In the mid ’90s, a few years before futurepop hit, synthpop music experienced a bit of a renaissance. If you were going to underground clubs at the time, a handful of songs seemed inescapable. “Annie, Would I Lie to You?” “Once in a Lifetime.” And of course, “Another World.”
That last song, from beloved German trio Beborn Beton, still draws swooning crowds to goth-industrial dancefloors today, and the band remains a crucial force in synthpop. Last year, they released their ninth album, Darkness Falls Again, which features my top synthpop track of 2023, “Dancer in the Dark.” Beborn Beton’s extensive catalog contains many more favorites, including “The Colour of Love” and “24-7 Mystery.”
Next month, Beborn Beton returns to the U.S. for the first time in more than 20 years. I believe the last time they played the States was the World Harmony Tour with Apoptygma Berzerk in 2002. The tour kicks off October 3 in Chicago and includes headline performances at Absolution Fest in Tampa and Cold Waves in Los Angeles.
On the eve of their North American tour, I reached out to frontman Stefan Netschio to ask him how they’re feeling about returning to America. Here’s what he told me.
It’s been 22 years since Beborn Beton toured North America. Why is now the right time to return? How are you feeling getting ready for the tour?
Well, we took a lot of time writing new material and releasing new stuff. 2015 saw the release of A Worthy Compensation, and in 2023 we put out Darkness Falls Again. In between, we were playing shows in Germany, Europe, and Canada.
Taking a show to the USA was always a difficult endeavor because of visa regulations. Since we had a lot of catching up to do anywhere else in the world, touring the U.S. was something that was always on our minds, but we pushed it aside for some time. And Canada was a much more convenient option with no regulations and our American fans willing to travel.
After the release of Darkness Falls Again and the single “Dancer In The Dark,” the calls for U.S. shows grew louder. So we teamed up with Kami Fuller/Spektral Music and made a plan. We are very excited about this tour, and we will continue playing more shows next year.
What can we expect from your live shows this time around? Will the setlist include old classics along with recent material?
As you said, we haven’t performed in the U.S. for a long time, and since then a lot of great songs have happened. So there are a plethora of tracks old and new to choose from.
We are well aware that we cannot please everybody, but we have a vague idea which songs will make our fans happy. Apart from the “hits,” we will play songs that we love to perform and that have a great energy.
Let’s talk about Darkness Falls Again. There’s an environmental current running throughout that’s subtle on “Dancer in the Dark” but more explicit in songs like “Burning Gasoline.” What inspired you to write songs about “our home dying”?
You see, the last couple of years have been a political and environmental nightmare. There’s been an idiocratic president that fueled controversial discussions on lots of topics, there still is war in Europe and Israel, fanatic terrorist threats on a regular basis, a pandemic for good measure, and the dooming climate change that has been taken lightly by world leaders. So, it felt like a pretty dark period. Us writing this album with that sarcastic and disillusioned undertone was the plausible consequence.
“Dancer in the Dark” was my #1 song of 2023. I love it of course, but it does feel quite cynical to me—maybe that’s part of what I love about it. Do you think there’s any hope of preventing a darkness from coming?
We have always been keen on writing catchy pop songs with a cynical touch. So “Dancer In The Dark” is the typical manifestation of Beborn Beton DNA.
Is there any hope? I really don’t know. In the last few weeks I felt a wave of optimism that is quite infectious. So hope dies last, I guess. Not entirely sure if it is good enough to ensure a healthy habitat for generations to come. I just keep my fingers crossed that it will be enough for me to not witness life in an apocalyptic scenario, the cynic in me would say.
Like many North American fans, I discovered Beborn Beton through your club hit “Another World.” That song was part of a mid ’90s synthpop revival that also included club hits from Wolfsheim and Iris. Those bands and many others from that era no longer exist. What is the secret to Beborn Beton’s longevity?
We never depended on making music for a living. We do whatever we want, whenever we want. That is why we took a deliberate break from the business after 2002. Sure, we played a lot of shows all around the world. Sure, we were writing songs. But we didn’t release anything until we felt the time was right to do so. We aimed for a close to perfect album. And when we released A Worthy Compensation, it felt just wonderful. We were so proud, and of course we still are.
But the main reason why we are still here is the fact that we are not a band of fellow musicians. We are friends. We are family by choice. If we weren’t so deeply rooted in our regular lives, who knows if we still had the nerve to put up with that music business bullshit?
You hinted at a new release. What can you tell us about it?
The coming release is slated for November 22. It marks the end of the “Darkness cycle” and it combines new songs with beautiful new remixes of album tracks from Darkness Falls Again.
The digital release will feature 10 songs, while the vinyl will only have 7 tracks on it due to its physical limitations. We hope to bring some vinyl to the tour for an exclusive pre-release sale. And we also plan on performing some of that new material on stage.
