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Tag: Hafenklang

  • … lonely cold Thursday but all local, all great!

    … lonely cold Thursday but all local, all great!

    That was somewhat an ill-fated Thursday evening: Initially set as “The Pissed Ones & The Outcasts” it was drawing high desires (because of The Outcasts) but then the guys from sunny Belfast had to pull their short run across Germany due to health issues.

    The Spartanics, whom i found the biggest surprise live last year stepped in and upcoming local heroes Senkrechtstarter where added. Only to find The Spartanics to pull out shortest notice due to sickness too. They send their local friends The Cockheads instead.

    Net result: A rather empty upstairs in the Hafenklang, i guess not even 45 folks showed up. Damn!

    For myself the first band was a must, i missed all other occasions to see Senkrechtstarter all of last year.

    This is how they kicked off:

    And yes, they had to face indeed a largely empty room, people still arrived whilst they played.

    They ticked a couple of boxes with me, fist and foremost: Dressed for the occasion. Stage uniform. Senkrechtstarter workshirts in black.

    Any band that meets this entertainment necessity does have huge credits with me when it comes to live shows.

    Senkrechtstarter (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.01.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    They play uptempo (though not fast paced), they play Punk Rock (though with a scent of Power Pop) and they sing in German.

    And the lyrics, boy, they are their biggest asset. Jason (of Platzangst, Rubbermaids, Weltniveau and many more bands fame) writes the songs. Creates the lyrics. And sings.

    And it has something indeed, i do hope that they get to play more occasions, bigger crowds. They deserve it.

    Here is how they finished the set:

    They have a demo out, check it out on Bandcamp:

    And, being a smart band, they handed stickers, badges and the demo on a CD to the audience, pay what you want. Or, if you want, take also the moneys that other threw in.

    Grant idea!

    Next the fill-in for The Spartanics – the Cockheads. I am not sure if they should have been a 3-some (i guess so) and if they lost their bass due to the short notice option to play in Hamburg.

    The setup, with the guitar amp’d through both sides of the stage, seemed deliberate. They played rather short songs, with the vocals sounding a bit thin.

    How did it sound? Here is a slightly longer one:

    Whilst it was not bad i always had that itch that the bass was missing. It would have given the songs more depth, more umpf.

    Somewhat i had the feeling that actually they where playing a modern way of providing Gassenhauer (but not the Carl Orff one) to the audience, not sure what made my mu-sick-al receptors connect that way.

    The Cockheads (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.01.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    They got friendly applause and whilst a mate resorted to smoking outside i found it – in the end – entertaining. And short. As in bonus.

    They got quickly followed by The Pissed Ones, hailing upstream from Dresden on the mighty river Elbe, and they took the stage like this:

    Bäng – that was a heavy hitting contrast. That one was “Come and get it” from their 2022 LP.

    Much more pushing forward, much more Punk Rock on steroids (like, say, New York 1970something and/or Briefs/Stitches territory).

    In contrast to the other two bands they sing in English and i guess that is anyway without alternative given the sound.

    The Pissed Ones (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.01.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Strumming chords, knacking bass and the utmost hard hitting drums. And all topped with some behind the wall of sound overtones by the other guitar, but indeed these small overtones, solos and whathaveyou thrown in made the whole shebang almost perfect.

    Yes, they definitely lean also to the hard rocking side of Punk fucking Rock:

    Wild! And utmost entertaining!

    The songs tend to be above 3 minutes, the guitar play is front and center and the rhythm should get into peoples feat (though the lack of audience did not really make that happen).

    The Pissed Ones (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.01.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    The real eye catcher for me was the drummer: Not only did he hit very very hard (and pushed the lot forward), he also made funny faces, exaggerated the stick handling and looked around like a madman.

    And for the final song, he claimed the closing credits:

    Wow, i was a tad bit surprised.

    Great set and for sure a band to explore. And somewhat i was not surprise to find among their records this one:

    These recordings where done for a radio feature about Patty Smith and they fit the thing just puuurfect.

    From where i sit The Pissed Ones can come back any day, best downstairs and with a full house. They do deserve that indeed.

    As ever when i am a happy bunny i take something home, this time i sure could not pass the Senkrechtstarter offer.

    Senkrechtstarter Demo CD (DYI)

    Great Thursday though only 3 mates around me. Pitty. But i was lucky all the way, public transport gave me a slick ride home into the suburbs with no waiting time in the ice cold night on changeovers.

    And indeed the all local (German) bands setting worked well!

    … unfortuneatly The Outcasts had to cancel their German shows

  • … harmony intro to a beatdown!

    … harmony intro to a beatdown!

    There are many things i dig but there is a much bigger amount of things i don’t dig. In this little niche i savor i tend to listen to recorded and live mu-sick to, the amount of likes tends to be bigger but there also sore thorns i just can’t fathom.

    As one of me mates put it: “There ain’t nuthin stupider in the H/C genre than the invention of beatdown dancing“. And he is quite right. But often the brutal and brisk onslaught onto me ears in the same sub-genre is actually pleasant.

    That was the conflict for this show and the urge to get a good blast because of an annoying work week so far was bigger than the pain of … ah, toss it.

    Kick off was from Norway, Oh See Demons hail from rainy Bergen and must have felt home in the Hamburg weather.

    They sure where the outlier, as their very American, very modern approach to H/C did not necessarily match the sound of the other two bands.

    Oh See Demons (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.11.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    At good time i sensed a scent of Prophagandhi, at bad times it had a metalic undercurrent. Main asset was the near-perfect multi-vocal harmonies when singing, all in a much higher than grunt pitch.

    Oh See Demons – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.11.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de

    I guess they were largely wasted on the audience, i found them entertaining though only little audience interaction.

    Would i buy a record? I guess not but the one or the other song are actually more than OK. As always, check them out for yourself.

    Next Ingrown, hailing from la rivière boisée (aka Boise, Idaho). Famous for the Basque Block. And surprisingly with a long mu-sick-al history. And Ingrown, hailed as a band that is a lightspeed tour through crushing power violence, towering riffs, and titanic breakdowns (to quote the internet. Damn internet, never forgets).

    Ingrown (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.11.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    And exactly that is what the lot got in i guess a set of max of 20 minutes. And it got those beatdown dancers beating down. They are an onslaugt indeed and it was great to feel their pressure in my stomach.

    Just the grunts that serve as vocals don’t make my day.

    Check them out, i am a wee bit inclined to maybe score the Idaho LP at one point in time.

    Next GAG and all turned hunkydory: Everything i may have missed with Ingrown came across here. First and foremost a roaming singer with dual guitars giving both a wider sound and something eyecatching.

    GAG (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.11.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    Their songs are equally short but somewhat less simple, less hard without missing the aggressive touch needed. They hail from Olympia, Washington, incubator for sub-genres like Riot Girrrl and Grunge.

    Within that context it is worth to note that GAG are not just a replay on say 80s US H/C but have something fresh going.

    It felt like this:

    Fast, hard and short. And within, strange enough, i had references kicking out of the blue into my head that i did not expect: No Trend. Or No Means No. Though these where only ever like a blink, not constant.

    GAG (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.11.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    They kept their set also short (albeit longer than Ingrown) and they had a wee bit of consumer interaction. And that was to extend of “come closer or fuck right off” and “if you ask for an encore i’m gonna kick you”. I guess you get the fun.

    On record they sound … i take you have checked it out above. I will give it some listen online and then decide later if i am gonna buy one. But live, they are a convincing band.

    And did the dance style annoy? It did, but hey-ho it ain’t for old fart to wage a war on this. Everybody to do what she likes unless it harms others.

    Neat evening, quick sets, able to make a mate happy by paying for his entry and early finish, so not too late out home in the green of the woods.

  • … 10 years without facing an audience: How Sonny Vincent came back (home, of sorts)!

    … 10 years without facing an audience: How Sonny Vincent came back (home, of sorts)!

    Sonny Vincent had left a lasting impression on Hamburg, ever since eg. Shotgun Rationale graced our shores in the 1990s and he choose to put eg. records out via Hamburgs own Vince Lombardy Highschool Records. And he graced the Hafenklang more than once, last if i recall correctly 2011.

    Poster for last show of Sonny Vincent at the Hafenklang (11.10.2011) …

    But fate came across his touring life around the world, homebased in the Netherlands. Disaster struck 02.01.2016 and his life as a musician more or less ended right there.

    ( (c) Please Kill Me 2021)

    With quite some cheer the lot in Hamburg (and beyond) took note that almost 10 years on he choose to return and selected Hamburg for it.

    The show was sold out in record time, also because it was upstairs in the smaller room. And Sonny was a tad bit nervous and afraid of people:

    I take it a lot of people took some extra effort to make it happen, up to and including the support (the Spitfire Stevens for some time have a Sonny Vincent cover in their setlist).

    Luke and his band took the stage early and kicked off rather mellow:

    And then directly moved into one of their signature songs:

    From the start they where tight, together and had an almost perfect sound (the only complaint: the guitar on the left was a tad bit too loud for the overall sound).

    And whilst they started slow, they also took their faster songs to the stage and overall had a great, balanced, setlist.

    Spitfire Stevens (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.10.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    As almost all the time when i get to see them they made a very humble, almost shy stage appearance. Not too much banter, focused on the delivery.

    Spitfire Stevens (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.10.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    Applause from the already packed house was there, a number of people also silently moved along to the sound. I had to miss their last show at the Hafenbahnhof a couple of weeks ago but got word that it was also a near perfect set & sound.

    They are getting there it looks, i guess it is time for a 3rd 10″ with some new songs!

    Sonny Vincent took the stage soon after and he kicked of like this:

    Bäng!

    Different territory than Spitfire Stevens and heavy, fast and raunchy! And a very modern sound!

    That was My Guitar from 2002 and i guess the whole set was more on the faster side, the fan favorite side of things.

    Whilst there may have been a tad bit of a reservation with Sonny before hitting the stage it felt like him being fully back and fully self assured with guitar play, in front of people.

    Sonny Vincent (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.10.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    Rather, he came for the lot like a Tiger:

    Come For You from 2004 that was.

    Where Sonny took the center, the rest of the band supporting him stood slightly back and simply proved that they are utmost professional musicians:

    Be it Frank Ferrer on drums (with earned badges for a number of bands, most notable Guns’n’Roses), be it Nils Finkeisen with his guitar (a notable stint with Die Krupps but further more co-owner of a well respect Guitar & Amp Retail Store in Hamburg) or be it Christoph Lubrich (Bass in Sidek!ck and long time collaborator with Sonny Vincent under the nickname Billy The Kid).

    Sonny Vincent (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.10.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    Apparently they had two rehearsal sessions together in Hamburg only and boy, the net result was almost hand-in-glove.

    The longer they played, the more the audience was taken along and away, plenty of dancing, plenty of cheers and plenty of beer flying through air!

    The encore included Let’s Get Zooed Out:

    That’s a song dating back to 1976, the Testors and Sonny playing with them all the early spots in NYC: Max’s Kansas City, CBGB – you name it.

    And it is full circle back actually: Sonny always played high octane slash and burn Rock and fucking Roll. And that is what he is hopefully continuing to do (in whatever setup and form).

    Sonny Vincent – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.10.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de

    Time being the show looks like a once-off, for the occasion and also for a new movie project by Danny Garcia on Sonny Vincent. He is the film maker that already gave us Nightclubbing – The Birth Of Punk Rock in NYC:

    Looking forward to that project too!

    It was really an almost magical return with Sonny hitting a yearning audience (and having the most professional backing band you could dream off).

    If you want to wander beyond the music i recommend Sonnys small book Snake Pit Theraphy from 2021.

    … early show, early end – off to the aftershow party!

    As the upstairs of the Hafenklang was needed for something else later the wind-down was rather fast and those who desired took their feet to the after show party.

    Being off sick for some days earlier the week i choose to take off to home, i hope Sonny got a few more cheers (and drinks) at the party!

    Thank You, Sonny!