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Tag: Hafenklang

  • … small turnout, loyal supporters and surprise visitors!

    … small turnout, loyal supporters and surprise visitors!

    Hamburg has been damn hot for a couple of days, luckily this early Sunday show happened in a slightly cooled down Hafenklang where my favorite booker relentlessly promotes DIY Punk (in the most professional way possible) and seeks the special stuff, off the beaten track (and inside a great little niche).

    As such he got his hands on Venenö, an absolute niche outta NYC. All members are battle hardened in other bands, here they come together from some real cool Post-Punk with a scent of Wipers (or French Cold-Oi, to add more labels).

    The Caved supported the early show and where a little surprise: After 10 years Cavity/Search just had enough of the name and choose … i guess a restart with a new name.

    The songs largely remained the same plus they where still selling some of their 2020 LP’s too.

    They live by the large, room filling, voice of their singer Aga, the backdrop of the rhythm section is somewhat indeed in the background and the guitar also felt a bit less driving.

    The Caved (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    For me it did not work too well this evening, somewhat it did not hit me as much as i wished. Friends around where quite of a different opinion, so it must have been me again.

    They had their fans, they got a fair share of applause (with i guess 20odd people attending still tough to drive & accept feedback) and there was nothing wrong with them preparing for Venenö.

    And the lads from NYC kicked off like this:

    Wow, that had much more umpf and hard edges than i thought upfront! Much to my liking i have to admit!

    Vocals are in Spanish, both Bass and Guitar sing. The Drummer makes plenty of funny faces whilst playing but boy hits utmost hard and drives the sound forward in a very literate way. Sometimes he even got up from the stool to hit super hard.

    Venenö (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    The longer they played the better it sounded and the more folks i noted with smiles on their faces and somewhat tapping along to the music with their feet.

    At the end the enthusiastic few in front of the stage pressed Venenö for an extra, they had already played all they ever had (rehearsed and recorded) so after a short internal debate they opted for something not by them.

    And that was a indeed a cover from Paralisis Permanente (thanks to Thomas K, always in the know, to hint at that), straight out of the 80s.

    Overall the songs and presentation where much harder, with more edges, more drive than on the records, live that definitely made utmost sense.

    To an extend it lost a little bit the softer side, as here on their EP, but that was not a bad thing at all:

    I already scored both records a couple of months ago from my trusted dealership, so i did let go the offer “buy both EP’s and get one T-Shirt for free“. Others did grab ’em, also the tape they had on offer sold well.

    I would suggest you give it a try too, if you like it hop over to Sounds Of Subterrania and get ’em there (sans shirt)!

    Great early Sunday (though again with the most shitty lights setup drenching everything in red) with a sadly small but expert turnout. And the continued assurance that both my favorite booker and my trusted vinyl dealership pick good choices. In my favorites niches.

    And the best: I can trust that like minded people around me share the urge, interest and curiosity. Perfect!

  • … back in time to be blasted: Yard Bomb, Guitar Wolf and Hard-Ons w/ Jerry A!

    … back in time to be blasted: Yard Bomb, Guitar Wolf and Hard-Ons w/ Jerry A!

    When the show was announced i was a wee bit in tears, as i was to be up North in our 2nd home. But the love of me life, knowing my desires all too well, agreed to scoot home a day earlier, despite the great weather up there.

    Yard Bomb kicked it off to an already well attended (but not yet filled in front of the stage) Hafenklang. Why the heck they choose to give the smoke machine a full bloom i have no clue but it completely ruined the visual for me.

    Yard Bomb (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Still, their American, Californican and Olschooligan approach to H/C is very relevant and i guess there is no other band from say … Schleswig-Holstein, that does it that good.

    They choose to bite the audience a wee bit, wasted a bit of time with banter and finished their short & crisp set like this:

    Always great too see & listen to, always a bit different (this time round i would have loved the guitar to sound more heavy, more distorted) but by and large simply a great band.

    Why there are still people without their 12″ is beyond believe to me, whilst online sold out the last few copies are sold at gigs – do it like me mate Frank, get this beauty without hesitation!

    Next the leather clad jet rockers from 東京都. Another visit from Japan at the Hafenklang, only a couple of days after The 50 Kaitenz took it by storm (and made a shitload of folks happy & fans).

    Guitar Wolf had the room packed and … nuthin’ happened. They needed their Intro mu-sick and somewhat playing that through the PA was a problem. Once on stage, it took the guitar plenty of time to get the amp going. And then they bursted into … a lengthy and chaotic intro themselves.

    I take it was show and their approach to showmanship but for me it was rather just that … show.

    When they finally kicked into their first song it sounded like this:

    Sure they where wild, sure they where loud (the young rhythm section rather than the guitar) and sure they can blast. And, yes, they did not make use of the smoke machine thankfully!

    In good moments it was fast forward garage trash rock with a capital R, in bad moments it was too much show and too little substance to me, including ritualized stage dive and a lengthy feedback orgy with a “surprise” select from the audience.

    Guitar Wolf (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    For me it simply did not make click in the same way as with the lads from Osaka, within the audience though was a large fan base who all seemed to enjoy it right-away. As perfect contrast point to both Yard Bomb and the Hard-Ons it was though spot on, so i will not complain at all.

    The headliner was much awaited … and finally came about, though apparently a bit jet lagged as this was the first show in their North-European and Scandinavian run.

    Last year Hard-Ons and Jerry already collaborated and created quite some interest with the resulting 7″:

    It sound almost as good as the collaboration Jerry did with them Spaniards under the moniker Black Bacon, and outlook of more like that with the Hard-Ons both gave hope and, frank, also some doubts. How would this work live?

    Other than the jet rockers from Tokyo sticking to their leather the Hard-Ons quickly dropped the shirts after their Intro and … took the lot (and i take Jerry too to an extend) by storm.

    Hard-Ons w/ Jerry A (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    I am not sure if they where able to rehearse together in person prior to the Hamburg show, my guess would be that they only did it remote. To that extend they asked for forgiving, as most of the songs played where played live & on stage for the first time.

    My high hopes rather than doubts where matched and my feeling was that both the packed Hafenklang and me mates around did dig it.

    It is a pity that the LP that should come out of this collaboration is not yet available and the band itself has not real clue when pressing & distribution will happen. Some of these songs indeed have something special, be it more on the pop side (like Radio ready) or even almost spherical.

    They are sure way off the earlier treasured Hard-Ons singles that we greedy #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes all collected in the later part of the 1980’s but boy, they are now venturing much broader than what i would have guessed (but it still offers the chance to refer back to one of me lovelist Hard-Ons songs anyway).

    Great set, almost 100% together and giving indeed an urge to score that LP once it is out. The audience was seemingly enthusiastic too and dancing a lot, quite a surprise to me.

    Great evening again at the trusted Hafenklang and that Hard-Ons-with-Jerry-A thingy was in hindsight a positive surprise (as they matched my hopes indeed).

    As it was late and i was already somewhat tired i scooted home and within that made sure that a mate gets home safely too, though our conversation about stage uniforms and Douglas Adams must have irritated the other passengers on public transport somewhat.

    But hey, do we care? Off course we do!

  • … from Leeds to Osaka: Fun at 50 RPM!

    … from Leeds to Osaka: Fun at 50 RPM!

    Initially it was Cyanide Pills only and 19 lucky guests got a slightly cheaper ticket for only them. But later The 50 Kaitenz from hot & humid 大阪市 where added and would be gracing the upstairs of the Hafenklang too.

    A rather wild but, as far as i am concerned, interesting mix. I do dig settings that face value do not match, it is by and large a good recipe for an entertaining evening and often a setting that exposes something new and/or a surprise.

    The Cyanide Pills kicked it off, on time and without any fuzz:

    Their shows in Hamburg almost never differ, i take they are consistently themselves. That included almost speeding through the set and little to no chit-chat with the audience.

    Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    They simply deliver. And what they deliver is upbeat, fast forward, fun and hand-in-glove. Even the sound was great, just the lights – as often – where shite. Most of the time all was saturated in red, D’oh!

    My guess is that they punched through the 21 songs on the set list in less than 45 minutes, including a brief walk off the stage and back for extras, like this one:

    On top of everything else cudos to them for maintaining a single consistent stage uniform over all these years. It is always a bonus if a band dresses for the occasion.

    What did the lot get for their bucks? This rooster…

    Cyanide Pills – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    I am happy to see them once a year, this time round they even had their brand new double LP with all their A & B sides with them, hop over to Damaged Goods to score it (or your favorite dealership). I was temped but choose to let the opportunity go by.

    The Japaneese Beatles Ramones Rockers next, here is how they greeted Hamburg and introduced themselves:

    Wow, that’s a lot to take in. First, perfect stage uniforms (front white shirt, black trouser – back black shirt, white trouser). 2nd: Beatles haircut. 3rd: It’s showtime!

    And sure thing a somewhat “… we’re all crazy now!” attitude, which was mirrored by the almost exclusive female first row that flew in from Japan. With at least one lady sporting a The 50 Kaitenz fan scarf. Stunning!

    The 50 Kaitenz (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Their sound ventures from what people dub as 60’s Punk (thus the set includes a Surfin’ Bird on speed) to Ramones (thus the set includes their very own Ramones appreciation song).

    They where fun, they where fast (50 RPM!) and they had a perfect show. Rock’n’Roll at it’s bare best. Last time i saw such a perfect setup was RFTC in the 90s!

    They got plenty of cheers from the packed room, plenty of smiles and even sing-a-long. And the devoted fans? Kept the front row and smiled like there would not be a tomorrow.

    Here is the set list, what a beauty!

    The 50 Kaitenz – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    And – not really a surprise – as an extra there was also a Ramones cover:

    Boy, what a fresh take on something chewed over so many times. And, what a great show to go with it. Gregor from Sounds of Subterrania indeed is a truffle pig when it comes to bands that are … different. And outlandish. But fit perfectly. As such get your dose of The 50 Kaitenz vinyl over at our trusted local dealership!

    Great show, early start, best companionship, a vinyl gift from the best booker in town and reasonable early home to take on the last working day before me and the love of me life scoot north to our 2nd home.

    50 Kaitenz, arigatō! Odorokasa remashita!