British Punk and a Dog on Stage: PET NEEDS at Badehaus Berlin
Written and Captured By | Anne Einecke
Berlin’s Badehaus came alive last Wednesday with a show by British punk rockers PET NEEDS. The small venue, with its artsy vibe—full of stickers, trinkets, and colorful lights—provided the perfect setting for the concert.
Some die-hard fans arrived early, all wearing the same PET NEEDS hoodie displaying their motto: “Kind of creative, mainly just a mess.” They sang along to tunes from the pre-show playlist, including classics by the Sex Pistols, Paramore, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Sum 41. Others checked out the affordable merchandise or mingled with beers in front of the bar.
See more photos of Jake Martin HERE
When Jake Martin casually left his position at the merch table to take the stage, the energy in the room shifted, and all eyes were on him. With his acoustic guitar strapped over his shoulder, the folk punk singer-songwriter grabbed everyone’s attention with an authenticity you rarely find at concerts these days. His songs were heartfelt and personal, thanks to the funny little side stories he always shared about their origins. Combined with Jake’s raspy voice, his set was both fun and emotional.
The British artist mixed tracks from his 2025 album with older numbers, making the 40-minute set enjoyable throughout. Jake was clearly enjoying himself while performing in Berlin, drinking beer and motivating the audience to sing along. Before his song For Fuck’s Sake, Jake told the story of how he had promised his partner to cook her dinner, but after a few beers with friends, he ended up covered in blood and had to throw rocks at her window three days later because he had lost his keys. “I did NOT make dinner,” he joked, adding that the song could be used to make fun of him for his behavior. The audience happily sang, “You’re an asshole!” back to him. Jake also dedicated a song from his latest album, I Am One to Try, to a friend who had struggled with alcohol and drug abuse and is now seven years sober.
Jake was impressed by the attentiveness of the crowd; everyone listened to what he had to say. He explained how he’s only confident on stage, but in real life, he’s even scared of the cashier looking at him while buying milk at Tesco. The final number was introduced with, “This one goes out to everyone who hates Coldplay as much as I do,” earning roaring laughter from the audience. The tattooed artist definitely made some new friends and fans that night.
See more photos of PET NEEDS HERE
After a short break, PET NEEDS took the stage and delivered 80 minutes of pure UK punk rock. Dressed in jeans and T-shirts, they clearly didn’t need glitz or glam to keep the crowd moving. The band had not headlined in Germany for two years, and audience members were pumped to see them live again, singing and dancing energetically from the very beginning of the set. Punk Isn’t Dead (It’s Just Up for Sale) truly got everyone in the audience on their feet, no matter their age.
This energy continued with Johnny Marriott jumping non-stop during his performance while delivering powerful vocals. The Colchester-based band declared their love for the city of Berlin during Separation Anxiety, and Berliners showed it right back to them.
During Self-Restraint, PET NEEDS partially changed their lyrics to German, singing mein kleiner Hund instead of “my little dog,” and a fan brought a giant balloon dachshund onstage to celebrate their 10-year band anniversary. “We have to fit it in the van,” Johnny joked later. The light-hearted atmosphere was supported by the band’s funny onstage banter, poking fun at English stereotypes—like every Brit having food poisoning—and the crowd laughed along.
The punk rockers also played some slower songs. They mentioned that they had played a house show in Hamburg the day before, surrounded by 10,000 books, and wanted to see if a quiet, reflective track like The Optimist would work at a venue like Badehaus as well. It definitely did.
PET NEEDS’ last album reached No. 17 on the UK album charts, which is why Johnny got this number tattooed on his arm. He talked about how famous he felt when they surpassed Taylor Swift on the charts at one point—even if it was just for five minutes. All members of the band have been career musicians for five years, and the singer exclaimed, “I genuinely believe we’re the smallest full-time punk band in the world.” He also mentioned how they got signed to a record label in the middle of COVID, when he was still working in event organization for a university. During another Zoom meeting that no one would attend, he simply turned off his mic and camera to write Nobody Ever Warned Us.
See more photos of PET NEEDS HERE
Besides Johnny’s impressive vocal skills—especially during the long scream in Fingernails—his little brother George Marriott played some incredible guitar solos. They both stepped into the crowd during the set, vibing directly with the fans. One girl, Melissa, even flew all the way from Canada to Germany just to see them perform, which Johnny highly appreciated. It was a show where the dedication from and to the fans was truly palpable, making the whole room feel like a family.
The Brits also played the brand-new track Hey You Hey You (Are You Are You OK OK?), which was released the day after their Berlin show. A new album is already in the making, and the band promised to return to Berlin later this year.
See more photos of PET NEEDS HERE