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… enchanting feedback: All Girl Power Pop with Alvilda!
That is was going to be the lead in into a long show weekend was pretty much a given, that the cozy cellar downstairs at the Komet was half filled with people that looked like being around for MOi!n It’s Hamburg 7 was a bit of a surprise.

As much as a surprise that the support slot was with the Heartliners, as they turned out to be far off from Power Pop but firmly rooted into 1990’s sunny California Pop Punk.

It was only their 2nd show but it was far off from being amateurish … all of the musicians seemed to be very professional with their instruments and all songs where faultless.
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Heartliners (Komet, Hamburg, 29.09.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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How did it sound? It sounded a wee bit fallen out of time – whilst i really did dig into this 30 years back (as it sounded new), it now sounds “old” to me. Funny feeling.

But hey, who am i to complain? It was a tight, fast and upbeat set and by no means it was boring. I guess they will make their way and i will come across them soon again.

Next Alvilda, traded by some as a really hot band. To be honest, i fell for them too last year and got their really sweet EP in August 2021 (from Alien Snatch!). And ever since was thinking who the hell will be able to lure them over? Wild Wax did and and put them on a short run from Hamburg to Dresden and then Berlin. Learning German in 3 days i guess.

Alvilda kicked off like this:

They where not really happy with the sound, specifically with the feedback from the main mike (as they choose to slip down from the tiny stage the mike technically was in front of the PA speakers – inviting feedback). Once the main singer move back on stage that got corrected and it sound a wee bit better.

They play exactly like on the EP, enchanting Power Pop presented by always smiling and singing ladies. And much better than some of the girly Schrammel Pop that was en-vogue in the 90s.
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Alvilda (Komet, Hamburg, 29.09.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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Whilst it was indeed enchanting it was also a wee bit amateurish, sometimes that added on the positive side, sometimes it actually destroyed the nice and cozy pop feeling.

What it sure was was authentic and real. And that by far outweighs any shortcomings. And whilst their songs are brief and their set is no longer than 12 songs they still please the ear (and, let’s be frank, the eye).

They did not play too long, smiled away all mishaps and got a good share of applause from the audience. I would love to see them on a bigger stage, with better sound, knowing that they would charm the audience anyway.

Alvilda – Setlist (Komet, Hamburg, 29.09.2022)

It was worth to note that they also lured Giuda into the Komet, who where already in town to headline Friday at the MOi!n It’s Hamburg 7 over at the Monkeys.

For me it was nice to now be able again to have short strolls to shows and it was a perfect start into the weekend already on Thursday. It was with best companionship, uplifting mu-sick and thus a good evening.

Fun fact: “alvilda” is danish and means “forever”. I guess i should have approach the band asking a question in danish…how would they have responded?
2022/10/03
Bücher, schnell gelesen: 1.608
James Ellroy – Allgemeine Panik (Ullstein, 2022)

Gelesen: 03. – 25.09.2022 (netto 422 Seiten – Lesevergnügen wurde durch einen Umzug gebremst)

Aus dem Amerikanischen von Stephen Tree.

Ach Mensch, irgendwie ist das schon doof wenn einer der Lieblingsautoren nicht mehr so richtig zündet. Jener Sturm war echter Scheißdreck (in meinem Ellroy Universum) und dieses Buch ist irgendwie auch nicht das Gelbe vom Ei.

Auf der positiven Seite gibt es eine Rückbesinnung auf die Ursuppe des Ellroy Universums: LA in den 50ern. Und auf eine Nebenfigur, die schon in einigen Büchern auftauchte: Hallo Freddy Otash, Redakteur des Boulevardmagazins Confidental.

Conifidential und seine Schmutzgeschichten waren immer mal wieder Backdrop eines Plotes. Und in diesem Buch geht es nur um Freddy und wie er sich um seine Karriere bringt. Das ist über weite Strecken auch spannend, weil es sich wie ein Eintauchen in eine geliebte Welt anfühlt und der Stakkato-Stil von James Ellroy hier wieder perfekt passt.

Auf der anderen Seite nervt das permanente Namedropping von Hollywood Prominenz (James Dean, Marlon Brando, Natalie Wood, Nicholas Ray und viele mehr) und die Anbindung an echte Geschehnisse (Caryl Chessman), die teilweise arg weit hergeholt rüberkommt.

Am Ende ist es ein wenig wie bei Jener Sturm (wobei es mehr Freude machte es zu lesen): Sex, Hollywood, Kommunistenhatz und nichts als zynischer Nihilismus. Alter Tee in altem Becher?

Ich halte Ellroy mal die Treue, aber so richtig glücklich bin ich nicht. Da schaffen andere Autoren konsistentere Universen.

Soundtrack dazu: Red Death – Atomic Howl, was sonst?

PS: Was ist so schwer die Atmosphäre korrekt auf den Deutschen Umschlag zu bekommen? Unten ein gefühlt 100mal besseres Beispiel, wenn das Original schon nicht benutzt werden soll.

James Ellroy – Widespread Panic

PPS: Und James Ellroy so?
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Q: One last question on Widespread Panic. The atom bomb looms large over this novel. Freddy says “the bomb blast made me.” Bob Dylan once referred to Elvis and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis as being “atom bomb fueled.” Don DeLillo has touched on this idea too, that the atom bomb was a kind of catalyst in American culture in some intangible way. Do you think that’s true and why was it a symbol you wanted to play with? 



A: I was having fun with the atom bomb. Freddy thinks the atom bomb is cool. And you know, I’ve always liked the atom bomb. I never thought the atom bomb was gonna go off in America. I’m glad we had the atom bomb. I’m glad we dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and you know if we nuked Moscow we wouldn’t be in the shit we are in today. George S. Patton and Winston Churchill wanted to go and take the reds out, to my mind a very, very good idea. But you know, hindsight is 2020. If you think about it…. Do you like Jazz? Duke Ellington renamed his band briefly in ’58 to Duke Ellington and his Spacemen. And Count Basie played a long summer engagement in ’58 billed as Count Basie and his Atomic Band. It’s the idea that there’s something that powerful. So the Count and the Duke. These powerful and genius musicians had to go atomic. There was the atomic drive-in and the a-bomb burger. All kinds of stuff.

From: https://crimereads.com/hungry-like-a-dog-james-ellroy-will-not-stop-being-james-ellroy/
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2022/09/26
… not just boys fun: Ramonas & Bullshit Boy at the Hafenklang!
After having two week off (enjoying Danish sunsets and moving back into the vicinity of the Hafenklang) it needed a bit of lure to take the stroll downhill to the Hafenklang. The lure though was easy, one of the best Ramones cover bands was in town, so a neat sing-a-long evening was on the table.

Next to me they lured about a hundred odd folks down to the harbor front, some with 2020 tickets, some with 2021 tickets … and some with 2022 tickets. The show was moved twice … Covid times, sight.

Kick-off was with Bullshit Boy from Hamburg, 2 girls on strings and Carsten (Emils etc) on drums. I already came across them earlier in the year and took note of their EP on Bandcamp, as i do like Punk with female vocals and Girrrls in bands per se.

Sabine, the guitar, used to be around as a one girl band called Dark Horse, now she seems to have expanded and plays her songs under the moniker Bullshit Boy:
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„WE KNOW IT ALL – WE CAN DO IT ALL – WE LOOK SUPER FIT AND WE ARE TALKING RUBBISH ALL DAY – WE ARE BULLSHIT BOY!!!“
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Bullshit Boy (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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Unfortunately this evening i had a negative Déjà-vu – very often i do like bands live but not their recordings, here it was just opposite. I had to let go after a half of their set and was not surprised to meet a couple of me mates outside, who already left and equally did not get the groove.

By all means check them out yourself, here is their 5 song 10″ (still the coolest format around). I will give them another chance for sure, maybe it was just me or a bad day for them. Or both.

The Ramonas came next and they have already quite some length under their belt: Started in 2004 as a pure female Ramones cover band they have added since 2016 also own material – all worth to check out.

With them it was speed, power and sing-a-long – a visible and audible difference to Bullshit Boy. From the first chord they emitted fun and energy from the stage and took the audience on a Ramones memory trip.
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Ramonas (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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Having seen the Ramones 8 times (and every single Hamburg show but the 1978 Markthalle one) and having seen plenty of Ramones cover bands (from killer ones like Hamburgs own Ramones Revical Band aka Ramonez 77, Hamburg Ramönes and eg. Gabba to not so good ones i’d rather not name) i gotta say they are one of the better ones.

Without a doubt.

Their song selection from the vast Ramones œuvre is actually on the more clever side (as above with Bonzo Goes To Bitburg), though they missed two of my favorite gems: Highest Trails Above and Strength To Endure unfortunately where absent.
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Ramonas (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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The audience was happy though, so i did not complain. I anyway had zero complaints, the band was energetic enough (and getting the max out of their small amps). And by the smiles traded between them you could see that they like what they do. And when there where errors and mishaps – they just smiled it away and went on.

Sure thing they covered the cover (the best ever ode by a Band to another Band of a different genre) as their final song, well done.

If there was any complaint, then it may be my usual one: Dress code on stage. But that is just me and my anal view on stage related items. I guess they have better things to do then wash (or not) their stage attire after every sweaty show (and sweaty it was indeed).
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Ramonas (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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In retrospective i actually would have loved to have gotten more of their own material, i think it was only about 6 songs – the rest was from NYC. But hey, still a great set and and enjoyable Tuesday evening at the Hafenklang, that i guess we left as the last consumers after midnight.

Next to the short stroll home the best was actually chats’n’drinks with friends and regulars and the simple fact 6 out of 7 musicians on stage where female.

Not just boys fun, as ever!

PS: Nothing, nothing at all, can beat this live set from 31.12.1977
2022/09/17