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Category: Shows

No name, first time away, 14 hours under the belt and still surprising the audience!

I have to admit i was biased – i had my eye on The Bar Stool Preachers for a couple of month and did pledge for the crowd funding of their first single (though it did not arrive at me home yet) and thus had a wee bit of a jump start when the date for this show was announced. Thanks to Mr. Christian Schaub this was made possible: A young band from Brighton, with high hopes but not yet an output and not really a lot of songs, came over to Hamburg and Berlin for their first away shows.

The Bar Stool Preaches (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 16.04.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

It was a Thursday evening, a band with no name – so a mere 70 folks followed Christian’s invite. I tried to tell everybody “this is hot shit” but only convinced a hand full of friends to join. And what did they get?

Outsch. What was that? Did i fall into a trap? Did their videos not look and sound so much more professional? But before i could get too much worried they provided a quite good reason: The camper outside the Monkeys was actually theirs and it took them a whoopin’ 14 hours from the UK to Hamburg. And to get here they got up at 3 in the mornin’. OK Lads, excuse granted! But how do they sound if they got into the groove?

That did sound so much better. So what did we get? Obviously a loudmouth on vocals, a bass player fronting, two guitars playing perfectly and a keyboarder that a female member of the audience taunted as “…see his looks, he is a serial killer“. I would not think so but hey, you never know. There is a Henry in all of us! Besides that they gave an energetic show, overcame technical issues and got themselves and the audience into the mood.

The Bar Stool Preaches (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 16.04.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

And in the end it was love. The band loved the audience, the club and those around did either love them or at least started to get their feet moving a wee bit. And that is the sound of The Bar Stool Preachers: A lot of ska, some pop and all served with a speed and a punch that makes it worth. As some one in the audience pointed out after the show – this might be last time you see them for 7€ and in front of only 70 people. They just might hit it bigger in the UK, sure thing in the pop circut. But with street credibility.

And after 45 minutes they even came back and played an encore, yet again their signature song “Bar Stool Preacher”:

Perfect.

Christian was happy as a fuck, the band was smiling and did sell a couple of singles. And they took residence in the Monkeys pub until 03:30, when Sam did throw them out. So with 24 hours on tour they managed to perform a great show in Hamburg. Next stop was to be the St. Pauli home game on Friday, playing the Kraken thereafter (i needed to let go but people assured me they killed it again!) and then hauling over to Berlin to play a record day appearance and a 30 minute slot at the Punk & Disorderly Festival.

I recon it’ll take them home 20 hours and they will be knackered. Hope they all have to work on Monday, because they will be worn out to the max! But hey, that is the hardship of rock’n’roll! Good luck lads!

nb: You miss a drummer listed above? As ever they do not get the limelight and are only there to provide a largely invisible backdrop for the sound. Most of them are actually quite happy that way!

2015/04/18
… surprise Thursday: of drummers, enchanting pop and furious Punk fucking Rock!

You know what is a tad bit annoying? If a great band of that you believe it is really great only ever draws small crowds when it visits your humble home town. The Swingin’ Utters are one of these and one of me mates was so determined to get an as large as possible crowd for them that he printed 200 flyers and distributed them ahead of the show – at own cost. Did it help? 50 tickets went out prior to the show, at then end the Hafenklang at least was not empty but also not packed at all, damn!

toyGuitar (Hafenklang, 19.03.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

First on toyGuitar and someone in the know mentioned “… half of Swingin’ Utters is in there but i’d rather wish that Johnny would drag Druglords of the Avenue along on the road“. Whilst both parts of the statement are true Toy Guitar from the first moment on made the audience listen. Why? Not only because of the surprise drumming (that was less the girl behind the drums, i’ll fill you in later) but specifically the almost perfect blend of fast paced pop. Thrown in was a scent of Surf and sure an undercut of punk rock. Wow – stunning. A lot of smiling and surprised faces in the audience! I was so taken left field that i did not take a quick video, something that i regret so much.

And what was special about the drumming? It was only snare, bass and floor tom – and that and the style of drumming create something special, reduced to the bone and just puuuurrrfect. Their record is now mine and it is also a great piece of pop music in the best and literate sense of it. Stunning! And a surprise!

Swingin’ Utters (Hafenklang, 19.03.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

Next on Swingin’ Utters and they kicked off with “Brand New Lungs” from their 2011 effort:

And that was the theme for the evening: Johnny screamed, banged and the band did drive, drive and fucking drive. I have seen them now many times and they are not only the ones i would recon to be “always tight to the max” but also giving, giving … and then some more. And, frank, on my 16th birthday in 1980 is saw Stiff Little Fingers and they did blow me away for many years (and their early records even more) but they have been super-seeded now by them Utters: I would call the legitimate successors (and, sorry to say, that is too because SLF nowadays are not really … hot). So listen for yerself!

And true to their style they came back with actually a couple of encores, one better then the other i would dare to say!

Sure thing “The Dirty Sea” was added too, one of my “loveliest” songs ever:

And then they came back one last time to give it all and finish a great show:

And drumming? Besides being late on stage for the start the drummer of the Utters had one item that made him “stand out”: Check out how he jumps up from his stool almost out of rhythm – that was so funny to watch!

And why is drumming so important?

So what are the cold facts? toyGuitar are a might pop force. Period. The Swingin’ Utters do deserve a so much larger audience. Fact. So next time please come around, you will be treated class with some extras thrown it. Ain’t that worth it?

2015/03/21
… cropped hair and hard hitting retro rock’n’roll made my Friday the 13th!

Another Friday night out at the Monkeys, another night for some unpretentious rock’n’roll.

The fun was that i was out with a mate whilst our wife’s decided to stay at our home, cook some great food and enjoy the Friday without us. So i left home for me mate when his wife arrived and came home late in the night only to hand her the taxi in which me mate was waiting – never had that setting and really had a laugh! At the Monkeys this time round one of the hottest new shits was waiting: The Suede Razors from the US of A had all the records collectors excited with their chain of great 7″s, so i thought it would be a rather full house and a lot of eager people to see them.

Wrong thinking, they are still a niche i guess.

The night started off with Last Crusade from the UK who, from all i could make out, are a rather new band too.

Last Crusade (Monkeys, 13.03.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

I think they fitted the bill with Suede Razors well, they play something unique too – a blend of old punk (as in 1977), harsh OI! (as in 1982) and they do also throw some hardcore elements in. They where though hampered by some technical issues and the lacked stage presence and persona, so they did not really get the rather small crowd in motion. But they got their share of applause for all the effort, at least. And in between they actually had some lovely chords.

Next on Jenny Woo, in her solo acoustic setting. Large banner, small girl and a strong voice.

Jenny Woo (Monkeys, 13.03.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

I do like her stuff but i do like it more with a band and an electrically distorted guitar. But she does what she does extremely well, always with a smile and against many odd voices from odd parts of the skinhead scene – and it takes a hell of stamina to get on the stage just with an acoustic guitar and use your voice as the stage presence!

Finally the Suede Razors and from the start (an intro sans the singer) it was a different league: You could sense that they all had their share of experience in other bands and that they all where quite gifted in terms of handling their instruments. And tight together. Very tight. From the moment the singer entered the stage you knew it was to be a unique and joyful experience of rock’n’roll with a scent of Aussie thrown in (and that was late 70s AC/DC and/or Rose Tattoo i guess).

Suede Razors (Monkeys, 13.03.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

Singer Darrel not only has the belly but also the voice and guitar, bass and drums provide the perfect backdrop. Items worth to note: Tongue-in-check vocals and stage presence by all. Good chatting with the audience and all items i’d like to see covered covered, up to and including 3 points for “anyone’s team” on the weekend. Puuuurrfect (though it did not happen in the end – the 3 points at home).

Did they live up to the quality of their singles? Yes they did and i guess they took the audience by storm. It was a bit like Giuda – people did not fully know what to expect and where positively surprised. For myself i was happy bunny all over: Out with mates, a pint of Guinness in me hand and some driving skinhead rock’n’roll. There is little that can beat that setting, so much better then say the TV Program on Friday 13th.

Thanks to the bands and thanks as ever to those who made it to support them at a cool new place for live musick. Love it.

2015/03/15