Back in December, I was asked by my contact over at The Orchard, to cover their German-Duo Rock group, The Picturebooks.  January 2020 comes, and of course this year has been a total wreck.  I wasn’t really in the mood to go but I attended the concert.. luckily we had no snow in Cleveland and I found a decent place to park. 

Flynn and Philipp both appeared on the stage; Flynn with a guitar and Philipp with a customized drum set (huge Toms on the floor with mallets serving as sticks).

I didn’t really know what to expect but once the show got going.. it was pretty dope.  Flynn approached the microphone and opened with their Intro following up with their song PCH Diamond from their 2014 project titled Imaginary Horse.  By now, the crowd had started closing in to get a good look at the group. 

They’ve created their own sound… literally.  Their music utilizes minimal instruments, maybe one or two and since they built their own percussions; they use things that most have or will never see elsewhere.  Now you’re left with this raw sound.  To see Philipp banging mallets on his Tom Toms, his hair sweated out and flying everywhere while he’s creating this incredibly dope sound.  Flynn shouted out Cleveland and informed everyone that he had never been here before. 

They jumped around on their setlist and did a few songs; Seen Those Days, Fire Keeps Burning and Wardance from their 2017 album titled Home Is a Heartache. 

Before they performed I Need That Oooh, Flynn dedicated it to their manager/camera guy/soundman .. his father Claus.  He explained that when they were shooting the video out in Yucca Valley in California, Flynn’s dad was hit by a 18-wheeler truck.  He broke 10 ribs, got 9 fractions on his spine, a punctured lung and tore ligaments in his left knee with a few more cuts and bruises.  After 3 weeks, his dad was back on his feet and they actually finished the video.  He asked everyone to turn around and applaud his father who was there as the soundman. The crowd cheered for Claus, who lived through something most would not have. 

They rocked The Odeon and despite being an opener for The British Lion, The Picturebooks definitely made their mark on Cleveland.

Show Setlist

1. Intro

2. PCH Diamond

3. Seen Those Days

4. Fire Keeps Burning

5. Wardance

6. Learn It the Hard Way

7. Electric Nights

8. Howling Wolf

9. I Need That Oooh

Catch The Picturebooks opening for British Lion in a city near you.