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  • Bücher, schnell gelesen: 1.712

    Bücher, schnell gelesen: 1.712

    Adam LeBor – Zwischen Den Korridoren (Polar Verlag, 2024)

    Gelesen: 07. – 15.06.2024 (netto 449 Seiten plus Nachwort von Günther Grosser)

    Aus dem Englischen von Jürgen Bürger.

    Der Start ist schonmal klasse – er schließt direkt an das erste Buch aus der Serie an. District VIII endete am 06.09.2015 um 19:00 und Zwischen Den Korridoren startet am 10.09.2015 um 06:00. Und setzt die die Handlung quasi nahtlos fort.

    Und was mir besonders gefallen hat ist das Adam Lebor das Tempo, das erste zum Ende von District VIII angezogen hatte, direkt weiterbehält.

    Der Tag von Balthazar Kovác, Kommissar in der Mordkomission, startet mit einem Toten. Allerdings einem Toten in einem Luxusbordell. Das seinem Bruder gehört. Der wie er selbst Roma ist. Und eigentlich sollte Balthazar den Toten elegant beseitigen, zumindest so das nichts auf das Bordell hindeutet.

    Aber Balthazar kommen Zweifel ob er wirklich an einem durch Koks und Viagra verursachten Herzinfakt gestorben ist. Den er ist Ausländer. Araber. Und die Überwachungskameras wurden manipuliert.

    Aus diesem Fall wird aber was ganz anderes, nämlich ein Staatsstreich der Alten Eliten, die der neuen Ministerpräsidentin (ohne District VIII gelesen zu haben wird das echt schwer in Linie zu bringen) ein Ende bereiten wollen.

    Mit hohem Tempo, einer ziemlich gut eingepassten Familientragödie aus Balthazars Familie und viel Referenzen zum erstem Buch wird das ganze zu einem echten und hochgradig spannendem Politthriller.

    Das sich Adam Lebor immer viel Zeit nimmt Sachen zu erklären hat mich im ersten Buch ein wenig genervt, das hat das Tempo gedrückt. In diesem Buch stört es mich weniger, irgendwie hab ich mich an diese vielen Detailerklärungen gewöhnt.

    Und wie es sich für den Helden eines Krimis gehört, hat Balthazars durchaus eigene Probleme: Seine Ex-Frau zieht mit ihrer Freundin zusammen, braucht aber Balthazars Hilfe bei der Recherche ihrer Doktorarbeit in Geschlechterstudien mit Schwerpunkt auf Ungarns Roma-Gemeinschaft. Seine zarten Bande aus dem ersten Buch gehen den Bach runter.

    Balthasar Kovác als Held ist dabei voller Widersprüche und mit einem Fuß in jeder der beiden Gemeinschaften, die das moderne Ungarn bilden.

    Die Handlung weist alle Wendungen eines hochkarätigen Hollywood-Thrillers auf und irgendwie ist es kein Wunder, dass LeBor seine Serie jetzt auch für das Fernsehen entwickelt.

    Aber was Zwischen Den Korridoren wirklich auszeichnet, ist die Art und Weise, wie LeBor den Thriller mit der ungarischen Geschichte, Politik sowie aktuellen (2015) Ereignissen verknüpft, vom Aufstieg des Populismus bis zur organisierten Kriminalität.

    Und jede einzelne Facette hat dabei irgendwie den Klang der Wahrheit. Könnte genauso gewesen sein.

    Ich finde das wird immer besser. Mehr davon, das ist eine spannende Welt.

    Soundtrack dazu: Roberta Sparrow – Poison … The Air We Breathe, was sonst?

    PS: Und das ist der Platz um den es in dem Buch geht

  • … the return of the DIY shows: The Roxies!

    … the return of the DIY shows: The Roxies!

    It has been a while that i saw a show in a place that was not meant to run live mu-sick. But hey, sometimes opportunities come about and then you gotta grab ’em.

    And grabbing Eugen did, he immediately liked The Roxies after they played the Indra last year and was determined to do something for & with them. They had another show in Hamburg supporting the Dead Boys in February at the Monkeys that i also did not attend, but mates were full of praise.

    I only ever saw them pre-Covid, when they supported the mighty Maniac down in the cellar of the Komet.

    Come June 2024 and Eugen decided to get them over to play … actually in his office, in sync with a yard fest run by his neighboring Coffee Roasters.

    Eugen introducing The Roxies at the Pretty Vacant HQ ( (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    His office turned out spacious, he and Mike created a decent stage, got some lights and a small PA ready – and off went a short showcase in best DIY fashion. Remember shows in rehearsal rooms? That sort of thing, but better.

    Support was to be Tanju with Tan LeRacoon & Racoonery, but a short notice Covid infection of one band member put a hard stop to it. So it was one band only, early and … crisp.

    The Roxies are from Berlin and they seem to have perfected on Power Pop, with heavy borrowing on UK Post Punk (and some Garage i guess). The net result comes across as high-energy (almost old school) Punk with a slick coating of Pop. They call themselves Indie Punk, but that is an odd label for my single minded tastes.

    The Roxies (Pretty Vacant HQ, Hamburg, 08.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    They are 3/4th German and have enlisted Mattew from Yorkshire (“Tha’ can allus tell a Yorkshireman but tha’ can’t tell ‘im much.“) to sing for them. And whilst the others provide the sturdy backdrop, he goes off like being fueled with a radioisotope battery.

    The Roxies (Pretty Vacant HQ, Hamburg, 08.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    They do not dress uniform (always a malus) but they provide unique stage characters (always a bonus) also besides the vocals: An always smiling drummer, a sturdy and almost shy guitar and a towering slender girl on bass – smiling too.

    And how did it sound? It sounded like this:

    It is Cat Caller and on their 12″ (see below) and it is indeed my loveliest song by them, it will make it onto my 2024 playlist (actually it is already on it, whilst the playlist still grows).

    The Roxies (Pretty Vacant HQ, Hamburg, 08.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    They got a few people dancing and they lured some of the folks of the yard fest indoors. And given they play Power Pop (and that is something straight into the feet) i saw a couple of surprised smiles.

    They did not play long but it was a pleasant and crisp set. I did fancy buying their record but eventually let go the idea (as my remaining space for 12″/LP’s is tiny). If they would have had Cat Caller on a 7″ then i would have grabbed it.

    I grabbed some stickers instead. But by all means, go and check them out for yerself and if you like it try to grab the Vinyl, it is already sold out at the label i believe.

    Nice and early Saturday evening showcase, i wonder if Eugen and Mike try that again with another band. The place would allow for it, being surrounded by largely industry it may take a while before someone raises concerns.

    Nice One. Surprise One! Thanks Eugen & Mike for the effort, much appreciated.

  • … 8 years later and even better: No Time, best in class Oi! ctd!

    … 8 years later and even better: No Time, best in class Oi! ctd!

    It’s been a while.

    Actually 8 years since they graced the Hafenklang in a K-Town Fest wind-down event. And frank, i lost sight of them and somewhat thought they dissolved. Then in 2022 a little nugget appeared, and late in 2023 the great news of a new record made it onto my screen.

    And thus i was happy as a fuck when the Hafenklang appeared as their first date on a short run through Europe in 2024.

    Support was by True Gloom from Hamburg, a new band (having just played their first show on the ill-fated Booze Cruise Fest) with some known faces. They kicked off with loads of feedback and noise and then went to deliver H/C with a decent scent of Rock (at least to my single-minded mu-sick-al ears).

    True Gloom (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    For myself the amount of pedals, effects and what have you in front of the guitar player somewhat created a wee bit of a dislike, though he managed to use some of them to positive effects.

    Pity though that the singing (and thus the words) was barely audible, so i could not really make out what the crisp set actually delivered.

    True Gloom – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    Luckily they have put their demo up on Bandcamp including the lyrics, so you can both make up your mind about them and get the message – this is the song i liked most:

    I was a bit torn with them, they had some good moments where they sounded like a fright train and the vocals fitted into that, they also had bad moments when the guitar took way too much of a metal approach.

    Still, they came across as a tight package, well rehearsed and thus i’ll be happy to see them again. Even if it is not 100% up my mu-sick-al alley.

    Next No Time, nicely wasted from long travel. This is what they set out – a good mixture of old and new stuff.

    No Time – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    From the start they were back at where they left us in 2016: Same stage personas, same drive, same aggressiveness by Adam. But very much improved on the ability to deliver the music. Back then we all envied them for their ferocious mix of classic Blitz influenced OI! and Hardcore (to quote me mate Frosch) but now they have widened their sound to carry an undercurrent.

    No Time (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    And that undercurrent – surprise – is full of hidden melodies. Even on this banger from their 2013 EP. Here is Perpetual War:

    Bang! They got something right almost ahead of time, that Oi! H/C crossover currently seems to be on of the fastest growing niches of the last few years. I do hope No Time eventually are able to capitalize now on having been there almost first.

    The more they pushed forward, the more they got a bit of action in front of the stage. Sad though that only about 80 good people attended downstairs, with that number it would have felt better upstairs in the smaller room (though that was booked with another event).

    No Time (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    Sure thing they also got their signature tune back on the map, this is the song that got me hooked onto them when i got to hear the tape in 2016:

    And how did it sound in 2024? It sounded like this:

    Still, a top notch song with a definite stance.

    They got plenty of cheers and they even got pushed for an extra once they had left the stage. After that they where thoroughly exhausted – great start for their tour!

    The only pity was that they screwed up on the merch side, their new LP Suffer No Fool made it to Hamburg somewhat … but then the parcel got returned to Euskal Herria to Menedeku Diskak.

    No Time – Suffer No Fool LP (Mendeku Diskak / TKO Records)

    I will now have to wait until my trusted local dealer, Sounds of Subterrania, gets his delivery from Euskal Herria. In the meantime i can already listen to this:

    Almost perfect show i’d say, a great return of No Time and hopefully towards more output from them. And from where i sit i would even want them to branch wider mu-sick-ally, i think they have a great recipe at hand:

    We love a lot of '80s American USHC, a lot of international punk and Oi!, anarcho-punk, and lots of the classic rock 'n’ roll bands like AC/DC, The Sweet, Slade, KISS, etc. We try to mix things in a thoughtful and cohesive manner and I hope that while we wear a lot of those timeless influences on our sleeve, at the end of the day we still sound somewhat fresh and exciting.
    

    Keep it coming No Time, keep it coming.

    PS: Shitty lights, shitty pictures. No really my bad.