When the show was announced i was a wee bit in tears, as i was to be up North in our 2nd home. But the love of me life, knowing my desires all too well, agreed to scoot home a day earlier, despite the great weather up there.
Yard Bomb kicked it off to an already well attended (but not yet filled in front of the stage) Hafenklang. Why the heck they choose to give the smoke machine a full bloom i have no clue but it completely ruined the visual for me.
Yard Bomb (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.06.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026
Still, their American, Californican and Olschooligan approach to H/C is very relevant and i guess there is no other band from say … Schleswig-Holstein, that does it that good.
They choose to bite the audience a wee bit, wasted a bit of time with banter and finished their short & crisp set like this:
Always great too see & listen to, always a bit different (this time round i would have loved the guitar to sound more heavy, more distorted) but by and large simply a great band.
Why there are still people without their 12″ is beyond believe to me, whilst online sold out the last few copies are sold at gigs – do it like me mate Frank, get this beauty without hesitation!
Next the leather clad jet rockers from 東京都. Another visit from Japan at the Hafenklang, only a couple of days after The 50 Kaitenz took it by storm (and made a shitload of folks happy & fans).
Guitar Wolf had the room packed and … nuthin’ happened. They needed their Intro mu-sick and somewhat playing that through the PA was a problem. Once on stage, it took the guitar plenty of time to get the amp going. And then they bursted into … a lengthy and chaotic intro themselves.
I take it was show and their approach to showmanship but for me it was rather just that … show.
When they finally kicked into their first song it sounded like this:
Sure they where wild, sure they where loud (the young rhythm section rather than the guitar) and sure they can blast. And, yes, they did not make use of the smoke machine thankfully!
In good moments it was fast forward garage trash rock with a capital R, in bad moments it was too much show and too little substance to me, including ritualized stage dive and a lengthy feedback orgy with a “surprise” select from the audience.
Guitar Wolf (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.06.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026
For me it simply did not make click in the same way as with the lads from Osaka, within the audience though was a large fan base who all seemed to enjoy it right-away. As perfect contrast point to both Yard Bomb and the Hard-Ons it was though spot on, so i will not complain at all.
The headliner was much awaited … and finally came about, though apparently a bit jet lagged as this was the first show in their North-European and Scandinavian run.
Last year Hard-Ons and Jerry already collaborated and created quite some interest with the resulting 7″:
It sound almost as good as the collaboration Jerry did with them Spaniards under the moniker Black Bacon, and outlook of more like that with the Hard-Ons both gave hope and, frank, also some doubts. How would this work live?
Other than the jet rockers from Tokyo sticking to their leather the Hard-Ons quickly dropped the shirts after their Intro and … took the lot (and i take Jerry too to an extend) by storm.
Hard-Ons w/ Jerry A (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.06.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026
I am not sure if they where able to rehearse together in person prior to the Hamburg show, my guess would be that they only did it remote. To that extend they asked for forgiving, as most of the songs played where played live & on stage for the first time.
My high hopes rather than doubts where matched and my feeling was that both the packed Hafenklang and me mates around did dig it.
It is a pity that the LP that should come out of this collaboration is not yet available and the band itself has not real clue when pressing & distribution will happen. Some of these songs indeed have something special, be it more on the pop side (like Radio ready) or even almost spherical.
They are sure way off the earlier treasured Hard-Ons singles that we greedy #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes all collected in the later part of the 1980’s but boy, they are now venturing much broader than what i would have guessed (but it still offers the chance to refer back to one of me lovelist Hard-Ons songs anyway).
Great set, almost 100% together and giving indeed an urge to score that LP once it is out. The audience was seemingly enthusiastic too and dancing a lot, quite a surprise to me.
Great evening again at the trusted Hafenklang and that Hard-Ons-with-Jerry-A thingy was in hindsight a positive surprise (as they matched my hopes indeed).
As it was late and i was already somewhat tired i scooted home and within that made sure that a mate gets home safely too, though our conversation about stage uniforms and Douglas Adams must have irritated the other passengers on public transport somewhat.
But hey, do we care? Off course we do!
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