Kraftklub singer wants a clearer edge against the right

Felix Kummer, singer of the Chemnitz band Kraftklub, missed a clearer stance against right-wing extremism during the Capital of Culture year. He and his bandmates really enjoyed the year, the 36-year-old told the German Press Agency. "But we would have liked the problem of right-wing extremism to be addressed more clearly and not in the way we've always known it, according to the motto: You have to get everyone around the table and talk to everyone."

In 2018, Kraftklub initiated the #WirSindMehr concert after right-wing extremist excesses in the city - with K.I.Z. and Die Toten Hosen, among others. Their new album "Sterben in Karl-Marx-Stadt" will be released this Friday. That was the name of Chemnitz, which was the capital of culture this year, in the GDR.

Butterflies in the stomach at the "Kosmos" festival

A lot has changed in the city over the past year, says Kummer. But: "There should be no illusion that a concert or even a Capital of Culture year can turn the tide and correct what politicians have failed to do in 30 years. That would be asking too much." But it is good to encourage people who are committed. Something like the Capital of Culture year is "really powerful" for this.

His highlight was the "Kosmos" festival. "You walk through the city that you've known for so long and have butterflies in your stomach again," enthuses the 36-year-old. "There's a kind of euphoria where you think: this is the city you live in and this is what it can look like. Showing this so that everyone can see it is worth it."