www.gehkacken.de

Category: Shows

  • … welcome back, Norden!

    … welcome back, Norden!

    Now this has been long in the making, both the show and the new (almost historic) 2nd Album from Norden. The record should have been out for a while but following a first test press early this year the sound was not up to the quality desired, hence a remix, remaster and repress was needed. And now, with shows under 2G again possible, the new formed line up of Norden (out Ratz on Drums, in Alex from Sheep On A Tree)  was able not only to sell the actual record but also take it to the stage.

    For the warm up we got a debut: Sparclub took the stage for the first time … and had lost their bass just days prior to the show. But they did not give in and took the stage anyway, i guess it takes a lot of stamina to do so but with some bright smiles they took on the challenge.

    Sparclub (Knust, Hamburg, 12.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Sure the songs where done for Guitar, Bass and Drums and thus lacked something but listening i could sense that they had something: Humor, wit and some wacky ideas like a love song to the Unemployment Office or an instant hit on “Passive Agressiveness”.

    I got to admit that the more they played the more i liked it and my friends around also got some bright smiles on their faces. Lets hope they find a new bass and they get another chance, it is worth it. If you want to know how i could have sounded check out their Bandcamp site.

    Next Restmensch, who jumped in for Thrashing Pumpguns, who where supposed to give a surprise comeback, but could not. Also for them it was the first show after quite some time and whilst stage hardend their intro into the first song was cut short by … a string of the guitar going. Loads of laughs by the fellow musicians in the audience!

    Restmensch (Knust, Hamburg, 12.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    But that did not stop them, they just plowed ahead like a solid machine. They are not necessarily my mu-sick-al thingy but their hardcore leaning Deutsch Punk actually came across well. Speed variations, solid backline from Drums and Bass, for my liking one and the other metalic leaning guitar lick too much but hey, who am i. Check out for yourself… 

    They got some cheers and by the looks of it had some fans in attendance. In setting a contrast in-between Sparclub and Norden they worked well, as much as the Metalcorecrossover from Thrashing Pumpguns would have worked.

    Restmensch (Knust, Hamburg, 12.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    My silly me only needed to complain about stage attire, i guess only the bass was setup correct. For the rest plenty of advice was traded secretly in the audience, which implies that we had good fun and that only ever happens if a band actually works. And Restmensch not only worked but worked hard on stage.

    And that gave way to Norden and their return to the stage. I do not know the full story but their 2nd record had been fully recorded in 2005, following their 2004 debut on Mata Hari, but shelved. And i guess dropped. Only to be recovered during Covid times and, following a remix in 2021, finally put to vinyl.

    Whatever the background, the songs sound as fresh as back then and actually deserved to be taken both to vinyl and the stage. And that was done in a very unpretentious way, almost in passing.

    Norden (Knust, Hamburg, 12.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Jan on guitar and doing the main vocals, Natascha towering on bass and Alex behind the drums hammering away. And they create an almost timeless sound that you can not tie to any of the usual styles, i recon it is just simple humble hard pop (like in popular) music with great (and clever) German lyrics (reminder to self: file for patent on the term “Simple Humble Hard Pop (SHHP)“)

    I like it, it is both the German lyrics and the driving guitar sound that makes it so worthwhile for me (and looking around in front of the stage, also for others).

    Norden (Knust, Hamburg, 12.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Odd think though that under the conditions (rising infection rate, 2G for musicans, clubs and ticket holders) only around 97 (or maybe 103) good people came out on this rather cold Friday in November. Their return should have at least had 200+ people enjoying it and singing along, which many in the audience did.

    What will be next for them? No clue, a tour circuit won’t happen soon so lets hope that the 300 record pressed (and inserted into a cool handmade cover) hopefully sell quickly. Trust me, it is a worthy investment!

    Norden (Knust, Hamburg, 12.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    I thoroughly enjoyed it and by the looks the band also did like what they got onto the  stage and out to the audience through the excellent sound in the Knust. Bonus: Also some excellent light was provided, cudos to whoever was accountable for that.

    As always, once a band convinces me live, i do catch vinyl on the spot: Tonight not only the “2005 in 2021” 2nd LP (lower left corner) but also the 2004 LP (upper left corner), that was missing in my collection. Bonus: The C.C. Fliegen LP, which is the most recent output from Hake (bare song structures and sound scrapes largely).

    And from the trusted folks that keep the Punk Rock Hamburg family floating i scored a shirt – almost a perfect weekend shopping!

    A great night out, some good music, some new discovers (did i say Sparclub?) and some beers and chats with friends in one of may favorite places. Life, under today’s circumstances, definitely can be much more worse.

    Thrashing Pumpguns waren leider verhindert, dafür gab es Restmensch
  • … back home, double count: Sold out Hafenklang welcomes Subhumans.

    … back home, double count: Sold out Hafenklang welcomes Subhumans.

    Finally – next to Knust, Molotow, MS Hedi and Monkeys also the Hafenklang is back with live shows. As much as all the other clubs they have adopted what in Hamburg is dubbed 2G (proven recovered and proven vaccinated people only – audience, staff and bands) which would allow Clubs to run events unconstrained (capacity, no masks), only requiring contact tracing.

    The Hafenklang took a cautious route, not filling capacity at full. As such the show was sold out with 150 folks, where this pre-Covid would have been around 200. Actually it was no surprise that it was sold out, as with the Subhumans coming over from the UK the show had a near perfect headliner and they enjoy loads of credits in Hamburg.

    Support was local, Crackmeier took the challenge and the pairing with Subhumans indeed was a fit for the evening. They are not really my deal, in good moments their twin guitar, driving bass and pounding drums made almost a solid wall pushing forward but more often to it was rather on the brink of sounding metal like.

    Crackmeier (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 29.10.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Their singer choose to roam in front of the stage and he also choose to hand out insults towards the audience, not sure if that one was for real or just as part of the show. As the did have some fans in the audience their rather full set got a share of applause and audience reception. And that is how it should be, even if it does not make click with myself.

    Next on Dick Lucas and the Subhumans, who have been around all the time since 1980 with some hiatus in between. And they are also the same faces since all the years which i find particularly enjoyable.

    They had actually finished a new record when the pandemic did strike in 2019, now it is 2021 and they are taking that record on the road (and hopefully sell loads). Unpretentious as ever they took the stage and they took the Hafenklang by storm.

    What did strike me most was that they actually attracted a rather young crowd and that the dancing area in front of the stage was almost exclusively young and female. And hell yeah, that is how it should be!

    Subhumans (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 29.10.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    I have to admit that i have zero vinyl in my collection from the Subhumans (though plenty from the Canadian Subhumans) but still recognize their sound, which over the years they have almost perfected: It ain’t full of Anarcho-Noise, it always had a deep grounding in the mu-sick-al capabilities of the band and decent song structures.

    A neat wall of sound leaving enough space for Dick to get his voice and his excellent lyrics across. In that context i was more than surprised that plenty of the audience was able to sing-a-long, even the younger ones. As said, they have a lot of credits over here.

    What did not get resolved was the itch around the question when i saw them first: My fading memory puts that 1983 and towards JUZ Korachstraße but plenty of me mates pointed out that is a wrong setting. It is really a personal letdown of my humble self that i never kept an accurate tally of whom i saw when and where…

    The Subhumans came back for some encore and provide a nice add one: A Happy Birthday redemption for Jock McCurdy of the (English, not German) A-Heads. Here we go:

    Perfect! A great Friday night back at the Hafenklang, chats and drinks with friends and all of that in safe and almost back-to-normal setting. I am ready for more and i continue to struggle with those who call that setting “inhuman”, “not inclusive” and “un-punk”.

    Sorry, somehow your radar got offset during the pandemic.

  • … come storm or high tide: Power Pop sets sail (Sixteen) Again!

    … come storm or high tide: Power Pop sets sail (Sixteen) Again!

    Now that shows are less constrained once a venue has decided for what is in Germany called 2G (attendees and participants on the band and venue side need to be either be proven recovered from Covid or vaccinated ) also the smaller venues come back: Be it Hafenklang or MS Hedi.

    What under normal circumstances would have been a nice boat ride into the sunset turned out in late October as a battle vs. storm Ignatz, who provided both wind, waves and a high tide leading to some flooding in the harbor area.

    Some 60something folks set foot on the MS Hedi and where greeted by some groovy Brit Pop singles put on by DJ Helge.

    Whilst his choice of music was good i have to admit his handling of precious singles was less: Don’t touch the vinyl is a ground rule that we #recordcollectorsrepretentiousassholes should always maintain!

    Everybody on board was quite happy (and chatty) that live-mu-sick now comes back also beyond local bands, everybody starts to buy tickets again, all the way up to March next year.

    Eventually DJing stopped and Sixteen Again took the floor (due to lack off a stage on the MS Hedi). As the stormy weather was still difficult it was decided to have the first set moored at dock.

    Sixteen Again – Setlist (MS Hedi, Hamburg, 21.10.2021 (c) gehkacken.de)

    The first set was solely dedicated to the Œuvre of Esquires Shelly and Diggle, all those juvenile love or teenage angst songs we all can sing-a-long, day or night. And singing-a-long and dancing (as much as possible) did the connoisseurs whilst the band tried to keep their posture … even moored there was enough movement of the floor.

    Sixteen Again (MS Hedi, Hamburg, 21.10.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Sixteen Again plowed through the set with both energy and fun and you could sense that they have managed to to fully get themselves into these songs. What sure also helps is that singing duties are split, giving the songs the different variations that are needed.

    For the 2nd set the Captain of the MS Hedi decided to set sail, the low frequency feel of the engine did climb up our feet. It was to be a cautions route though, no too much into the open waters of the river Elbe, where wind and waves still rules the water.

    Sixteen Again (MS Hedi, Hamburg, 21.10.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    The 2nd set was dedicated to other British Power Pop, some of these songs worked surprisingly good, others where impacted by the much more wobbly waters. Unfortunately my own favorite one (Ghosts Of Princess In Towers) was totally slaughtered – both their redemption did not work and the waves did impact the play.

    In the end two and a half hours of good entertainment with friends on the road back to normal. Given the Covid numbers still a long road, but i guess we are getting there.

    What still frustrates the hell out of me though are people that moan about venues that for themselves (and their staff) decide for 2G, i really do not see how can ask for everything from anybody but yourself puts noting in for somebody.

    Whatever, lets crack on: Next stop Hafenklang. Looking forward.