Oh boy, a long wait was finally over. The return of the K-Town Warm-up in Hamburg did actually happen in 2022 and the K-Town Hardcore Fest would also happen to happen on the weekend. It was set small and upstairs at the Hafenklang, but it was not a small feat. Sold-out and people actually travelling from far to see the bands (and then on to K-Town for the main event).
Kick off was with Miley Silence from Hamburg, self proclaimed cuddly hardcore punk. But they where neither cute nor cuddly, they are real DIY Punk and they most likely do not give a flying fuck that against later bands on the show they sounded rather slow.
Miley Silence (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 23.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
Their stance is strong and their position is – at least as i could make out – to challenge. And in that context they also have veritable hits like “So, Which Band Is Your Boyfriend In?“:
It would be totally superfluous to mention that sure take a stance on the feminine side, for me it is just great to see the old 7 Seconds song coming to life: No Just Boys Fun. Make sure you give them a chance, check out their current release here.
Next Seein’ Red from sunny Amersfoort, home of Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters. By the way as much relevant as a comment i overheard that went like “… they are just LÄRM without the singer“. I guess the person making the comment wanted to show off that he is in the know of dutch punk history. Yes, Seein’ Red are from the ashes of Lärm but by now they have 30+ year under their belt, so it ain’t of any relevance.
Seein' Red (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 23.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
They play short and crisp hardcore, take on breakneck speed and they have clear standpoints and messages (and all of them of the better side of life advise). And yes, they are old, i guess bring at it relentlessly with 60+ gives you some credit to give advise.
What i like most is that they concentrate on message, you do not need to stretch a song into intro-break-chorus-outro, you can get the message across in less than a minute. And that is what they do at their best. Luv it! 2nd best thing was the drummer, who ended every song with a high speed final hit, precise to the the point.
And whilst at it, also check out their other incarnation as the Marxbros.
Public Acid from North Carolina (in the US of A) where a complete blank for me. Never came across. And once they where setting up their gear on stage that void was filled with … lets say characters. And the spread of characters, most notably the 80’s Metalhead with the V-Axe, gave no hint at what was comming.
Once finally the singer was added, a rather thin and non-descriptive figure lacking any style, the question mark only got bigger. And then we got hit by a 200 cars freight train at 300 miles per hours.
Holy Moses! A wall of sound and growled vocals. Jackpot! One of the reasons why the rooster of the K-Town Hardcore Fest should always be like a checklist, it carries many surprises and frequent beauties like this one.
It was actually both the mu-sick that engulfed me (and the rest in front of the stage, with many already going apeshit) and seeing the characters on stage that took me into complete fixation. Checking over the shoulder i could see me mates equally being surprised and Fab from the Hafenklang (who books these great shows) gave me a knowing told-you-so smile across the room.
Public Acid (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 23.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
It felt like an hour but actually they took only 20, max 25, minutes to completely and utterly blast the audience away. People where resorting en masse backwards to the merch table rather then getting a drink at the bar, happy people even got their latest EP. You can check all of their stuff here, but live they are even better. Much better. So much better.
Finally time for Warthog (a hardcore band from Brooklyn NYC) and by now the Hafenklang was fully packed in front of the stage. Tales of them conquering Berlin at the SO36 the day before had made it to Hamburg, for myself that meant being aware that the next freight train, loaded with steel and downhill, would come at me.
Thanks Warthog, you did not let Hamburg down. Blasting energy paired with mu-sick-al perfection. And whilst their songs have evolved to carry a bit more length, a bit more guitar sounding metalic it is still most likely the damn simple receipt of throwing Motorhead and Ramones into a smoothie blender at 20.000 rpm and topping the outcome with a floater of Poison Idea (65% proof). Taste it!
Warthog (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 23.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
Basically Warthog took the baton from Public Acid, beat everybody up with it within 30 minutes and left behind exhausted, sweaty and bruised people. It has been quite some time that i saw so many people upstairs at the Hafenklang either flying around or marching through the pit. And all but one (me mate Beno, who had to leave early due to the need to catch the very last train connection home) had a fucking bright smile on their face.
Fun fact: When Warthog asked if they can play another song (as it was already past midnight) Fab just said “Play the whole set again”. That did not happen, but we got an extra anyway.
Totally perfect night, best place with best friends, being bulldozed by music i love. Being played by bands that are authentic DIY. Personal bonus: With the outlook of two more evenings with live mu-sick i took no booze and despite being in bed very late i got up for work easily.
… and those who made the pilgrimage to København would get to see the following mass of great bands, i stayed in Hamburg (as i anyway tend to dislike festivals) and went on to see selected bands from the Booze Cruise rooster.
You want to know how it sounds? Check it out below Compilation …
