Tag: Monkeys Music Club

  • … this life (is a whole lot better if we have to share it with the) Supersuckers!

    … this life (is a whole lot better if we have to share it with the) Supersuckers!

    The last time the World’s Greatest Rock’n’Roll Band graced Hamburg with a tight rock show in 2014 and the subsequent tour of the The Worlds Allmost Greatest Country Band a year latter needed to be candled as Eddie Spaghetti was diagnosed with oropharynx cancer and had to undergo surgery and radiation treatments.

    Another one down with that goddamn big C i thought, but luckily Eddie made it through (thanks to fans putting in some $ and Eddie Vedder helping out too – the health system in the US of A is fuckin expensive!) and thus 2016 the Supersuckers are back on track.

    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    And with the help of a hired gun on Bass the Supersuckers kicked off, allowing Eddie to concentrate on his acoustic guitar and singing. The Monkeys was well filled and thanks to some marketending free drinks from Sailor Jerrys Rum prior to the show also well intoxicated.

    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    Key question first: Did that fucking big C do any harm to Eddies voice? Mmmhh, not sure – i found it a wee bit more raw and less powerful but who am i to judge. For the more somber country stuff for sure it worked and the band got into the rhythm rather quickly – they are a well oiled machine!

    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    As always with Eddie and his troops the interaction with the audience was little but making a nice joke of the rock star stardom up to and including asking the audience to cheer on the well orchestrated song endings – incl. synchronised guitar moves in the air. Rock! And! Roll!

    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    I do like a rare country song thrown into something heavier, a full country show just does not get me as exited as other stuff (though i wonder why the Supersuckers not also try to branch out into a stiff Surf record – besides the musical capabilities it would also fit their bill i’d say) but 2/3 of the audience where quite happy (the other 3rd left, i guess they did not expect an all country set but rather the rock one). And as always, Eddie took a middle finger pic of the audience, so above is how Hamburg reacted.

    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Supersuckers (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 14.07.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    They did 70 minutes and included some of their hits in a country version – all in all a tight set, a welcome break from the hard&fast world and i was surrounded by friendly people (and managed to not intoxicate myself with any booze that evening). Good to see Eddie back on stage and now looking forward to World’s Greatest Rock’n’Roll Band hitting Hamburg hard in 2017!

    nb: May i get that Surf record one time gents? 22 Albums and 43 EP’s – there must be room for that! As an alternative i would reluctantly accept an Enrico Morricone themed record too …

    Hard Tix rule (Thanks Monkeys for upholding a needed tradition)
    Hard Tix rule (Thanks Monkeys for upholding a much needed tradition)
  • … glli italiani sono nell’uomo casa delle scimmie !

    … glli italiani sono nell’uomo casa delle scimmie !

    What was supposed to be a super-duper Friday night out starting with a floodlight home win of the magic FCSP followed by some cool Italian mu-sick had a wee bit of a bad start with the odd 1:3 … and the frickin’ cold outside. So after the footie we made fast way into the well heated Monkeys, to kill the footie anger with some pints of Monkeys Red and some good sounds.

    The Twinkles (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    The Twinkles (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    First on The Twinkles from Italy, very late thanks to Sleazy Jet’s own understanding of German Pünktlichkeit. Their lightweight Pop-Punk is not really known up here i guess, though their hit “You’re Poser” was a minor hit with some (and a big one with my humble self). And they took the stage like this …

    It was quite funny and entertaining – next to their own songs they also covered The Beatles, Cock Sparrer and The Boys (and that one most likely being the best one) and seemed to have plenty of fun the longer they where on stage.

    What was specifically funny was the way the bass player did hold his instrument and did play it: E-String only (Kraut’s “Flossing with an E-String” came to my mind). Non-Versatile would be euphemism i’d rekon. But they made friends with their summer influenced light weight stuff and has a bit of a school band charm. I did love it, others kept moaning.

    The Twinkles (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    The Twinkles (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    Next on Giuda and the space in front of the stage became rather tight, though it felt that it was not really a sell-out show. As ever Giuda hit the stage quickly sans singer, who joined through the audience. And they hit off like this …

    Absolut perfect sound, absolut in sync. They have perfected their 1973 retro sound even further, without loosing the edge in live performance. On record though i felt the last album to be a bit too smooth, to much softened.

    Giuda (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Giuda (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    Hard, fast and driven by the guitar player that does keep himself back to the left, i think he is the mean machine behind the Giuda sound – just perfect!

    Giuda (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Giuda (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    They performed a good mix of old and new stuff and they got the crowd moving on all counts. What was notable though was the high  number of ladies in the audience and to the front, quite a different feeling to the else male dominated punk and hardcore circut.

    At the end they finished the set just within an hour, short to my liking but they are on a tour that makes them criss-cross Germany every day so there is some sympathy. What was also notable was that they still lack “any” communication skills with the audience, though they neither please them or fend them off: They either just want to have the mu-sick speak for them or there is a language barrier.

    Giuda (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Giuda (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 19.02.2016 (c) gehkacken.de)

    At the risk of repeating myself: they have created the perfect niche for themselves and they actually deserve some success. I am a Giuda Fan!

     

  • … perfect stage attire for Soulpunk, Guitarpunk and Modpunk (but way to speedy them Mods)!

    … perfect stage attire for Soulpunk, Guitarpunk and Modpunk (but way to speedy them Mods)!

    That was a wee bit of a hectic Friday – first kick-off for the last home game at 18:30, then hopping into a taxi and speeding over to the Monkeys to make sure we get to see all bands.

    Smithy Creeper & The Elastic Legs - 1 (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Smithy Creeper & The Elastic Legs (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

    For those with a good eye indeed this is 1/2 of Gerd playing just another style of classic mu-sick in a wee bit speedier and harder style: Some say it’s “Soulpunk” some say it’s “Garage” and i don’t care as long as it is done in style, with heart and live. And on all counts it was “YES, SIR!”

    Smithy Creeper & The Elastic Legs (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)
    Smithy Creeper & The Elastic Legs (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

    To that extent it was excellent and and i did feel sad to miss them supporting the mighty Bellrays earlier the year. Great selection of classics put forward in a perfect modern way (that is another way of saying “they are (not) a cover band”).

    The Manics (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)
    The Manics (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

    Next on The Manics from sunny Norrköping (that is way up North but south of Stockholm) who not only claimed to have been in the car for 22 hours to get to Hamburg (i think it is mere a 11 hours job) but also sported a swede on vocals who sounded very British. And they kicked off like this:

    They also claim to play “Rickenbacker Rock’n’Roll“, a claim that i would consider to be actually true. For my liking they could vary speed some more (as in sometimes up it more) but for the rest it was almost a perfect set. And well received actually, well received: Some would even sing-a-long to known songs!

    The Manics (Monkey Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)
    The Manics (Monkey Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

    And stage attire? Ok, they could do some more there, esp. the bass player should (a) shave and (b) be smarter with his tie. The drummer was all cool, the main man Peter just choose the wrong shirt (was giving away too much sweating). But a really great set and i am sure there is more to come. From Norrköping. Sweden.

    Next on The Movement, who have played like 13 times in Hamburg over the years and at 12 different locations. And what was supposed to be a typical Movement set turned out slightly differently as they took the stage:

    Wops, did someone play around with the speed dial? Yes indeed – The Movement slightly speeded up their sound and it turned out to be setting of the night (and to be in stark contrast to both the other two bands and previous sets).

    The Movement (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)
    The Movement (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

    To me it almost felt like a wall of sound (and that ain’t bad) that overshadowed both the classic “mod punk” style but also Lukas vocals (not to say that he sometimes had problems to match the speed).

    Thats indeed “Control your temper” that was rushed in 1:50 (instead of 2:37 on record) and somehow did feel odd (though i like my mu-sick hard, fast and loud). But not for the The Movement, where style and classic sound provide the message and the music so much better.

    The Movement (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)
    The Movement (Monkeys Music Club, 18.12.2015 (c) gehkacken.de)

    Still, they played some old songs, some new songs and actually i managed to miss my favorite one: “Truth is” was the extra encore i did let go.

    I was 50/50, some others did like it, me loved one did not like it (though she had been happily chatting with the smart bass player prior to the show) and thus it somehow added to a slight frustration that had started earlier with that odd home loss of FCSP.

    Nevermind, still a great show and for me the far better choice over Peter at the Markthalle. And, not only the last FCSP game of the year but also the last show for me as i need to let go “Burn down the Baum 9.0” in favor of a Year End holiday up north. I’ll let that Father Christmas know that the Nordics still made a good impression at the Monkeys, a place full of good music and great shows happening and yet to come in 2016 (let’s say i am a Giuda fan).