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Tag: Hafenklang

  • … perfect wall of sound vs. enchanted power pop: Küken & The Marked Men!

    … perfect wall of sound vs. enchanted power pop: Küken & The Marked Men!

    That was a wee bit of a surprise: The Marked Men would grace Hamburg again, 10 years after their triumphant Get!Lost!Fest! #2 set. And they got paired with a perfect counterpart:

    Where the Marked Men give the lot catchy power pop, fast and simple rhythm, driving drumbeats and chorus driven song structures Hamburg’s very own Küken are a guarantee for …

    … fast, forceful and simple wall of sound proto punk with perfect twin vocals.

    I was hoping for a packed show, in reality the turnout for this early Sunday show (doors at 19:00, start short after 20:00) was slow to arrive and best “well filled“. Which, under the current struggles of Clubs to fill shows, was ok i guess.

    Küken took some extra time to get on stage and kicked into the set with one of my favorites, that is “RnR Band” for a start:

    Bang, there almost ain’t no better start into a tight and fast set.

    And that is their custom anyway, not a lot of chitchat but pushing out songs one after the other. Given that all songs are well below the 02:00 mark the focus anyway is on the continuous barrage of chords and the driving drums.

    Küken (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 03.11.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    That paired with the same voice twice dual singing is simply a perfect niche in this vast genre. Call it Punk, call it Garage, call it Proto Punk … or simply stick Rock’n’Roll to it.

    Here is the finishing touch, more on that RnR side of things:

    It was not a surprise that Küken came across absolutely tight and near perfect, as this show was the topping of a short run from Leipzig via Berlin back to Hamburg.

    Oh my, for my ears this was a perfect set!

    Get your dose of Küken below and make sure you order all of their records. Even Jeff Burke scored Kücken III after the show at the merch table!

    Next The Marked Men and in classic unpretentious style they took next to nothing to set themselves up and kicked off with one of their classic hymns:

    Thanks indeed for giving us again the chance to spend “A little time” with you guys and sing-a-long to this beauty of a pop (like in popular) song:

    Just give a little bit of time
    'Cause you know that you can never live before you die
    Get out of the way
    You know a little spilled blood will make a nice distraction

    Can’t cap your lid, but booze that mind
    I don’t care you know it’s not a loss if it’s not our dime
    It’s just a little hit
    You gotta grow up with the X on

    [Bridge]

    It’s just a little bit of time outside
    With the ones who care on our side
    Just a little bit of time outside
    Just a world of
    You’ll get your life to say
    Just a little bit
    Just a little of it

    (c) 2006 The Marked Men / SESAC

    The Internet (damn Internet, never forgets) has the simple truth on this one:

    It’s a perfect song: the way everyone comes in a split second before the vocals hit, the way everything drops away for the guitar lead and the bass drum, the way it breaks after the chorus where the guitars start dueling each other with clean chords being picked at note by note.

    Alex Barett for Razorcake (2012)

    The only item that felt a bit off was somewhat the sound: In front of the stage it sounded less powerful than i would have expected, though overall at the end it felt ok.

    My wild guess: The perfect and loud wall of sound by Küken set a precedence that anyway The Marked Men with their style would never reach.

    The Marked Men (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 03.11.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    What the lot got was skillful guitar work, melodies and multi-vocal singing, slower songs and faster ones – a happy mix from the overall Marked Men Œuvre.

    Listening to all 4 long players prior to the show for something like a warm-up i was stunned (though i should have known better) how consistent they sound. Some may say “everything sounds the same” but i rather call it a consistent sound across a rather short period (2003 to 2008).

    Here is another one, showcasing the solid rhythm section, the twin guitar work and vocal harmonies – a perfect chemistry:

    On top i was also happy to see that in front of the stage yet again a large (and largely younger) female contingent was both enjoying it and happily dancing along. It was a great reminder on what type of mu-sick is being played: (Power) Pop Music like in Popular Music.

    Somewhat many folks where happy that the early show ended – unsurprisingly – early on a dark November Sunday evening, i continued to hang around, chatting with friends and having a post show beer (or two).

    And ended up saying two times “good bye” to my favorite (and overworked) booker – thanks yet again Fab for running this shit against all odds.

    And as unpretentious as both bands delivered and enabled a great evening i realized that this show actually qualified for my shortlist of Show Of The Year.

    Rightfully!

    Fun thing: Franz from Otis Tours bumped into plenty Punk Rock Raduno regulars from Hamburg with a broad smile…
  • … sane evening in a doomed scenery!

    … sane evening in a doomed scenery!

    It had been a shitty last week (being off with a severe cold, luckily not Covid) and it had been an even more shitty start of the week with two loved ones being admitted to hospital. In order to get my mind focused elsewhere i decided for a full-on blast by Hellshock, despite their sound not being a 100% up my mu-sick-al alley.

    Support was to be A.F.K. but they had too pull out due to an even more tragic event, Atom Atom jumped in to provide support. I was somewhat happy, as ever since i saw them supporting Nightfeeder in June i took a liking in them.

    Atom Atom (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 15.10.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    They kicked off to about 60odd folks upstairs at the Hafenklang and initially it sounded … shite. Bass too loud, Guitar too silent, vocals somewhat working … it took a while until both the band and the sound guy had a better sound worked out.

    But from there they took it exactly into the territory that made me dig them: Speed, umpf and some neat variations away from hammering H/C and/or D-Beat. And their biggest assets remains to be the vocals: Growls from the Guitar, anything from Screams to Opera from the Bass. Cool, ctd.

    Atom Atom (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 15.10.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    By all means, check them out yourself – they are definitely worth it. On record they sound like this:

    Go, see them live and buy one of these beauties!

    Next Hellshock and something completely different. Hailing from Portland (OR) in the US of A aka Stumptown they have been around a while, i guess 25 odd years or so.

    And what do the experts say (as i never saw them nor heard them prior)?

    But what made Hellshock special then? Not unlike Atrocious Madness, Hellshock took the sense of Japanese intertextuality and applied it to vintage late 80's crust while keeping that PDX punk sound.

What did i get in real?

    A 5 piece, Drums/Bass centered and setting the pace, twin guitar and a singer that only ever sings with one fist in the air. To my single-minded mu-sick-al mind it sounded like mid tempo crust–doom–metal most of the time, though there where songs where they flirted with guitar overcasts (great!) and speed (nice!).

    Hellshock (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 15.10.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    Their main asset to me was exactly in the middle, the Drummer and the Bass expertly kept it together and defined direction and pace, the Bass even throwing in a few chorus lines and – even better – some great Bass lines up and down the neck.

    Most of the audience liked it, had their fist in the air and hammered down on the sound. I have to admit that they won’t convince me down their path but what they do they do very good.

    And it gave my stomach the right push to overcome sorrow.

    If you are into this niche, then by all means check them out:

    Nice little show, perfect surrounding but all of it under the continued overshadow of the nightmare i would call “Blackmail on the Hafenklang”.

    It is frustrating to see and hear people i trust, when it come to mu-sick-al choices and in running shows, spending their time on … accusations. On blackmail. On … being asked to take side in a fucking monstrosity.

    Late pullouts due to … the damn internet spinning a high speed, because someone believes he/she needs to support a cause. At all cost.

    At the cost of others, sure thing.

    That frustration somewhat eats away parts of a good show. Damn.

    Here is what the Hafenklang has to say on the matter:

    Hafenklang’s comments on concert cancellations, boycotts and red lines

Our stage has been used by so many artists who condemn totalitarian regimes, nationalism and fascism, and we want it to stay that way! Because all the people who work in this club stand firmly behind these ideas. We condemn war and the militarisation of society and call for a ceasefire and an end to the senseless killing of civilians.

We stand in solidarity with the civilian population in Gaza and Lebanon. We also strongly criticise the right-wing government and Israeli settlement policy, naming human rights violations and war crimes committed in violation of international law, while at the same time not questioning the right of the state of Israel to exist! Emancipatory politics means to us that we have to practice what we preach and therefore, of course, we allow different opinions and endure things.

„IF YOU ARE NOT WITH US, YOU ARE AGAINST US…“
HOWEVER, WE SEE THIS AS ANTI-DEMOCRATIC ATTITUDE!


Until a few weeks ago, we would not have thought it possible that we would have to publicly respond to such accusations. After all, we have just received appreciation, respect and recognition for decades of independent cultural work in the form of over 200,000 euros from 3,500 donors in just a few days.

Instead of dealing with the sensible use of the money, we are currently spending immeasurable energy and measurable time dealing with hostility, ultimatums and calls for boycotts. Which are related to the war in the Middle East. Hafenklang is already on blacklists, being labelled almost simultaneously as racist, Zionist, anti-German, anti-Semitic, left-wing extremist or even fascist. BDS or its sympathisers contact booked acts and demand cancellations. A lot of pressure is being exerted in an aggressive dynamic. In the last week alone, we have received four cancellations of upcoming concerts.


The Hafenklang music club is run by an association of about 60 people. In May 2024, there was an extraordinary general meeting to discuss and vote on the publication of a statement regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fully aware of the self-destructive explosivenees, especially in subcultural structures, and in view of the fact that there are a wide range of opinions and definitions internally, we decided by a majority not to publish a statement. The conflict and its history are really too complex for us to take a clear, striking and, above all, collective stand. This is blowing up in our faces now.


So what is going on?


First of all, the following information: a total of five bookers with their own decision-making authority worked for the club last year. So far, not a single show has been cancelled by our side. In a single case, it was decided during the planning process not to book a band that had not yet been confirmed, let alone publicly announced, due to differences in content. There is no and never has been any „instruction“ or similar from the club side that pro-Palestinian artists are not allowed to perform at Hafenklang!


We do not perceive it as censorship to tell an act in advance, when asked, that we do not want anti-Semitism, undifferentiated hatred of Israel, national flags or Hamas propaganda on our stage.


We do not want our stage to be used to deepen the conflicts between people. We also know that our personal opinions would make no difference in the resolution of the conflict, which is completely
beyond our control. We believe that support and solidarity for the people who suffer from this conflict should not be expressed by discriminating against other people. There is no person whose life has a higher value than that of others. We want you to keep this in mind when you enter the Hafenklang

From: Hafenklang Website

From where i sit, they have my full support. I have spend the best part of the last 45 years now sucking up what was called Punk Rock back then and if there was one thing i learned, then it is if someone tries to force me to decide to take his standpoint ... most likely i won't.

    As the saying goes:

    A circle whose center is you has such a small radius that the rest of the world practically doesn't notice it.

    This is also called a point of view.

    The radius actually has to be exactly zero, but in practice a sufficiently small value works.
  • … double surprise, double happiness: Bleakness and M.I.A.!

    … double surprise, double happiness: Bleakness and M.I.A.!

    A double surprise on two fronts: First, i fell for Bleakness since i stumbled across them by chance online. And sure was eager to see them. Second, i never thought i would get to see M.I.A. in Hamburg. Ever.

    Bleakness opened the evening to a rather small turnout, as there where at least 3 conflicting shows in walking distance from the Hafenklang on Friday, that had partial overlap with respect to audience. But as ever, a mere luxury problem in the big city.

    Having been listening to Bleakness already i was eager to see what is on the menue…

    Bleakness – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.09.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    … and bang, somewhat a disappointment. My favorite song from their recent LP was missing! An outright scandal! Why the heck did this one miss the cut?

    It is not only a great song for the mu-sick, it also carries great dark lyrics:

    ( (c) Bleakness 2022)

    Live, boy, they are simply great. And thus can even drop such class songs from the set. Whilst the sound was not 100% perfect, you could feel that with their simple 3 piece setup they can create a near perfect blend of early 80s Post Punk (some said “Killing Joke“, i more leaned to “Wipers” – but any of these references would work) and very hard hitting and well paced Hardcore (in the non-NYHC sense).

    Bleakness (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.09.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    Even within a single song they are able to venture between various styles and package that with sufficient umpf:

    I was so glued, that i did not take a video shot – so big hugs to Beno for lending this one. It was also great to see that on stage they delivered with broad smiles, making the energy they put into it pretty much visible.

    Audience reception was somewhat stereotypical Hamburg, very shy and held back. Maybe the sound anyway does not cater for enthusiastic and frenetic dancing, maybe it is more for the introvert connoisseur. But i could sense more than just listening, i felt quite some appreciation around me.

    Bleakness (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.09.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    For me, Bleakness worked live as much as they did please my ears with recorded output. They are slightly different to the other great French bands recently that pair Oi! with Wave but they fit into the same bin. A bin worth to go though! As they had records on sale, i was determined to later score vinyl and to thank them for a great set.

    And, frank, i would love to see them again, maybe with a wee bit a better (clearer) sound and better lights. And less stage smoke, as to me it adds nothing to a show.

    After a short changeover M.I.A. took the stage and kicked off like this:

    That’s “Beautiful World (But Not For Me)” from their 1987 Flipside LP “After The Fact“. Fun fact: Weird System (from Hamburg) even released a German version – so much in demand were they back then!

    Shortly after that record M.I.A. did split up and called it a day. And ever since singer Mike Conley passed away in 2008 following a tragic accident i thought that it was all done and dusted. Me forever holding on to their records (that i played up and down in the 80s) as outstanding example of a slightly different California Hardcore sound.

    But never ever getting a chance to see them.

    Fast forward to 2024 and it is Nick Adams singing and strumming the chords, Larz Pearson pushing it forward hitting those drums and Paul Schwartz handling the heavy 4 strings (and occasional singing).

    And all of them are from the pre-1987 incarnation of M.I.A.

    M.I.A. (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.09.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    What was immediately apparent was the absence of the unique voice of Mike Conley and the lack of singers presence in the middle of the stage.

    On top it felt like that Nick somewhat found it difficult to sing and play guitar at the same time. Chatting with him after the show he confirmed that it is indeed tough to manage but that they had made a conscious decision to play as original members only.

    In hindsight i’d say it was the right decision. Stay self & true i guess. Also they did not try to 1:1 recreate the sound of the 80s and thus effectively – like some other bands – come across as cover versions of their earlier self (or, worse, misplaced in time).

    Speaking of covers, they included “California Dreaming” too (as it was a standard in their set back then):

    The more they played, the better it sounded and the better it came across. Reception by the audience was more outgoing than with Bleakness, i guess there were many older people like myself eager to finally see them and all came with own memories of the songs (up to and including being able to sing-a-long to some).

    M.I.A. (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.09.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    My wild guess is that young people today have no clue how important, how good and how present M.I.A. had been over in the US of A in the 1980s. Little fun fact:

    Yes, they played on the finALL Descendents bill. I would give a lot if finally i would be able to fix up my DeLorean to get there!

    Towards the end they also threw one of my favorites in, “Boredom Is The Reason“:

    Yet another song that did set them apart back then and a nice sing-a-long:

    Hatred and destruction, it seems so cruel
Don’t wanna be a part of it or be like you
You wear a swastika to shock and offend
It’s become so passive, just another trend

Why do you do it?
Why do you try?
You’ve got no answer
It’s just your instinct in life
Boredom is your reason

You beat up your own kind, refuse to unite
Because you’re so stubborn, because you don’t like
Your mindless fights, they don’t stop a thing
You’re just a loser living in a dream

(c) HIPR Music

Was the set a "Show Of The Year" contender? No, i guess not.

    But it was a worthy and humble effort to give people in Europe a chance to reconnect with the past, delivered well. And at the end of the set i was no longer missing a singer in the middle of the stage, to that extend it turned out a pleasant surprise.

    M.I.A. -Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.09.2024)

    Someone from the audience noted that the set was criss-crossing the records (and thus incarnations) rather random and he was not too happy with it. From where i sit that does not hold true, in contrast – i don’t necessarily like the idea of playing like all 3 LP’s back to back in pressed sequence.

    And anyway, the above setlist in the last section is pure gold:

    What you hate: Boredom, Hippies, Las Vegas and When It’s over.

    My kinda humor!

    Thanks M.I.A. for finally coming over and surprising me, much appreciated!

    As ever when a band convinces me live i scored vinyl. Bleakness was a sure thing, the M.I.A. re-released stuff i did let go as i have all their stuff including the Lost Boys Double-LP. No need to get it again, though the packaging looked excellent.

    You can score these beauties and more from Bleakness at our local trusted dealer Sounds Of Subterrania in Hamburg or from Sabotage Records in Bremen. They are worth it!

    Great evening, would have deserved +30 up to +50 folks and a younger contingent. But a perfect package with a pleasant balance between new/modern and old/modernized – as such #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic!