Troubas Kater at Mani Matter Festival

Each year on 4th August, the Birthday of Bernese songwriter Mani Matter, to his honor there’s the Mani Matter festival at the courtyard of Burgerspittel, at house of Generations.  I had read about the festival before, but never been there. Among others, for this year’s 12th edition of the festival Troubas Kater were performing. And so I made it to the festival too.

I turned up my nose when I entered the courtyard and realized, that the audience was seated in front of the stage. Seated concert? Oh no, but not for Troubas Kater…!? 🙁 Well, at least you could stand around the seats and still have a good sight. I made sure that I had a good sight. Especially on this evening it would have been a pity to have a bad view.

Generally it was a totally normal Troubas Kater concert as I know it. Rhythmically, melodically, energetic, still easy. And of course again really cool and funny with the eloquent lyrics. What I didn’t expect though was, that like during the Mani Matter Cover band before, even the Troubas Kater concert got translated into sign language.

Indeed, two woman were sharing this task and were standing on stage with the band by turns. With gesture, facial expressions, mouthing words and posture song by song got translated into sign language. That wasn’t word by word, sentence by sentence of songs like “Aber morn” (but tomorrow), “Bärnstei” (stone of Bern), “Latvia” or “Bi nid so” (I’m not like that). Even solos and other instrumental parts they demonstrated and were totally present at the concert and integrated.

The setlist was submitted early so the two woman could prepare for the concert. It was super exciting and interesting to watch them and to try to understand which sign, which gesture was standing for what. I mean, could you imagine how “Funkuglitzer Schärbe”(sparkling glitter sherd) would be translated? I tried to remember “Troubas Kater”. Didn’t work out ;-). On the other side there are some signs and gestures even hearing persons keep using 😉 You almost forgot the band in-between.

Who’s seen Troubas Kater before, knows the song without lyrics though, frontguy QC gets words out of the audience and is spontaneously texting for. They were words like hamburger, Dackelclub (dachshund club) or even “Dünnpfiff” (the squits), when QC even checked, if he understood right. And as spontaneously as QC texted, as spontaneously the two woman translated all of it. In doing so he was very amused in making up any words to see, if they were translatable and how they’d do it.

Someone in the audience also asked for a sign language song. So QC started texting and gesturing. Though not really in sing language, what he didn’t know after all. 😉 In the end the front guy started his few sign language knowledge during “Aus egau” (nothing matters).

The audience was pretty quiet during their performance. The light was often very colourful though, but still reluctant and not too bright. High up in the sky even some stars were sparkling. The atmosphere, in the warm light at the courtyard was super nice and pleasant. It was a really great, entertaining and even informative evening.

Info about the Mani Matter Festival you can get here: www.musicline.ch
Info about Troubas Kater you can get on their website: www.troubaskater.ch

more videos you can find on Youtube: Troubas Kater in concert