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  • … tough women, history lesson & fucking loud music!

    … tough women, history lesson & fucking loud music!

    I love books and i’d rather spend time reading than binge watching some streamed entertainment. Books fuel my brain cinema, be it crime, noir or … music related. When it comes to music it is either visual history (pictures from back then) or oral history (how did others discover Punk, how did other grew up in Punk and what are they doing today?).

    Geralf Pochop already has two other books out detailing the history of Punk in East Germany (aka GDR aka DDR aka Ostzone). Both books eventually triggered plenty of feedback, memories and a feeling that the story already told was from an overly male view. As such he specifically set out to get the female view captued.

    “Dance on the Vulcano (Resistant Punk Women in the GDR)” is an almost 400 page oral history (with additional visuals) delivered by own words of the protagonists and documents and observation reports from the Stasi (the East German notorious Secret Police, who in the early 80s decided to see Punks as the biggest danger of all to the socialist society).

    Geralf delivered this reading together with two of his protagonists – Nancy and Sheena took the stage to provide their story, their experience and their pains. It did include hard truths and realization that the state tried to crush the kids (and yes, they where still kids back then) and partly succeeded.

    Tanz auf dem Vulkan Lesung (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 18.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Within the setting Nancy also used the opportunity to add some music with her partner Jörg (both play together nowadays in Jærman Anxt but already knew each other back then).

    It was great to listen to the accounts first hand, it was heart touching to see that some of the stuff from back then still throws tears today when they talk about it.

    Geralf Pochop – Tanz auf dem Vulkan (Hirnkost, 2025)

    I sure thing took home the book (here is my review in German), if you can read German than i would urge you to give it a read too. Choosing to be a Punk back then behind the iron curtain certainly was something special and in the GDR and under the brutal rule of the Stasi it was not at all a pleasant cup of tea. It was repercussions to the max and very personal consequences.

    Simply: They tried to crush the movement, break them kids and silence non-conformity. And that with much more brutality than ever experienced in say Hamburg (aka the stairs down to the hold of the Police Station Budapester Straße). Some sustained resistance, many more gave up or simply broke.

    Thanks Girls for speaking up (and out) and thanks Geralf for providing the forum to do so. Those attending (i guess 50 odd people) definitely where touched.

    TIDE Radio, local DIY Radio Station in Hamburg, aired small edited recording from the session:

    Link to TIDENET.DE Program Archive (note: German only)

    As this was on a Monday, the Hafenklang next would host Mondays Regulars Table Tennis event with some live mu-sick ahead.

    Heihaizi from Croatia took the stage and … blasted most of the people that came for the reading out of the room.

    Here is how they kicked off:

    Boy, they where hard, they where loud and the guitar was plagued with on/off problems that somewhat distracted it’s user from delivering. No matter the problem, no matter the mu-sick style itself (they dub themselves as Rap Punk) – they where the perfect showcase how the most simple setup of drums, bass & guitar can blast a room.

    Heihaizi (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 18.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    In between they even mastered an art bands rarely get done – they created lasting soundscapes that as a listener you get lost in. It ain’t fully my type of cupboard but they indeed have carved and perfected a little niche.

    Their first record is more short hardcore like blasts:

    And their 2nd and recent spans a bit wider, with longer songs going down that soundscape route:

    Go and check them out and make your own choice.

    For me it was entertaining and live music, nothing can beat that. That they where able to reduce the audience to say 10 people i would also count on the positive side (though i take that attending for the book reading might not set your appreciation for fucking loud mu-sick).

    Cool evening, i got a valid history lesson and a refreshing new take on Punk. For a rather rainy Monday not too bad. Thanks to those who made it possible and specific thanks to Nancy and Sheela to put their heart (and tears) into the open.

    Much appreciated and much adored.

  • … return of the raunchy Oi!: It’s skyfart!

    … return of the raunchy Oi!: It’s skyfart!

    I am lucky. Very lucky. Why? Because i can trust friends who work the booking for my favorite haunt. Fench Cold Oi!? Yes! Bootboy Hardcore? Deal! Surprises? Always! Flyers that bend the genre? Sure thing!

    And so came Oi! The Himmelfahrt with 4 bands stretching from North to way South as in Vienna. And sold out in record time. And on an evening that would be followed by a day off, as such a perfect setting.

    Angry Voices from Hamburg kicked it off, in almost broad daylight. And a bright double rainbow over the mighty river Elbe, luring plenty of folks to the windows to take a snap.

    Angry Voices (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    They venture between Punk and Oi!, fast forward & growling and more articulated songs. Here is a more or less traditional banger, aptly called “Underpaid & Overdressed”:

    Musically they worked best for me when the focus was on chorus, sing-a-long and mu-sick that was more worked out.

    They got plenty of cheers, plenty of sing & dance-a-long from locals and they also had valid and clear cut messages.

    Perfect intro to the procedures, though sound & message would be less broad (and much more heavy) with the other bands.

    Choke Combat from Munich next and they play self-proclaimed Bootboy Hardcore. And seeing their guitar with a Fléau sticker did give me (and one of me mates who loves them French too) almost shivers.

    They kicked off like this:

    Indeed hardcore driven, energetic though throughout the set the guitar – for my liking – remained too low volume. I would have loved a wee bit of a heavier thrust from that side of the stage.

    They send the dancers flying, including a nob that choose not to listen to some behavioral advisory (and encountered a flying fist & removal as a consequence).

    Choke Combat (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    For me their hard’n’fast’n’short approach worked like a treat, it was all like real and rough. Check out their Demo, it gives a good impression.

    There was also some fun visuals included: The drummer sported a rather outlandish t-shirt and the bass player played plucking style, something i rarely see in the hard’n’fast territory.

    Choke Combat (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Great set, justified pit violence for free and a large part of the room moving, i guess i am keen to see them again. To me they somewhat stood out, as much as and musically similar to Complete Loss who played MOi!n It’s Hamburg #7.

    Where Choke Combat to me where a neat surprise, Collaps looked like the headliner to me. I knew there Demo and listened to their LP already online – and the later sounded almost perfect.

    How would they do live and in real? They kicked off like this:

    A sturdy drummer (in a cool shirt), a very capable bass (with another cool shirt) and the most perfect sounding retro powered sandpaper guitar (for a lack of a better description) coming through a dual speaker setup (and, if i saw correct, a tube amp).

    Collaps (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Song writing, presentation, musical capabilities – i guess they excelled in all areas and are able to create a distinct, stripped down and bare to the bone Rock’n’Roll sound.

    But they don’t rest there at all, they even take it further into the equivalent of a pop song. Here is the song that gave name to their brand new baby – Getting Used To The Dirt:

    Wow – that take the genre, often categorized as one dimensional, much much wider. The record itself is a rough gem, my loveliest song is Grey Men (a fast forward one more in on the hardcore side).

    Utmost great set, utmost great delivery (setting aside the just a bit too low vocals). Frank, i want more! Well deserved they got the loudest cheers.

    Denim out of Vienna next and with them it got dangerous. First they wanted it dark and got most of the lights switched off and then the singer took residence on the dance floor.

    And the dance floor was then taken over with the somewhat odd (but fitting) berzerk-into-each-other dancing style.

    Denim (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    It fitted their harsh, primitive and brutal onslaught that somewhat not fully did work for me. Go and check them out for yourself:

    To the overall rooster of the day they though fitted hand-in-glove and many around me seem to take a liking too.

    As always when a band convinces me live i got to score something, here it was clear that i have to take home the Collaps LP (even in case they would have been only half good live).

    Collaps – Getting Used To The Dirt (Primator Crew)

    Great record capturing their live sound almost perfect. Go and score it from our trusted local dealer Sounds Of Subterrania!

    Utmost thanks for Fab for setting this up and i take it helped his recovery (as being a mental uplift on all fronts). From where i sit i simply want more, also because i finally was relieved from palliative care duties by fate (eventually the passing of a relative can be both utmost sad and a relief for all, including said relative).

    Yes Fab – more please!

  • Bücher, schnell gelesen: 1.833

    Bücher, schnell gelesen: 1.833

    Ken Jaworowski – What About The Bodies (Pendragon, 2026)

    Gelesen: 29.04. – 06.05.2026 (netto 312 Seiten)

    Aus dem Englischen von Lea Dunkel.

    Willkommen in Locksburg, Pennsylvania. Rust Belt. Small Town.

    Ken Jaworowski schickt 3 Bewohner auf einen Schicksalsweg der ganz wunderbar das Elend von Small Town USA spiegelt: „Glücklich bis ans Lebensende“ erweist sich als ziemlich tödlich.

    Zunächst lernen wir Carla kennen, alleinerziehende Mutter. Ihr Sohn Olly, Student am MIT, hat ihr gerade etwas gestanden, von dem sie ganz sicher nicht will, dass die ganze Welt davon erfährt; nun muss sie ihn beschützen – Koste es was es wolle.

    Als Nächstes tritt Reed auf den Plan – ein fünfzehnjähriger autistischer Junge, dessen Mutter gerade verstorben ist. Sein einziger Beschützer ist nicht mehr da, nun ist er einem Mobbing ausgesetzt, das zehnmal schlimmer ist als alles, was er je zuvor erlebt hat. Doch Reed scheint seiner Mutter etwas versprochen zu haben und begibt sich tapfer auf eine Mission, etwas wiedergutzumachen, das sich ereignet hat, als seine Mutter noch lebte.

    Als drittes Liz, Songwriterin und Musikerin, die gerade ihren Job als ehr erfolglose Barsängerin verloren hat. Zu ihrem Glück erhält sie aus Nashville ein einzigartiges Angebot. Doch ihr Auto hindert sie daran, ihren Traum zu verwirklichen. Ihr Freund Luke macht sie mit einem Mechaniker bekannt, der ein Ex-Sträfling ist. Nachdem das von ihm reparierte Auto in Flammen aufgeht behauptet er, sie stehe bei ihm in der Schuld, und lässt sie die Stadt nicht verlassen, bis sie ihre Schulden beglichen hat.

    Die Erzählperspektive wechselt fortlaufend zwischen den drei Charakteren hin und her, immer aus einer Ich-Perspektive erzählt.

    Die Welt der Drei ist aber eine, in der Gerechtigkeit nicht immer siegt und Glück eine entscheidende Rolle im Leben der Menschen spielt. Small Town USA ist voller Schmerz, Verzweiflung und ohne Hoffnung.

    Ken Jaworowski wirft die Drei ziemlich cool die Treppe runter, als Leser drückt man ihnen irgendwie die Daumen, während diese verzweifelt versuchen, den nächsten Tag zu überstehen.

    Entsprechend endet jedes Kapitel mit einem Cliffhanger.

    Die Spannung, die komplexe Handlung und die kurzen Kapitel geben ein hohes Tempo vor, während Carla, Reed und Liz eine wunderbare down hill Achterbahnfahrt der Nieder-geschlagenheit durchleben.

    ( (c) Pendragon Verlag, 2026)

    Die Geschichten der Drei verlaufen zunächst getrennt voneinander und der Leser fragt sich lange, wie der Autor es hinbekommt die Schicksale zu kreuzen. Der Moment kommt, fällt jedoch weniger schockierend aus, als man es vielleicht erwarten würde.

    Vorher aber ist schon ordentlich Gore dabei, durchgeknallte Kleinstadt-Cops drehen am Rad und das Glück, tja, das hat der, der …

    Perfektes Kleinstadtdrama, gemein und blutig. Ohne Hoffnung. Mit ein wenig Glück.

    Ganz hervorragendes Lesevergnügen!

    Soundtrack dazu: The Pist – Small Town, was sonst?

    PS: Und Ken so?