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Photo: Sebastian Eggert
About Following Olympus
The alternative band Following Olympus was formed in 2018 by a group of friends and relatives from the Ruhr area. Although all the band members already knew each other, the idea of making music together had never come up before. Peter and Roman, who are brothers, have known each other since childhood. Roman and Patrick went to school together and even lived in a shared flat for a while. Yury, on the other hand, met Roman and Peter in the theatre of the Russian community, where they were all active.
Before joining Following Olympus, Roman, Peter and Patrick played in other bands, while Yury gained experience as a singer in musicals and choirs. In 2018, everything fell into place and Following Olympus was born.
There are a few different stories about how the band got its name. One of the stories is about a disagreement over which alcoholic drink to celebrate the band's formation with. Yury wasn't keen on beer because he doesn't drink it, while Patrick was adamant that it was the drink of choice. Roman suggested Limoncello Sprizz, but Peter was insistent that rum was a better option. The debate might have continued for longer had a wise old man not interjected with a whisper "Ouzo" and handed the bottle to Roman. The label on the bottle featured a striking mountain that inspired the band's name.
About Music
Following Olympus describe themselves as an alternative rock band. There is a simple reason for this categorization: they haven't found a better one yet. So far, there is no set style in which all their songs are anchored - at least musically speaking. What really unites the songs is the common desire to tell stories. Some are about love, others about social issues, and others about everything and nothing. The band writes about what moves them and underpins this with their own musical expression. They prefer to leave it up to the listener to decide which genre they want to categorise Following Olympus in.
The Recklinghausen newspaper "Recklinghäuser Zeitung" described Following Olympus' genre as a mixture of wiry indie rock, pre-grunge, noise pop and punk influences. When the boys saw this description, they nodded in agreement - after all, they are all familiar with such terms and can certainly identify with them.
About Performances
Photo: Heike Leppkes
Unfortunately, most of our gigs only took place after 2022 because of that word that no artist wants to pronounce – it starts with "C". Since then, we've taken part in several rounds of the SPH Music Masters Contest, performed at the Sparkassen-Clubraum and played stages like the Wohnzimmer Gelsenkirchen, the Hafenschänke Subrosa in Dortmund and the U27 in Bochum. Some of these performances were mentioned in press releases in the Recklinghäuser Zeitung, on Bochum.de and in the Sparkassen-Clubraum.
Photo: Heike Leppkes
Following Olympus won the hearts of the audience right from their first appearance in the preliminary round of the SPH Music Masters. They then went on to secure second place in the regional final and a place in the semi-finals.
In January 2024, Following Olympus hosted their first "Rock Odyssey" – an evening of high-energy rock music at Parkhaus Meiderich in Duisburg. The band teamed up with WYME and The Atrium to put on an incredible show. To wrap things up, DJ duo Woodheadz played a set of classic rock tunes mixed with EDM. The entire event was organised and accompanied by Following Olympus.
Photo: Heike Leppkes
The guys have also picked up some experience at festivals, including Recklinghausen Leuchtet, Mayhem Chapter II in Dortmund and the Holy Diver Festival.
But that's not all. Following Olympus is currently busy organizing more gigs to get even more in touch with our audience. Stay tuned for more news!
About Members
Photo: Sebastian Eggert
Patrick has been playing guitar since he was at school and has been in several school bands. At the beginning of his career, he focused on metalcore and anything loud and heavy. Over time, he started to incorporate other influences from punk, blues and rock'n'roll, which have shaped his sound today.
Photo: Sebastian Eggert
Music has always been a big part of Peter's life. He's been going to concerts since he was 12, collecting vinyl, and even playing instruments himself. It's all there. He used to play in a band with Patrick and Roman, and has taken many influences from that time. Peter doesn't have a particular favourite genre, but if he had to choose, it would be hard rock, metal, blues rock and punk. His playing style is very much based on drummers like Taylor Hawkins, Chad Smith or Josh Freese. Since founding Following Olympus, he has tried to combine these drumming legends with his own style and develop his own line.
Photo: Sebastian Eggert
Roman loves the limelight and was involved in theatre since he was a child and teenager, where he also met Yury. But music has also always played a big part in Roman's life. He started playing guitar at school and formed his first band with Patrick. Years later, he decided to try out a new band with Patrick and Peter. He switched to the bass because he loves experimenting and has never regretted it. Roman finds beauty in many styles of music and is inspired by rock, blues, pop, punk, hip-hop and metal.
Photo: Sebastian Eggert
Yury doesn't enjoy having free time. Since he was 5, he's tried all kinds of things, like swimming, dancing, cheerleading, theatre and even juggling. He's never quite got the hang of juggling though. Yury has been connected to music for a long time. He's been to music school, played the piano, been in various choirs and musical theatre in different languages, and even played the ukulele. He's done it all before. That's why he was particularly pleased to be invited to join the "Following Olympus" team as the final member. There he can use some of the skills he acquired earlier – with the possible exception of swimming.