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🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

U-turn after criticism: Alphaville invited back to festival

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Glücksgefühle Festival organizers apologized for canceling Alphaville’s performance and invited the band back as planned.
  • Organizer Markus Krampe said the cancellation was a mistake, while singer Marian Gold had described it as an attempt to muzzle the band.
  • Other musicians and an SPD state leader criticized the original decision, which organizers had linked to political statements on stage.

Alphaville has been invited back to Germany’s Glücksgefühle Festival after organizers reversed course following widespread criticism of the band’s cancellation.

Markus Krampe, who has organized the festival since 2023 with former Germany football international Lukas Podolski, apologized for the decision in an interview with Bild. “How we acted was indeed a mistake. I am sorry about that,” he said. The organizers now want Alphaville to perform as planned, describing the invitation as a deliberate choice rather than a retreat.

How we acted was indeed a mistake. I am sorry about that

· Markus KrampeThe festival organizer apologized for canceling Alphaville’s appearance.

The band, led by singer Marian Gold, had publicly announced the cancellation on social media. Gold, 72, called it a “gag order.” Organizers had said they could not agree with the band on refraining from political statements on the festival stage. According to the band’s manager, those statements concerned opposition to the far right and support for democracy.

A gag order

· Marian GoldThe Alphaville singer described the original cancellation in a social-media post.

The cancellation drew criticism from prominent musicians. Campino, frontman of Die Toten Hosen, called it absurd to exclude someone for speaking against the AfD or Donald Trump and supporting democracy. He said a new line had been crossed and erased.

Mateo of Culcha Candela, scheduled to perform at the festival, described the organizers’ relationship with democracy as complicated and said the band would continue voicing its opposition to the AfD if it was not itself disinvited. “Fuck Nazis!” he said the group would say from the stage, louder than ever.

Freedom of expression is the highest value we have in Germany, and it must be protected

· Markus KrampeKrampe explained why the organizers reversed the cancellation.

Krampe now says freedom of expression is Germany’s highest value and should be protected. Baden-Württemberg SPD co-leader Robin Mesarosch also urged protest, arguing that performers cannot simply choose to be nonpolitical. He pointed to singer Andreas Gabalier, whose songs can also carry political meaning through references to comradeship and Iron Cross imagery.

Fuck Nazis!

· MateoThe Culcha Candela singer said the band would continue expressing its opposition to the AfD on stage.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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