Lampe aus

Before punk had a name, there was shady rabble. Rosa Beton, formed in Hönow on Berlin’s edge, bring that spirit roaring into 2026 with Lampe aus, a sharp, German-language electro-punk set where the title line lands alongside a cry of “Anarchy.”

Originally launched in 1983 by Thomas Wagner and Ronald Mausolf, the group emerged from East German punk’s first wave. Their demo mixed Wagner’s post-punk leanings with Mausolf’s Oi! energy, but live shows and official releases were impossible under socialism.

Now a quartet, Wagner is joined by Martina Dünkelmann, Thomas Trenkel and Alexander Lode. Across 13 songs and two digital bonus tracks, Lampe aus fuses guitar, synths, melodic bass and dry electronic drums into dense, precise post-punk.

Wagner’s lyrics stay poetic and clear-eyed, taking in surveillance, authoritarianism and “happytalism” without losing urgency. After appearances in Ostpunk! Too Much Future, Too Much Future and a long-delayed 2022 Berlin return, Rosa Beton sound as timely as ever.