Press Release

No. 17, July 2012

gamescom The gamescom festival announces extended 15.-19.08.2012 entertainment programme and line-up www.gamescom-cologne.com First-class games presentations, music acts and the TOGGO tour will be part of

the glittering entertainment in Cologne city centre; the festival will now stretch Contact: from Hohenzollernring to Neumarkt and Platz am Apostelnkloster. , Franko Fischer Tel & Band, Bosse, DER KÖNIG TANZT and Olli Schulz will also + 49 221 821-3051 Fax appear + 49 221 821-3017 E- Mail [email protected] Games, music and entertainment: The gamescom festival will live up to its claim once again in 2012 and present the people of Cologne and the many Koelnmesse GmbH visitors to gamescom with a highly attractive programme in the heart of Messeplatz 1 50679 Köln Cologne. And like gamescom itself, the gamescom festival will be even P.O. Box 21 07 60 50532 Köln bigger this year. This year, it's not only the Hohenzollernring that will play host to a very special interactive entertainment and music Tel. +49 221 821-0 Fax +49 221 821-2574 programme, whose main stage will feature acts by bands including [email protected] Kettcar, THEES UHLMANN & Band, Bosse, DER KÖNIG TANZT, Olli Schulz www.koelnmesse.de and many others, guaranteed to thrill music and festival fans. In addition, Management: the very young among the public can look forward to a new and fantastic Gerald Böse (Chief Executive Officer) Katharina C. Hamma attraction when, for three days, the TOGGO tour with its entertaining and Herbert Marner vast musical and games repertoire will take up residence on Rudolfplatz Chairman of the Supervisory Board: as part of the gamescom festival. And because the number of large games Mayor of the City of Cologne Jürgen Roters producers and other prestigious cooperating partners has grown too, the Headquarters and place of jurisdiction: gamescom festival will now cover a great deal more space. Besides Cologne District Court Cologne, HRB 952 Rudolfplatz and the Hohenzollernring, 2012 will now see Neumarkt and Platz am Apostelnkloster become part of the festival zone.

Page 2/7 On the squares and the ring road section up to Friesenplatz, companies in the gaming business will again offer plenty of opportunities to take a plunge into the virtual world of games. Sony, Ubisoft, Activision and Electronic Arts will be on hand with a raft of gaming stations throughout the festival zone. But offers from the real world won’t be in short supply this year either. Quite the opposite, in fact. AUDI, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and the German motoring organisation ADAC will ensure a far broader range on offer this year and not only present the latest models for viewing but also the opportunity to take the newcomers for a spin on the roads. Palates will be catered to by Coca Cola, Relentless and the Früh brewery, among others.

But despite the huge array of entertainment on offer, the gamescom festival remains a music festival that can claim its place among the best. The following summary of the acts appearing on the main stage over the festival’s three days provides the best proof of this. gamescom festival 2012 – Programme for the Hohenzollernring stage

Friday, 17 August: Mobilée, Chima, Olli Schulz and Kettcar Saturday, 18 August: Fuck Art, Let’s Dance!, Der König tanzt, surprise act

Sunday, 19 August: Benjrose, Vierkanttretlager, Max Prosa, Bosse, THEES UHLMANN & Band

BENJROSE As the son of Puerto Rican-Indian soul singer Randolf Rose, BENJROSE knew at an early stage which path he would follow. At the age of twelve Benjamin signed his first record deal with BMG and left school early. Moving from his hamlet in Lower Saxony to Cologne, he sang in a number of bands before starting to write his own songs. Since 2007 he has written and produced with fellow band members Robert and Benno. In 2009 they joined up with producer and keyboard-player Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters/Wallflowers), who has placed his vast experience and dedication at the band’s service. Together the four musicians write and produce in a small studio near Cologne. Then, in 2010, the band was invited to the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, where

Page 3/7 they played several shows. Rami went on tour with the Foo Fighters in 2011. When the band played in Cologne, the Foos produced a song for their US tour promotion in BENJROSE’s studio and while the Foo Fighters continued their tour, BENJROSE got down to writing other songs and wowed audiences at his live appearances, including as support for the Sons of Midnight.

FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! is all about impulsive melancholy, jumpy tunes and white boys at their best. Romeo Sfendules (guitar) and Tim Hansen (drums) make up the highly motivated and brilliant team around the talented singer Nico Cham: dynamic, inspired and so very, very young. FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! achieves something utopian with their heavy electronic beats and atmospheric guitar sounds to capture the receptive hearts of their dancing fans. “Tous pour un, un pour tous”, ecstasy and neon have caused a splash with MTV, NME and Audiolith. The boys play “jerky two-bit dance pop for indie geeks with colourful knitwear!” (Jamie Hodgson, NME). As support for Who Made Who, We Have Band and Ratatat, they did equally brilliantly as their remix of “Headliner der Herzen” for the band Saalschutz and on King Kong Kicks Vol. 3 “Encore”. Three years after its founding, the band released its first single with Audiolith International, “The Conqueror”, following in the footsteps of Heaven 17, Whitest Boy Alive and Bloc Party on the stairway to Olympian status. The “crash and racket” winners at RockCity are on tour around the clock this year. Hot on the tail of three EPs that the band produced itself, FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! launched its official debut in October 2011 with a dartboard above the stage, with the aim as ever to getting the crowd bopping.

MOBILÉE MOBILÉE have their roots in folk pop and captivate with their wonderful songs with English lyrics. Besides the conventional line-up of drums, guitar, keyboards and bass, MOBILÉE are also known to surprise audiences with the accordion, ukulele, mandolin and glockenspiel. The magical tones of singer Caroline Wolter and the mix of the folk feeling and easygoing pop make a perfect set. Euphoric moments give way to bittersweet moods that not only dig deep into the ear, but travel straight from the heart to the feet. MOBILÉE will appear in Cologne with songs from their debut album “Walking on a twine”, which they already took on a tour of clubs in February to great acclaim.

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VIERKANTTRETLAGER Not yet twenty and already pretty worldly-wise – VIERKANTTRETLAGER sing of hope and despair on their debut album. Somewhere between Element of Crime and Turbostaat, their mature lyrics backed up by tempestuous northern riffs make for a cross between old hands who’ve seen it all and wild young things. “Where loneliness wears the brightest colours” sings Casper in their song “Hooligans”, referring to the absurd romanticism of bourgeois tristesse. Razor-sharp rocking indie tracks, their musical urgency reminiscent of the Hamburg school and its protagonists BLUMFELD, TOCOTRONIC and TOMTE. It’s where furiously stroppy guitar chords meet boisterous drums and stoic bass passages. Singer Max performs with stylistically assured authenticity, something everyone can see for themselves at the gamescom festival.

CHIMA It’s fun to hear the way CHIMA weaves his story on his new album “Stille”, accompanied by humorous pictures and in almost worry-free tones. CHIMA knows what he’s talking about: a man, long since an adult, still following the same dream as younger, more blue-eyed guys – but for much longer and against resistance of quite another kind. Someone who has said at one time or another to life: Better let it be. With “Morgen” he addresses his public in his uniquely light-hearted way straight from the heart. A singer who laughs loudly and is full of feeling because he’s got through the tough times. His first single “Morgen” already landed CHIMA a radio hit this summer. And he broke into the top 30 in the German singles chart after just one week! CHIMA is fresh, typically German and produces fantastic pop music with powerful lyrics.

MAX PROSA It didn’t take long for MAX PROSA to advance from an insider tip to an established artist and darling of the arts pages. A year ago the young Berliner was still completely unknown. In little more than a flash, he’s now being praised as one of Germany’s best-known singer-songwriters. He gathered his first experience in performing live in 2011 as support to Clueso and then on a “Wohnzimmer” acoustic tour. In January 2012, MAX PROSA’s debut album, “Die Phantasie wird siegen” [Fantasy will prevail], appeared and jumped straight to number 20 on the

Page 5/7 German charts. This has been followed by positive reviews in every music and culture magazine, and an almost sold-out sold tour in February. MAX PROSA will be appearing on the festival stages this summer – including in Cologne.

OLLI SCHULZ Olli Schulz is a realistic romanticist, a charming and funny poet and entertainer. From what was once a dreamy and silly young guitarist, we now have a mature and aware storyteller. He tells his stories, bringing them to life for us through his semiautobiographical experiences. At his appearance at the gamescom festival, Olli Schulz will relate his latest tales from the album “SOS – Save Olli Schulz”; of encounters with friends, enemies and passing acquaintances on uncharted territory, of the eternal search for love (“Irgendwas fehlt” [Something’s missing], “Wenn es gut is” [When it’s good]), the realisation that all must pass (“Old Dirty Man”, “Ich dachte, du bist es” [I thought it was you]), or what motivates those with no direction (“Ich kenn da Ein” [I know a guy], “Spielerfrau” [Player woman]). Guys like Olli Schulz should be made a protected species. An exceptional songwriter who doesn’t need much to thrill the people: a stage, a guitar and we’re off!

BOSSE Axel Bosse had a good 2011. His album “Wartesaal” [Waiting Room] placed him fair and square between the stools in his inimitable fashion, and he received the plaudits he deserved. The album shot up to sixteenth in the German album charts, his tours in spring and autumn were sold out and he was honoured at 20-plus big festivals. In winter 2011 he was even nominated in the “Best artist” category for the “1 Live Krone”. Since then BOSSE has been on the road, always with notebook at hand to work on new ideas. At the City festival BOSSE will proof that his superlative indie pop can bridge the generations with songs like “Frankfurt/Oder”, “Weit weg” [Far away], “Du federst” [You bounce] or “Nach Haus” [Heading home], and provide the ideal soundtrack for good living.

DER KÖNIG TANZT The thunderbolt lights up his face and suddenly everything’s so bright and clear for His Majesty to light our way home. His rude message: the dictatorship of the conformists must end! Down with the self-pitying navel-gazers in this crumbling paradise! The special unit of lesbians is back on war duty. King Boris

Page 6/7 regales us with the OTHERS’ national anthems. He proudly calls them the “blitz kids”. You’re either too ugly, skinny, poor, annoying, sober, depressive, gay, cunning, broke, doubting, fat, quiet, soft, degenerate, expelled ... or otherwise much too geeky. You’ve ended up with the wrong flash mob at the wrong time. Your Facebook Timeline’s stuck fast in George Orwell’s “1984”. You’re sitting there horny and miserable in the chaotically turning consumption carousel. The Pirates are the new Liberals? Everything’s turning. End the drama now! Scream. It. Loud. NOW!!! A handicap was bestowed on you so go out and play on it for all you’re worth; make it so huge and gobsmack the world. The king shows us the steps and provides the training wheels to do it. Rollerskates are so passé. In his space disco all sway like in “Back To The Future 2” – with jets on their feet. Europe shakes to his futuristic sound – he calls it “bad dream pop” – built from spare parts for The Beach Boys, The Cure and Prince. At home between Deichkind, Kraftklub and Metronomy. Move your arse to the rhythm and your head will clear. “Der König tanzt” [The king dances]. Coming soon to a volcano in your town.

THEES UHLMANN & Band Since last year THEES UHLMANN has been out and about as a solo indie rock act. His first album appeared in August 2011 with one single from it, “Zum Laichen und Sterben ziehen die Lachse den Fluss hinauf” [The salmon swim upriver to spawn and to die], playing on every radio and in every head up and down the country. There are few other artists able to connect the lyrics drawn from life so directly with dispassionate rock music. His songs reveal fantastic depth and leave plenty of room for interpretation. There is no room for half- notes in Uhlmann’s gamut of feelings. He has no need. After all, a song has just one format and any attempt to make it too different will only water down the message. This emotional absolutism is unique, and there's no one else who sings so openly and genuinely in Germany. And certainly not on a sixth disc. That makes THEES UHLMANN something special, and he’ll prove it again at the City festival.

KETTCAR It’s difficult to imagine that KETTCAR’s roots lie in the progressive, receptive punk scene of the ’90s. The band was founded in 2001 by Marcus Wiebusch and Reimer Bustorff. Their first maxi, which they produced themselves, was free

Page 7/7 to download from the band’s homepage and almost led to its financial meltdown due to the high provider costs. No one wanted to bring out their debut offering so they joined with Thees Uhlmann in founding the label. Several albums later, Kettcar are one of the principle bands in the German-speaking music scene. On “Zwischen den Runden” [Between the rounds], the spotlight is turned on big feelings and moments. At points a bare piano melody and soft clapping later joined by spherical strings, at others a lost trumpet pointing the way into the unknown. For all its songwriting variety, KETTCAR never loses sight of the pop format. It’s big music that promises a fantastic performance. And to round it all off, there’ll be a surprise guest, too. A strong programme line-up already, someone else will join in on Saturday evening. All will be revealed nearer the time.

Media tip: Press material on the bands appearing can be downloaded from http://www.prime-entertainment.de/index.php?id=29 (username: presse, password: primapresse) or ordered by e-mail from info@prime- entertainment.de.

Media contacts: Günter Wieneke: wieneke@mediakulturköln.de Phone: +49 (0)221 20421616 Frederick Grombein: [email protected] Tobias Grimm: [email protected] Phone: +49 (0)221 2714180

Press tips: The gamescom festival is a Media Kultur Köln GmbH event in cooperation with prime entertainment GmbH. It is supported by Koelnmesse GmbH and the City of Cologne. For more information visit www.gamescomfestival.de.

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