Making some noise

Rockers Tokio Hotel happy to pump up the volume

The last time German rockers Tokio Hotel were in town, they played an acoustic showcase - a far cry from Humanoid City, the ballsy show they've been touring recently. This time round, when Tokio Hotel return to our shores for Singfest, they promise to rock out - albeit on a smaller scale than Humanoid City.

"We will have a full electric show, but we won't be able to bring the whole set for Humanoid City," said Tokio Hotel singer Bill Kaulitz over the phone. "But it's going to be a great show anyway."

What do you expect this time?

We expect great weather. And great audiences. Well, you know, we'd rather see the fans one-to-one than just read about them or hear about them on the Internet. This time we can see them face-to-face and see their reactions and emotions. That's always a great thing. So we're excited.

Did you see much of Singapore and try the local food last time?

The schedule was really, really tough the last time, so we didn't see the whole city and all our fans, but it was fantastic. We just ate pasta, pizza and things like that. Maybe we'll get to try some this time.

Brothers in a band aren't always a good idea. Look at Oasis. How well do you get along with Tom?

I think because we're identical twins, it's a little different. There's a connection there, it's something special. We're like one person - can't live without each other. I mean, we have fights sometimes, but five minutes later, we'll forget about it. Tommy and me, we've done everything together our whole lives. It's an enormous thing for us to be in the same band and doing all this together.

You guys were teens when you started. Any advice for young bands?

It's hard in the beginning, especially if you are very young, with people talking sh** about you. But when you're doing good music at 15 ... that's a good thing. To be successful, though, it's a lot of luck - you have to be at the right place at the right time. And a lot of hard work. We made the decision and we just wanted to go for it and do music our whole lives. We didn't care what happened. It's important to keep that goal in mind to go professional.

So you didn't think to do anything else after school?

Tom and me, we started to make music when we were seven. After school, we went directly into the rehearsal room. There was never a Plan B. If we weren't picked up by the label, I think we could have been homeless musicians, maybe. We would play anywhere - in front of five or in front of thousands. But it's better to play in front of thousands! We are really lucky to have this life. I feel really blessed.

Tokio Hotel perform at Singfest on Aug 3. Tickets at $175 from Sistic. Packages available. Details at www.sistic.com.sg.