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Category: Shows

… Hamburg = no show, Lyon = full force: Claimed Choice!
It is all about choices. I took the choice to let go the last home game of the season months ago for some battery recharging days out with me love in our 2nd home up north but made sure i would be back for a potential relegation game. More or less luckily FCSP did not make that relegation (but the other team from Hamburg did) but the Thursday evening was rescued by Claimed Choice from France.

Unfortunately my choice to see them Lyonese was only shared with few friends and equally less other regulars or other interested parties. The rest seemed to favor Arthur Dent…

Only ~15 tickets sold prior to the show, my wild guess would be same amount sold at the door, so only about 30 good people took the chance to see a band that actually is way beyond Oi!, has so much more mu-sick-al capabilities and is able to cover such a wide territory.

And, frank, they can write songs. With complex structures. Good songs.

They waited upon the half-time whistle of the football game and then lured the folks from the bar (and the screen) over towards the stage.

They are typically filled under “Punk, Bovver and Oi!” and i have to admit that this falls way to short of their capabilities. To start with, they all seem to be excellent musicians, even a slight mishap on a not fully rehearsed new song is overcome right there with ease.
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Claimed Choice (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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And on top their sound – like with many of their label partners on Une vie pour rien Vinyles – branches so much wider. They seamlessly blend even Wave, Post-Punk or whatever label you wanna stick to it.

And, even better, they where not pulled down by the low turnout and did hang full force in, with broad smiles and full energy. Speaking to them after the show they made it clear they wanted to play the Monkeys whatever, some of them even had been there before accompanying eg. Lions Law. And loved it.
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Claimed Choice (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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I guess they played everything they had (the two records clock in at a total of 12 songs), they did let go though the Jook cover (a great song ahead of time as an Original but covered too often in this genre, so i had no complaint letting it go).

Claimed Choice – Setlist (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de)

Once done they left for good but almost every individual in the audience approached a band member to give something extra, even if they had played it prior. It took a bit to get them from the bar, the merch booth and elsewhere back on stage but then it was encore time.

Great stuff and much to my surprise i have to admit that i was not expecting such an excellent delivery. Me mate Matthias was even more surprised, has he learned by chance that the 2nd guitar of Claimed Choice also plays Bass for Matthias current biggest mu-sick-al love Cran. And fills in as the tour guitar player for the equally great Prisonnier Du Temps. I guess he was the happiest member of the audience in the end!

As always if a band convinces me down from the stage i had to pick up vinyl, with Claimed Choice that was easy as all of their stuff fits a 12″ and a 7″. Most of me mates made the same choice actually, well done lads.
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#recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes
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You can grab your copies from Une vie pour rien?, the label that carries most of the new cool French sound. Pick both the 12″ (which includes their demo tape) and the 7″. They are worth it! After some more chats with fellow concert goers and #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes i set on me bike and took the short ride home, happy as could be.

I guess those supporting the other club in Hamburg where less happy and some even regretted not choosing the Monkeys.

It is about choices. As ever.
2023/06/02
… Kahuna Surfers & Hamburg Ramönes: A (little less) happy family!
Axel from Partysprenger Records not only does a DIY Label but also does DIY Marketing: Every time he puts out something special i get an email offer. So last year he persuaded me towards the Kahuna Surfers LP and it turned out to be a worthy catch.

Their self-acclaim is pure understatement:
```
Kahuna Surfers, the perfect party band! 

Think Hot summer nights, high waves, palms, sun and umbrella drinks. At the beach, Kahuna Surfers plays their nice mix of classic surf music like The Beach Boys with 60's harmonies, which are mixed together into a fantastic drink with a big dash of Punk Rock and Power Pop. You will definitely not be able to stand still. It is guaranteed to give you more taste! 

Hey, Mr. Bartender pour me another Kahuna Surfers!
Enjoy! 
```
He lured them over to Germany and Hamburg too and paired them with the Hamburg Ramones for a Record Release Party, as the locals where putting out their 7th LP finally.

And whilst in Hamburg they also took the opportunity to surf the mighty river Elbe on the MS Hedi, playing Frau Hedis Tanzkaffee.

Thursday was sunny, the evening though turned more and more chill, still plenty of folks turned up to set sail with the Swedes – sold out i believe.

A Tiki Girl, Kapten Snuss and a misspelled Frau Heidi – Kahuna Surfers Setlist
(Frau Hedi, Hamburg, 18.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de)

A quick inspection prior to the gig showed that the band came well prepared: A Tiki Girl, two sets and Kapten Snuss. So nothing could go wrong. Pity though that their 5er setup includes a keyboard and thus 4/5th of the band played broadside whilst the keyboard was facing down backwards the MS Hedi, 90° offset to the rest.
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Kahuna Surfers (Frau Hedi, Hamburg, 18.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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Still, they all had steady feat and graced the audience with their own mix of feather light sugar coated beach pop (and remember, the “Pop” in “Pop Music” comes from popular). And it was delivered with both a twang, a smile and multi-vocal harmonies.

If there was something “odd” then the only thing was that for my liking there was just a little bit of thrust missing and definitely not enough surf guitar (and associated spring reverb). But the joy that came from the stage was a fitting balance.
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Kahuna Surfers (Frau Hedi, Hamburg, 18.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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They played two sets with the 2nd one being a wee bit better (as having some more songs on the thrust side). But all-in-all a perfect match to put those Nordic surfers out onto the chilly Elbe.

Extra bonus: They all where perfectly matched in stage attire, for that only i would take them on again (and was about to, next day).

Friday upstairs at the Hafenklang though started sad: I already heard through the grapevine that Ecki from the Hamburg Ramönes got hospitalized on Thursday and that made it in the end impossible for the band to play.

Partysprenger Axel and 3/4th of the Hamburg Ramones: Sad News! Get well soon Ecki!
(Hafenklang, Hamburg, 19.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

The rest of the lot, who had plenty of Friends and Family around, nevertheless asked the audience to enjoy and all send best wishes to Ecki – i guess he would not have wanted anything else.

So instead of “just” seeing a support stint from the Kahuna Surfers the audience was getting yet again two sets, slightly re-arranged. There was an initial disappointment though:

The consistent stage attire was not achieved: The drummer – who was a stand-in for the original drummer that could not travel due to medical reasons – only was equipped with a single shirt and could not match the rest. Damn!

On the sound side the whole setup was much better, the room and the PA sure helped to get a much better sound (and much better feeling of thrust) towards the audience.

For the first set they played with sub-optimal lights: Initially the stage lights where left on, once they where switched off they played almost in the dark.
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Kahuna Surfers (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 19.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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In the break Axel and a volunteer (plus a bar stool) took on to rearrange the spots that where all geared towards the dancing floor. After that there was a much better visibility on stage.

What did surprise me was that they where able to emit even more fun, smiling and joy from the stage than already on the MS Hedi. Sure one and the other joke as part of the show was repeated but all-in-all it was a near perfect set.
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Kahuna Surfers (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 19.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
```
In the end the Hamburg Ramönes where not fully absent from the stage, once California Sun was next they jumped to action and made it a happy family delivery – listen up youth, that was not rehearsed:

Loads of applause and by and large happy people around me (though the Hafenklang felt only like half full). I liked it, me mates liked it and i think i will see them again. Best setting maybe is indeed a warm summer evening, on the beach, with all the ingredients that the enchanting Chinchilla Vanilla put on heavy rotation:

Beach, Sun and Sex (and not Beer; as me mate Frank insisted).

I hope they sold plenty of records and shirts, as i had my LP already i resorted to the new Hamburg Ramönes LP called “Harvey”. You can get your copy from the Band or from Partysprenger! It sports a great cover done by Paulinho from Flanders 72 fame, go check him out (or see him and Flanders 72 at Punk Rock Raduno Six)!

Nice to see Kahuna Surfers twice (and get assurance that they are not a one hit wonder) and really sad that the Hamburg Ramönes had an ill fated record release party. But health of us aging old punk rockers is a – at least for me – not a thing to take lightweight.

Hope Ecki gets well soonest and they can have another go at presenting the record live!

As always … buying records at the show helps DIY bands!

On the more funny side: One of me mates, who has the season ticket next to me at the Millerntor, decided to boycott the show “as the Hamburg Ramönes are the house band of Teutonia“. Football trouble even within the family, Silly, ain’t it?
2023/05/20
… energetic Swizz and surprisingly good mood: Nasty Rumours and Chelsea!
It was an almost summer Thursday evening and following a rather stressful day at the office i would have been down to the Hafenklang anyway to relax, most likely enjoying Nasty Rumours from sunny Switzerland upstairs. But they where paired with Chelsea and as such play downstairs.

Net it meant that i was there for the support and the 2nd band was to be a bonus. Last time i encountered Chelsea and Gene was mid 80s at the Markthalle and that was not really fun. The last time Gene graced Hamburg was at the Monkeys and he did leave an impression (of moaning) with me mates.

But as said, i was there for the lads from Berna so here is what i was about to get:

Nasty Rumours – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 11.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

Their self acclaim is quite simple and tempting:
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Inspired by late 70s legends such as The Boys, The Undertones and Buzzcocks these Swiss Punkrockers will feed you with Powerpop choruses that will stick in your head for weeks.
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OK, ‘nough said. And indeed they have stolen every single trick from the cookbook of Pop (and remember the Pop in Pop Music comes from popular): Simple choruses on endless repeat, repeating first verse at higher speed later in the song and and and … too many to name them.

They deliver their own version of 1977 style Power Pop with loads of smiles, loads of fun and a decent amount of action. And it is all uptempo, though not breakneck speed.
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Nasty Rumours (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 11.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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I thoroughly liked it, though it is more for the live account – i do not own a record of them and i do not plan to buy one. But live, sure, they are an enjoyable force.

Here is “She’s Mental” from their 2022 long player:

Perfect!

Now check them out yourself, they are absolutely entertaining and times flies by during their set easily. Some of my friends got a wee bit giggly upon their Swizz accent when speaking German but that only added to the fun. Those friends will also see them again with Briefs and Stitches later in July in Berlin, a near perfect package/match for sure.

Next Chelsea and to be very frank i did not expect much, though if it comes to the quality of song writing then basically – warning, nerd commentary incomming – SFLP2 (1979), SFLP 5 (1981) and specifically SFLP 7 (1982) are almost unbeaten.

Evacuate (SFLP 7, 1982) is not only a perfect post Punk album but also a near perfect song:

And it is one that remains a great sing-a-long. Actually penned down by Nic Austin, whom you see above happily shredding the guitar. So sing-a-long:
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Evacuate
There is no time
We'll all be dead
On the stroke of Nine

We play their rules
In at half past eight
I want more
We know it's too late

Behold the people at King's Cross station
Queue for a taxi and they hope for freedom

Council leaders
Bust in the shelters
Bolt the doors
To keep out the people

They all sit down
On a comfortable settee
Peer through the periscope
And guess what they see?

Behold the people at King's Cross station
Queue for a taxi and they hope for freedom

Evacuate
There is no time
We'll all be dead
At the stroke of Nine

Obey their rules
In at half past Eight
I want more
We know it's too late

Behold the people at King's Cross station
Queued for a taxi and they hope for freedom.

((c) Illegal Music, Nic Austin)
```
Next to Nic there was another face on stage i recognized – i knew i had seen the Bass Player in another band but just could not get the reference. It needed a mate to point out that it is Mat Sargent, who played with Sham 69 and Splodgenessabounds.

They had another guitar (sporting great creepers) and a sturdy drummer too. And they had Gene, looking … ehm … a wee bit warn. But that did not stop him and in contrast to the last presence in Hamburg his voice was (almost) there and he was mainly in a positive mood.
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Chelsea (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 11.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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They played like 40 minute and left the stage, a mate was already joking that if they do not even play a full football half then he will account it under “loss”. But i guess specifically Gene needed a break and when they came back he said “Well, lets have another 10 songs” which i took as a joke – but it wasn’t!

And whilst they started somehow lala they now indeed where on fire, though some of the songs where speeded up a bit too much for my liking. Some of the more mid tempo songs are bangers in their own tempo and speeding them does not do them good in my ears.

And remember to sing-a-long to the chorus:
```
Don't try to stop me in my cause
I feel for the passionate kill
I'm tired of me getting pushed and messed around
I feel for the blank generation
I'm on fire (I'm on fire)

( (c) Illegal Songs, G. Myles 1979)
```
Frank – i was positively surprised and once Chelsea finished i joined the applause – well deserved! It was though only half full, exactly One Hundred Punks (running with total suss) graced the Hafenklang on this lovely Thursday evening. Good thing though was that i knew half of them and thus had some neat chats.

For Gene and this Chelsea venture all the best, if only he would be able to keep a rooster (ever since November 1976). But whatever on that front – Chelsea are still Chelsea and one of the few bands that where able to cultivate a Chelsea sound. Actually you can make out a Chelsea song, with ease, say in a playlist.

More chats after the show and a late gentle stroll uphill and home. As ever, #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic!
2023/05/13