Die Hässlichen Vögel

Die Hässlichen Vögel (also known as The Ugly Birds) is a german :de:Avantgarde|Avant-Garde band formed in :de:Berlin|Berlin in 2018, consisting of Roman Ole (vocals, guitar, piano, saxophone), Luki von der Gracht (vocals, guitar) and Josie Haar (vocals). The group does not currently release any music.
== Formation ==
The group originally formed as a :de:Quintett|quintet, when founding member and composer Roman Ole was invited to perform at the legendary Berlin Techno|techno club :de:Berghain|Berghain in 2018. Ole enlisted the help of the lyricist Luki von der Gracht, and within just two weeks, the artists and models formed a band and wrote all the songs for their first concert. Von der Gracht discovered the drummer Hansol “Bobo” Kim at a punk show in Poland, met the vocalist Josi Haar at the roulette wheel of a russian casino, and first saw guitarist Benji Wohlrab panhandling on the streets of Berlin.
== Style ==
Despite the groups refusal to record or release any music, their idiosyncratic style has been described as jazz, Punk rock|punk, and church music. They are known for their outrageous and androgynous styling, taking cues from glam rock, BDSM in culture and media|BDSM subculture and high fashion alike, and their theatrical live performances including elaborate set and light design, roller skates and choreography. They have been described as a fusion of experimental band and innovative art project and as post-consumerist theatre.
The bands off-beat humor and nonconformist attitudes feature in their provocative lyrics, thematizing subjects such as freedom, love, rejection, addiction and mysticism.
Peter Richter praised the bands oddball sensibilities, likening them to artists of the British New Wave|british new wave:
"Shortly after nine the band Die Hässlichen Vögel performed on the grand staircase, seemingly built for this very occasion, which is, however, a misleading name. Much rather did these young, androgynous performers resemble beautiful shimmering lizards who, born much later, aimed to celebrate the glampunk trash of Sigue Sigue Sputnik."
The group has been associated with italian fashion designer Stefano Pilati. In 2018 they staged a live performance at the headquarters of canadian luxury fashion retailer SSENSE in Montreal, celebrating the launch of Pilati's brand Random Identities:
"Among those shot, each of whom were inspiration to Pilati, was the band Die Hässlichen Vögel which performed at the SSENSE HQ following the show, who themselves seemed the paragon of Pilati’s mission—a complete knowledge of self, as their music floated between cavernous baroque to the driving punk that could have found itself at CBGB’s in New York’s underground heyday."
In 2019 the legendary London nightclub The Scotch of St. James hosted a private performance by Die Hässlichen Vögel. The fashionable venue is frequented by the rich and famous including Kate Moss, Sofia Coppola and Suki Waterhouse. The same year the group performed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, supporting british band Wild Daughter.
In 2021 the band has headlined festivals such as Antwerp Queer Arts Festival and Reference Festival Berlin amongst Anne Imhof and Amnesia Scanner. Other collaborators include Matt Lambert and the porn star River Wilson. Their work has been featured in Interview (magazine)|Interview Magazine, Vogue (magazine)|Vogue, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Tageszeitung|taz and Women's Wear Daily.
In January 2021 the band shared a video titled "Josie" on their social media, performing an unreleased song.
Category:German avant-garde
Category:2018 establishments in Germany