Concert PeterLicht (Emotionale hört die Signale! Auf zum letzten Verzicht!) @ Münchner Kammerspiele review

PeterLicht is an award winning German indie electropop musician, concept artist and author from Cologne. Up until mid-2006, PeterLicht would not reveal any biographical details nor have his photo taken. When he appeared on a TV show in 2006, only his body was filmed. PeterLicht is less secretive now and happily signs his book after the concert.

Songs like “Lob der Realität” (Praising Reality) or “Lied vom Ende des Kapitalismus” (Song about the End of Capitalism) earned PeterLicht the title “social theorist among pop artists”. Indeed, some of his work echoes the system theorist Niklas Lumann. PeterLicht has also written music for various stage productions, including Karoshi (2003) and Wir werden siegen (2005) at the Kammerspiele, where he also directed the production Räume räumen (2009). PeterLicht returns to Munich with his stage show Emotionale hört die Signale! Auf zum letzten Verzicht! (Emotionale, Heed the Signals! On to the Last Abstention).

Together with Tobias Philippen, who plays a variety of instruments including the e-piano, electric guitar, trumpet and percussion, the skilful wordsmith PeterLicht presents a revue including some of his most popular songs. After starting off with the punchy tune “Der böse Mann” (The Wicked Man), PeterLicht reads a passage from his book – “Lob der freien Welt” (Praise of the Free World) – before exploring the meaning of happiness in “Das absolute Glück“(Absolute Happiness), followed by the lyrical ballad “Es bleibt uns der Wind” (We Still have the Wind).

PeterLicht is more of a musical poet or balladeer than a pop musician. His texts are often very lyrical but he also combines poetry with puns and indulges in dry humour like in “Wettentspannen” (Relaxation Race) or “Trennungslied” (Separation Song): ” Hauptsache wir sitzen am Ende alle im selben Heim, denn ohne all die anderen Getrennten möchten wir nicht alleine sein” (The main thing is we all end up in the same home because without the other separated folks we don’t want to be alone). Of course the evening also includes the hit single “Sonnendeck” (Sun Deck) and “Begrabt mein iPhone” (Bury My iPhone).

Based on “The Internationale“, PeterLicht presents “Die Emotionale“, turning it into a sing-along: He hands out his sheets with his slightly updated lyrics himself before the auditorium reverbarates with PeterLicht’s linguistic acrobatics.

PeterLicht’s show is very rewarding but requires fluent German or else you will fail to grasp the jokes and innuendos. 4/5

Review written by Carolin Kopplin.

Concert PeterLicht was shown at the Muncher Kammerspiele. For more information on the concert, visit here…