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Tag: Hafenklang

… Sloppy Seconds, fallen outta time but not into la-la land!
It has been a while (if my memory serves me well somewhere in the 90s down in the cellar of the old Molotow) and i guess it was only ever down to Rebellion that they put some date in continental Europe left/right of Blackpool. Welcome back, Sloppy Seconds!

Where Sloppy Seconds where a “show”, some of the Rebellion pilgrims where a “no show”, getting stuck on the way home (with some free accommodation in AMS thanks to eg. KLM). With some familiar faces missing in the audience i guess the Hafenklang downstairs was half full (which is not bad for a Monday after Rebellion and after a Turbojugend-Nonsense weekend).

Very early The Hawaiians from sunny Westerkappeln kick off the evening, too early for me as i was outside chatting to a surprise tourist from St. Ingbert of all places.

The Hawaiians somehow where a fit and then not. Why?

Well, Sloppy Seconds mark themselves as Junk Rock but i think they would rather qualify under #ramonescore. And that puts them into Edone territory. And that is where The Hawaiians would have fitted best.

Rather than playing on a rainy, stormy and dark Monday inside the Hafenklang with their sun glasses on they should play the sunny outdoors of Punk Rock Raduno in Bergamo.
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The Hawaiians (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.08.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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Stage attire (perfect unified stage attire, always a bonus), stand-up drums and light-weight Pop Punk of the more enjoyable sort. Nice but somehow thrown under the bus on this occasion. The Edone Pilgrims in the audience (i could make out like 6) though where happy and i was too – at the end they got some friendly applause for their short set. Go and check them out yerself!

Sidekick from LA in the US of A followed suit with a less comprehensive stage attire compared to The Hawaiians. But as a travelling band on a shoestring budget you may not waste too much effort and keep it to street attire.
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Sidekick (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.08.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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For me they where like a mixed bag: On the positive side they had quite good multi-vocal singing and some of their songs did hit the late 1990s/early 2000s CA Pop/Skate Punk vibes. On the other hand the set somehow lacked inspiration and not all songs really had it.

It wasn’t too long so it wasn’t that painful for my single-minded mu-sick-al ears but if a set of 10 songs includes 3 covers, mmmhhhh – not that great. But they seemed to enjoy on stage and they did not have hick-ups, telling me that they mastered instruments and portfolio. As ever, form your own view!

Finally it was time for Sloppy Seconds, by now more or less eagerly awaited. And here is how they kicked off and how B.A. took the stage:

Rarely a band is able to field such a fitting, such a convincing and such a fan favored kick off song upon entry on a German stage. And because that is a fan sing-a-long almost anywhere, here we go:
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Well I thought
That I meant something to you
But now I see that it's untrue

I guess you must have slept
With every guy you ever met
But I'm gonna get you back
If its the last thing I ever do

The stains on your mattress cannot hide
The fruits of your labor stuffed inside
But, while your in la-la land
Whispering the name of another man
I'm gonna turn my back
And leave your cheating ass behind

I'm gonna run away with your money
And buy a ticket to Germany
I'm gonna sleep with every single slut on the Reeperbahn
And I'll be surfing down the River Rhine (Whoo--oo--ooo)
And you'll be standing in the Welfare line
You're money and you're honey
Are long gone!

It's nothing personal
You saw to that
You're just a person
Who does her best work on her back

But if you're 'wakend
By an obscene call
I sprayed your number on the Berlin wall
I've seen the soldiers as they pass it all around

Imagine all the dick that you once missed
Because you couldn't find the Communists
East or West
Your still the best deal in town

Go!

I'm gonna run away with your money
And buy a ticket to Germany
I'm gonna sleep with every single slut on the Reeperbahn
And I'll be surfing down the River Rhine (Whoo--oo--ooo)
And you'll be standing in the Welfare line
You're money and you're honey
Are long gone!

You're money and you're honey
Are long gone!

You're money and you're honey
Are long gone!
```
Perfect start and it only got better. Against the solid backline of drum & bass you had the guitar as a bouncing ball and B.A.s very typical thin and rather high pitched voice. And from the large rooster of songs (actually, for their length of existence their complete output is rather small) they had a great selection for the lot. And the lot was there, up front and fully into it. It felt like they never had been away…

What made them somewhat fallen outta time was that they still give a damn fuck about political correctness and continue to perform songs like “I Don’t Want to be a Homosexual“. I am damn sure that at some locations nowadays they would be expelled without even trying to reconcile the lyrics.
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Sloppy Seconds (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 07.08.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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I liked it, me mates liked it and specifically i liked the stage attire of B.A.: That “front row chain” (as this is the only other place i have seen such jewelry) worn across both the Descendents shirt and the big belly – nice! I asked a mate who sings in a band too to try that one out, it sure will give him more stage presence!

Nice show for a piss poor Monday and nice surprise that a long time pen pal, record producer/dealer and punk memorabilia collector all the way from St. Ingbert came down to the Hafenklang on his tourist errand through Hamburg.

… a surprise tourist and a happy bunny! ( (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

I only wonder if his daughter liked any of the mu-sick – did she? Nevermind, she was born after Sloppy Seconds disbanded initially and to her they may have sounded like from another planet. For me it was neither La-la-land nor “another girl, another planet” it was simply #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic!

Continued recovery wishes go out to the face still missing, though the hospital he has been transferred to now almost has a view towards the Hafenklang.

Big hugs big man, these evenings are your evenings!
2023/08/09
… been waiting, for more girls like you!
Waiting is often bound to patience. And patience people needed indeed, as the sold out show from October 2020 (which sold out way prior to Covid restrictions forced a Show shutdown) was moved, moved and moved to July 2023. And – hats off to Bad Cop/Bad Cop – it remained a sold out show.

Local support was from Shellycoat, a band i have not seen before. The name thought is tempting, as it refers to a northern English spirit:
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In Scottish and Northern English folklore, a Shellycoat is a type of bogeyman that haunts rivers and streams.

Shellycoats are considered to be relatively harmless; they may mislead wanderers, particularly those they think are trespassing upon the creature's territory, but without malice.

A common tactic of a Shellycoat would be to cry out as if drowning and then laugh at the distracted victim.
```
Mu-sick-ally the where far off from folk or something like that, to me single-minded musical ears it was more like … err … Emo (with a scent of Rock). Not really up my alley at all and most of the times something that drives me away from the stage.
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Shellycoat (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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That said, they did have an asset in the voice of the singer, absolutely stunning vocal abilities between soft and harsh, silent and loud and with a wide variety across the vocal ladder. Wow!

Downside for me was the pedal board of the one guitar (why would you need ~16 devices to channel your sound through?) and somehow the too hard drumming (says the amateur and learned it was a fill in drummer that could only rehearse twice with the band). Not my thingy but check them out for yourself!

With a bit of changeover it was time for all female: The Venomous Pinks (a near perfect band name, btw) from sunny Phoenix, Arizona, in the US of A. And what was “Emo” just a couple of minutes ago became sleazy, dirty, fast and raunchous.

The self-acclaim is …
```
These ladies will rock your world in every room of the house, clear out to the parking lot. While their energetic stage performance exhibits a "party hard & play harder" mentality, this tight, punchy three-piece unapologetic style will ravage your ears with their mix of punk and rowdy rock n' roll.
```
… and they meet every ounce of that promise. Rather dark and more raging through (in German we would call it knüppeln) than giving us depth, variety and span. And guess what? I liked it!
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The Venomous Pinks (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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They have a hard hitting drummer, a bass that brushes chords rather than picking a tone and a rock solid guitar with perfect vocals for the occasion. They would even fit Schweinerock shows near perfect and they deliver all of that with the right Fuck You attitude.

You don’t believe my words? Here is proof:

The Venomous Pinks made the TOO LOUD! alarm on me mates smartwatch go off!

Yep, they where loud and they where less loudmouth but with some strong message from the female side of the room.

Go and check them out, best live! They will chew you up, they will spit you out and you will begging…
```
Gimme, gimme, gimme - I need some more
Gimme, gimme, gimme - Don't ask what for
One, two, three, four
```
It took some lengthy setup and waiting time before Bad Cop/Bad Cop finally hit the stage around 22:50 facing a now crowded house.

Sold out, remember? With them the sound went yet again into a different direction, perfectly rounding off the evening. Less harsh but punchy, more harmony choruses.
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Bad Cop/Bad Cop (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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I have been listening to Bad Cop/Bad Cop only few times and i never bought a record of them. What did i get?

A very outspoken power plant in Linh Le on Bass, an equally outspoken singer (with guitar) in Stacey Dee and a sturdy drummer in Myra Gallarza. No more in the band is Jennie Cotterill, her guitar duties are being taken by a perfectly fitting young recruit named Alex Windsor.

From the first chord it was loads of energy, multi-vocal singing/chorus and indeed plenty of punch whilst maintaining melodies.

And boy, they know how to throw a show (and yes, sure half of it is like rehearsed but it comes across unpretentious and truthful). On top they are not afraid to talk about own weaknesses and remind people that togetherness builds strength. Against all odds and down turns from out there.
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Bad Cop/Bad Cop (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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Fun moment for me and a fellow old creep was when Stacey announced a song as oldschool and it was … very 90s rather. We are old and have seen too much. As one near us pointed out it was about time to shove us old cunts back home to the retirement home (as around us was loads of dancing and sing-a-long and we … just nodded in the rhythm).

They gave the lot about an hour and came back for some encore, once the show was over i noted plenty of happy people – i guess those who came as fans got what the wanted. I got what i wanted as in #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic.

Where i was too tired on Tuesday to see them Rumkicks from South-Korea at the Hafenklang, having done the few 100 meters downhill to see this more female than male lot was the right thing to do.

Same for me mate Kent, who came down knowing he had to stage a six o’clock flight next morning (by today’s efficiency a the airport that means showing up at 04:30, damn).

Did i buy a record? No, but i got me love a great shirt from the great Venomous Pinks (and guess what, me love luuuved it):

Great Bands make great shirts!

PS: The only downside was that a regular fixture at the Hafenklang was absent, still patiently battling health in hospital. My heart was with you mate – hope you get through the pain of subsequent operations eventually and come back healthy (and alive).

Big hugs big man, these evenings are your evenings!

PPS: I have never attended a show that was late by 24.072 hours (or 1.003 days)…
2023/07/28
… an evening among friends: Youth Of Altona & D.I. with a near perfect show!
It was July 2019 when D.I. made a triumphant return to Hamburg, thanks to Covid it took them another 4 years to be back. The Hamburg lot was eager to see them, even folks who where in London on Saturday to see Generation Sex came down to the Hafenklang to see D.I..

Whilst i had high hopes for another sold out show the post-Covid reality is still that a percentage of guests seems lost, on this lovely Sunday evening it was “only” about 170 good people at the Hafenklang.

Support was for Youth Of Altona with the first show in the new reformed outfit, playing favorite Wipers songs … these actually.

Youth Of Altona – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de)

They lured most people in front of the stage but actually repelled some. I can only guess that was either for generic dislike of the cover band concept per se (which i could buy) or because of the nervousness hick-ups in the first couple of songs.

Here is “Let’s go”:

I still like their concept and i do like that they allow me to listen to some neat Wipers songs, all done in a complete unpretentious fashion. As Greg Sage won’t be on tour soon, where else would you get the chance?

And the more they got into it, the less hick-ups where around. And smiles appeared on stage and with those in front of the stage – as it should be.
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Youth Of Altona (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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I also took note of the D.I. folks coming out from backstage and having a decent look into Youth Of Altona, up to nodding along to the sound. And given that they kept the set crisp and avoided length it was a fitting lead-in into the evening.

Here is “Return Of The Rat”, their closing song:

I continue to give them credit for what they do and i am damn sure they will also develop a little more groove along the set, the more they play together. It is one of the better cover ideas and executions, trust me (if you dare).

D.I. sure would speed up things and would give us more of of a Southern O.C. sound than the northern sound from PDX. And this was what they set out to deliver:

D.I. – Setlist (Hafenklang. Hamburg, 02.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de)

And lets be frank, a band that kick into “Johnny’s Got A Problem”, “Imminent War” and “Hang Ten In East Berlin” after an instrumental intro … wins over the audience at anytime, anywhere. Really fast.

Here is “Johnny’s Got A Problem”:

Bang! This time round they came with two guitars and that added to an overall near perfect sound. And boy, they where fucking tight from the first chord. And sure thing the audience went sing-a-long from the first chorus onward.

It was less crowded compared to last time, the average age in the audience was significantly higher … but D.I. made all up for it by leaning in even stronger.
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D.I. (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.07.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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The only item of moaning was that it was over so much quicker, 19 songs clocked in within 50 minutes (my wild guess), here are the finishing chords:

The one item that stood out for me was that they delivered simply a near perfect show, with near perfect sound. And even the sometimes very visible staged chats, banters and acts came all naturally and added to the show.

With this setup (top twin Guitars and them Tatar brothers on Drums (providing more grins, more tricks) and Bass (with even more singing, more fun making of Casey)) D.I. is a mighty force that is able to take over any place, anytime. And provide more than a decent punk fucking rock experience.

Thanks largely to D.I. there was an upbeat feeling after the show, plenty of talking, bantering (up to and including a proposal to burn down me mate Lukes car) and drinks. I ended up with two mates still chatting when the Hafenklang switched on the lights for final clean out. The good feeling of

#thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusicamongfriends

Isn’t that what it is all about, despite an alarm bell on Monday reminding you of the treadmill?

PS: The video sound ain’t as desired and does not do the good sound justice, i ended up too near to the stage, under a ceiling mounted PA speaker. The pics are extra shitty as for both bands the stage was flooded with rather stupid red light only. I guess there was no light man around/booked. But you get to see what i got to see, unedited.
2023/07/04