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Tag: Gerd

  • … of Gerd and a Perfect Cousin to dance with (and booze off a wee bit)!

    … of Gerd and a Perfect Cousin to dance with (and booze off a wee bit)!

    Gerd, Hamburgs very own stadium rockers, are never afraid to throw a party. Anybody suggesting a reason? Mhhhh, maybe 33 1/3 (not yet 53rd and One 3rd) is a good one?

    Deal!

    And as a party needs companionship, they took the Perfect Cousin along, just like in 2016. And some 250 other members of the Punk Rock Hamburg Family, most from near – some from far.

    The Perfect Cousins obviously traveled from far (Derry in Norther Ireland would be my wild guess) and came with the following gifts:

    Perfect Cousins – Setlist (Knust, Hamburg, 16.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    It is custom knowledge in Hamburg that a party failing to get momentum only ever needs an Undertones song (below the magic 02:00 mark) to get the lot onto the dance floor and dancing.

    And as it was to be Family Entertainment they choose their entry wisely:

    Perfect Cousins, actually not seen for a while. Hence i was a wee bit surprised that they did shrink to a 4-piece but it did not hinder them at all (in contrast, they had a near perfect sound).

    Perfect Cousins (Knust, Hamburg, 16.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024

    Sure that near perfect sound had it’s icing with Arne and his voice – if there ever was someone with the same type of nasal vocals as Fergal it is definitely him, Period. And on top Arne was jumping around the stage full of energy – the same energy that the others took into their gear.

    Together with Jan on Guitar, Kai on Drums and Lui on Bass he continued almost down the Wrong Way:

    Beating the original by 13 seconds, puuurrrrfect!

    But also above the magic 02:00 mark they are able to score, because they didn’t let go:

    Poor Little Jimmy (Jimmy), one of the saddest hit songs i actually know. And a real banger that stands the test of time, easily. And as ever, was one of the biggest sing-a-long within the set – maybe next to Teenage Kicks.

    Perfect Cousins (Knust, Hamburg, 16.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024

    But as a Perfect Cousin they also had an Angry surprise gift in tow all the way from Samoa:

    What a perfect finish, they even did threw Lights Out next towards the audience (though Arne needed a little cheat sheet for the lyrics). I guess that one was a message from Lui that he needs yet another job in an Angry Samoans cover band.

    But as said, there ain’t no better way to infuse a dance party than throwing in an Undertones hit. Thus, the party was already going when it was time for Gerd.

    Gerd – Setlist (Knust, Hamburg, 16.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    Their œuvre speaks for itself – like in those words on the right. Clues needed? Come on, you are part of the Punk Rock Hamburg family, you do not need no fucking clues!

    Hold tight - Now we're on our own
Cue lights - Now it's ready to roll
Tonight  How I've waited for i've competed for years

It's fun - Oh I just can't wait
Hold on - Do I look up to date?
You're on - I'll do anything if it's the right thing to see

There's one - Born every day
Same song - Then they fade away
Ding-dong - What's the future in the pop music industry

All right - So you made the grade
Hold tight - To the buck you made
Just wait - You've been rated for constipated peak viewing time

    And putting enthusiasm over stage entry grandness Gerd went about to Kick Out The Jams:

    But hey, there is a new face! Led Zeppelin could not lure him, but Gerd (with all of the money from their stadium tours) got him signed. Welcome Henry (who still has a little side hustle with Boy Division, Hamburgs best dressed cover band)!

    Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 16.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024

    The last time they graced the Knust for one of their club shows was 2021, it was sheer luck that their busy schedule allowed them back so early – the lot did only expect them in 2031 for “40 years of GERD”.

    The lot largely anyway was happy, i ran into a number of good people that had a bright smile on their face following the grown-up-controlled-play-like-a-champion away win of the FCSP at Nürnberg in the afternoon.

    Gerd took on to continue that party on the lawn:

    Boy, they had this one in 1967 for 10 weeks in the German single charts (and it was single in our household that i could hum along to as a little boy). Good to see that Gerd have left that la battaglia del denaro long behind.

    Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 16.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024

    But still, they can beat anybody when it comes to mu-sick. Twice this songs has been robbed from them and re-used with different words. And still they can hammer home their ode to G.E.R.D. in the exact 1:17 that it took that other band from NYC (that never paid their dues to Gerd):

    The only item that was surprisingly not at par with their performance was the sound. It sounded less good than the Perfect Cousins and less good than last time at the Knust (where by and large most bands sound excellent, thanks to the good PA and experts at the sliders). 

    Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 16.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024

    But Gerd being Gerd just went over that with not even a blink in the eye. They rather took on to keep the dancing audience … awake and dancing. And they made them choose.

    And the lot choose to be Foxes, on the run:

    Far more people than the obvious offenders actually had their dancing shoes on, here is a snippet from the audience proving it:

    Pick your king, as Poison Idea suggested. The lot picked Gerd, for sure.

    As every family thingy it started early (doors 19:00) so that the elderly could have the most of it. Most of the elderly (and frank – the only sad of that show actually – it was almost exclusive elderly in attendance) where thankful, easily and early loaded (one so much that he was shown the way off the dance floor in a perfect choreographed ballet) and had as much fun as the bands.

    The icing on the evening then was more booze at the bar to the blaring sounds of DJ Hollyholetsgo, where the stadium hardened stars and fans mingled and danced even harder.

    2/3rd Happy fans and 1/3rd photo bombing new Gerd member (c) gehkacken.de 2024

    I was home not too late (and not too loaded) around 02:00, so that i was able to make the most out of the joy of both the FCSP win and the fantastic Gerd party on sunny Sunday.

    Only one wish went unanswered: More people and specifically younger people putting on their dancing shoes and descending onto the Knust – both bands and club would deserve it. And once there, knock it back and ‘ave another one.

    So everyone – next time bring a younger friend along! And ask for him/her to also bring someone younger along.

    I will try hard! Or even harder. But please not hardly.

    PS: My perfect moment of the evening below – click for high-res!

  • Save The Date – Stadium Rockers Gerd Return To Hamburg!

  • … enthusiasm over talent: 30 Years of Gerd

    … enthusiasm over talent: 30 Years of Gerd

    This should have happened in 2020 but as with many other items it just was not feasible. But with G2 (and the ask for G2+ unpinned by some free booze) this was ready to be executed in 2021. Given the current bad situation in Germany, though less in our northern home lands, it may just have been the last party for this year…

    Support was supposed to come from The Guts (formerly known as the Shanghai’d Guts) but due to illness they had to pull out. Kent Nielsen, who can travel light and does not need a lot of setup, jumped in and volunteered for the warm up.

    He actually took two of his tiny uke’s to the stage, but largely resorted to taking the opportunity of the excellent sound of the Knust to let his voice excel. And not only for giving the lot some nice redemption’s of sing-a-longs but also as a chatty storyteller that can give a wide lead-in for a song.

    Kent Nielsen (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    As a solo artist using that voice is almost the only item to bring, he paired that with a excellent stretch of songs running all the way from Joe Strummer to Husker Dü. And some excellent storytelling from his long presence on the mu-sick-al circuit was added as the iciong on the cake.

    Just take his piss-drenched lead into A New England, paired with the juvenile trust that if Billy Brag would have ordered a revolution it would have happened instantly i det hyggelige danske kongerige:

    His style is one of these that you just need allow in if you are a listener in front of a stage: It looks different, it sounds different but it is still the same as in Entertainment, Message – Stance. And that is what Kent gets across just purrrfect. Tak min ven!

    Whilst Kent did enjoy some almost church like sounds as not all ticket holders (in total some 200) went to see him that sound was toned down once Gerd took the stage as many bodies filled the large hall.

    And Gerd took all of the rock star grandeza to make their presence known:

    For those who are not from Hamburg some of the intro might be glibberish but rest assured it is full of reference to the namesake actually:

    “Rocker” is a 1971 movie with a real amateur cast drawn directly from the seedy streets of Hamburg. And the namesake for GERD and hero of the movie was in attendance of the show and provided some extra grandeza to the proceedings.

    Gerd with Rocker Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Now thats a star celebration of 30 years of Gerd! From there they took it down memory lane and with a broad smile they provided high class entertainment.

    Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    On top of all the baseline joy to listen to songs i can either hum to or sing-a-long loud & proud it is indeed the positive attitude and general joy that emits from the stage, pours into the ears of the audience and gets people going, like this old classic from The Nerves that had been covered by Blondie and had been ruined by Def Leppard.

    Remember, whist it is Enthusiasm over Talent it does not mean there is zero talent. Where Def Leppard fail, Gerd does shine (and within that … yet again the excellent sound at the Knust enables Christianes voice to shine above).

    Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Looking back at 30 years Gerd also had changes, one of them was the seat behind the drums. For a long time that was filled by Frank “Magger” Martens and surprise surprise: he was back it tonight for celebrating a flash back towards how Gerd started off, simply slaughtering Kuschelrock!

    Sure thing they have come a long way from that type of “lets kill that one with speed and shredding” into much more subtle variations. But it was fun to see that Frank was still able to push them ahead and unite them on the last chord.

    Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    By this time the audience was in perfect mood, loads of singing and dancing. On top even a DIY stunt with 400 balloons raining down (actually onto the audience, i guess the better effect would have been onto the stage). And all of that showmanship did lead to not only one encore but also a 2nd one starting off with their Überhit “Born in Hamburg Horn”.

    I would be very surprised though if the Knust would open a club on the Washingtonallee, out there in the deep East End, where i bet you the times of long haired rockers are long gone.

    Gerd (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    For the final bit, the last song of the last encore, they resorted back to something that most likely sports the ultimate Glam Rock intro that everybody born in the earlier 1960ties can identify even in sleep.

    Where the Sweet version (from 1975 actually) is grand, the 1:1 German version of The Hunters (Scorpions in disguise) in my mind is the biggest laugh (and my wish for the next Gerd party is that they take on this too).

    Don’t forget – both are down there in the book under “Why did Punk happen” too.

    With that one they finally exhausted what they had – less than more according to insider sources – rehearsed from their vast list of songs created since 1972.

    For the collectors, archivists and librarians here is the full setlist.

    Gerd – Setlist for 30 Years of enthusiasm over talent (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    A free drink of my choice if you can name the song they actually did not play…

    And with Gerd walking off the stage drenched in sweat (but with broad smiles) the lot resorted to the next best thing: Carrying that enjoyment forward into the bar of the Knust and in front of the DJ’s, who gave the lot loads of old mu-sick to dance and sing-a-long to.

    Happy Gerd Fans (Knust, Hamburg, 20.11.2021 (c) gehkacken.de 2021)

    Whilst i started the evening with telling people off when they offered to buy me a drink i also now got carried away and ended up nicely loaded, talking sense and non-sense to people, singing along and too being a happy bunny. I can not recall when i last was home at 03:00 and had a great hangover next day – much appreciated my friends!

    Thanks to Punk Rock Hamburg, Knust and Gerd & Kent for pulling this off, it was a grand show and hopefully not the last grand party of the year. Hopefully.