Sondaschule

Formed in 1999 between Mülheim an der Ruhr and Oberhausen in Germany’s Ruhr area, Sondaschule plays German-language ska-punk driven by a guitar–bass–drums core plus brass, with lyrics often ironic — mixing humor, everyday life, romantic stories gone wrong and references to partying or drugs. Around Tim Kleinrensing and Mirko Klautmann the band initially built on a fairly direct punk-rock base, heard on Klasse 1A (2002), before accentuating the ska element on Rambazamba (2006) and later letting the two styles coexist more clearly on Volle Kanne (2008). The subsequent discography — from Von A bis B (2010) and Lass es uns tun (2012) to Schön kaputt (2015), Schere, Stein, Papier (2017), Unbesiegbar (2022) and Wir bleiben wach (2025) — shows a more melodic songwriting approach without abandoning festive punk and syncopated rhythms. Sondaschule has also been active on the German-speaking alternative scene through numerous tours and shows with bands like Anti-Flag and Ska-P, as well as festival appearances, notably Rock am Ring. After the guitarist Daniel Junker died in 2021, Phillip Pfaff joined Sondaschule on a permanent basis.