Nuremberg Pop: From a Crazy Idea to a Successful Festival
In just a few years, David Lodhi and Thomas Wurm have made Nuremberg Pop into southern Germany’s largest club and showcase festival. What does that mean? Concerts at the most varying cultural locations in Nuremberg – from museums and galleries to public squares to clothing stores, record shops and, of course, music clubs. The locations are just as eclectic as the music itself! That doesn’t just bring music to life, but also opens up places in a new way and allows the city to be explored from another perspective.
The most intriguing question to start off – how did you come to the idea for Nuremberg Pop?
“The idea for Nuremberg Pop came as we performed with our band at the Hamburg Reeperbahn Festival. We thought 'that could work for us'! We had no idea how you could put something like this together, only the will and the love of music have brought us so far! We had - and have – a vision: Nuremberg used to be an important place in music. While a few decades ago there were a lot of different booking agents and such in Nuremberg, today that is pretty rare and we wanted to change that. Nuremberg Pop should help rebuild the music infrastructure in Nuremberg and enhance networking in the local scene. We are also a festival for the scene itself.”
With this name, one would think that only pop music is played – but that’s not true, is it?
“Right! For us, pop is a symbol of the love of music as such and not for any rigid genre ideas. Our motto is: Long live variety! Thanks to our years of experience in the music scene, we usually have a good feel for the right acts. The most difficult thing to do is to book acts before they have their breakthrough – that’s they only way their fee is affordable, because we are mainly financed by sponsoring and grants and we want to keep the ticket prices as low as possible. We try to create a balanced mix of known artists and interesting newcomers.”
You put on a pretty big program on just one weekend – how many concerts are there and where do they take place?
“Around 100 concerts at 21 locations – on just one weekend! There’s a lot going on. The artists perform at various venues: In addition to cultural places like the Neues Museum Nuremberg or the ruins of St. Catherine’s, there are also concerts in churches, bars, shops or record stores. And public space also plays a role: On various squares in the city center guests can experience live music free-of-charge in the afternoon. Our personal favorite place is the Kunsthalle Nuremberg: A gallery feel combined with live music – a unique symbiose of the arts! Unfortunately, because of so much work in the background, we rarely find time to see a whole concert.”
One can experience more than music at the Nuremberg Pop Festival right?
“Nuremberg Pop is based on three things: In addition to the concert program there is also the Pop Conference and the awarding of the Pop Culture Prize GUNDA. Listening to music and enjoying it is one thing – the festival should, above all, also support professional exchange, make networking possible and strengthen the musical infrastructure. Each year the Pop Conference offers a varied program with podium discussions, lectures and workshops – about topics in the music industry as well as cultural and political areas. After preregistration, participation is free-of-charge.”“
And who is GUNDA?
“As we’ve said: We want to support the music scene – and now that we have received some awards, we wanted to honor young and dedicated talent with prizes as part of our own festival. That’s the idea behind the GUNDA Pop Culture Prize, which we have awarded during the festival since 2021. The name GUNDA comes from a farmer and market woman who opened a stand on the Nuremberg Main Market Square in 1968. She wasn’t just known for her fruit and vegetables, but also for her shrewdness, her wit, her loud voice – and her resilience. The Pop Culture Prize should remind you of these character traits: To be loud and anarchic."
Your tip for a festival attendee?
“Buy a weekend ticket so you can go to all the concerts. But here the rule is: If it’s full, it’s full. It’s happened that people who can’t get in stand in front and sing – that can be really great!”
All About: David Lodhi & Thomas Wurm
Music has accompanied both of them their whole lives. And the fact that they come from very different backgrounds has proven to be a big advantage today. While David studied jazz, Thomas was a DJ in in the electro scene. These varied paths bring a different viewpoint and the necessary degree of objectivity – above all when it’s about booking. “We trust each other completely, but our decisions have to please both of us.” There’s only one thing that’s sometimes wrong: “We’re no longer the youngest!” When there’s a question about current trends, they ask Thomas’ daughter for advice.
