Music | Ms. Lehmann: “We’re not The Grateful Dead.”

Disciplined indie: Ms. Lehmann rehearses in rain, heat and cold Photo: Facebook At some point, as they say, it's always the first time. Until recently, however, I didn't realize that I would end up in Böhlitz-Ehrenberg for the first time. Because beyond endless forest areas and disused industrial complexes, the district on the far western edge of Leipzig doesn't have much to offer. At least that's what I thought: Quite a few bands in the city actually have their rehearsal rooms here - including the indie quartet Ms. Lehmann, who released a well-received debut album with "Trost und Despite" at the beginning of the year. And so, on a much too hot summer day at the beginning of August, I get out of my air-conditioned train, bathed in sweat, circumnavigate a large construction site, briefly get lost in the middle of the factory halls lurking behind it - and finally meet Fiona Lehmann, singer and guitarist of the band, who welcomes me down at the entrance to a large building complex. In addition to studios and printing workshops, there are also some rehearsal rooms. We walk up together, where their bandmates Philipp, Felix and Toni are already waiting for us.

What about you: Do you do the test in a disciplined manner at 35 degrees - or do you prefer to skip the appointment and go to the lake?

Felix: Normally we are disciplined and stick to the appointment. We all have a lot of other things to do and are therefore not particularly flexible when it comes to spontaneously finding a new date.

Fiona: We hardly have to rehearse at the moment anyway. We're playing a lot live right now, so the stage is, so to speak, a converted rehearsal room.

Philipp: And otherwise we usually rehearse in the morning, when the temperatures are usually a bit more pleasant.

Toni: But we have already rehearsed on very cold days.

The Leipzig quartet Ms. Lehmann has been around since 2021. Fiona Lehmann, the band's singer, lyricist and guitarist, has been performing her songs since 2018. The second guitar is played by Toni Günther, who has already gained a lot of experience in other bands (including Shandy Mandies, Mallorca) and is also a DJ and sound engineer. Philipp Orlowski is on bass. The studied jazz drummer Felix Kothe completes the quartet. The EP “Four Seasons,” which was also released as a cassette, brought Ms. Lehmann a small success in the scene in 2022. The band plays concerts as support for Rummelsnuff and Joachim Franz Büchner, among others. In January 2026, the debut album “Trost und Despite” was released by La Pochette Surprise Records.

Felix: That's often the case in rehearsal rooms: If you have central heating, that's a luxury in terms of the level of renovation. The room that Fiona and I still have together actually has one.

Felix: Fiona and I rented a room a while ago because I needed a space for my drums and another band project.

Fiona: For me it's a kind of office that I use for writing (in addition to being a musician, Fiona is also a writer; author's note). I also store my comic collection in the room, which at some point there was no room for at home.

Philipp: The third room is my studio. We rehearsed as a band there for the first few years. But at some point we moved into this room where Toni also has his recording studio. It's very convenient for us as a band to have a studio and rehearsal room in one because then we don't have to constantly drive the equipment back and forth.

With three rooms for a band, you might think that the rehearsal room situation in Leipzig is very relaxed.

Toni: The impression is misleading. We are very privileged in that way. I've had my space for about four years, and Philipp has had his studio for a long time. The rehearsal room situation in Leipzig has become increasingly tense in recent years. Anyone looking today definitely has a hard time.

Felix: Fiona and I looked for a space for almost a whole year before we found one. And it's not like we have any harsh demands. All that matters to us is that it is dry, warm and reasonably safe.

Fiona: During our search we came across some pretty dubious rooms, some of them real rat holes. In addition, many tenants don't want to rent their rooms to bands - for reasons of noise.

Felix: That's the point: There are still a lot of spaces in the city, some of which are unused, especially on the outskirts. But some of the houses need to be renovated first, and again no money is being spent on that. Culture rarely has a lobby.

Felix: Usually on Monday mornings. We're all a little more focused. I also like to go out in the morning with a coffee in my hand and play some music. I can't really imagine a better way to start the week.

Toni: During the album production we also recorded our demos every Monday. We then affectionately called them our “Monday demos”.

Are there fixed rituals when a rehearsal begins or ends?

Fiona: Smoke before, during and after the rehearsal. Unfortunately.

Felix: We generally talk a lot during rehearsals. We are all good friends with each other. But since we rarely see each other away from the band context, we always have to update each other a little and tell each other what happened last week.

Philipp: In between we also make a bit of music.

Do you tend to concentrate more on work or endless jams?

Felix: We are already working more concentratedly on the material.

Toni: Most of the time Fiona comes with a basic structure for a song. When working on the song together, we sometimes end up jamming a bit to try out which licks and beats work well together and which don't. But jamming into the blue isn't really our thing. We're not The Grateful Dead.

Toni: At the same time, sometimes things happen while jamming that you wouldn't otherwise think of. I basically played the same guitar part on the first album. For a while I was very afraid that it would come out at some point.

Felix: I'm lucky because no one would ever ask: Why does the drummer play the same beat all the time? That's just what's expected of an indie drummer.

Coffee, Club-Mate or beer: what do you drink at the rehearsal?

Felix: Coffee would be great, but unfortunately we don't have a coffee machine here. Otherwise, I like to try out any new perverted soda that has just come onto the market. The more toxic the color appears, the greater my interest.

A lot has happened to you since your debut album was released at the beginning of the year: among other things, you were “Album of the Week” in “Spiegel” and the opening act for Tocotronic. The first own tour follows in autumn. How have you experienced the last few months?

Fiona: I found it super exciting. The great interest, including media interest, was somewhat unexpected for all of us. We've been making music for a while now - not just with Ms. Lehmann, but also in other bands - and we've gotten a bit used to running under the radar. And suddenly we were receiving new links with meetings several times a day. My mother even set up a Google Alert for Ms. Lehmann so that she wouldn't miss anything.

Nevertheless, you all still do wage work. Aside from concerts, promos and funding applications, how much time do you currently have left to write new songs?

Fiona: None actually. My luck is that writing songs is not a fixed to-do, but rather something that often happens between the two. Often ideas come to me while I'm actually doing something completely different. Nevertheless, I would of course wish I had more time for music. I recently submitted an application for a scholarship to the Saxon Cultural Foundation. If it goes through, I could dedicate myself to making music for six months. Then completely different things would be possible.

Philipp: Jamming would then be the new wage work.

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