"The hottest city in the world"

The unemployed construction workers

They are one of, perhaps even the, longest existing band in Chemnitz. The unemployed construction workers are cult, not only among punk rockers, but also the fans of Chemnitz FC know them from their appearances at the promotion and team presentations. Next Saturday, Matthias Markus Brückner, stage name MMB Friedhelm, René Clausnitzer, alias René Furtiká, and André Hansch, alias Hanscher, will be playing at the city festival for the first time. The three will be performing their songs for young and old on the Am Wall stage at the Mopo Sport Party from 9 pm. Beforehand, they talk about nervousness, their band history and their love for Chemnitz.

After 17 years as a band, the first appearance at the city festival. Why so late?
MMB Friedhelm: We're surprised too (laughs). We've been applying for several years, but for various reasons it never came to a gig. So we were all the more pleased to get the call this year and make our debut at the city festival.

The Chemnitz audience is considered to be particularly critical. How do you win them over?
MMB Friedhelm: That's an exciting question: is Chemnitz rockable? And that applies to all age groups. I think so! The age structure of the visitors at our concerts is also completely diverse: from 16 to 66 years old. We always manage to win them over with our music and get them dancing. The city festival is rocked accordingly.

Are you excited before the gig on Saturday?
MMB Friedhelm: I think Udo Jürgens once said: If you're not excited, you're cheating your audience. That's how we see it too. You know what you're doing when you're on stage. That's experience. But there's more anticipation and excitement for the city festival than usual.

How has your music developed over the past 17 years? In the beginning it was certainly harder punk?
MMB Friedhelm: That's right. In the beginning it was real garage punk. We sat down, were happy to play three chords, wrote some lyrics and sang the songs one after the other. We didn't care about anything else. The main thing was that it was loud, fast and something to sing. Over the years, of course, we've developed further. (laughs) We've released 12 albums so far, and of course you always aspire to be better in some way with every new work, to go one step further. In the meantime, it's no longer the garage point, but rather rock music with different influences - appealing to a wider audience.

You are not only known in Chemnitz, but throughout Germany: from the Baltic coast to the Bavarian Forest. Would you describe yourselves as successful?
MMB Friedhelm: Wherever we are booked, we go. But what does successful mean? We're not the chart toppers. That's not our claim either. We look forward to travelling to different cities and are always surprised that our songs are also sung along to outside of Chemnitz. That's really cool.

How many gigs do you play a year?
MMB Friedhelm: It varies, between 30 and 60.

Which concert do you particularly remember?
Hanscher: My big favourite is the gig at K17 in Berlin last year at Easter. That was my highlight: a mega atmosphere, a lot of people and the occasion, the tenth anniversary of our record label, was great.
MMB Friedhelm : At the top of my list is Chemnitzer FC's promotion party in 2008: 3,500 people behind the stadium, that was really cool.

The formation of the band sounds more like a crazy idea than a serious project: in 1998, Hendrik Herrbach, alias Hank, bought a drum set without ever having held a drumstick in his hand, rang the doorbell of his best friend Friedhelm and announced that it was time to realise his long-cherished dream of forming his own band. No sooner said than done. Before moving to the Schönherrfabrik in 2001, the initial two-man band used a garage in Chemnitz Altendorf as a rehearsal room.

In 1998, the year the band was founded, German hip hop was on the rise in Chemnitz. Did you have a hard time as a punk band?
MMB Friedhelm: Maybe that's why we did it. Because we weren't that in favour of the hip hop faction. Our role models were Die Toten Hosen and Die Ärzte. We thought we could do that too. Let's just give it a try.

Are you surprised to have been making music successfully for so long?
MMB Friedhelm: We never really thought about that. It's just what we enjoy doing and what we've put so much energy into over the years. I couldn't imagine it without the band. That's why I'm glad that we've been around for so long.
Hanscher: That's also rather an exception and therefore something special. I've played in a few bands that didn't last that long.

The Unemployed Construction Workers have had a few personnel changes in 17 years. The most painful was certainly when founding member and drummer Hank had to pull out in 2009 due to hand problems. Nevertheless, there was (almost) no thought of quitting. "Only once, when Hank said goodbye," admits Friedhelm. The two have known each other since primary school and the band was their "joint baby". "But we have Hank to thank for the fact that we still exist. He gave us a kick up the arse and said: keep going." He was forced to swap his place on the drums for one at the desk. "He's still a band member, organises concerts for us and does the management." After a long search, Hanscher became his successor.

Was joining the band in 2012 a difficult legacy for you, Hanscher?
Hanscher: When you were looking for a new drummer, I applied on the initiative of a work colleague. When I read the band's history, I thought: oh my God, they're successful and play gigs regularly. I didn't know that before and so I went to the interview with the band with great excitement. The conversation went well and the rest of the band were also convinced by the task he had been given of musically accompanying the album in a fortnight with his drumming skills. Hanscher played the entire album within two days. "He actually had two weeks to do it," laughs MMB Friedhelm. A lengthy search for a drummer came to a happy end and the three have been playing together ever since.

Do you still have goals after 17 years?
MMB Friedhelm: Yes, of course. To keep recording new stuff. We have so many things in mind that we want to put on CD. Our new football EP is coming out in the summer (note: variation between album and single), we've already recorded most of our next album, and we've already got lots of ideas for new songs... Yes, and of course we want to play live as much as possible!

Which is your favourite club in Chemnitz for Die Arbeitslosen Bauarbeiter?
Hanscher: Definitely the former Flowerpower, now Flowpo. That's our favourite place and our living room.
MMB Friedhelm: Apart from that, we've played everywhere you can play in Chemnitz. On the Brühl in the summer, in the AJZ, in the Subway to Peter, in the medical centre, in the Roter Turm for the Chemnitzer FC team presentation. Except in front of the Kopp, we haven't played there yet. (laughs) But you should never say never.

Are you all originally from Chemnitz?
MMB Friedhelm: Our bass player, René, and I were born here.
Hanscher: I've been a Chemnitz resident by choice for eight years. I'm originally from Schneeberg in the Ore Mountains.

In 2008, Die Arbeitslosen Bauarbeiter released their third studio album "09113" (the postcode of the district in which their rehearsal room is located): with songs about life, love, politics, football, the Highway Code and the "hottest city in the world".

In your album "09113", you describe Chemnitz as "the hottest city in the world". What do you like about it so much?
Hanscher: In my defence, I have to say that the album came out before my time. (laughs) I think Chemnitz has far too bad a reputation. I also came here with no idea about the city and what you hear: high average age, dirty, nothing going on. I was able to convince myself otherwise. Chemnitz is definitely undersold to the outside world. "The coolest city in the world" is of course a huge euphemism. It's a great city, I like being here and I'm staying.
MMB Friedhelm: "Hottest city in the world" should be understood with a wink. But it should be a verbal kick up the arse. Chemnitz, and I include the population in this, needs a bit more self-confidence. There are a lot of people who want to do something, change something, improve something, but there are also a lot of complainers. I am a person with a positive attitude to life, I want to look ahead and do things better. I wanted to tease out this feeling with the song. I wish Chemnitz more doing instead of complaining.

Incidentally, the question about the band name doesn't go down too well with the three of them. "It's on the index," they say with a grin. Because the journalist asks this question in every interview they give. For anyone who doesn't know, here's the answer: when clearing out the premises of the first rehearsal room, a traffic sign (sign 123 of the German road traffic regulations) was found, which inspired Friedhelm and Hank to name the band. "In our youthful euphoria at the time, the sign was enough to inspire our band name. Over the years, we constantly invented new stories about it in interviews, we were construction workers who founded a band due to unemployment. The thing with the road sign is the simple truth," says Friedhelm.

Is Chemnitz particularly musical?
MMB Friedhelm: I think so. There are so many great bands here. There was once a poll on the internet asking who your favourite Chemnitz band was. I think there were 150 band suggestions! That shows how diverse the scene in the city is. That's really cool. I can't remember who won. Unfortunately it wasn't us. (laughs)

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Hanscher: Yes, I think so. As Friedhelm already mentioned, Chemnitz needs more confidence. I agree with that. The people of Chemnitz should stand by their city a little more, and it would also be nice if the image of Chemnitz was portrayed more positively to the outside world.
MMB Friedhelm: I'm not sure whether you need to encourage people. But more self-confidence can't hurt... We have a very beautiful city, even if you have to look for the highlights, you can feel at home here. With our music, we get to know so many people who do something in their corners of Chemnitz because they want to make their contribution to the city. Maybe that's also an advantage, that Chemnitz is an unfinished city and anyone who wants to can do their bit to further beautify and improve it. If you want to feel at home, you're sure to find your spot here.