The greatest film shot in Berlin is – fittingly – shrouded in obscurity. “The Bread of those Early Years” has never been released to streaming or home video, even though it won big at Germany’s very first national film awards ceremony. The stark, black and way portrait of early 60s youth malaise can be found online in even better versions than the one which resides on youtube, but that’s about it. Like with most of Germany’s cinematic masterpieces, its absence in film discourse – national and international – is symptomatic. Germany lacks confidence and appreciation when it comes to their great art.
It’s up to cineaste weirdos like Raygun Busch of Chat Pile to drag these cult films back into the spotlight, as his performance slowly transforms from Noise Rock concert to film quiz. During every single intermission between songs, Raygun proceeds to hype up individual entries of the cinematic canon shot in the city, with the gleeful euphoria of a fairground carney: “Being in this city, of course I have to think of WINGS of DESIRE, folks, what a movie…” […] “Berlin, what about… Po-SESS-ion.. wow, that one is crazy!” He’s actually surprised to hear that it was shot down the street from the legendary SO36, Kreuzberg’s most venerated Punk venue, as one attentive attendee adds.
At this point in the evening, the crowd has already been pummeled into a frenzy, as opening act Agriculture surprised with an incredibly intense and haunting Blackgaze performance. Their unique blend of tender, almost sacral moments with blasting Metal detours is some of the best the genre has to offer! Where their recent album confined their emotional poignancy a bit, the band’s live performance comes as an absolute shock of excellent, emotional musicianship. Blackgaze is often denigrated as the genre where every act sounds similar, but Agriculture have found a strikingly unique embodiment that diverges from “the Deafheaven-sound”. At times, they seem more interested in exploring the many configurations of the modern metal semantics, with shades of Sunn O))) being present during a droning all-bass intro, only to dive into the punishing delirium of a caustic Sortsind composition with the next track. It’s easy to imagine Agriculture to grow into the same chameleonic form of Ulver or Liturgy, and their shows should not be missed!
After their set, the venue seems to transform – the audience is equal part metal heads and Punks, now exchanging their placements of pit and back half. Equally, the dynamic in the room changes. Where Agriculture had the crowd transfixed as everyone nodded along to the onslaught, Chat Pile cause wild abandon with the very first notes of “I Am Dog Now”. For the rest of the night, the entire front transforms into a rough mosh pit. Stripping to his regular stage-costume of wearing nothing but shorts, Raygun seems to only further intensify the audience’s glee, as sweat, fists and beer flies around the room. Soon, stage divers scale the stairs, and – cautiously – announce where they’re heading. Unperturbed by this, the band delivers a stunningly perfect show. Crisp and fiery, Chat Pile are gifted with the precision of skilled professionals who cut their teeth in pubs and basements. Guitarist Luther Manhole is especially outstanding, conjuring a massive sound that seems the compass for the rest of the band.
During this tour, Chat Pile have greatly altered their setlist each night, making it impossible to foresee where the journey would go. This night, they open mostly with tracks off Cool World – “I Am Dog Now”, “Frownland”, “Shame” – before playing a mid-section that is all God’s Country. “Why” is a clear favourite, with the crowd shouting along, while “Tropical Beaches, Inc.” and “Wicked Puppet Dance” are thoroughly unhinged. In-between, Raygun continues to challenge the audience’s film knowledge – calling for the two films Charlize Theron shot in Berlin, I got “Atomic Blonde” right (the other one is “Aeon Flux”, in the word’s of Raygun “a bit of a different movie than what we’re used to”). Tonight’s highlight comes after a pummeling performance of “Slaughterhouse”, with the iconic single “Masc”, which has the audience in such a frenzy that most are hoarse and exhausted after. Yet, still, the band continues onwards, playing a stunning thirteen songs in total, two of which are seemingly new compositions! And still, the band returns for an encore, delivering a sludgy, doom laden rendition of “Pamela” – a surprisingly grim closing of the night, as Raygun shouts the coda of “Resurrect my son” over and over.
Chat Pile are truly excellent live! Not only are they gifted with the aura of an iconic Rock band, they also approach their performance with a sense of professionalism that is genuinely respectable. Every moment, every note hits like clockwork! Raygun, topless and barefoot, does his best to slouch around the stage like a drunkard, but it’s clear in every moment that he’s deeply concentrated and dedicated to his delivery. More stage actor than traditional Hardcore frontman, he embodies his protagonists in a method-style, much like the film stars he recounts in-between songs. There’s a strange physical grace in these poses, a subversion of the familiar tropes that link Heavy Rock with macho attitude. It’s not satire, but as Raygun finally drops his letterboxed handle – bigrtheking – it’s clearly tongue in cheek. Like “Friday the 13th”, the slasher classic he admires and paid homage to with “Pamela”, his band is a stark reflection of American culture. Larger than life, deeply self aware and genuinely exhilarating, Chat Pile are as Punk Rock as they are about Punk Rock. This night, they proved they’re a force majeure, beyond their niche!
