Date: 10 September 2018
Originally published in: Nordwest Zeitung (Germany)
Written by: Oliver Braun
Donnerwetter, Kim Wilde. Her heyday with hits like “Kids in America”, “Checkered love” or “Cambodia” is 35 years back, but you can not tell from that whirlwind sweeping across the stage of the brewery yard in a tight leather outfit, returning the audience back to the hot Eighties.
Kim Wilde in Jever. Who would have thought that as a teenager in the 80s dreamed of Blondie, Samantha Fox and Kim Wilde. Now she is there, the bravura tune from back then, sings as a star guest between the Queen tribute band MerQury and the German rock indie pop trio Madsen for the Frisian brewery. Even today, at the age of 57, Nena’s Briton and girlfriend is still enviably handsome and in great shape.
Also musically, as her new album “Here come the aliens” proves. Some of them are reminiscent of their great hits from back then or a little bit of other Eighties hit machines like the Buggles. She mixes some of her new songs into her Eighties hit cocktail.
Of course, Kim Wilde is a pop icon of the 80s. But whoever reduces the musician to this dazzling Pop decade has not really been listening for the past ten or fifteen years. Kim Wilde was almost always there, even if her records were mostly under the radar and barely noticed by the big crowd. Since her duet with Nena 2003, with later hits like “You Came” and new albums, she has always been able to build on earlier successes. Of course, all that was heard in Jever.
Like Kim Wilde, the trio from the Wendland also has new music with the album “Lichtjahre”. With their pathetic indie punk rock, the brothers Sebastian, Johannes and Sascha Madsen as well as Niko Maurer especially make the Twentysomethings jump and hit the heart with their simple but precise lyrics, catchy melodies and guitar riffs.
Incidentally, the Brauerhof-Fete was opened by Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga-Ga, who wants to live forever … everyone knows. Everyone loves. Of course, the classics were only sung by a tribute band, but MerQury with singer Johnny Zatylny is one of the best legacy administrators of the legendary rock band.
