Ein, Zwei, Drei im Deutschland – Germany with BC Sweet

Yours truly in Spremberg

Just got back from a very successful three-dayer in Germany with BC Sweet, playing three shows in the East, including Spremberg, and a re-visit to Chemnitz where we played with Christie around a decade ago. It was great to catch up with old friends such as Dozy, Beaky , Mick & Tich, as well as Bill Hurd’s Rubettes, and my old mate Ricky, their sound tech.

The Freilichbuhne in Spremberg

All of the shows were outdoor affairs, performed on some of Germany’s impressive Freilichbuhnes – huge stage constructions serving natural amphitheatres – ideal venues (when the weather holds!) Thankfully, apart from a little light rain on the first night, it did!

Spremberg on the Saturday was a lovely gig, as was the town, where I’d also been last year with Christie. Quintessentially German, it has a lovely town square, immaculately kept, with great coffee shops.

It was Chemnitz on the Sunday, a city that in the communist era bore the name Karl-Marx Stadt, and a huge statue of his head dominates the city centre, ironically not a stone’s throw from that symbol of capitalism, The Golden Arches!

We were playing, unusually, on Sunday afternoon, at the Braustolz Fest -a huge party held at the local Chemnitz brewery. We were well looked after, with great food and drink (as you can imagine!) and the fans were fantastic. These three shows were invaluable to us as a band, the more regularly you play the greater your sense of identity and togetherness, and afterwards we felt like we could take on the world. We’ll use that energy and momentum to push on and take BC Sweet to the next level.

Needless to say, the trams still run on time in Chemnitz.....

Unusually then, for us, the Sunday night was a relaxing one. The view from my hotel room took in the beautiful Opera house across the Square, and later that evening we headed out for coffee, beer and a bite to eat, reflecting on a successful weekend. Roll on the next one!

Kev Moore