by Carina (Oct 22, 2005)

HONIGDIEB is one of the best rock-bands in Germany. In 1978 Sir Hannes Smith founded the punk-band THE IDIOTS, 1985 PHANTOMS OF FUTURE whose style of music was crossover. But when these bands weren’t so successful, Smith began to work on his newest project. He wanted to create something that should be unlike any other band.

Sir Hannes himself sings and plays special instruments but is also component, song writer, dancer, producer and manager in this band.

The name of this band is HONIGDIEB, which is actually an African bird. This bird uses its voice to bring a badger to keep honey from bees. After that the honigdieb can get the rest of the honey. And this name is perfect for this style of music. It’s cheeky but also very clever.

It’s a bit of punk rock, metal, pop, chanson, ska and polka which is definitely a strange composite. But that’s not the only thing that’s unlike other bands.

HONIGDIEB play besides instruments like e-guitar (Guido von Girsch) and drums (Mathias von Bonheger) also the violin (Raimund Gitsels), transverse flute (Anca Pop), double bass (Carsten Risch) and other special instruments like mouth organ.

At first HONIGDIEB was an unknown band and only the people of their home town Dortmund knew them. But now they’re known all over the world. They went on tour with popular bands like SEX PISTOLS, IGGY POP and the SISTERS OF MERCY and now they belong to the top acts e.g. in Switzerland.

And although their texts are in German they give sold out concerts in China on stage where THE SCORPIONS have played, too.

One reason why their concerts are so popular could be that the show they do is so spectacular and fun and almost always different. Smith jumps through a ring on fire like a lion or does something else like that.

As crazy and funny as the shows are the German song texts. They are good humor songs and most of them are earwigs.

After their first album "Sei wie du bist" the second one "Einzig aber nicht artig" followed this month. And Sir Hannes Smith is already working on the third.

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