As the Red Dons are not only a club favorite but also a fan favorite i was expecting a sold out Hafenklang downstairs. But unfortunately the new reality is that is was only ever a decent filled upstairs, not even sold out. So much for post-Covid reality. I was keen to see them, up to the point of cutting short work in NL and flying back on Wednesday in time get down to my favorite club.
Little did i know that i was actually to get a double headliner, as the – to me and me mates at least – unknown support band from the town that does not exist got the lot dancing as much as the Red Dons would do later.
Dead Years hail from Bielefeld, are a trio and tag themselves as #PopPunk #Punk #PostPunk. Little did i expect, also once they entered the stage. But from the first chord i was like “woho … wow” … a very welcome surprise did hit my mu-sick-ally single-minded ears.
Their tagging may be right but in real they much better than these tags. They play a very modern mix of great spherical guitar work (though with umpf and drive), dual vocals with challenge/response effect and effectively a very dance-able sound.
Dead Years (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
After the initial surprise i started to listen with much more attention and have to admit that they got almost all ingredients right. On top they seem pretty much in-sync, giving the impression that they have played their set often enough to know it insight out.
How did it sound? It sounded like this:
They appeared a bit shy (or maybe only humble?) to me, did not move a lot on stage and between songs did not do a lot of interaction. But letting their music speak for them served them well, they got a lot of applause and they got plenty of people dancing.
They surprised me positively and they also surprised me mates. In my little sphere alone 4 records and one tape was grabbed from their merch table after the show, i hope they have been able to sell even more of their excellent record.
Next Red Dons in their 2023 incarnation, eagerly awaited by some die hard fans. As such the setlist was inspected by more than one – here is what they where up to:
And this is how they kicked off:
I am not a die hard fan, effectively i do not have a record in my collection. But i do enjoy them as an energetic live band. Even more so than Dead Years most of their songs are going straight into the legs, often paired with plenty of harmonies on the vocal side.
They also moved much more on stage, though the small stage upstairs did not allow to much moving around. Still, energies flow from the stage and is echoed back from the audience, where a large part was all but standing still.
Red Dons (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
Ever since their first EP in 2007 they have been putting out records with plenty of line up changes and collaborators, despite partially being a globally dispersed band. Still, they managed to keep their sound consistent.
In January 2015 they reconvened in Portland to record “The Dead Hand of Tradition” at Buzz Or Howl Studios, the same establishment where they recorded the album’s predecessor. “The Dead Hand of Tradition” features ten new tracks of their signature dark, driving, melodic punk rock sound. The formula of their distinctive songwriting hasn’t changed, but has matured as a result of having five more nomadic years under their belts. These new experiences have only added to the themes of alienation, emigration, and loss present in their music.
Words of truth, here is “Pyrrhic Pyrrhic” from that record:
They got the lot dancing and to my enjoyment it was much more female in front of the stage than male. And across the room i saw much more smiling faces then consumers just taking it in.
They did not play that long and in-between songs they had little interaction with the audience. Still, they got off the stage for sake of playing some encore. I liked it, though at few moments it a little itch of “it feels a wee bit non-inspirational” (but that again is my silly mu-sick-al understanding). People who know them much though also took some few points off from a 100% rating. By and large though they delivered a solid set and the lot liked it throughout.
Great evening, despite not being a 250+ sell out. And as ever when a band convinces we me live i took home vinyl, as Dead Years convinced me more i did leave the Red Dons East/West Collection on the table and grabbed the Dead Years LP.
It is a worthy buy, suggest that you check them out yourself – best live. Great stuff, i do hope they return quite fast to Hamburg!
PS: Continued recovery wishes go out to the face still missing, though he has been able to leave hospital and continue recovery from home.
Big hugs big man, these evenings are your evenings!
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