At the end it all fell apart, somewhat. It started with an early announcement, early bird tickets and the outlook to see something know, a surprise and i guess a mainstay.
All nicely spread over Friday and Saturday, with plenty of side enjoyment.
But it was followed with a long silence with respect to who would be playing and a plea for help, as also the Monkeys suffered from post- Covid support re-claim by the City of Hamburg, the definitely changed night life pattern as such and the cost rises all around.
To allow the Monkeys to get rid of open bills, loans and get some needed renovation done (it is now around for 11 years, btw) please consider dropping some funds.
Throw it all into a can, give it a good stir and you end up with tickets for the two days being refunded and a Friday only replacement show being setup with 4 bands (more from near then from far, but still with the outlook of surprises).
I was happy to part with 20€ at the door but looking around it was not too many others. Some local regulars where at a birthday bash and i would guess some out-of-towners simply dropped the trip in total.
The Law from Hamburg kicked off and you can guess exactly once what kind of style that would be:
They are currently traded as Hamburgs hottest invention, playing low key sets left, right and center and feature well known faces: A Trashing Pumpgun on Drums, a Yard Bomb on Bass and a Razor on Guitar. A very surprise mix and the musical outcome is even more a surprise!
The Law (Monkeys, Hamburg, 02.10.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026
All of them come from a very different mu-sick-al backdrop but unite here to perfect raw, sturdy, up-tempo where needed and to-the-bone street rock. Throw in some 70s, throw in some harder core.
Here is one beauty (of all the originals they have perfected by now):
They already have a signature song (“The Law”), a real hit (“Hooligan Girl”, performed with Anja (Östro 430) taking over the female vocals) and boy, they got the lot dancing!
I now understand why there was such buzz on them! They also announced that they jump into an empty slot on Saturday in Elmshorn together with Küken and another band but that one i had to let go.
I am pretty sure i’ll see them soon again and i am looking forward to it. In December they will also grace a bigger stage, the will support the Harbour Rebels on their record release show at the Knust (together with the fantastic CRIM from Tarragona).
Next Urban Elite from København, who surprisingly have never played Hamburg, let alone Germany, before. I do savor their first LP (came out in 2024) as it carries a real hit.
And checking the setlist i was happy to see it towards the end of the set.
They took the baton from The Law almost literately: hard, stripped down and rarely speeding. As much as The Law two people singing, giving slightly different voices and intonation (which always is a bonus).
Urban Elite (Monkeys, Hamburg, 02.10.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026
To much surprise for the danske mænd the dancing in front of the stage continued to be non-stop, something they had not had before.
They did not really got a chance for a proper soundcheck, as they ran into a proper German Stau on the motorway from CPH to HAM.
And yes, towards the end they also played my loveliest song, here is Cold Death:
… and it came for free with a too hard hitting drummer who did send his sticks flying. Nevermind, still a beauty of a song and a great sing-a-long:
A cold void, freezing hell
Immediate death, exploding shell
Shots ring out, cracks like ice
Bullets scream, death device
In the arctic cold, insanity’s near
In the arctic cold, filled with fear
In the arctic cold, death smell
In the arctic cold, war is hell
Death in canisters, grenades hurled
Blood runs free, fills the world
Ripped to shreds, icy nightmares
Dying alone, no one cares
Bang!
Their 2nd LP is in the making, here is a first snippet:
Just perfect and great to finally catch them. Looking forward to more and hopefully a return to Hamburg soonest.
As mate noted to me at this point in the proceedings “I think i have seen the headliner (notch to The Law) and the main support (notch to Urban Elite) now, what comes next looks less exiting“. Others had already jumped the bandwagon, leaving to see The Prize (great Australian Power-Pop) down at the Komet.
And that made me realize that the Monkeys was rather empty than packed, though those attending largely had the party mode enabled.
I still looked forward to at least One Voice, a Dutch/German band that ventures more into a chorus and sing-a-long driven street rock. On record more-or-less not my thingy but live always enjoyable to listen to.
One Voice (Monkeys, Hamburg, 02.10.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026
Their main asset is the Guitar, as it is somewhat genre bending in sound. Whilst Drums and Bass lay an uptempo rhythm (and the Bass player sings and smiles to it) it is the guitar sound that brings the icing on top.
I enjoyed it, not only because it had melody and sing-a-long chorus but also because it did set a contrast for the first two bands. And these types on contrast make an evening with more than one band always enjoyable. They finished to loads of cheers and applause and the sweaty lot resorted to the bar, for just another one.
Johnny Wolga had the tough job to finish the evening off, some already had left, some where exhausted and i got to admit that i just can not find myself in their music.
Nevertheless i had to give them a chance to persuade me, as only ever live counts.
Johnny Wolga (Monkeys, Hamburg, 02.10.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026
Unfortunately, they did not. And as i found a near perfect public transport connection home i aborted it, it was anyway only one mate left (who also left early). Sorry, but if the sound of a band just does not work for me, it does not.
So it ended somewhat sad for me and it does end sad for mOi!n it’s Hamburg after all these years. Sam already announced that he is not gonna continue the series and i guess he has other fish to fry anyway.
For me still a worthwhile evening out, as i saw a surprise (The Law) and something i was eager to catch (Urban Elite). And anyway it was a more then pleasant and friendly evening, with the audience – albeit small – was in a good mood.
And that counts!
