Fischer-Z

In the organizer's words:

50 Anniversary Tour

Presented by kulturnews, Ox-Fanzine & livegigs.de, SLAM, Rock Antenne and InMünchen

John Watts got into pop music in the 1970s after studying psychology at an experimental institution that worked without medication or fixation. "I did shifts there from 8am to 4pm and then got straight into the van to play a gig in Derby. I was dealing with raving psychopaths all day, so a punk audience couldn't scare me. Then when you're standing in Wolverhampton in front of a couple of snotty 17-year-olds threatening to put a cigarette out on your leg, you just think, 'Go on!"

Fischer-Z was formed at Brunel University in 1976, with John's friend and keyboardist Steve Skolnik. John's political songwriting and unbridled energy led to United Artists signing the band in 1978 - along with contemporaries such as The Stranglers and Buzzcocks. The debut album 'Word Salad' was released in 1979 and immediately became a post-punk hit: the single 'The Worker' was played on Top of the Pops, while 'Remember Russia' was featured on John Peel. This was followed in 1980 by 'So Long', the band's most successful single and one of the first music clips ever to be shown on MTV - the breakthrough for Fischer-Z on major stages worldwide. 1981 saw the release of 'Red Skies Over Paradise', the band's most successful album to date, with the singles 'Marliese' and 'Berlin'

To date, John has released 23 albums, sold two million records and played more than 3,000 concerts throughout Europe, the USA and Canada. Peter Gabriel, Steve Cropper and the brass section of Dexy's Midnight Runners, among others, have contributed to his recordings. Fischer-Z performed with James Brown in East Berlin in front of 167,000 people, toured with The Police and Dire Straits and performed with Bob Marley on his last European tour. In recent years, Watts has also made a name for himself as a multimedia artist, poet and playwright, creating a diverse, independent body of work characterized by energy, warmth and humanity. With the project PUNKT! of 2025, he bundles his skills in music, words and images

2026 marks a big anniversary for Fischer-Z: the band was founded 50 years ago. "I can hardly believe it's already been 50 years. It's been an incredible journey with ups and downs, but I'm really looking forward to celebrating with everyone - and I'm ready! Here's to many more years of new music, concerts and art." To celebrate this milestone, John and the band will embark on a major worldwide anniversary tour in spring and fall 2026. Performances are planned in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, the UK and, for the first time, Australia. The new album '50/50' will be released at the same time. It contains five new songs (including three singles) as well as five reinterpreted versions of John's favorite songs from the first five albums. In addition, a high-quality anniversary package will be released that pays tribute to John's career to date.