Party at the cinema – Lichtspiel Allentsteig: ambition in the new year

After a longer winter break, the “lichtspiel Allentsteig” starts its first spring season this week. The concert series will open at the Old Cinema on April 8 with a “double feature” by rock band Purple Roadhouse and PeroPero. At the same time, the “aL! IVE” association behind it presents a full annual program for the first time.

Expectations are correspondingly high after a successful fall debut. “In all, there were more than 200 visitors to the three events, both young and young at heart,” reports Christian Fabijan of the “aL!VE” association. The mix would also have worked well for singer/songwriter and rock bands.

But the ambitions for this year are a little higher. Six concerts are initially planned for the spring and fall semesters. With a program more diverse from reggae to hip hop to electro, a wider audience should also be addressed. However, the main focus is still on the youth of the region. The cultural association “aL!VE” is offering them a very special bonus this year: entry to the events will be free for everyone up to the age of 20.

The goal is clear: on the trail “Avalon”, the Allentsteiger cinema will be re-established as a reliable point of contact for (youth) cultural events in northern Waldviertel. “Promotion of Waldviertel is also very important to us. A large number of performers come from the region, and the bar offers mainly regional products, ”explains Fabijan.

Hearty rock music starts spring

It looks promising. As mentioned, the spring opening of the concert will be performed by two heavier rock bands. Waldviertler’s “Purple Roadhouse” allow the “Stoner Rock” sound of California to reverberate in their music. Berliners PeroPero about Valentin Schuster, born in Waldviertel, plays songs from their new album, Massive Tales of Doom. Expect unleashed rock and metal.

However, on April 29, the concert hall will turn into a dance floor. Dreameyend, a reggae and ska band from Horn and Vienna, will perform under the banner “Reggae and Dub”. When the sole of the shoe isn’t glowing, DJ Goblfried (Dub & Stepper) and Plato (Reggae) will provide danceable sounds.

Then the DJs will appear in the third event, because on May 15th “Club Radar” is the order of the day. With a mix of hard techno beats and hypnotic subdued sounds, the aim is to boost the region’s electronic music scene with the new event format. DJ Gloria Gloriette and DJ hpl, both from Waldviertel, have already been confirmed to work. A surprise guest that should not be revealed yet. Other performances such as Danubian Dub Soundsystem, Lurch and Baltar, and a hip-hop party are set to follow in the fall.

An ambitious year to revive the Allentsteiger cinema as a concert venue. However, all concerts will be held in the smaller setting of the multifunctional room in the north wing of the building. This provides room for about 80 people. The club plans to convert the large cinema hall into a theater at some point, but “certainly not again this year,” explains Christian Fabijan. “The movie hall is more of a long-term project,” he says.

Other works on the building will take priority for the time being, such as renovating the roof after hail damage in June 2021. This should be completed in the spring. There were also some color adjustments during the winter break. In order to improve the acoustics and the insulation against the outside, acoustic units were built in the concert room and in the foyer, which were fitted into the window and door frames.

Allentsteiger’s cinema revitalization is progressing step by step. Perhaps the ‘Lichtspiel Allentsteig’ can already relate to Avalon’s great times as a concert venue at some point, which made the entire youth of Waldviertel make a pilgrimage to Allentsteig.