It feels quite odd if the singer of a band points at you during the set to thank you for attending though “... he listens to other music normally“. It happened to me thanks to Oile from Blanker Hohn. Indeed the amount of “Deutsch Punk” in my collection (warning, #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes incomming: 4.956 this morning according to Discogs) is neglecteable tiny and i tend to not go to shows showcasing it.
But Blanker Hohn, longest running Punk Band from Harburg (south of the mighty river Elbe), did throw a 40th Anniversary Bash at the Stellwerk so i gave it a chance.
For a start they were clever with their choice of support from north of the mighty river: The Razors paid tribute plus a cool addition from way back in U.E.D.L. as a real surprise.
Their split tape with Spiel 77, recorded down at their local youth center, was one of the mid 80s items done by mates because all their friends where in bands and they wanted one too.
It did not create a lot of success but as friends they largely stayed around, continued to play low key every once in a while and never went anywhere. But they where contemporaries of Blanker Hohn and as such a fitting support.
For me it was the 2nd time to see them, if my memory serves me well i saw them back then at either a Youth Center or a School thingy in Bunny Hill or Bramfeld/Barmbek and … it was not a highlight as far as i recall.
Fast forward more than 40 years and to the Stellwerk. Fast forward to a show where a friend of Arne endured a 600 KM drive to actually see them. Fast forward to one of the situations where your expectations are lowest and …
… you get the surprise you never expected.
U.E.D.L. had a setlist of just 9 songs, played old ones at the start and got some lukewarm response. Then they got in new ones and with that me and me mates stopped chit-chatting and actually focused the attention to the stage.
U.E.D.L. (Stellwerk, Harburg, 17.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
They more they played the more they both got into the groove, got self-assurance and actually had some tunes that fully worked: Deeply ground in a hard rocking sound (as on the positive side of hard rock), leaning toward what some dub nowadays “Working Class Rock” or “Street Rock“, there where some cool melodies, hooks and breaks.
Plus Arne delivering a fitting singing. Even on this single cover song it worked:
Wow – i really did not expect this one. No clue if this incarnation of U.E.D.L. will go anywhere but on this night, on this occasion – they simply took (let’s say half of) the crowd by storm. I will definitely seek out a chance to see them again, i do hope they stick to it for a little bit longer.
Without a lot of changeover the mighty Razors took the stage, trimming their set down and ending it with a barrage of covers.
The Stellwerk was crowded by this time, not sure if sold out but i guess 200+ folks being there. And the Razors had the lot from the first chord, a solid machine that delivered hits with ease.
What did strike me on this occasion was that i actually was looking out with joy to a single song:
An obscure 1979 Power Pop song from Scotland, of all places. Way ahead of times when it comes to guitar pop up North. And turned by the Razors into what i what call by now their signature song (bypassing Tommys Gang, that i always thought of as something like their signature tune).
Enjoy:
Whereas The Headboys only ever got it to #45 in the UK Charts in 1979 i’d say that the Razors get the song to a new high.
A critic on the original has it all:
60’s inspired late 70’s jangly guitar pop with catchy tunes, irresistible rhythms & punchy chanted choruses from this great Scottish skinny-tie power-pop/new wave band that should’ve been big(ger).
Once i will win in the lottery and make my plan for a “1976 to 2026 in Songs” Double LP with gate fold cover a reality i will have this song re-recorded and produced by … let’s see. Let’s aim for the Blasting Room as a start.
Razors (Stellwerk, Harburg, 17.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
Alike the Razors blasted through their set, only Sven needed to take a minute out, his drumming corner was not only way too hot but also sans oxygen, as windows had to be kept shut as for noise protection. Great set by Hamburgs finest. Not more, not less.
With that it was time for the birthday boys (though they wisely choose not to play in their birthday suits), with Janny doing some tongue-in-check introductions. He apparently saw them as a 13 year old kid at a long defunct youth club in Harburg and went on to blame them that he got stuck on Punk.
Next to Youth Of Altona he should look out for a 2nd career – he is a funny entertainer!
Blanker Hohn, for this special occasion, did resort to an old trick currently being used by many old bands – playing entire albums in sequence of the record. So Set 1 was going to be their 2023 effort:
That record is – according to my navigation chart – actually one of the better ones when it comes to “Deutsch Punk“. Starting with the cover (and the series that goes with it) and all the way to surprisingly crisp songs like this 11 Minute killer:
Blanker Hohn had a lot of family and friends in the audience and plenty of sing-a-long and dancing in front of the stage. On the not-so-positive side i wold recon that most of their fans still are from south of the river, only few from up north joined in.
Blanker Hohn (Stellwerk, Harburg, 17.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
For my ears most of the new songs worked quite well, you can sense that their song writing and recording abilities improved by a long shot ever since they recorded their 1984 Long Player.
They have been around 1983 to 1986, topping it with support for Die Toten Hosen at the local Harburg youth center FZ Nöldekestraße in April 1984. A show that i saw and where my memory of Blanker Hohn is … mhhhh … let’s say “not impressed”.
Blanker Hohn burned like a small candle and burned out pretty fast, by 1986 they went on with their lives. They enjoyed a brief return from 2001 to 2004 but it took to 2018 to really get them back touring and recording.
Even the almighty AI (ChatGPT) has some doubts on brightness of that candle (AI, my ass):
Their 2nd Set was their 1984 LP, which stands out for one of the worst covers ever being put to print. And not really for the mu-sick if you ask me. But hindsight is always easy, what they did play and what they did record was fitting the days back then.
Here is one of these songs, in the stereo-typical western style that many added to their rooster back then under the moniker “Fun Punk“:
The No Fun part though is that this documents also the drunken loonie sitting on stage – few songs later he either collapsed or head crashed on the dance floor. As his situation looked not good the show was stopped, an ambulance was called and he was lifted out of the venue towards hospital. I hope he is well, asking around i was not able to establish that though.
Sad end to actually a neat show at the best location south of the river. Lets hope that Blanker Hohn can capitalize on their current record, they deserve it.
And because it is such a stark contrast – here are the two records side-by-side:
Rhetoric Question: Which would you choose? And more detailed record collector question: What what you choose from the used records bin“?
With that i took home on public transport, easy from the location – not so easy if you miss the train by seconds and got to wait 20 minutes on the platform with intoxicated youth heading for PAAARTY in the area you actually take residence in.
nb: There where fully happy consumers like Frank and Yvonne…
… and somewhat happy consumers like Andre and Thomas
nbb: Getting Die Toten Hosen to support them did not work out, the only thing they got was the poster design – well done!
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