Hersleb Visekollektiv // 23:59

They started up in August 2023, when they organized their first folk night as a counterpoint to the growing commercialization and concept-driven pressure from an ever-shrinking number of ever-larger record labels. The goal was to create an event that would be more of a meeting place than a consumer-oriented product. The folk nights were free of charge, and the participating artists were required to perform their own original songs. With the completely unbranded, brown, and unpolished Hersleb Bar and Grill as their venue, absolutely everyone – from young to old, from straight-laced to intoxicated, from dogs to cats, cigarette butts to high-rollers – was welcome and present.

Hersleb Visekollektiv and their folk nights are as much a cultural phenomenon as they are a music group. When you can repeatedly fill a worn-down bar with young, hip music enthusiasts eager to listen to hours of folk songs, it’s clear the collective has struck a nerve. Perhaps it’s precisely because it’s so rare to find a group of such strong songwriters, skilled musicians, and charismatic people who aren’t primarily striving for fame, but rather to create a genuine meeting place where community and art come first