Kunst Rock (Art Rock)

I’ve been wanting to see the duo that is Die Roten Punkte for a couple of years now only because of the great things I’ve heard about them. In many ways, this punk rockcom didn’t disappoint. Kunst Rock is a highly entertaining show with an exuberance that has the audience smiling and tapping their toes from the outset.

Astrid plays the funny woman to Auto’s straight man which works a treat. She’s like a gothic glam queen perched on her throne and drums, a little bit fairy godmother and a little bit randy housewife. Her antics were the highlight of the show for me as she’s an astute improviser who is very comfortable with her audience which allows her to sink completely into character. A very funny woman indeed.

The issue I had with this show is that I couldn’t hear all the lyrics which meant that some of comedy was lost on me. Even though, lyrically, the songs draw on absurdism for comedy value, the audience still needs to hear them. Admittedly, even when I did, I didn’t always connect with the comedy. I’m not sure how long the duo has been performing this show, but the songs didn’t sound completely rounded as though they were playing new material to test the audience’s reaction. Some of the songs could be more well thought out as well as concise. Luckily Die Roten Punkte are such consummate musicians and performers that you can actually enjoy this show without laughing at every gag. When this show took risks, though, the comedy really paid off. Astrid’s brief number when she delivered subversive and shocking lyrics in true punk style, the duo hit comedy gold. And other songs with lyrics such as “You’re like a verb, always doing things to me” demonstrates how clever this outfit can really be.

This show needs a little tightening up but it’s still a great show simply because we bare witness to a couple of confident, adept performers who still seem really excited about performing and entertaining their audiences.

Season Closed