Brigitte Calls Me Baby Bring an ’80s New Wave Atmosphere to a Packed Gebäude 9

Brigitte Calls Me Baby took the stage at 9 p.m. in front of a packed Gebäude 9. The show had been downsized from the Essigfabrik, with its roughly 1,200-capacity room, to Gebäude 9, which holds around 450. The smaller venue proved to be a fitting setting for the band, with the audience filling the room to capacity.

The band seemed to have been pulled straight out of the early British indie and ’80s new wave scenes, both in sound and stage presence. Their dramatic, soaring and often crooning vocal style gives them a distinctive niche in 2026, even if the musical ingredients themselves are anything but new.

The audience reflected that cross-generational appeal. Older fans appeared to be riding a wave of nostalgia, while Gen Z listeners seemed equally engaged by a sound that was new to them. Whatever their age, the crowd was clearly enjoying the show.

The five-piece, dressed in dark suits, performed on a stage heavily saturated with smoke, with much of the lighting coming from behind the band and aimed toward the audience. The setup appeared designed to create a somewhat mysterious, almost dreamlike atmosphere, with the musicians frequently reduced to silhouettes.

“These Acts of Which We’re Designed” opened the set with electronic synth bass, airy guitars and vocals that sounded strikingly familiar from the first few seconds — unmistakably reminiscent of the mid-’80s. Direct comparisons are almost futile, given how many bands were working with similar sounds during that era.

It took me nearly a full minute, however, to place another musical reference. “Too Easy” bears a striking resemblance to Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” originally released in 1970. The connection is subtle enough to slip past at first, but once noticed, it becomes difficult to ignore.

Opening the night with a half an hour set was Joy Forever, a newly founded post-punk band from Hamburg. They describe their style as post-punk “inspired by bands such as Fontaines D.C., Shame, IDLES and Beach Fossils”. Their set was engulfed as well in dense stage fog and some back-lighting.

Accreditation: FKP Scorpio