“The most beautiful festival we have ever played at”

Jamel. The second day of the “Jamel rocks the forester” festival is loud – much louder than Friday. “The neighbors should hear it,” shouts Marcus Bischoff, frontman of the metal band “Heaven Should Burn,” into his microphone.

The villagers will definitely be able to hear the music – the band really cranks it up. But for many of the partygoers, it gets too loud. “My ears are bleeding,” screams one fan and leaves the interior. Others are not bothered by the extreme volume – they completely escalate in the audience, mosh pits form.

The mood is exuberant. It is 9.30 p.m. – the 3,500 visitors have been through almost two full days of the festival. While the “Fantastischen Vier”, Olli Schulz and Querbeat are on stage on Friday, there is a lot of metal, punk rock and rap on Saturday. “Thank you for being here, even if you don't know me.” “Then you'll hear your new favorite rapper now,” says rapper Ebow, laughing.

What makes the festival special is not about the bands. The line-up remains secret until the last minute. Rock and punk fans, pop music fans and metalheads all party on the grounds. As different as the genres and people who have come to the festival may be, they all agree on one thing: you have to be loud – against hate, against incitement and against xenophobia.

Important: Send a common message

The small village of Jamel in Wismar has less than 50 inhabitants – and has become known nationwide as a “Nazi village”. Many years ago, Horst and Birgit Lohmeyer organized the festival on their farm for the first time – to defend themselves against the other villagers, many of whom belong to the neo-Nazi scene.

“We have to fight for democracy,” emphasises singer Sven Regener from “Element of Crime”. Felix Schönfuss, frontman of the punk rock band “Adam Angst”, also takes a clear stance. “We are happy to be part of the whole,” says the Cologne native. “Against the fascists all over the world.” To this end, he also strikes a calmer tone, for example in the song “The solution to your problems.” It says: “That is the solution to your problems. It is disgusting and cold and in any case – but unfortunately also the opposite.”

Good atmosphere from the start

While at 3 p.m. many people are still sitting relaxed in front of the stage listening to music from Cava from Berlin, the atmosphere reaches a climax at around 4 p.m. when the punk rockers from Cologne appear from behind the curtain. Adam Angst guitarist Roman Hartmann mingles with the audience with his instrument. One spectator is carried to the stage pit on the hands of other visitors. “You can look forward to a few more cool acts – we won't give anything away, but it's going to be awesome,” frontman Schönfuß finally said goodbye.

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One of these other acts: The band Selig. The rock group from Hamburg delivers their big hits like “Und endlich unendlich” and “Wir werden uns wiedersehen.” Frontman Jan Plewka emphasizes: “We will see each other again – in a strong democracy.” And adds: “This is the most beautiful festival we have ever played at.”

Many fans from Saxony and Thuringia

Organizer Birgit Lohmeyer is satisfied. “Everything is going according to plan,” she says. “The festival is always important.” But this year – one day before the elections in Saxony and Thuringia – they are particularly pleased about fans from these federal states who “take our message with them.”

Betti from Rostock is also satisfied. She likes the concept. “The surprise effect is funny. You buy a pig in a poke and sometimes a tiger comes out.”

OZ