Between The Beats Festival in Loerrach - 12 April 2019

Lörrach's Between The Beats Festival is always lovingly curated. For the 7th edition at the Burghof Lörrach, the organisers put together a programme of emerging and established bands from the worlds of indie, pop and rap.

The English Show went to the first of the two evenings and delighted in assertive pop, singing drummers, warm-hearted, twinkly-eyed songwriters, and bow tie-sporting instrumentalists.

Berlin-based Tristan Brusch fooled us into thinking that his would be a straightforward pop gig, but no! It started with 80s drum machines and ended with shouted punk lyrics - what an excellent trajectory.

Over to South Tyrol-Swiss duo Me + Marie (stepping in at the last minute for PeterLicht, who'd fallen ill), who mixed ballads and grunge to stellar effect. Plus, there was some impressive hand-eye-drumming-singing coordination from Maria de Val. Hats off!

The most magical moment of the evening came courtesy of Dan Mangan and his band when Mangan stood in the middle of the crowd and got everyone singing along to "So Much For Everyone". That's the power of music right there. And as an added bonus, you're shutting up the chatty Cathys in the audience.

Mangan is an exceptional lyricist, offering up words both tender and witty. When he sings "what the hell is wrong with everybody right now?" (from "Troubled Mind"), he's expressing what many of us are feeling at the moment. And it's safe to say that you've never heard the words "Sweet cul-de-sacherine, top up the margarine / Universal A.D.D., helicopter parenting" in a song before (from "Cold In The Summer"). Oh, and the melodies are ace, too. Check out his new album "More Or Less" - you won't regret it. In fact, buy all his albums while you're at it.

If chin-stroking dancing is a thing, then Public Service Broadcasting are the ones furnishing the soundtrack. Using archive footage of public service announcements and news reels and marrying those samples and images with alternative rock and electronic music, the band delivered on all fronts at the Burghof.

We saw footage of spitfires, coal mines, shipbuilding and space, shimmied to the irresistibly propulsive "Go!", and enjoyed the spectacle of a dancing astronaut on stage during the funky "Gagarin".

So if you've ever asked yourself: "do I want to throw shapes on the dancefloor or do I feel like listening to heart-warming music?" - now you know: all you have to do is head to the Between The Beats Festival. Its eclectic programme ensures that you get to do both.

- Anna Wirz

Here's our interview with Public Service Broadcasting.

Here's our interview with Dan Mangan.

More photos by Anna Wirz right here on Flickr.