The Swiss band Pegasus is calling it quits – a documentary – Radio SRF 3

The Biel band is better at writing songs together than at talking about their feelings together. This is proven, on the one hand, by the new album “Twisted Hearts Club” and, on the other hand, by the new SRF-DOC “Pegasus – A band ends… and how the story continues”.

You could feel how big the Pegasus fan base is last Monday when the band announced the departure of bassist Gabriel Spahni and guitarist Simon Spahr. People were sad. But today we’re celebrating: Pegasus are releasing their eighth studio album.

“Twisted Hearts Club” is full of pop gems. Songs that combine the musical world of the band in its beginnings and that of their role models back then with their current songwriting skills and musical maturity.

The musical development of the Bielers is completely different than that of the band dynamics behind the scenes. “Many of the dynamics from before are still the same today. Right down to the choice of words. “We still sometimes talk to each other like teenagers,” says Noah Veraguth in the SRF-DOK “Pegasus – A band breaks up… and how the story continues.” (see above
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Bassist Gabriel Spahni adds: “I think updating a relationship that developed in childhood to a new operating system because you are now an adult is more difficult than you would expect.”

Lucerne filmmaker Ivo Amarilli had around 50 hours of material on his hard drive after a year in which he closely accompanied the band. Of these, over 30 hours of conversations with the band members: individual conversations. As a result, he often had the greatest level of knowledge of all – because at Pegasus there were many things that had not been specifically discussed for years.

It’s irritating how much the quartet has apparently avoided very important topics over the years. It’s even more impressive how they open up in this film. And yet it seems clear that even after this film, a lot of things were not brought to the table in a holistic manner. Old friends obviously don’t break free from old patterns that quickly.

“At Pegasus there was little room to show weakness,” says Veraguth in the DOK and, looking back, describes their internal dealings as “old school”. Even though Amarilli tried not to intervene in the story, the film (and the filmmaker) was given a role that went beyond that of the observer. “Perhaps Gäbu would have communicated his exit later without this film,” says Amarilli in an interview with SRF 3.

The film shows the Biel quartet in a way that very few people know. For a long time I had no real idea about this band, apart from the music – but I did have an opinion about who they were or could be. After watching this film I think I have more of an idea and less of an opinion. That helps and also has an influence on the band’s music.

Not surprising, but certainly exciting in this last chapter that Pegasus are writing with this line-up: How well certain songs from the new album fit as a soundtrack to this emotional and filmed piece of band history.