The formation of a band is often romanticized, details are made up and the actual story is kept secret. But not with Kabinett - the reality is as unspectacular as it is sobering. At the end of 2019, synthesizer player Manuel Freund decided to form a band and came across frontman Josê Sommer during his search. A few jam and busking sessions later, the getting to know each other phase was over - after another search they found guitarist Max König and drummer Lukas Rudnick - Kabinett was born. In 2020 the original line-up was complete with the addition of bassist Mattis Hagmann. Kabinett is indie rock, but call it whatever you want.
During the dark pandemic years, the young band had no choice but to bury themselves in the rehearsal room and write songs. In 2021 they were accepted into the Bandsupport Mannheim funding program. After numerous gigs in the region, they released their first single Chloe B on March 4th, 2022. Over the next twelve months, their debut EP Not About Us was released song by song. The EP was accompanied by an overall artistic concept - Kabinett became known as the band in all-white outfits, stage design, artwork. They are a canvas for their audience - the themes of their songs tell abstract stories of diverse characters. They stand out live with their thrilling shows. Kabinett is not a band that just strings songs together - their concerts follow an overall concept and give their audience back more than they could have hoped for. During this time they were supported by the German federal funding Initiative Musik with their release show at halle02 in Heidelberg as their biggest club show to date. A long and successful festival summer followed in 2023 with performances all over Germany.
But the band didn't keep their feet still for long. Enough songs had already been written to fill further EPs. With the release of the single Pablo on September 1st, 2023, they marked the end of the white phase and the beginning of a new, dark aesthetic and mood. The content became more personal, more approachable, more real. After Pablo came Ama Wave - just as dark and deep and yet life-affirming, emotional. During this time they were accepted into the pop rlp masterclass funding program. At the end of 2023, Mattis Hagmann leaves the band and Theo Schmitt takes over as the new bassist. The highlight of this new phase is the EP release Blackout on March 29th, 2024, as well as the first Germany tour of the same name in May 2024.
The prospects for 2024 are good - there is a third EP in production, a debut album in the pipeline and a festival summer with an even more overwhelming live show is inevitable. Kabinett is not a fringe phenomenon - Kabinett crashed into the German indie scene and has decided to stay!