25/05/2026
A DOSE OF 'TENDER EMPIRICISM' ON EUROPE DAY (Saturday 9th May 2026)
The calendar month of 'May' (or ‘Mai') with its focus on renewal was a time which erupted in natural melody and in joyful sound for the German writer Goethe. And as 'Europe Day’ is marked with events across the continent (even still in post Brexit UK!), we thought it might be the right moment to share a note of thanks and appreciation for the goodwill, the perspective and the reassurance we have received from individual German contributors, friends and organisations (BUND, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, Nagelkreuzgemeinschaft) around this body of music and our creative ambition.
The band's combined knowledge of the German language is limited, and like many in the UK we can detect some basic parallels across cultural attitudes - a strong sense of civic pride, an enthusiasm for language, lasting football allegiances (and rivalries!), good tasting beer, etc – perhaps more than any deeper grasp of modern German identity and its outlook.
German history pre-1933 is often overlooked in the UK, as are its links with classical antiquity and religious pluralism, and there is little reference made to its quite distinct disjointed structure as a ‘nations state’, in the way the British might so define it. Sadly, I even remember certain self motivated English political figures turning their backs on Beethoven's 'Ode To Joy' in Strasbourg.
There are surely some German tendencies and values that the UK could indeed learn from today. Punctuality, efficiency and a respect for privacy have always been noted. However, there is perhaps something more important at work – namely a reflective humility on their collective past combined with an outright focus on a sense of the 'whole' over its various components.
Tenacity, tenderness, participation and patience all play their part here. Any resolve to forge a brighter future (across the globe, and within Europe), comes with a readiness and decisive commitment to search out and to embrace the ‘unity’ behind all things, that which holds us together as a species … adopting an attitude which Goethe called ‘Tender Empiricism’.
With such a positivity we then look to finding a shared 'Yes' to a deep reverence for the environment, a 'Yes' to dialogue and upholding institutions that safeguard the peace of our children and can bring about a higher moral order, a ‘Yes’ to the voluntary and charitable sector, the public sector and the private sector working with common objectives. We discover layers of interconnection and so grow accordingly
In early 2019 some prominent German figures posted a letter of regret in ‘The Times’ newspaper (entitled 'Please Don't Go ') about the UK s departure from the EU. When the Brexit decision was made, many Germans of all ages expressed a genuine level of sadness and disbelief.
What was the at root of this? It was less out of some remote sentiment of international friendship, but more out of a recognition that our common future could be shaped better by connecting long term. The German soul of this century is optimistic, it is one that values deeper connection and joint initiative, for it knows where a false sense of belonging might lead us.
Immanuel Kant pinpointed how our sensory experiences alongside our capacity to rationalize was a widespread human quality. That quality was starkly evident in the generally peaceful achievement of reunification of ‘East’ and ‘West’ by citizen and politician alike in late 1989 into 1990. It is there in the pursuit of excellence and wisdom, a 'secret art' involving unity, so claimed Herman Hesse. It is there in symbol and surroundings where the great rivers meet at ‘Deutsche Ecke’, just outside of Koblenz.
Reading the shorter poetry of Goethe after my father died in March 2017 almost gave me permission to celebrate nature and life again. The moonlight seemed to be a soothing balm, the breeze an uplifting presence, the small things that unify us in truth and meaning could be received in joy. Those gifts were evidently ones that we ‘grow in’ after any period of loss and pain. The tender observation of the natural world in a ‘holistic’ way gives both new ethical insight and fresh direction.
The research, the writing and the recording of this particular leere album (‘Sad Moon, Sleepy Heads’, featuring fourteen songs and numerous reflections) has taken the team on a twisting and an extensive cross-cultural journey. We hope we are better thinkers, doers. writers, musicians, for the trip. I hope we are better people!
If British folk are thinking of a summer ’26 trip to a German destination - Hamburg, Berlin, Weimar, Heidelberg, along a river, amidst the forest - then ‘seize the day’ might be our advice, you never know what might come of it. If you’re not a flier, the train into Koln is now just 4 hours from London!
And to the good folk in Deutschland (and Germans living in the UK) who kept in touch, listened. encouraged and contributed - a heartfelt 'Vielen Dank' !! You left a 'door open' (as referenced in that letter of 2019) and we tried using some of the beautiful text and the common themes in Goethe’s poetry to keep that door firmly wedged open.
A Very Happy Europe Day !! May we maintain a willingness to learn from all our great European writers, thinkers, visionaries and optimists. Right now, it can feel we need them.
(Simon + leere)
