How did the Blow-Ups get started?
We started with a different bass player and sounded more like a mix of garage, R’n’B and soul with some funk influences. Then the original bass player left the band and was replaced by Niko who exchanged the f with a p – which means instead of funk influences The Blow-Ups had some punk influences suddenly.

Describe your live experience for all the Blow-Ups newbies out there.

Our music is fun and people who are not too shy will start to dance very quickly. Especially when we play with both drummers, things can go a bit crazy.

You’re inspired heavily by music from the ‘60s. So who are your biggest influences?
The Kinks, The Beatles, The Easybeats, The Sonics, The Wailers, The Remains, The Loved Ones, The Master’s Apprentices, The Electras, The Cynics…

Tell me about an awesome live show you put on. What made it so great?

It was great to play with the Beatpack from the UK in Kassel. It was quite an honor to be on tour with those folks. And when people you never saw before start to dance like crazy and look very happy it’s just awesome.

If the Blow-Ups played a house party, what would it be like?

House parties are always fun. The show I just described was in a location called “Das Haus” and the room where we played was like a living room with no real stage. This kind of situation creates a more intimate atmosphere and I think people usually enjoy that more than shows in huge halls. The audience is more integrated this way and feels more like being part of what is happening.

Describe your new record, Turn On, Tune In, Blow-Up.
Others said about our album that you can hear how much fun we had playing those songs. And people say that you can not hear that the recordings were done in three different years. I agree with both. Each song is somehow special and the songs don’t sound alike, which is a good thing. So almost everybody who listened to our LP has different favorite tunes. That makes us think, we did a good job and that we didn’t just record one or two hits and a bunch of fillers.

Your favorite part about playing a live gig is…

When you just played the last song of the set and people won’t stop shouting for an encore. And then you continue…

Tell me why Berlin is home for the Blow-Ups.
Jo and Niko grew up in Berlin. Hape and Peer moved to Berlin about 20 years ago. So Berlin is really our hometown. You have many opportunities to play live in Berlin, even if it’s changed a lot in the last 20 years.