Videos go viral

“Pyrotechnics”: From balcony to Ballermann hit

The TikToker "Balkonultra" was a real EURO hit.

(Bild: Summerfield Group)

Almost nobody knows that his real name is Niko Thoms. But almost all soccer fans in Germany under the age of 30 know the "balcony ultra". Within just a few weeks, the 29-year-old geriatric nurse became a TikTok phenomenon, landing a real European Championship hit with his song "Pyrotechnik".

But it's not just in fan zones, at airports or at public viewings that the (few) lines and catchy music are shouted, the song is also very popular at festivals such as the recent "Rock am Ring". "Pyrotechnics are not a crime. We will fight for it and let our emotions run free" is both the core message and the full content of the fan song.

For around two years, Thoms has been singing various fan songs from different clubs in his neighborhood in Gera, Thuringia, filming himself and uploading the videos online. "I've seen videos from other Ultra channels showing fan chants from the stadium. But in my opinion, cell phones don't belong in the block. So I started shouting the chants from my balcony."

Performance in the Megapark
As the attention grew, Ballermann great "Ikke Hüftgold" and his colleague Marc Eggers recognized the catchy tune's potential. The song was quickly recorded, after which several wishes came true for the "Balkonultra": "I wanted to fly once, once on the Ballermann and once on stage at the Megapark." Everything was ticked off in one day, the German party people were thrilled - and the EURO had its first star.