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The Wave Pictures

St. Elisabeth Platz, 2010

On a windy spring noon underneath a bloomy tree David, Franic and Jonny from The Wave Pictures perform their new song “Stay Here And Take Care Of The Chickens”. The square, they stand on is named after a church, which is not in the picture, because singer David thought that this was “too religious”. Even though there’s not many people around, an elderly man stops by to throw some money to the feet of the trio from London. David then wisecracks: “Maybe that’s what we should do all afternoon.” However, before they could have made enough money with busking, they rather prefer to grab something to eat. So the drowsily-charming band just go for one more song, that is “Come On Daniel”. And thus their “charming, witty pop songs shot through with Jonathan Richman’s gawky glee and Suede’s doomed provincial romanticism” – as The Guardian describes their sound – have got stuck in our minds for a long time.

Camera
Michael Luger
Sound Recording
Sarah Brugner
Post production
Michael Luger

St. Elisabeth Platz

Only a few walking minutes away from bustling Karlsplatz and touristy Belvedere palace, the St. Elisabeth quarter in Vienna’s 4th district is a calm, almost village-like neighborhood with residential buildings – for sure not the cheapest ones in town – and a lot of embassies. Its center is St. Elisabeth square with the 19th century brick church of the same name. St. Elisabeth – named after an Austrian empress – might not be one of Vienna’s famous churches, but its exposed location up on a small hill still makes for a nice view. You may as well take a break and relax on one of the benches under the shady trees or stroll by the few market stands on St. Elisabeths square. People looking for sights and a touristy rush will not find St. Elisabeth quarter particularly exciting, but anyone up for an unhurried walk through a nice and unagitated – yet very central – area will still consider it enjoyable.