If asked, the members of Hamburg indie pop band Sleeping Policemen might be inclined to describe their story as a bit of a happy coincidence. Even before the band came to be, the five members had been friends, something which may or may not be responsible for how swimmingly things have progressed for the quintet.
It’s rare that bands are able to stumble upon such a combination of friends that works so well on a musical level. Furthermore, Sleeping Policemen shared that they have been lucky enough to encounter various creative types along the way who have not only supported and advanced their music, but also become friends as a result.
As example, the band only needed to point to its first gig, after which the members were approached by Hanns-Christian Mahler of Apricot Records, asking if they were interested in releasing a CD or seven-inch with the label. Following a recording session with Rick McPhail of Tocotronic, the members ended up not with a couple songs, but a whole album’s worth, which was released as a self-titled debut on CD and vinyl in March.
And as is often the case with many musicians, the recording process can result in a bit of burn-out in regards to the songs, something which occurred to the members of Sleeping Policemen as well. Fortunately, a bit of separation and the natural evolution of songs in a live setting have led to the group once again appreciating the release.
Where song lyrics are concerned, Sleeping Policemen feel most comfortable penning words in English, as many bands they grew up listening to sang in English, something that simply felt natural. Meanwhile, the content is inspired by common occurrences, told in story form.
Of course, being a band from Hamburg–and one that sings in English as opposed to German–tends to conjure a few different ideas for music listeners. In particular, as it was the birthplace of the Hamburger Schule of the late 80s, many assume that is the predominant scene there. However, the band insisted that Hamburger Schule was much more media-driven and instigated, and is hardly representative of what the present-day status of the scene is.
And it’s not just hearsay, as Sleeping Policemen is evidence of a small and thriving network of connected musicians and artists–in and around Hamburg of course, but also extending beyond city and country borders.
Case in point: the band just finished recording three new songs with friend Tilman van der Leeden, from the band Tripping The Light Fantastic. Those songs will appear as a free digital single on EardrumsPop, a net-label–spread across a handful of countries–that took interest in the band, without ever meeting or seeing Sleeping Policemen live.
Meanwhile, the band’s artwork and videos are also done by people, some of whom were friends already, but others who became friends in the process.
“[Everything has been done] with the feeling that we were hanging out and working with people whom we like a lot personally and who strangely seem to be able to relate to what we do in a glimpse and just come along,” Müller said.
That is something she and the other members certainly don’t take for granted.
Sleeping Policemen play Sunday at Marie-Antoinette in Berlin, as part of the weekend-long Indie Pop Days. The show begins at 16.00.
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