The band founded by brothers Peter and Stephan Brings has experienced pretty much all the ups and downs that one can experience as a musician in the past two decades. At the end of the 1990s, the band with the famous fathers (besides Rolly Brings, these are singing legend Tommy Engel and politician Norbert Blüm) had their best years supposedly behind them. Then in 2000, with "Superjeilezick", they achieved what can easily be described as winning the lottery. This brilliant power polka has become better known with each passing year and is now one of the most popular songs in Cologne dialect, far beyond the carnival. Thanks to "Superjeilezick", the doors opened for Brings in the carnival stronghold of Cologne. A new era began for the band, including an all-around successful image change.
Then it actually went blow by blow. Hardly a carnival season in recent years has gone by without a new hit song from Brings. "Poppe, Kaate, Danze" (initially a scandalous number, now one of the band's big hits), "Su lang mer noch am Lääve sin", "Halleluja", "Dat is Geil", "Polka, Polka" or the always touching "Mama, wir danken dir" (Mama, we thank you) are sounding proof of how well Brings know the sensitivities and mental states of their fellow human beings. They have also developed an absolutely good nose for original cover versions: "Man müsste nochmal 20 sein" (the adaptation of the 50s hit by Cologne veteran Gerhard Jussenhoven) and the Zarah Leander evergreen "Nur nicht aus Liebe weinen" (Don't cry for love) have been breathed new life into with gusto. They know how to seamlessly integrate Gypsy music, polkas and other folkloric explosives into their own songs and amplify them with the force of rock music. "In a carnival set, we try to give the essence of what a concert is all about in half an hour. We want to make people want to come and see a real concert after all," says Peter Brings, who puts his heart and soul into every performance with his men, with energetic stage performance and tireless live presence on nationwide tours and festivals and also at the carnival: no one sweats louder, no one exerts themselves more visibly, no band in the German-speaking world lets the audience at concerts participate in their music more tangibly and directly.
Brings have never minced words. The fact that their songs have sometimes caused a stir has ultimately only made them more popular. Their concerts throughout Germany are attended by thousands of fans every year, and have been for over 30 years.