50 Jahre Engerling - Die Jubiläumstour 2025
Rock'n'Blues with history and a forward-looking perspective.
Back then: In January 1975, five young gentlemen took to the stage of an inn in Mahlow near Berlin. They are called ENGERLING, said the innkeeper, adding, "Well, with that name, they won't get far..." He was around 50 – I wonder if he made it to 100? Engerling turns 50 and thankfully is still not a May bug, as we know they don't live very long!
Somehow, Engerling never quite fit into any concept over the years, yet they have managed to stay true to themselves and their audience. The cultural officials of the GDR seemed to consider the band led by pianist and songwriter Wolfram Bodag to be too far from the ideal image of lyrical rock "as an independent GDR contribution to international music culture" to really let them break through. Blues purists, on the other hand, criticized the lack of authenticity of a blues band that cared little for adhering to the original twelve-bar structure and instead mixed blues elements at will with rock and soul elements or even indulged in long improvisations that would have fit much better in the psychedelic flower power camp.
For 50 years, the Eastern band has persistently refined its own style with intelligent lyrics on the border between German rock and still blues, earning a loyal but decidedly not "ostalgic" audience.
"Earthy honesty! Your May bug name sounds like a chronic stage of development. Yet what title would suit a band better? Engerling and their broad concept of blues have been scoring points with originality since 1975. The anniversary performance of the Eastern formation is live - strong!" (Events, 2021)
In 2005, a prestigious 5CD box set was released containing all five studio albums and all three singles. A new studio album by Engerling is in the works. For the past 30 years, the rock legend Mitch Ryder from Detroit, USA, has also been utilizing the band's musical qualities by touring Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Sweden) with Engerling. In 2004, the joint DVD "At Rockpalast" was released (since April 2012 as a double DVD featuring complete concerts and interviews), and in 2024, the 10th CD by Mitch Ryder & Engerling was released, and in the same year, they went on tour together for the 26th time: the "30th Anniversary Tour" (1994-2024).
Doors open at 7:00 PM
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
