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Tomte (band)
Encyclopedia
Tomte is an indie band
from Hamburg
in Germany
. Their lyrics are almost completely in German (apart from the odd exception) and their sound could be described as guitar pop with some punk influences. The group may be considered to be a part of the “Hamburger Schule
” (Hamburg indie “school”) on the basis of the band Tocotronic
's influence on their work. Singer and guitarist Thees Uhlmann even worked as a roadie for Tocotronic's "K.O.O.K."-Tour and wrote the book "Wir Könnten Freunde Werden..." (We Could Be Friends...) about it.
Tomte's first EP was entitled "Blinkmuffel", which came out in 1996. Two years later, Tomte released their first full length album, "Du weißt, was ich meine" ("You Know What I Mean"). Following the trend of releasing an album every two years, "Eine sonnige Nacht" ("A Sunny Night") was released in 2000. After the release, former bass-player Christian Stemmann left the band, he was replaced by Oliver Koch.
Tomte's breakthrough album, "Hinter all diesen Fenstern" ("Behind All These Windows"), was released in 2003. It contained two singles, "Schreit den Namen meiner Mutter" ("Scream My Mother's Name") and "Die Bastarde, die dich jetzt nach Hause bringen" ("The Bastards That Are Bringing You Home"), respectively. Moreover, Dennis Becker joined the band in 2003 as second guitarist.
In 2005, Max Schröder joined the band as keyboardist.
The next album, Buchstaben über der Stadt (“Letters above the City”) came out in early 2006. It was one of the best selling German albums of 2006. The first single was Ich sang die ganze Zeit von dir ("I sang of you all the time"). Other singles from this album were "New York" and "Norden der Welt" ("North of the World").
The band have since released another album, called Heureka. It went on sale on 10 October 2008 in the band's native Germany.
Heureka also saw the introduction of a new bandmember, keyboardist Simon Frontzek. Frontzek, according to reports in the German music press, was initially a fan of the band having been introduced to their music whilst studying in the band's home town of Hamburg. Former keyboardist Max Schröder changed to drums, following the exit of former drummer Timo Bodenstein. Furthermore, former bass-player Oliver Koch quit in 2008 due to issues with his wrist, he was replaced by Nikolai Potthoff.
A tour took place in November 2008, which saw performances in German, Austrian and Swiss cities.
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Their lyrics are almost completely in German (apart from the odd exception) and their sound could be described as guitar pop with some punk influences. The group may be considered to be a part of the “Hamburger Schule
Hamburger Schule
The Hamburger Schule is a musical current in Germany during the 1980s and early 1990s. With some active bands and artists it is still present. It is encompassing elements from punk, grunge and experimental pop, and featuring intelligent lyrics...
” (Hamburg indie “school”) on the basis of the band Tocotronic
Tocotronic
Tocotronic is a German rock band founded in 1993 . Similar to Blumfeld or Die Sterne they are considered a part of the Hamburger Schule movement...
's influence on their work. Singer and guitarist Thees Uhlmann even worked as a roadie for Tocotronic's "K.O.O.K."-Tour and wrote the book "Wir Könnten Freunde Werden..." (We Could Be Friends...) about it.
Tomte's first EP was entitled "Blinkmuffel", which came out in 1996. Two years later, Tomte released their first full length album, "Du weißt, was ich meine" ("You Know What I Mean"). Following the trend of releasing an album every two years, "Eine sonnige Nacht" ("A Sunny Night") was released in 2000. After the release, former bass-player Christian Stemmann left the band, he was replaced by Oliver Koch.
Tomte's breakthrough album, "Hinter all diesen Fenstern" ("Behind All These Windows"), was released in 2003. It contained two singles, "Schreit den Namen meiner Mutter" ("Scream My Mother's Name") and "Die Bastarde, die dich jetzt nach Hause bringen" ("The Bastards That Are Bringing You Home"), respectively. Moreover, Dennis Becker joined the band in 2003 as second guitarist.
In 2005, Max Schröder joined the band as keyboardist.
The next album, Buchstaben über der Stadt (“Letters above the City”) came out in early 2006. It was one of the best selling German albums of 2006. The first single was Ich sang die ganze Zeit von dir ("I sang of you all the time"). Other singles from this album were "New York" and "Norden der Welt" ("North of the World").
The band have since released another album, called Heureka. It went on sale on 10 October 2008 in the band's native Germany.
Heureka also saw the introduction of a new bandmember, keyboardist Simon Frontzek. Frontzek, according to reports in the German music press, was initially a fan of the band having been introduced to their music whilst studying in the band's home town of Hamburg. Former keyboardist Max Schröder changed to drums, following the exit of former drummer Timo Bodenstein. Furthermore, former bass-player Oliver Koch quit in 2008 due to issues with his wrist, he was replaced by Nikolai Potthoff.
A tour took place in November 2008, which saw performances in German, Austrian and Swiss cities.
Discography
- Blinkmuffel (No translation) 1996
- Du weißt, was ich meine (You Know What I Mean) 1998
- Eine sonnige Nacht (A Sunny Night) 2000
- Hinter all diesen Fenstern (Behind All These Windows) 2003
- Buchstaben über der Stadt (Letters Above The City) 2006
- Heureka (Eureka) 2008