It was an almost summer Thursday evening and following a rather stressful day at the office i would have been down to the Hafenklang anyway to relax, most likely enjoying Nasty Rumours from sunny Switzerland upstairs. But they where paired with Chelsea and as such play downstairs.
Net it meant that i was there for the support and the 2nd band was to be a bonus. Last time i encountered Chelsea and Gene was mid 80s at the Markthalle and that was not really fun. The last time Gene graced Hamburg was at the Monkeys and he did leave an impression (of moaning) with me mates.
But as said, i was there for the lads from Berna so here is what i was about to get:
Their self acclaim is quite simple and tempting:
Inspired by late 70s legends such as The Boys, The Undertones and Buzzcocks these Swiss Punkrockers will feed you with Powerpop choruses that will stick in your head for weeks.
OK, ‘nough said. And indeed they have stolen every single trick from the cookbook of Pop (and remember the Pop in Pop Music comes from popular): Simple choruses on endless repeat, repeating first verse at higher speed later in the song and and and … too many to name them.
They deliver their own version of 1977 style Power Pop with loads of smiles, loads of fun and a decent amount of action. And it is all uptempo, though not breakneck speed.
Nasty Rumours (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 11.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
I thoroughly liked it, though it is more for the live account – i do not own a record of them and i do not plan to buy one. But live, sure, they are an enjoyable force.
Here is “She’s Mental” from their 2022 long player:
Perfect!
Now check them out yourself, they are absolutely entertaining and times flies by during their set easily. Some of my friends got a wee bit giggly upon their Swizz accent when speaking German but that only added to the fun. Those friends will also see them again with Briefs and Stitches later in July in Berlin, a near perfect package/match for sure.
Next Chelsea and to be very frank i did not expect much, though if it comes to the quality of song writing then basically – warning, nerd commentary incomming – SFLP2 (1979), SFLP 5 (1981) and specifically SFLP 7 (1982) are almost unbeaten.
Evacuate (SFLP 7, 1982) is not only a perfect post Punk album but also a near perfect song:
And it is one that remains a great sing-a-long. Actually penned down by Nic Austin, whom you see above happily shredding the guitar. So sing-a-long:
Evacuate There is no time We'll all be dead On the stroke of Nine We play their rules In at half past eight I want more We know it's too late Behold the people at King's Cross station Queue for a taxi and they hope for freedom Council leaders Bust in the shelters Bolt the doors To keep out the people They all sit down On a comfortable settee Peer through the periscope And guess what they see? Behold the people at King's Cross station Queue for a taxi and they hope for freedom Evacuate There is no time We'll all be dead At the stroke of Nine Obey their rules In at half past Eight I want more We know it's too late Behold the people at King's Cross station Queued for a taxi and they hope for freedom. ((c) Illegal Music, Nic Austin)
Next to Nic there was another face on stage i recognized – i knew i had seen the Bass Player in another band but just could not get the reference. It needed a mate to point out that it is Mat Sargent, who played with Sham 69 and Splodgenessabounds.
They had another guitar (sporting great creepers) and a sturdy drummer too. And they had Gene, looking … ehm … a wee bit warn. But that did not stop him and in contrast to the last presence in Hamburg his voice was (almost) there and he was mainly in a positive mood.
Chelsea (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 11.05.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
They played like 40 minute and left the stage, a mate was already joking that if they do not even play a full football half then he will account it under “loss”. But i guess specifically Gene needed a break and when they came back he said “Well, lets have another 10 songs” which i took as a joke – but it wasn’t!
And whilst they started somehow lala they now indeed where on fire, though some of the songs where speeded up a bit too much for my liking. Some of the more mid tempo songs are bangers in their own tempo and speeding them does not do them good in my ears.
And remember to sing-a-long to the chorus:
Don't try to stop me in my cause I feel for the passionate kill I'm tired of me getting pushed and messed around I feel for the blank generation I'm on fire (I'm on fire) ( (c) Illegal Songs, G. Myles 1979)
Frank – i was positively surprised and once Chelsea finished i joined the applause – well deserved! It was though only half full, exactly One Hundred Punks (running with total suss) graced the Hafenklang on this lovely Thursday evening. Good thing though was that i knew half of them and thus had some neat chats.
For Gene and this Chelsea venture all the best, if only he would be able to keep a rooster (ever since November 1976). But whatever on that front – Chelsea are still Chelsea and one of the few bands that where able to cultivate a Chelsea sound. Actually you can make out a Chelsea song, with ease, say in a playlist.
More chats after the show and a late gentle stroll uphill and home. As ever, #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic!
