It ain’t all honky-dory all the time, for myself i was confined away from shows for some weeks due to an operation on the leg but that ain’t nuthin compared to the fate that the Molotow awaits.
It’s now 10 years that they had to evacuate their old place below the so called Esso-Building (as the owner let it rot to the point that tenants, business and the name-giving petrol station had to be evicted as an emergency) and now they single-handedly got their lease for their current place terminated by mid-2024.
It will be torn down and another new Hotel will rise.
It actually does not matter at all that club itself ain’t a favorite of mine, the simple fact that yet again all of the praise of the cultural work of places like the Molotow (coming through once the City can suck up Press and Mu-sick Industry praise for something like the Reeperbahn Festival) is void and nothing if it comes to hard business that makes the City tick.
Another deal with another property developer. Fuck it.
The Molotow asked for solidarity and that is what they got – approximately 3.000 people took the Reeperbahn and made a stance.
Molotow Must Stay! (Reeperbahn, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
Team Scheisse was supposed to play but generator problems hampered the start but then they set sail, up the Reeperbahn and down the Ost-West-Strasse to finish in front of another Hotel of that chain.
What really sucks is that the fate of the Molotow (being bend over and raped three times directly or indirectly by property owners) is the custom fate of the smaller & underground clubs. The City of Hamburg is only ever paying lip service when it comes to support towards more underground and/or independent culture and for sure all is void when it comes to making money from or supporting money being made from property deals.
Regardless if the investor meets his promises (like the one that was supposed to re-build the former Esso-Building complex).
A really sad start into a long evening with good music, family and friends but it was also good to see so many faces i know from shows (on and off stage) taking the street – it means a heck within the given limits and it generated at least a peak of noise in the local press.
Will it help? I doubt. Damn.
Still, as long as we can, we gotta take our side of the story into the world – and the annual We’ll Burn The Baum Down (now as edition 16.0) is exactly part of the storyline: Next to Staatsoper, Elbphilharmonie and Ohnsorg Theater there are tight and striving communities and they stick together, against all odds. But it is getting harder.
This year the Razors went all local, providing stage time for their Rebellion companions Harbour Rebels and … big surprise … providing a comeback opportunity: The Rubbermaids came back out of (almost) nowhere.
The Harbour Rebels had the hardship of starting early (as in 20:00) but the Knust was already well filled (as many where taking the street for the Molotow and just strolled over from there).
As much as when they supported the Razors for the Rebellion warm-up earlier in the year they are a mixed bag for me. They got the right messages, they even get some dance-a-long Ska-stuff in their set but somewhere in the back of my single-minded mu-sick-al brain always opens the cupboard “Deutsch-Rock“.
Harbour Rebels (Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
And as ever my deduction of received mu-sick might not be all right, so check them out for yourself. They do their thing, with dedication, and such do deserve the spot up there. And deserved the share of applause and support they got.
Next from the ashes of the Rubbermaids … the Rubbermaids. And this is how they kicked off:
They had a more of less secret gig in March 2023 at the Indra for a Birthday Bash and now, with apparently only a few rehearsals, took the big stage of the Knust. I guess that this surprise return also up’ed the numbers of tickets sold, they did draw plenty of additional people.
And from the start they where back together as if they never disbanded in 1994. I saw them a couple of times in the late 80s and the beginning of the 90s and always thought they would make it big, but somehow they never got off the independent label circuit and signed by the industry. They biggest shows where support slots in Hamburg and Bremen for the Toten Hosen on their 1992 Learning English Tour.
Rubbermaids (Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
They sure looked different than back then, where they took the look of the time all in: Hair (extra hair), non-punk conformity clothing, ribbed and thorn jeans and sneakers. Very 90s. Very American.
And being able to pen matching hits like this one (and the video definitely sports the look of those days):
And how did it look and sound today? It sure looked different but sounded still great. And their main asset – lightweight songs with drive paired with multi-vocal harmonies still comes through almost puuurrrfect on That Rings A Bell:
I was not the only one more than positively surprised. And taken back in time by say 30 years. Wow. As much as myself plenty of folks of the now packed main room of the Knust had either their jaws dropped or moving in sing-a-long.
They did not do a lot of chatting, rather kept the flow and nodding toward many old fellows in the audience. And receiving loads of applause.
Rubbermaids (Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
Near perfect set, only few misses in chords or rhythm. Perfect drumming, perfect bass and fast forward dual guitar play. And their biggest asset in perfection: Near perfect vocals and multi-vocal harmonies. From where i sit one of the biggest mu-sick-al surprises in 2023, i honestly did not expect this.
Will they do this again or more regular? No clue, as they all have family, work and other musical adventures. In different places.
It did set the bar high for the Razors though, trust me! And the Razors kicked of like this:
Bang! As in a literal and visual Bang!
And from there they took the lot through an extended set – old old stuff and new old stuff. Favorites and outtakes. Covers and originals.
Razors (Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
And sure thing within that the one cover (from a long forgotten Scottish Power-Pop band) that i now regard as their signature song:
Oh oh oh oh the shape of things to come Oh oh oh oh the shape of things to come
The well oiled machine almost never stopped to take a breath: Christiane on the wild side, Stoffel shredding it (in a great shirt, Bärchen was in attendance of the show actually) and Sven hammering it home.
Razors (Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
And Klaus, towering the center of the stage, smiling, singing and encouraging the lot to sing-a-long.
Razors (Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
Little did i know when i thought for myself that the Razors would have a hard time after the energetic show of the Rubbermaids, i was proven so wrong.
The Razors simply took the lot by storm and the lot (sans one intoxicated individual that got a helping hand leaving the room) returned the favor.
Prior to the encore they even took the opportunity to side with the lot.
Razors - Hanx!(Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
It was almost midnight when the encore culminated into the all family hands on deck sing-a-long mix of “Because You’re Young” and “YNWA” and the whole place sung the last song together with Klaus.
Razors & Family (Knust, Hamburg, 30.12.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
The perfect finish to 2023, a year that as said was not all honky-dory but as most of the years the traditional Razors show was an uplifting one. Plenty of people to bump into, to speak with or to just say Hi to. And great mu-sick.
And as every year it draw people from Hamburg and far. My friend Nico from Rotterdamn did return after being my guest last year and walking him home to his hotel after the show i realized that he is now ready to sign up for the Razors Fan-Club (he liked the sing-a-long attitude of the set).
Due to the post-Op situation of my leg i did not stay for the dancing procedures in the pub of the Knust but rather went home – all sober – early with my guest. Big thanks to the Razors and the Knust for making this possible, year on year. We love you!
PS: As an extra, as Sven is most of the time hidden behind the drums and those who can roam around the stage without the baggage of a drum set (and thanks to the virtue of long cables) – here is the god of drums:
As as form of appreciation here three downloads you can print on high gloss photographic paper if you dare (or in any other form). For me they sum-up the evening and have a lot of individual details (go searching!) that make me simply … smile! Go klick on ’em!
Rubbermaids
Razors
Razors Family
