Otto and I have just spent the last few months in Australia playing our latest album Eurosmash!, warming up for our Edinburgh shows.
Eurosmash! is like a blast in the face of beats and dance rhythms! It’s almost impossible to listen to it and NOT want to start dancing because literally your legs start feeling incredibly bendy and your arms begin waving around uncontrollably! Sometimes people say they can’t stop dancing for days afterwards. One guy ended up at the emergency department because he was non-stop dancing at work and it became too dangerous because he was a plane marshal and planes started landing on the wrong runways.
Getting match fit for Edinburgh on our ‘Down Under tour’ in Australia, we began at the Woodford Folk Festival rocking out to thousands of people and meeting up with our lovely friend Amanda Palmer who even played a song with us! It’s been so wonderful to meet up with old friends and also meeting so many new people, especially those that I end up partying with.
We love how different audiences respond in different ways to our band (Die Roten Punkte) all over the world. In Winnipeg, when we play our song ‘Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter (I Am A Lion)’, Canadian people put on furry lion hats and dance like robots. In Dublin, after the show, about 20 fans were standing outside the front of the venue and would loudly sing ‘Astrid’s Drinking Song’ and then they literally lifted me above their heads and took me to the nearest pub. I was in heaven.
Last time we were in Edinburgh we were playing our Kunst Rock (Art Rock) album and people wanted us to sign our autograph on parts of their body. It happened on our first gig there. One guy asked me to sign his arm. And then a girl asked Otto to sign her leg. Then a guy said to me, “I want you to write on my neck: ‘To your biggest fan in Edinburgh, Dave Fisguard, thank you for coming. I love you. Astrid Rot.” My writing is quite big so I ended up having to write in a circle around his nipple and all the way down to his ass to fit all the text in.
Then it became to be like a competition of who could get their most private part signed. It’s got to the point that we had all of these young naked men and women waiting around after the show. The Underbelly staff has been worded up so hopefully it will all be ok this year.
People always ask me what’s it like to be working and touring all over the world with my little brother and it’s tough and awesome in equal measures. Otto is straight edge whereas I like to party and meet people. If I don't come home for a few days Otto gets very worried and he used to call the police to report that I had gone missing. I had to explain that I’m not a “missing person”, I’m just “out” making a party. He ended up on the public nuisance list for calling the police too often, so finally now he’s stopped.
The awesome part is when we are on stage together rocking out. I’m smashing away on my drums, Otto is doing leaps and scissor kicks, the audience is going crazy, that is the ultimate BEST feeling!
Otto and Astrid perform Eurosmash! at Underbelly, Cowagte from the 3rd-27th August (not 9th or 15th). Tickets available at www.edfringe.com.
Tagged in Edinburgh Festival Fringe