German Marching Techno Band Meute's International Fame Comes And Goes With Their Red Jackets

Over the past eight years, Thomas Bohrhorn has become a world-famous musician, but tired of fame, he sheds his signature red jacket and returns to normal life.

Boerhorn is the founder and trumpeter of the Hamburg band MUT, who will perform at WOMAD in New Plymouth March 17-19.

Over the past eight years, 11-piece Red Jacket have become an international phenomenon, bringing audiences to their feet and never letting up with their live shows.

"I think we are very famous, but without this red jacket, nobody would recognize us," Bauerhorn said in a video call from Hamburg.

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Pack is a highlight of Omad's return to Brooklands Park in New Plymouth. They play two sets, the Bowl Stage on Friday night and the Brookland Stage on Saturday night.

Here's what you can expect. The band arranges techno, house and deep house tracks from famous DJs and complements them with electronic beats created by band instruments such as trumpet, saxophone, snare drum and a body-spinning sousaphone.

The music they create is completely new, yet instantly recognizable, by changing bands and techno.

YouTube videos of their concerts and street performances have millions of views, and it often seems like the band is having as much fun as everyone else.

"We're fun-loving people. But it's also true that we have fun and love what we do. We're honored to be doing what we love," Boerhorn said.

Not everything is funny. The group's recent massive popularity has seen them appear as the house band at a nightclub in the 1930s Netflix drama Babylon Berlin.

Promotional materials for the Season 4 episode show the band in their prime, but this shot was taken after hours of downtime.

"Wait, wait, wait, and then someone will actually say it and you'll be in business," Bohrhorn said.

Despite a busy travel schedule that often includes dozens of countries each year, this is the first time members of the pack have traveled to New Zealand.

"We're very curious about New Zealand because all we've heard is that it's a beautiful country."