What a contrast to my normal circuit! Friends telling me that the headliner currently is hottest shit and talk of the day (but i have no clue where). And a sold out show, that somewhat turned out like being in a different city (as i knew only very few faces).
So, as ever interested into something new, i strolled down to the Hafenklang and took that slightly different scene in.
Kick off was on time at 21:00 with Schaeden from Berlin, They had the unfortunate duty to warm up the room, whilst plenty of people still were outside taking the warm Hamburg evening in.
Schaeden (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)
They where not Deutsch Punk (a mu-sick-al cupboard that has not really a home with me) but somewhat … i guess Hardcore Deutsch Punk. They did not really work for me, in a nutshell there was only one song, sung by the bass, that had me really listening.
Go and check them out for yourself, the recorded output over at Bandcamp does sound a wee but more interesting actually.
N.T.Ä. from down southwest (aka the Saarland) claimed the stage next and whilst the guitar was ready in one minute, the bass in 2 minutes it took the drummer quite some time to be ready – it created in the now almost full room at least for me some annoyance.
Once they kicked off it turned different: Seasoned musicians with well rehearsed songs. And quite some melodic drive and loads of chorus. Main vocals by the girl on bass, backup vocals and chorus by the drummer. And songs much longer.
N.T.Ä. (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)
Whilst the two took the main light, the main asset was the guitar. And the absolute great sound he got without any effects connected (no signs of massive effect boards on the floor). Stunning, really stunning.
Much more organized than Schaeden, much more grown up though borrowing a lot from largely bands from over the Atlantic. That said, also not really my thingy, as i somewhat could not really dig the way the main vocals where delivered.
But they had the room, by now full, in a good grip and the first folks moving. I can see how they work, besides the guitar they simply did not work for me.
Fucking Angry took the stage at 23:00 and crowded it with their 5-piece setup. Room was tight on stage as much as in front of the stage. And from the first chord it was clear that they played a willing, friendly and 100% fan lot. Sing-a-long on every song and plenty of dancing.
Fucking Angry (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)
I am not sure why i always missed them when they played Hamburg prior, maybe wrong time or wrong place. But they definitely have something: Great engagement with the audience, songs raging from H/C (and matching vocals by the Girl singing) to songs with much more melody and complexity (and again matching vocals by all of them).
The lot did not care, the sweaty room was full of movement and smiling faces. The only time where the room lost some energy was when the band together with their label staff engaged in a kind of drinking game on stage … that took too long and it contained no message whatsoever.
Fucking Angry (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)
Also Fucking Angry are not up my musical alley but i can see them taking their sound and their ability to command an audience much larger. Most likely it was the last time they played the Hafenklang (where a sold out show is about 250 people), they are able to and i guess will play places holding 400-800 or even more.
Their record, which was the theme of this release show, though is 100% true to their roots in Hardcore and Punk and on a small Punk label. So nothing wrong with them or this evening, it was just another night of #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic.
I stayed longer at the Hafenklang, taking in the wind down of the show whilst enjoying a cold drink.
And then the floodlight moon guided me way home, somewhat happy to have been in a sweaty room full of live music that was not totally shite. Not at all. And, even more of value, a sold out show with associated drinks turnover for the Hafenklang.
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