The story of Cat Ballou began in 1999, when four music-loving boys decided to make music together just outside Cologne. From day one, the focus has been on passion and authenticity and, with a certain amount of perseverance, the band has managed not only to play their way into the hearts of tens of thousands of Rhinelanders, but also to be celebrated at concerts throughout Germany and in neighboring countries 25 years later.

However, the group's home base is and remains Cologne, where the success story took off in 2010 during the carnival. Cat Ballou was an important part of the so-called "young wild ones" who, with their modern interpretation of Cologne music, ensured that young target groups suddenly also celebrated music in dialect and festival appearances at Parookaville, for example, are now the rule rather than the exception.

Modern pop with an international flavor, often in the Cologne language - this mix is what makes Cat Ballou so successful. The final breakthrough came in the 2012/2013 session with the songs "Et jitt kei Wood" and "Hück steiht de Welt still", which are still a must at every concert today. Numerous hits followed, including "Liebe Deine Stadt", in which fellow singer Mo-Torres was joined by Cologne's soccer idol Lukas Podolski.

The love of music has also seen the band successfully through the pandemic, and the unexpectedly gained time has been put to good use. In addition to the idea for a Cologne Carnival charity campaign, which ultimately raised over one million euros under the title "Nit allein", songs such as "Oh wie schön", "Alles bunt" and "Lass uns nicht gehn" were created, which are musically even more mature and modern and have also attracted a lot of attention throughout Germany, for example at the performance on the occasion of the Hamburg Harbour Birthday 2023.

Cat Ballou started the anniversary year 2024 with two new tracks: "Paradies" as a Cologne session number, and the High German "Gute Zeit", which is something like the soundtrack to the band's birthday. On the one hand retrospectively, because the first 25 years of the band's history were a damn good time. On the other hand, it looks forward, because the next 25 years should of course also be a really good time.

Since Ash Wednesday, everything has been focused on this anniversary. The first highlight was the launch of the big "Be kind to each other" campaign with the KVB (Cologne Transport Authority). In addition to numerous poster campaigns, the band is now an integral part of Cologne's cityscape with its own streetcar in Cat Ballou design. In addition to the band's birthday, this campaign focuses on the desire for a more respectful coexistence.

After a successful festival summer with appearances from Parookaville to the Glücksgefühle Festival at the Hockenheimring, the absolute highlight awaits at the beginning of October. Not just one, but two anniversary concerts in the Lanxess arena with over 20,000 visitors. In addition to their own songs from 25 years of band history, numerous companions will also be on stage to congratulate them.

Part 2 of the anniversary tour through Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will then start and there will be a few more surprises for the band's loyal fans towards November.

Cat Ballou are: Oliver Niesen, Dominik Schönenborn, Hannes Feder, Yannick Richter & Kevin Wittwer

Tickets for the event are available at www.koelnticket.de