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CRIME

Germany’s Rammstein facing calls to cancel Swiss concerts

Women's rights groups and political organisations have demanded the cancellation of Rammstein's forthcoming concerts in Switzerland following multiple sexual assault allegations made against the German metal band's frontman.

Published: 10 June 2023 08:58 CEST
Till Lindemann, singer of German rock band Rammstein, is engulfed in flames as he performs at a Stockholm concert in the 90s.
Till Lindemann, singer of German rock band Rammstein, is engulfed in flames as he performs at a Stockholm concert in the 90s. Lindemann currently faces multiple sexual assault allegations. Photo: Tobias ROSTLUND / SCANPIX SWEDEN / AFP

Rammstein are scheduled to play two sold-out gigs at the Wankdorf Stadium in the Swiss capital Bern on June 17th and 18th, as part of their current European tour.

Several women have come forward recently to claim they were drugged and recruited to engage in sexual activity with singer Till Lindemann, 60, at Rammstein after-show parties.

Lawyers representing Lindemann categorically denied the allegations on Thursday.

READ ALSO: Rammstein frontman denies sexual assault allegations

Young Socialists Switzerland (JS), the Social Democratic Party’s youth movement, launched a petition urging the promoters to call off the Bern gigs.

“Maintaining the concerts means that the organiser is clearly behind Rammstein, which sends a very bad signal to those affected,” the petition said.

“We ask the concert organiser Gadget ABC to draw the necessary conclusions in this situation, to cancel the Rammstein concerts in Bern and to refund the ticket price to the spectators in full.”

Also backing the call were Brava, a non-governmental organisation against violence against women; feminist peace organisation CFD; and SP Frauen Schweiz, a progressive social democratic feminist movement.

“These accusations of sexual assault must be taken seriously,” said JS vice president Thomas Bruchez.

The only responsible thing to do in this context is to cancel the concerts,” he told Switzerland’s ATS news agency on Friday.

Blick newspaper reported that the Feminist Strike Collective Bern was considering possible action outside the stadium.

Rammstein, an industrial metal band founded in 1994, is known for grinding guitar riffs, taboo-breaking antics and theatrical stage shows heavy on pyrotechnics.

Their songs have dealt with subjects from cannibalism to necrophilia and the band name itself evokes the 1988 Ramstein air show disaster that killed 70 people and injured more than 1,000.

READ ALSO: German rockers Rammstein slammed over ‘repulsive’ Holocaust video clip

A young Irish woman posted on social media that she had been drugged and propositioned by Lindemann at a backstage party in Vilnius.

A wave of similar stories has since emerged recently through platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

German newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday that Alena Makeeva, a Russian woman accused of recruiting young women to engage in sexual practices with Lindemann, had been banned from all further Rammstein concerts.

READ ALSO: Who are Rammstein and why are they so big in Germany?

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CULTURE

Sting, Deep Purple return to Montreux Jazz Festival

Deep Purple, Sting and Lenny Kravitz will return for this year's Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, while Duran Duran will close the event with their debut appearance, organisers announced Thursday.

Published: 19 April 2024 12:02 CEST
Sting, Deep Purple return to Montreux Jazz Festival

“This 58th edition preserves the values that make the Montreux Jazz Festival unique,” said chief executive Mathieu Jaton.

“Our intimate stages, the constant pursuit of an optimal musical experience for both festival- goers and artists, and our musical DNA, blending heritage acts and new trends, remain at the very heart of our aims.”

Dionne Warwick, the Smashing Pumpkins, Massive Attack, Air, Kraftwerk, PJ Harvey, The National, Andre 3000, Paloma Faith and Loreen are among the other major acts appearing at the festival, which runs from July 5th to 20th

.For more than half a century, Montreux has been a magnet for big names in the music business, as well as for rising stars. It has retained its jazz label despite dramatically expanding its repertoire since the first edition in 1967.

Around 250,000 people are expected to visit the festival, which takes over much of the waterfront in the picturesque town on Lake Geneva in western Switzerland.

Veteran British heavy rockers Deep Purple will be appearing for the 10th time, extending their deep connections with the town: famously, their hit “Smoke on the Water” chronicles witnessing the 1971 fire that destroyed the Montreux Casino.

Sting’s eighth appearance will see him perform in a trio for the first time, with a guitarist and drummer joining the singer/bassist.

Acts paired 

Acts will be appearing on double bills. Alice Cooper is teamed with Deep Purple; Editors are paired with the Smashing Pumpkins; jazz singer-pianists Diana Krall and Jamie Cullum appear on the middle Saturday, while Soft Cell and Duran Duran will bring down the curtain on the festival.

French duo Air will be playing their debut album “Moon Safari” in full, paired with Massive Attack.

“The 2024 edition preserves the Montreux Jazz Festival’s values and distinctiveness in its programming choices, its intimate venues and the quality of the listening experience,” organisers said.

“Faithful to its musical DNA, the festival continues to explore the heritage and current status of American and British music, accounting for over 70 percent of the programme.”

In total there will be 64 shows in the two ticketed venues: the outdoor Lake Stage, with a capacity of 5,500, and the Casino Stage, which can hold 1,300 standing and seated concert- goers. There are 13 other free stages.

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