"Krone" interview

The Hidden Cameras:

Currently on a music and film tour in Austria: Joel Gibb of the Hidden Cameras, who hails from Toronto and lives in Berlin.

(Bild: Alp Klanten)

With the self-proclaimed "Gay Folk Church Music", Joel Gibb invented a subgenre rooted in indie pop with The Hidden Cameras in Toronto a little over 20 years ago, which made queerness and in a time full of weak tolerance a matter of course. Tonight he performs solo at the Haus der Musik in Vienna. The "Krone" met him in advance for a talk.

What do art exhibitions, churches, porn theaters and parks have in common? Joel Gibb has already presented his art in and at all of these venues. The strictly religious and gay Canadian openly opposed the dogmas of the church early on and founded The Hidden Cameras more than 20 years ago, a loose collective that was able to bring all his musical preferences and emotional depths into the public eye. He once described the sound himself as "gay folk church music", but over the years it has meandered far beyond this into other spheres. Indie pop, folk, theatrical art pop or even electronic - Gibb knows no boundaries in terms of musical or visual presentation.

Challenging and rewarding
The Hidden Cameras were often up to 20 people, with go-go dancers and expansive show concepts, but then - as is currently the case - Gibb is on the road again with just a guitar and kick drum to perform songs from more than two decades of his career. After a performance in Graz, Gibb will be a guest at Vienna's Haus der Musik tonight (October 11). He dug deep into the past for this solo outing. "I played a few old songs in Graz, for the first time in 15 years," he tells the "Krone" in an interview before the Vienna gig, "my one-man band concept is already going quite well." Playing two instruments and singing at the same time is challenging, but Gibb is also his own boss in this form. "I save myself the rehearsals and the discussions about how to create a setlist."

In terms of content, there were no taboos in Gibb's songs. The queer chamber pop anthems meander thematically between genitals, ejaculations and the sweet smell of sweat. Like no other, Gibb managed to convey a sense of belonging and uninhibited fun to a queer community in the 2000s. The first few albums were particularly successful, especially the second album "Mississauga Goddamn", which is celebrating its anniversary this year and is being released today by Rough Trade as a "20th Anniversary Edition". The new edition is lined with B-sides, demos and previously unknown live versions. These include "High Upon The Church Grounds", a song he wrote on his first backpacking trip to Vienna.

European music development
"Back then I hadn't played live at all, but I already had a band in mind. I wanted everything to sound as big and bombastic as possible. I had a good time in Vienna, while it wasn't so good in Berlin," he smiles, "it's funny that I ended up in Berlin of all places." After years of commuting between Canada and Europe, Gibb has now been living in Berlin for some time. He likes to travel back and forth to Munich for studio recordings, where the next album is also in the making. It is set to sound electronic and will be released in 2025. He may already have a song or two from it in his luggage tonight. Nostalgia is automatically awakened by the fact that his most iconic albums are celebrating successive anniversaries. "It's not that I analyze the music from back then in a big way," he says, "I still feel the same vibe as back then and I don't always have to go on stage with go-go dancers to reproduce it."

The fact that Gibb has now mutated into a solo entertainer and the attention is completely focused on him doesn't bother him much. "It used to be good that I could hide behind lots of other people and the show, but I've grown into the role of performer. When I started the band, this component was also added - but today I feel quite comfortable with it." Some of his songs cause him more problems than the entertainment element when performed live. "Tracks like "Ban Marriage" or "Lollipop" have so many lyrics, which are processed in a short space of time, that I can hardly perform the vocals live. There are no pauses, everything goes incredibly quickly and directly from the verse to the chorus. I notice this especially now that I want to bring the songs to the stage."

Live at Haus der Musik
Joel Gibb plays solo tonight as The Hidden Cameras at Haus der Musik in Vienna. Tickets are still available at the box office.