In classic Neubauten style, this is no run-of-the-mill concert film, but the document of an extraordinary event in November 2004: Neubauten’s historic one-off appearance on a specially-constructed stage inside the skeletal frame of the former East German parliament building, prior to its demolition in what was formerly East Berlin. Only Neubauten, with their unique standing within German music and cultural circles, could have decided upon the architectural ruin of the defunct Palast Der Republik to stage their show.
Despite the vast battery of customised percussion instruments littering the stage, the Neubauten live experience captured here is about much more than merely hammering out a series of controlled earthquakes. Their increasing reliance on electronics and the incorporation of a 100- member choir drawn from members of their online supporters’ project adds more than just the one extra dimension. With Neubauten playing on this sort of form, seeing and hearing truly truly believing.
