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Tag: Hafenklang

… when SHE just FUCKING SHREDS: A perfect friday night with a scent of female!
My friends know that i have slight preference for the female voice when it comes to punk fucking rock. I also believe that genuinely there are not enough girls in front of the stage and on the stage. Hence this show was a definite must: No only where the Neighborhood Brats back in town, they also had Mobina Galore from sunny Winnipeg in tow (or where pushing them Girls ahead of them).

As a start we had Mood Change from Kiel, a trio where the female element armed the bass and the backup vocals. I guess they put themselves as Post Punk, though that label won’t mean a thing to me. They played with some twaaang but also with muffled and almost all the same main vocals.
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Mood Change (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.04.2018) (c) gehkacken.de)
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I somehow had immediate dislike on the vocals and as such as times they where more boring for me, though they had some nicer and instrumental sections that had the right balance of power and guitar play. No clue where they are heading for, in my sick mu-sickal mind they will need to turn to something – else they won’t be my thingy.

Next on them Brats with Jenny back from blonde to short dark hair and a look that someone in the audience identified as “…like an MMA fighter“. And they stormed into their set like this:

Back with a bang i’d say. And worth to note that somehow the sound this time round was so much better – it was hand-in-glove. And gloves is something you can imagine on Jenny, though by trade she is a Yoga-Instructor if i am not mistaken. But you rarely see a front woman that energetic, that visual and that closely playing with the audience. First class, as far as i am concerned.
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Neighborhood Brats(Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.04.2018) (c) gehkacken.de)
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And whilst not headlining the still put a good amount of songs out, from short blasts of CA H/C on to much more complex songs with breaks, interludes and scents of blistering surf. Guess what – i dig them!

There was just no stopping and i’d hope that their new record is just the beginning of something even slicker, even faster, even funnier – for a start the three songs are sure thing in the right territory.

Wham bam thank you boys! They blasted through an hour worth of songs in reality but it felt like 30 minutes only somehow. I desperately look forward to have them again. And some more.

Next on Mobina Galore from Canada who can claim to have invented the most fitting label for themselves: They are a self-proclaimed vocally aggressive power chord punk duo and boy that sums it up neatly, to the point. Leaving not a single doubt or room for imagination.
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Mobina Galore (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.04.2018) (c) gehkacken.de)
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What Dog Party are for the pop-punk corner they sure thing for the even hard and faster territory. All you need is energy, vocals, guitar and drums. You put it on stage next to each other, wire two amps and off you go. Stunning. Just frankly stunning. I do see a long list of bass players now retiring and that with a damn good reason.

Feel how they blast “Pieces of you” down into the Hafenklang (and blow that volume up to 12 my friend):

And whilst they have that energy and vocal aggression they also have an eye for meaningful lyrics, so use this to get along and sing along:
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I always knew that you'd leave first, something that good, won't last forever
Now I won't see you getting older I thought I could have held your hand more

My home is pieces of you, my home is pieces of you

When the sun shines in my eyes I wish that they were yours, that you could see it
Now you won't see me getting older, remember when you said that you'd be there
Where you stood now there is her filling up my heart with every sound she makes
Not a kind of substitution, every way I look, the best distraction

My home is pieces of you, my home is pieces of you

A CITY AWAY TOO FAR FROM YOU, HOP A PLANE, I'M ON MY WAY
MOM MY LIFE HAS GONE TOO FAST, LOSING TIME, I'M ON MY WAY
LEFT TOO LONG TO LATE TO BEG, PLEASE DON'T GO, I'M ON MY WAY
EVERYWHERE I LOOK I SEE THAT I'M PIECES OF YOU

A year gone by so fast I hold a memory so close, I stay with those I love
Now you visit when I sleep where I ask you all the things I never got to
So take me in your arms tonight, never let go, you're always with me

My home is pieces of you, my home is pieces of you

A CITY AWAY TOO FAR FROM YOU, HOP A PLANE, I'M ON MY WAY
MOM MY LIFE HAS GONE TOO FAST, LOSING TIME, I'M ON MY WAY
LEFT TOO LONG TO LATE TO BEG, PLEASE DON'T GO, I'M ON MY WAY
EVERYWHERE I LOOK I SEE THAT I'M PIECES OF YOU

You're in the walls and in the floor x3
My home is pieces of you

(c) Mobina Galore - 2014
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And off stage it looks like this:

After almost 40 years of seeing shows and buying records i did put myself under a more or less strict rule (to limit the hording of vinyl): Only ever buy records if a band is able to convince you down from that stage, live. Jenna and Marcia did so, specifically the guitar play made me melt. Now you please go out and see them too – they are worth it. And, yes, they are all female!

And thus the night ended with a couple of beers, some chats, a freebee record for a mate and some broad smiles. That is how a Friday night show, with a scent of female, should come around.

And yes, SHE FUCKING SHREDS!
2018/04/30
… at times Spinal Tap, at times perfect rage: Gust and Burn in an early short blast!
BURN? That NYHC band that basically had one single in 1990 and that’s it? OK, there was more output later but that was already re-union type of efforts. And their mu-sick anyway never fitted that one NYHC sound that people at least over here had in their mind. But now they are back for good and en route to Oslo did a quick stopover and early show in Hamburg.

Support where Gust from sunny Trollhättan, SE. They place themselves as “metal d beat hardcore hardcorepunk punk“, a nice set of boxes to place them. Very polite young dudes that explode in a 24 Minute set of noise and energy.
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Gust (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 11.03.2018) (c) gehkacken.de)
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Great visuals (including traditional Swedish Björn Brog underwear) , exceptionally hairy chested guitar dude (first Spinal Tap sighting) that had plenty of gear (2nd Spinal Tap sighting) to sound very harsh and an angry staring singer. My type of mu-sick? Nope. But they where tight as a band and they pushed it out with quite some energy. And even if i do not dig the sound that makes it worthwhile.

Burn provided the next Spinal Tap sighting:

Burn – Set List (Hafenklang, hamburg, 11.03.2018)

A set list that provides the name of city they are playing in. Well done. Or was that for the die hard collectors that take set lists home and archive it? Then signatures where missing (and that would be a Spinal Tap Bonus point).
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Burn (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 11.03.2018) (c) gehkacken.de)
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And how did they sound? Complicated is the very first word that comes to my mind and it ain’t meant to sound negative. They do have a very unique sound, with loads of little breaks, speed changes, bridges, flirting guitar and what have you. And they have presence in the middle of the stage – Chaka Malik is a hell of a singer and get the message across big time.

Listen to him talking about the old days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_CsxBq4wLg

There was also another Spinal Tap sighting with them: They guitar player had an unbelievable amount of effect devices and pedals lined up to create his guitar sound – specifically the flirting parts. He also had his eyes mostly down there and most of the time one of his feet on a pedal. And yes, it was not all Spinal Tap – he could play too, boy could he play!

Some of the songs where just perfect and spot on, others where just too complicated to my immediate liking (and tended to be too long too). But indeed it was worth it come out and see them, actually only 70 odd good folks did so. Star of the day was one guy who apparently already appeared at the club in the afternoon, fully drunk, managing his way in appearing like belonging to either of the bands. And then falling asleep. The good folks at the club woke him up at the end of the soundcheck and asked him to leave and went into tears “did i miss the concert?” – Spinal Tap sighting yet again!

For me a good show, slightly excessive at the door but needed to get both bands and club to make the required margin. So fine by me. I’d love to see Burn again in a slightly different setting eg. support a bigger band on a bigger stage – i think that would fit even better.

How did they sound back then – here is the classeffort from 1990:

And why are they together again – listen up youth:
2018/03/16
… fallen out of time and fallen upon the youth: Johnny Moped in a sold out pub rock rampage!
Oh boy, what an amount of noise this show created upfront. On the one side due to the fact that Johnny Moped should actually be a no-one over here (but is loved by the punk rock connoisseur crowd) and thus the for weeks sold out show created frustration by regulars (who counted on door tickets) and on the other side due to the support, who are handled locally and in the younger circuit as hottest shit.

Cavity Search hold some familiar faces, at least two i connected to other Hamburg bands like Plastic Propaganda (on hiatus) and Violent Instinct. And they portray themselves as coming from London and whilst that is a bit of a simple joke it might also hold some truth: I doubt that they get anywhere near success with their sound over here but i bet ya they would have a chance in London.

And this is how they kicked off:

Whilst some of me mates liked them instantaneously i had some reservations, without being able to really pin-point them. A nice variation in the guitar sound, a sturdy bass and a very vocal female voice. And then the bit that brought that itch – in my head the drumming did not always fit the songs well. But who am i to complain, it is their sound and if that is what they want – off you go!
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Cavity Search (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.03.2018) (c) gehkacken.de)
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Some people have them down as “Post Punk”, some as “Garage” – i don’t have a clue what label to put on them. At least they seam to nurture a unique sound, that’s great. Some of older people around in the audience, who sure where in it for Johnny Moped only, complained about the punk styled visuals of the band and their prime followers in a way to express the word poser i guess.

I don’t think that does justice, you lot might have looked that way at 20something too in the eyes of elderly. The ultimate litmus test was coined by Mykel Board in 1985 and only ever that test should be applied! Despite that hidden undercurrent Cavity Search got a fair share of support and even an encore. Let’s see where they end up in future.

And that got us Johnny Moped and got me to see the drummer setting up his gear with professional obsession (and with his cymbals in rock star style) that made me fear the worst. He also took longer than needed, whilst the rest of the band was easy and quick. But in the the he turned out just as such – a professional drummer that hit everything with precission.

What to expect? Johnny Moped was around before punk, as you can see on this almost legendary 1974 snippet that has Captain Sensible of the Damned in the frame too:

The best ever quotation is from an older Guardian article from 2013:
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"Listen, Johnny Moped were better than the Clash and the Pistols put together," a young Shane MacGowan assured me 30 years ago. I can't remember if he was drinking, but he had a point.

...

Johnny Moped were funny, fully dysfunctional and fortunate to form when they did, but what set them apart from the army of Ramones' re-fits was their frontman, Paul Halford (aka Johnny Moped).

Diagnosing themselves with typical 70s insensitivity as "82% mentally disabled", Johnny was a complex case: part park bench liability, part open-hearted poet. Their charismatic vocalist, Poundland sound and risible styling (the colander-as-headgear never really took off) found a loyal audience in Britain's stickier, strike-struck pubs. 

Their year was 1977.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/02/basically-johnny-moped-punk-rock-documentary
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And the fun thing is that whilst generally just an oddity in the greater schemes of the mu-sick history they did sell out the upstairs room at the Hafenklang. And when it came to proof it they kick off with one of their instant classics:

And that should set the tone – it ain’t punk but it is perfect pub rock, speeded up to meet current consumers preferences and Johnny at time with an almost spoken words performance. People loved it from the start and early on got into it.
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Johnny Moped (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 02.03.2018) (c) gehkacken.de)
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And whilst that one was from the 1978 “Cycledlic” Album on Chiswick (that one where dependent on how you put the needle you either got VD Boiler or a Mystery Track) their set covered all the years of output (though that is only 3 Albums and 8 singles, i guess you can make out how successfully Johnny Moped where). This one is another pub sing-a-long with a worthy cause (and it is from 1990):

Would i go out with Johnny and save them seals? Naaa, don’t think so, i would not trust him enough to be frank. But what emitted from the stage was fun and wit, something that normally puts the spark onto the audience. Same here, the crowed got singing, dancing and provided loads of applause – be it the old folks at the front and at the very back or be it the young ones in between.

It also got us into overtime and some more, until a final encore was provided with another pub rock classic – Something Else (yes, that one that Sid Vicious did cover).

Wow – all in all it was much better than i expected and a worthy entertainment. I would not go an extra mile for Johnny Moped but for a Friday night out with -10 degrees outside it was the perfect sound for some chats and some beer.

If you want to know more about Johnny Moped then here is great documentary to watch that will give you all the insights and all the answers. And beware, there is a lot of fame talking about Johnny …

And whilst some people liked it to the max i also need to report that some did not like it all and that is fair, you can’t always match it for everyone. And, surprise, that pairing of Cavity Search and Johnny Moped did work as they had not a single overlap in style and sound.

Mu-sick, best served live. I can only repeat myself.
2018/03/04