Go Go Berlin boys believe stage performance and showmanship define a rock band

With an average of more than a 100 shows a year since 2012, the boys from Go Go Berlin are no strangers to life on the road. The band is made up of Christian Vium on lead vocals, guitar, Mikkel Dyrehave on guitar, Anders Søndergaard on organ, Emil Rothmann on bass and Christoffer Østergaard on drums.
They are currently doing an India tour, and have toured in the US, China, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain and their native Denmark and made appearances at key festivals over most of the European continent.The band gained notoriety with their singles Raise Your Head and Castles Made Of Sand from their debut album New Gold. We caught up with the band in Mumbai, before they went on to share their music with rockers in Pune and Bangalore.
On their a-ha moment: Go Go Berlin was formed by drummer Christoffer. He landed a gig in a bar, but didn’t have a band. “All the members were students at Performers House, Academy of Performance Arts, and we got together and started the band. We had a fascination about Berlin. The name just got shouted out, and it sounded pretty catchy,” says Christoffer who had read about Irving Berlin at the same time.
On their sound: Three years ago, five friends plugged in their instruments and started to play. Nothing was planned and everyone was allowed to play their own tunes in one big mix. The result was a rock 'n' roll sound that embraces the genre all the way back to the 1960s. “Unfortunately, the rock music scene is not thriving back home, since the Danish radio and media have been focusing primarily on a Danish version of reggae dancehall and pop music for the past 2-3 years. The EDM/pop scene is getting bigger than ever before and there are only a few rock bands left touring,” says Christoffer.
On their influences: The band’s music echoes the sounds of The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, The Strokes, Kings of Leons... well you probably get the point. As for their guitar gods, he says, “If we could only name two, it would have to be Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards because of their God-given talent to write some amazing songs on their instrument. Not many do that anymore.”
On their way forward: The boys believe stage performance and showmanship define a rock band. They say, “The iconic rock bands all have amazing front men and put up a great show. It’s all about having a good time and giving the audience an amazing time.”