The White Stripes may be dead, but long live Die Roten Punkte.
Otto and Astrid Rot may have begun as German comedic imitations of Jack and Meg White from The White Stripes, but the characters have since taken upon a life of their own, transcending their inspiration. Did The White Stripes ever produce intergalactic Europop at 180 beats per minute? Nein, I don’t think so.
While physical slapstick humour and sexual innuendo are a centrepiece of the Die Roten Punkte’s act, they also produce intricately crafted music that is as pleasing melodically as it is comical. There is always plenty of laughs to be had at the excesses and pretensions of rock and roll.
Some elements of Die Roten Punkte’s comedy still hark back to The White Stripes.
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For example, Meg and Jack White were lovers pretending to be siblings. In the spirit of cabaret, Otto and Astid interacted with the lucky/unlucky table that was positioned front and centre, with each of them taking a romantic liking to one of the audience members. Their subsequent jealousy was a regular source of mirth throughout the show.
Jack White isn’t the only eccentric rock star in their sights, however. The political evangelism of Bono and Chris Martin was ridiculed, as Otto strummed his acoustic guitar and squealed on the harmonica his ‘We Are The World’ inspired protest song. They produced a rock opera origin story in the style of Green Day. Fad vegan and raw diets were also skewered mercilessly: a raw vegan cookbook isn’t really a cook book, but rather rinsing and chopping, said Astrid. One of the few serious components of the show was their tribute to the late, great David Bowie.
The duo presents a show that is both high- and low brow, comedic and musical and the essence of cabaret.
