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… a professional rock show despite good music may not make you happy!
The Interrupters caught my ear early on in their career thanks to Hellcat Records, ie. the wings of Tim Armstrong. Their pleasant sound and quite fresh approach to fast paced Ska works well on record, hence i regretted it all along that they bypassed Hamburg over the years (they only ever came around as support for Bad Religion).

So when the show came up i got two tickets and was quite right, as it sold out in record time even being at the Markthalle (one of the largest club venues around here). So in the end a lucky mate, who missed buying in time, got the ticket. In return he treated us with free beer in front of the Markthalle.

Support was Not On Tour, the relentless touring machine from sunny Israel. They do Pop Punk and they never really caught my ear, though i tried multiple times.

Not On Tour (Markthalle, Hamburg, 26.07.2019)

They had to setup their gear in front of the Interrupters gear and that provided me with an initial feel of “rock show“. It was paired with a shitty sound, another “rock show” feel. I endured a couple of songs but then resorted back out for fresh air.

Next on, sharp at 21:00, them Interrupters. They came on stage backed by “Ghost Town” from The Specials and made a rock star entry. And kicked in from “0” to “100” in no time. From the first minute they commanded and pleased a willing audience, got plenty of applause and cheers.
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The Interrupters (Markthalle, Hamburg, 26.06.2019 (c) gehkacken.de)
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All through the 80 minutes they delivered, they gave me a twist in the legs to move and dance (and many people did move) but that twist never arrived at my heart. My initial feel of “rock show” was now paired with “professional” and that would tear myself into two corners. One the one side they play pleasant and very endurable mu-sick, on the other side the whole show looked completely … mmhhh … rehearsed? Staged? A choreography (as someone suggest from Andrew Lloyd Webber)?

Not sure what words would describe it but is just did not feel real, it did not feel they way shows should feel or how shows should touch me. As such i now found a rare case where the records work for me (though they are getting more mainstream (radio ready) from album to album) but live it just did not work. No joy. No feelings.

Nevermind, the largest part of the audience did like it, including a wheele guy crowd surfing.

Dangerous trend sport: Wheelesurfing!

He got some flak from the security after the show, as despite him being a professional skater with his wheele and knowing how to handle that in extreme situations those that carried him won’t. And they could hit other, specifically to the front. It may be a cool thing (and a cool visual) to be up there but if you hit someone … it ain’t so cool anymore.

Once it was over 98% of the audience seemed to be happy. I had a final “rock show” itch at the end: The Interrupters made a final curtain gesture but omitted their keyboard/horn enlist for it.

I enjoyed the music but not the show. It was 20€, so a fair deal. Will i continue to buy records of them? Maybe. Will i ever see them live again? Most likely not.

And on the sideline: Is Aimee the best crowd winning singer? Nope, whilst having a great voice and always reaching she falls way short of Jenny Angelillo. Way short.
2019/06/27
Bücher, schnell gelesen: Teil 1.395

Jonathan Lethem – Motherless Brooklyn (Tropen, 2019)

Gelesen: 12. – 23.06.2019, netto 377 Seiten

Schade, ich war beim Lesen von diesem Buch mit vielen anderen Dingen beschäftigt. Zum einen war daher die Lesegeschwindigkeit reduziert, zum anderen bin ich nur langsam in den Flow der Geschichte gekommen.

Vordergründig eine Detektivgeschichte, hintergründig die Suche einer einsamen Seele, geplagt durch Tourette, nach der Wahrheit.

Der Mafiosi Minna hat sich eine Bande von elternlosen Kindern als seine Handlanger herangezogen, unter dem “Deckmantel” eine Detektei erledigen sie als die Minna-Men allerlei saubere und unsaubere Arbeiten für ihn. Einer ist Lionel Essrog, der an dem Tourette-Syndrom leidet.

Als Frank ermordet wird macht sich Lionel, im Glauben ein echter Detektiv zu sein, auf das ganze Aufzuklären. Und so so tict er sich durch die Geschichte, die immer dichter wird – ein wahres Dickicht an Worten, an Tics und an immer neuen Wahrheiten die Lionel verdauen muss.

Toll geschrieben und mit einem unfassbar genauen Auge für Sprache (und Tourette). Am meisten Überzeugt wie geschickt Jonathan Lethem es schaft Lionel so darzustellen, dass der Leser sich in seine absolute und bedingungslose Menschlichkeit verliebt.

Soundtrack dazu: Tim Ray And The Druts – Dying In Brooklyn, was sonst?

PS: Kein Wunder das dieses Buch mit lauter Stars verfilmt wird …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIYiEzMqxYg

2019/06/27
… K-Town wind-down at 200 mph: Hag and Axe Rash!
I have been taking camp at the Hafenklang over the last days it feels, 3rd show in 5 days and thus time to wind down. And wind down the theme was, as much as the good tradition of the K-Town warm-up was revived the K-Town wind-down was re-introduced.

And this time round it was two Swedish bands that where known not only for, lets say, outgoing live performance but also for taking no prisoners. As the Hafenklang stated in their own little marketending for the show: “Axe Rash Hag will shave your head”!

First on Hag and hair length actually was contradicting head shave. Two long haired boys paired with two girls. And off it went, full on aggressive H/C with a maniac singer.
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Hag (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 17.06.2019 (c) gehkacken.de)
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Whilst the eye catching thing was sure Agnes on vocals the ear catching thing was the guitar: A great balance between shredding and a slight metal overcast. And to back that up sturdy and thundering drum and bass gave the backdrop.

I had no immediate comparison in my head and that gives you a hint how good it was. I liked it from the first song, the Swedes in the audience who traveled with the bands liked it and the 30 odd folks that attended the donation only Monday liked it too.

The interlude between the bands was short, chatting with people and watching a rather tiny cruise vessel leaving the harbor.

… next year: K-Town cruise!

It actually provided a neat idea to maybe do a K-Town cruise – would the MS Hedi be allowed to travel through Elbe, Kiel Canal and the Baltic Sea to CPH?

Next on Axe Rash, where Agnes covers Bass duties. And you got less hair on the two boys, actually no hair but a great Void T-Shirt on the drums. And they kicked off like this:

Bang! I truly believe that bands who play live should make “intros” (as much as i do believe in stage attire, in this genre most like to no avail) and as such this was a great start!

In your face vocals, aggressive undertone both through mu-sick and vocals and fast forward. Perfect if you ask me. They got the audience moving (both further to the stage and bodily) and they greatly extended their set beyond the 22:00 limit (where normally the table tennis starts).
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Axe Rash (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 17.06.2019 (c) gehkacken.de)
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Great stuff and at least one male person in the audience fell in love with them Swedish Girls on stage. Good luck mate!

As i am a greedy asshole record collector i have way too many records assembled over the years (4.759 as of today). As such some time ago i decided on some baseline rules, one of them is: Only ever buy a new record of a new band if the band has convinced me live. And then buy the record after the show from the band.

#recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes

I took the Hag “Be my filth” EP and the Axe Rash “S/T” LP with me when i left the Hafenklang, so it tells you that both bands where convincing. Some of my fellow old Punk Rock connoisseurs who follow my adventures via social media claimed upon examination of the bands that it is just horrible noise.

I’d like to correct them: It is an Inter City Express, with a tuned engine, running at 200 mph through the station where you stand on the platform. And the passengers yell at you through the windows.

I loved that feeling on that Monday at the Hafenklang, it was a perfect wind-down.
2019/06/20