The fact that Weilheim, alongside metropolises such as Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt am Main, has become an internationally acclaimed pop culture hotspot in Germany is down to one band alone: The Notwist.

To this day, it is the linchpin of a small but extremely viral scene in the small Upper Bavarian town. It is not really a band in the traditional sense, but rather a network or collective that has formed around the three core members Markus and Micha Acher and Andreas Haberl.

Initially deeply rooted in the hardcore punk of the late 1980s and early 90s, The Notwist emancipated themselves early on from small-minded attributions and developed what many want, but few manage: A sound of their own. This was documented for the first time on the 1998 album "Shrink" at the latest, and then brought to perfection four years later on "Neon Golden". On this album, they combined melancholic indie rock with electronica, ambient sounds with noise pop. To this day, the album is considered the band's magnum opus.

There has been no shortage of outstanding albums since then: Their ninth studio album, "Vertigo Days", was released just three years ago. If people hadn't long since become accustomed to the band's high quality, it would probably have been met with similar storms of enthusiasm as it was back in 2002.