Otto & Astrid glitter-laced, sibling-powered punk-rock icons are crashing into Jackson’s Lane Theatre as part of the London Clown Festival, promising noise, chaos, eyeliner, and pure anarchy. With a tour that’s electrified Glastonbury, Melbourne, and everything in between, they’re not just playing gigs—they’re throwing a riot with guitars. We caught up with them for a raucous Otto & Astrid interview.
You’re about to hit Glastonbury — how are you preparing to unleash your sibling rock chaos on one of the world’s biggest stages?
Otto has been practising his rock n roll leaps and windmills and I have been giving him lots of feedback, he is very tired but ready to ROCK!!
Your shows combine high-octane Europop, glittery glam-rock, and comedy mayhem. How did this explosive mix come together?
We take our music very seriously, so yes high octane glam, pop-punk thrills! We don’t mean to be funny so it is always a surprise when we hear everyone laughing, but Otto says it just means we’re spreading happiness with the rock so I am ok with that.
What’s the story behind Otto & Astrid? Were you always destined to bring sibling rivalry to the stage?
We were orphaned when Otto was 9 and I was 12. I took Otto in the middle of the night and we ran away to Berlin where we grew up in a squat hiding from the authorities. At the squat were all these artists and instruments so it weas very natural to start playing together in our band and having huge parties at the warehouse. Also, no one else would join our band, so there’s that.
How do you balance genuine musical talent with full-blown theatrical anarchy — or is the chaos part of the charm?
I think how we play our music IS the anarchy! It’s (the music) is always sitting on the edge of chaos, but somehow, we manage to get through a show. Also sometimes I fall off the stage and take a drum or two with me, then I have ‘full blown’ bruises!
The Stages Tour picked up major love at the 2025 Green Room Awards. What’s different about this show from your previous work?
This show includes a combination of songs from some of our earliest work and some recent songs with a few faves from the middle two albums in the mix. Basically we chose songs that we love playing and I think it just resonated super strongly with crowds at Glastonbury last year and then we turned it into a ripper setlist for Melbourne and Sydney and the crowds loved it there too!!
What’s your writing process like? Do your songs start with a melody, a punchline — or a screaming match?
Otto begins making suggestions from his many notebooks and has lots of ideas and then I yell quite loudly, and we go with the loudest voice…which is mine.
You’ve toured from New York to New Zealand. Which audience surprised you the most, and why?
I think at the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland, Australia, lots of people wanted us to sign various body parts including boobs and bums, it was unexpected, but glorious.
You’ve built a cult following across festivals and fringe scenes. What do you think keeps people coming back for more?
No two Otto & Astrid shows are ever alike. You never quite know what will happen, but at every show you definitely know it’s going to be a riot of noise, rock, robots, lions and dancing!
If you could collaborate with any East London artist or band, who would you invite into your glitter-soaked world?
If we could go back in time, it would definitely be collaborating with David Bowie! Perhaps a super band with Amy Winehouse’s musicians, David Bowie singing and Dua Lipa dancing.
What can the London audience expect when you hit the stage at Jacksons Lane — and why should they bring earplugs and eyeliner?
Bring your party outfits and dress for a super and great-fun-time night – and bring your eyeliner for some Mark Bolan smudginess
xxx
Otto & Astrid are bringing The Stages Tour to Jackson’s Lane Theatre on the 2nd July at 7:30pm as part of London Clown Festival. Tickets are available here.