KRAAK FEST 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: Cluster Bomb Unit
Originally formed in Stuttgart in 1989, Cluster Bomb Unit has been touring the world many times over with their straightforward, no bullshit German Raw Punk Kommando march. Founding member Oliver gives us a short update on the current state and possible futures of CBU, and we've assembled a small footage dump to get everyone fist pumping before their arrival on the KRAAK Fest stage this Sat!
First of all, a not-so-brief history of Cluster Bomb Unit up until 2001.
The themes in your music deal with resistance, defying authority, anti-religion, anti-war. Are politics important in your band dynamic and in the choices that you make, artistically and otherwise?
Oliver: We don't necessarily see ourselves as a political band. I do believe that we have a certain common ground within the band when it comes to politics and religions, but there are certainly also views that are not shared within the band. The lyrics are nowadays written either by Julia herself or by friends of the band. Several opinions are taken into account.
Your Bandcamp has a lot of material, mainly archival. What’s your approach to records and releases vis-a-vis playing live?
O: We usually record very spontaneously and try to keep it as "live" as possible. In the past, we took more time to work on the songs. For example, the last album "Abgesang" was actually recorded without rehearsals. We made each respective song without vocals and recorded it immediately. I only listened to the finished song again after Julia had recorded her vocals. So, for the live set, we had to practice each song from scratch all over again.
What’s in store for CBU and its members this year and in the near future?
O: Well, we're slowly reaching an age where you can't plan the next 10 years as a band anymore. We definitely want to remain active for a while, but you can already feel that it's getting harder from year to year. We're not the Rolling Stones. Playing concerts at our level is very demanding. We're still DIY and, even in our 50s, sometimes we have to sleep on the floor. This year marks our 35th anniversary and we have a few gigs in the pipeline at least. We'll even try to record a few more songs. It's not over yet.
