From the coconut to the Mad Music Club: Hameln's club history tells!

From the coconut to the Mad Music Club: Hameln's club history tells!

The catering history in Hameln has a lot to tell, especially at Südstraße 6, where cultural life pulsed across decades. In 2019, the Mad Music Club had to close, which was known for 30 years as a contact point for punk, ska and rock. But the roots of this place go back much further than the past thirty years. As early as 1949, the Café Arendt opened its doors, which was renamed the “Fatherland” café two years later. Operated by Olga Sobainski, the “fatherland” quickly developed into a popular meeting place for the Hamelner.

In the following years, the location experienced several changes. In 1955 the "fatherland" was converted into the "coconut", which closed its last gate in 1988. In between there were numerous conversions and constant walking of the offer, from a dance bar to film screenings in the 1970s. The "coconut" bar was known for its "hot films" and the "well-kept atmosphere". After this establishment was closed, the game club "Royal" followed in 1989, and in 1990 Thomas Kroll took over the location with his Mad Music Club, which quickly became a heart of the music scene in Hameln.

The change by Thomas Kroll

After the closure of his club, Thomas Kroll, now 62 years old, has reoriented himself professionally. Nowadays he works at the German Red Cross and picks up patients from the hospital. Although he fulfills the new work, he misses the intensive connection to the music scene he was able to live in the Mad Music Club. "I lack the atmosphere and the musicians," says Kroll, who appreciated his time in the club and is therefore particularly challenging for him to keep in touch with the musicians.

Kroll continues to move in the music scene by conveying offers from bands to other organizers and hosting his own radio show entitled "Krollis Mad & Confused". Boat trips on the Weser with live bands are also planned-an exciting way to refresh old acquaintances and create new encounters.

a piece of political controversy

Nevertheless, there are also dark sides that Kroll employ. He expresses resentment about the political use of his former club by the "The Basic" party. This political development has a bittersweet grade for him, since the place that stood for so many unforgettable musical nights is now also a setting for political agendas.

Thomas Kroll has a moving biography: In the part -time job as an employee, he now works at least 40 hours a week, also takes care of children with restrictions, distributes Lollis and likes to talk about on his trips. His path leads him from Bavaria to Thuringia, and even if the changes are challenging, he remains one who has a good hand for the next steps. A piece of Hamelen's story of the catering may have passed, but the spirit of the Mad Music Club will live on, even if the tones turn into new melodies.

The tensions and memories that the Mad Music Club leaves are a will for the cultural diversity and the living story of Hameln, which is still kept alive.

For more information about the history of the catering in Hameln, visit Dewezet In Thomas Kroll's current activities, look at Hamelnr over.