For lack of a translation: this is fanfarepunk. When I read that, things fell in place. Haarlem’s band (a city nearby Amsterdam) De Kift is more like an act and for its members a way of life. They create music as if it is a stageplay, using literary and poetic references, and including it in their own creative world. To make it a bit more clear, I will describe here the very first time I was them.
I once saw the albums in a friend’s house, was impressed with the way they were presented and expressed my interest. He must have remembered that, because when they visited a small theatre (30 places I think) he invited me to come along. It was a concert about a drunk Russian traveller, sitting in a train with other drunk Russians. So far nothing special. But.
The whole story was presented as a stage play, with actors and participation of the audience. As a matter of fact, I got one of the roles. I had to read the lines from a big book, with my parts color coded. Just read the orange parts, the rest is for other uhm… audience members. And sure enough, some other members of the audience also got one of these enormous books. Together we staged the play.
It so happens that one of the people with which I played was getting in a conversation with us afterwards. She was with a friend there, and she must have noticed my friend, because I was witness to the first meeting of a couple that is now very dear to me. I still feel honoured to have been there at that first meeting, in such special circumstances.