Five guys from the Austrian countryside headed for Vienna as soon as they were done with school. But after two albums, they were off to Berlin. These days, they're known as one of the best alternative rock bands in the German-speaking world. On their albums, they manage to strike a compromise between sounding energetic and jaded.

The music is down-to-earth, but it would be a stretch to say the same of some of the band's texts. Leading up to their third release, they drew some puzzled attention after publishing an online manifesto full of references to Marxist and Hegelian philosophy. Complex, discursive lyrics find their place in Ja, Panik's songs, but that's not all the band has to offer. Have a listen for yourself below as we present excerpts from their June 2010 concert at the c/o Pop festival in Cologne, Germany.

Author: Matthias Klaus / gsw
Editor: Louisa Schaefer