This turned out a bit of surprise combination (at least for those who got a Cyanide Pills only ticket initially): The Power Pop of the lads from Leads, who are a mainstay upstairs at the Hafenklang, paired with the Vancouver Street Punk from Bishops Green (who would grace the Hafenklang for the first time).
But joining two different corners together resulted in a packed and sold out upstairs, to that extend a neat move by the Hafenklang.
The Cyanide Pills kicked off at 21:14 and for me with two surprises: Their Norwegian guitar player no longer is, as such Phil did sling a guitar. And the on bass there was a new recruit too. But that did not change a thing – they kicked off with the same drive as ever. Power Pop, with sufficient speed.
The last time i saw them was prior to Covid and i have to admit that i did not bother to check out their new LP, aptly named Soundtrack To The New Cold War. But as the new setup looked and sounded convincing i guess it is only a matter of time until i get my ears on it.
For the Cyanide Pills it was not only the post-Covid but also post-Brexit return to Europe, they are happy to be back and take the new obstacles as something to just deal with:
How do you think the government are doing, happy with the Tories still?
The government are doing a marvellous job! Encouraging us all to return to old traditions like starvation, destitution, hopelessness, and despair. Let’s hope the guillotine makes a resurgence too.
You finally managed to make it into Europe for your Covid-postponed gigs. What were the best and worse things to happen on the tour?
Touring will always be fun, a bit more bureaucracy and self-inflicted bullshit to deal with but it’s soon forgotten when we get to play for our punk brothers and sisters in Europe.
They played for about 45 minutes, included some fan favorites and had many (and the female contingent in front of the stage specifically) singing along. The only bit that i was missing to a certain extend was audience interaction. There was little audience engagement down from the stage, they choose to let the mu-sick speak for itself.
Great, tight set. And plenty of fun in the audience. Could this be topped?
That indeed was the question for me, as i somehow avoided Bishops Green in the last couple of years, i think it was like 2015 at the Monkeys that i saw them live. So i was not convinced and i have to admit that if it would have been Bishops Green only on this Friday i may have skipped it …
… and that would have been the wrong decision. And here is Another Door to prove it:
I guess i was wrong. Greg and the lot proved it with ease. And as i was sooo wrong (and got taunted by a mate more than once for it) i even did break my custom to only have a beer once the show is over – Bishops Green got me singing-along and drinking along. And right so!
Bishops Green (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 24.11.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
And as most of their songs are well aged hits known by the audience Greg could command the lot with ease, ever the perfect front man. And the next well aged hit was just around the corner, here is Alone:
All of my fears and perceptions went out of the window, as much as the lot was singing, dancing and throwing fists. It felt indeed great in the packed room and it carried not only me away, smiling. And it was good to see that the female contingent was still up front, the show nicely passed without big bald males making a nuisance.
Bishops Green (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 24.11.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
One complaint though i heard – with a smile: The drummer dropped his sweaty shirt and a female audience member (coming all the way from Berlin) commented “in Berlin the show now would be stopped” – i asked to stay shut about it, then we could continue to enjoy the show. And that we did!
They played for a bit more than an hour, Greg did steal a beer from me mate Beno (who sported a dodgy t-shirt anyway) and Dead Heroes came last:
Thanks Bishops Green, you surprised me. Well done! I’ll take ya back for good!
Bishops Green did not spend a lot of time mingling, they packed up quickly to hit the road towards Eindhoven, Revolution Calling was to be their next call. Same did some of me mates – the first car left also on Friday, the other one on Saturday morning. And that car was not so lucky, icy conditions on Saturday morning and an odd crash on the motorway.
Luckily no-one but the car was harmed. Puh, close call. And all of the joy of the show would have been gone. Sight.
This should have a Monday night thingy: One Band, low door price and followed by DJ & Table Tennis. Tour plan of the Imploders though got them into Hamburg on Tuesday, so no DJ, no Table Tennis and no Support (as no suitable support was found, a theme that would continue next day at the Monkeys).
The Imploders are from sunny Toronto, Ontario (the largest City of Canada sporting a hot summer humid continental climate). And they did have the eyes of the nerds (ie. me and me mates), all looking forward to see if they can live up to what we heard from Bandcamp or other sources.
19 Songs to go, so bets where out if they would come in below 30 Minutes…
Upon taking the stage their normal look and casual dress style actually gave high hopes that this was to be no fuzz, none pretentious and exiting.
And what did we get?
A great guitar that is sound wise almost like Frank Navetta on MGTC, a sturdy drummer with a great shirt, a fast bass with solid backup vocals and an nutty singer that goes baazzoong on stage.
And how did it sound? It indeed sounded like they secretly managed to fix what i have not been able to fix, ie. the flux capacitor. And this must be their band van:
Imploders DeLorean DMC-12
And with their van they must have been to Culver City, CA, to Indianapolis, IN and maybe even to Phoenix, AZ. And once back in Toronto they reset their brain, their ears and … trash out as if a time distance of 43 years is … nothing
It sounds great, beefier than your typical thin basement demo but with all the dials in the red where it counts. There’s an ’80s influence here—especially in that guitar tone blurring the line between clean and filthy, as well as the bratty, acrobatic vocals—but it all sounds like a fresh jolt of juice.
And on stage it went like this:
Great stuff, right up my mu-sick-al alley. And indeed delivered non pretentious and shoving it right up the audiences ears. As it should be. The singer also took time to lecture the audience (“I am your daddy”) and praised a regular (for dancing without bones).
I was sold, me mates where sold and they came in almost perfect with 27 Minutes for the 19 songs. And as ever if a band convinces me live i took home vinyl (and some badges) and i was not alone when it came to pilfering the merch table.
Imploders – s/t (Static Shock Records SSR099, 2023)
The LP is out in the US and too in the UK, here is the UK variant for you greedy #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes
Great band, great short set and a great number of mates around me that i would see again next day at Conservative Military Image at the Monkeys. The band themselves where quite surprised about reception and turnout as they did not expect the 42 attendees that took the effort to come out on a dull Tuesday evening.
That said, i was disappointed with that magic number. They should have had more, i guess that is where the lack of a local match on support comes in. But hey-ho, for getting up to work next day this was a perfect end prior to 22:00, fitting our old punk age.
A busy weekend to finish off September, with opportunities ranging from the MOi!n It’s Hamburg Festival (Edition #8) at the Monkeys, me mates Frosch 60+ birthday bash and FCSP playing away at Berlin (with ~ 12.000 Fans travelling, could have been me too). Hard stuff to choose from and taking all of these options somehow would not work out (though i was proven 2/3 wrong later).
Friday i choose the Monkeys, specifically as it would feature two surprises for me: Los Pepes had been on me bucket list for quite some time and Rotten XIII from Euskadi where something i regretted to have missed at the Indra in April 2022.
Los Pepes kicked off at the Monkeys quite early, i guess some people simply missed them because it was a footie kick-off at 20:45. They hail from a little niche within the niche of evening, some sort of edge overlap in the wide (warning, euphemism incoming) territory of Oi!:
The loudest powerpop band on earth… the Motörhead of powerpop! No hit wonder 60s and 70s garage pop melodies drowning in a wall of punk rock guitar. Good Vibrations records served up with a Testors punch in the face. Songs about love, antipathy and getting up to no good. They’ll stick in your head and leave your ears ringing.
Let’s agree it is Power Pop on steroids, it is indeed the thunder and drive of hard hitting Rock’n’Roll sugar coated with the beauty and twang of Power Pop. And delivered taking a Johnny Ramone memorial stance on stage (at the least by the towering bass and by the 2nd guitar).
Los Pepes (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 29.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
They did not waste time on audience interaction, they rather fast forwarded through their set in a near perfect delivery. And within that, they even got some people moving and a fair share of applause.
Where they a 100% fit for the evening? I think yes, as much as Alvilda from France would be on Saturday. They both cover some of the softer edges (lol) and indeed they cover that well. I thoroughly enjoyed them and thus they ended up as the record pick of the night (and if you are a regular reader you know what that means).
With the City Saints from sunny Göteborg next it was back to more traditional territory. Straight forward working class Rock’n’Roll, delivered rather unpretentious. They sing in Swedish and in English, with some neat sing-a-longs in the latter.
And as such them Göteborgare got much more of the audience, they also had an easier bonding as they played more than once already to more-or-less the same locals over here.
City Saints (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 29.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
By and large i liked it, though i have to admit that at some times it was a too simple receipt for me ears. But hey, that is the beauty of such occasions – you get a crisp exposure also of things that are not 100% up your alley. The rest of the by now more and more filled Monkeys gave them plenty of cheers, so i better shut up.
From the shores of the North it was then all the way down to the middle if Italy, Mad Rollers hail from Rome and musically they trace back the same roots that Giuda took in: Proto Punk, though with less Glam.
Their debut album was recorded by the Giuda producer as far as i can make out and thus there is some truth that it sounds like a early Giuda record. But hey, what is wrong to play in a successful niche, a niche that has it’s devotees and a niche where you can excel?
Mad Rollers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 29.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
A review of their record summed it neatly up:
‘Bish, Bash, Bosh’, and it’s like the 70s never ended, in the best way. One listen, and you’ll be convinced you’ve known it all your life. Producer Silvestri has mastered the Chinn/Chapman hit factory sound. My heart goes out to any young bands in Rome; the benchmark , for this style, is immense.
‘Another Night’ adds some cheesy keyboards, but doesn’t stray into the 80s, so if Giuda’s brief flirtation with Duran Duran wasn’t your thing, you’ll be happy here.
My legs got the beat instantly like me many in the audience. It was namely the female contingent up front, who could not stop their dancing shoes from moving. And right so! Strong beat, driving bass and superb twin guitars and a singer that takes the audience along.
Great stuff, great live band.
It was for Rotten XIII from Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea to finish the lot off and boy did they do that.
5 young lads from Larraga and a mate noted immediately after their first song “They must be very angry“. Stance, delivery – all came deep from the heart and all came delivered with all anger & stamina they got.
Rotten XIII (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 29.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
Mu-sick-ally they are broad: Fast stompers, slower and longer songs with some folk like edges and even using outlandish instruments like the saxophone. How did it sound? It sounded like this:
It is though only one angle, one corner of their wide abilities. They got me and judging by the cheers they got plenty of the by now well filled Monkeys. By storm i’d say. The singer tried to explain bit’s and pieces and more than once apologized that their English was not that good.
Who cares actually? Even without understanding Euskara there was enough in their songs to a) like it and b) almost feel the urge to sing-a-long. The sing-a-long in the audience was delivered too, i guess they had a couple of mates with them.
Rotten XIII (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 29.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
They did not stun me as much as Kaleko Urdangak did in 2019 but they where a worthy headliner to finish off the first day on a high. The little niche that these two days at the Monkeys would showcase has indeed some high’s in France but that is not all there is – also bands from Euskal Herria continue to deliver on a high.
Well done boys, specifically as this was only ever the 4th show outside of their own ground.
Suggest you check out their latest record:
I was home late and luckily not knackered, as i resisted the thirst most of the time.
But i still had options for Saturday. Sure not i was going to travel to Berlin and sure i would start the evening at the Hafenklang (a mates invite is always worth more than my 2-day tickets for the Monkeys) but would i sneak out and head back to see The Drowns?
MOi!n It's Hamburg #8
(Monkeys Music Club & Indra, Hamburg, 29./30. September 2023)
Came Saturday and it was a private function at the Hafenklang. And would surround me with some of the Punk Rock Hamburg family, fellow old punks and generally good people.
The plans to get a last and final stand of Jam Today with some extras though fell through the crack short notice, as their drummer tested positive for Covid. Damn.
Live music thus was limited to the nameless band (that quickly was christened Frogger by the lot) that was originally only ever to play a few songs as a very personal gift of Nico (one of the guitars and one who helped me mate to to conquer fate).
They play guitar pop, at some times like early Cure at other times more like 80’s bands from the UK. Within that they also threw two Jam covers, namely to please the lot (and lot was pleased).
It was a nice surprise over some of the more obvious choices me mate could have made and i recon it was his return for the support provided. And within the short set they also covered the very personal song that Hedwig penned for him for his 40ties birthday:
Yes, they call him Frosch. Less Pogo now, as the knees are utterly ruined but still attending loads of shows, much more than i do. And holding the season ticket next to me a the Millerntor.
Frosch gave a little speech and reminded people that fate can strike anytime, anywhere (something our little community has experience more than once recently) and that you must enjoy the moment.
And that the lot did, with DJ Starry Eyes perfectly providing the soundtrack to a couple of hours of chatting, dancing, drinking and … enjoying the result in Berlin. Top of the league, as much as this party. And as much as the people around me.
For those who don’t know that song, here is the beauty i did for his 40s birthday following the drunken guarantee to Hedwig & me mate “… if you record the song i’ll put it out as a picture disk“. Said & done, back then in 2003.
Demolition Girl & The Strawberry Boys – They Call Him Frog (Holy War Records, 2003, limited to 500 – last copies on sale!)
And here is how the original sounds like:
Happiest Mate, it is a privilege to be on your side and it is a pleasure to have you around, continued.
The options on Saturday? I did not take them but one of the lot was so brave to take a taxi, see The Drowns and be back (with companions) for some more dancing. Well done Mao, well done.
And Sunday? Lazy.
Perfect weekend i’d say. Welcome to Hamburg i’d say.
