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Tag: Hafenklang

  • … tough one: GxUxTxSx rather than Go!

    … tough one: GxUxTxSx rather than Go!

    There was a bit of buzz around the return of Go!, namely because Go! Singer Mike did spend some time in Hamburg in the early 90s and thus to some is a known figure.

    Still, it was a rather low-key show upstairs at the Hafenklang, ahead of the Monday Ping-Pong DJ Fixture Go! would play supported by outspoken Go! Fans GxUxTxSx from Brno (home of the famous Brněnský drak), who sport a matching name to Mikes last effort TxWxOx.

    The Hafenklang was quite empty when GxUxTxSx kicked off and sneaking into their setlist i could make a good guess at what was coming.

    GxUxTxSx – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.07.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    My assumption where double confirmed when the singer added skate helmet and knee protectors to his outfit – it’ll be skate fueled hardcore was my (rather safe) bet.

    And how did it sound? It sounded like this (and that song is a neat reference to a 1977 horror movie by Wes Craven):

    Wow – that sounds pretty good! The singer goes AWOL in the space of the only half full room, the Bass and Drum provide a rock solid drive and the guitar, well, the guitar was very capable and provided the icing on the cake.

    They almost rushed through their set, i guess their assault did not take more than 20 minutes. But these 20 minutes where actually very entertaining!

    GxUxTxSx (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.07.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    They did not have anything in terms of merch with them, they are currently trying to get a record done. Time being thus you need to refer to their demo:

    Great stuff and proof that a surprise support from far can be a very joyful and convincing affair. If they play near you – go and see them!

    Next Go! and Mike went at great length to decorate the stage with Go! Posters, all hand placed and hand taped to whatever he deemed fit. The setlist looked huge but some of the songs where give/take less than a minute.

    And who did it sound? For a large part of the show it sounded like this:

    At the start of the song you can hear an interaction with the audience about the mike that Mike was using. Next to quite some deep feedback between songs the sound, specifically on the vocals, was less than optimal. Later in the set he changed over to the backup mike (cable, rather) and by magic the sound improved.

    Still, compared to the support, they where less together and it sound less like a well rehearsed machine. But how could they, they life thousands of kilometers apart.

    Go! (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.07.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    At some moments they sounded actually on top of their business, at others more often it sounded just not right (both sound off stage and the mu-sick-al presentation). They played for an hour i guess (out of which Mike covered some part chatting ahead) and left a somewhat awkward feeling with me (and me mates).

    Mike was open down from the stage that they did not want to end up standing there, for say 20 people, and be bad. They scored more than 20 in Hamburg (at the end the Goldener Salon was reasonable filled) and they were per se not bad but somewhat not convincing.

    I checked with friends outside of Hamburg and got feedback like this:

    I didn't write anything specifically about Darmstadt, I like Mike, but Go! was simply too old and finished last Thursday and was only drawing on the splendor of days gone by. I didn't think they played particularly well either. Kind of heartbreaking - with Go! the resolution is very personal. Shit. Depresses me so much that I don't even want to nag. And that actually never happens.

    Was touring travel stress indeed a too heavy toll on them? Nevermind, there is still enough good output (all and more for free on their Bandcamp site) like below – a collaboration between Mike and guys from Crippled Fox in Hungary.

    And that being presented in a near perfect form factor for greedy record collectors being pretentious arseholes: Green vinyl, stochastic shape. Go and score it on Every Chord Counts Records. It is a full worthy effort (and limited).

    I got that record a while ago and effectively it triggered with me the urge to definitely see Go!. And – taking all in – it was still a neat and not too hot Summer evening out at the Hafenklang with friends.

    So nothing wrong with it at all!

  • … in a different scenery: Fucking Angry record release show!

    … in a different scenery: Fucking Angry record release show!

    What a contrast to my normal circuit! Friends telling me that the headliner currently is hottest shit and talk of the day (but i have no clue where). And a sold out show, that somewhat turned out like being in a different city (as i knew only very few faces).

    So, as ever interested into something new, i strolled down to the Hafenklang and took that slightly different scene in.

    Kick off was on time at 21:00 with Schaeden from Berlin, They had the unfortunate duty to warm up the room, whilst plenty of people still were outside taking the warm Hamburg evening in. 

    Schaeden (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    They where not Deutsch Punk (a mu-sick-al cupboard that has not really a home with me) but somewhat … i guess Hardcore Deutsch Punk. They did not really work for me, in a nutshell there was only one song, sung by the bass, that had me really listening.

    Go and check them out for yourself, the recorded output over at Bandcamp does sound a wee but more interesting actually.

    N.T.Ä. from down southwest (aka the Saarland) claimed the stage next and whilst the guitar was ready in one minute, the bass in 2 minutes it took the drummer quite some time to be ready – it created in the now almost full room at least for me some annoyance.

    Once they kicked off it turned different: Seasoned musicians with well rehearsed songs. And quite some melodic drive and loads of chorus. Main vocals by the girl on bass, backup vocals and chorus by the drummer. And songs much longer.

    N.T.Ä. (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    Whilst the two took the main light, the main asset was the guitar. And the absolute great sound he got without any effects connected (no signs of massive effect boards on the floor). Stunning, really stunning.

    Much more organized than Schaeden, much more grown up though borrowing a lot from largely bands from over the Atlantic. That said, also not really my thingy, as i somewhat could not really dig the way the main vocals where delivered.

    But they had the room, by now full, in a good grip and the first folks moving. I can see how they work, besides the guitar they simply did not work for me.

    Fucking Angry took the stage at 23:00 and crowded it with their 5-piece setup. Room was tight on stage as much as in front of the stage. And from the first chord it was clear that they played a willing, friendly and 100% fan lot. Sing-a-long on every song and plenty of dancing.

    Fucking Angry (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    I am not sure why i always missed them when they played Hamburg prior, maybe wrong time or wrong place. But they definitely have something: Great engagement with the audience, songs raging from H/C (and matching vocals by the Girl singing) to songs with much more melody and complexity (and again matching vocals by all of them).

    The lot did not care, the sweaty room was full of movement and smiling faces. The only time where the room lost some energy was when the band together with their label staff engaged in a kind of drinking game on stage … that took too long and it contained no message whatsoever.

    Fucking Angry (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    Also Fucking Angry are not up my musical alley but i can see them taking their sound and their ability to command an audience much larger. Most likely it was the last time they played the Hafenklang (where a sold out show is about 250 people), they are able to and i guess will play places holding 400-800 or even more.

    Their record, which was the theme of this release show, though is 100% true to their roots in Hardcore and Punk and on a small Punk label. So nothing wrong with them or this evening, it was just another night of #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic.

    I stayed longer at the Hafenklang, taking in the wind down of the show whilst enjoying a cold drink.

    … stroll uphill and home with a floodlight moon, class. Just class!

    And then the floodlight moon guided me way home, somewhat happy to have been in a sweaty room full of live music that was not totally shite. Not at all. And, even more of value, a sold out show with associated drinks turnover for the Hafenklang.

  • … of atoms², growls, pricing and surprises!

    … of atoms², growls, pricing and surprises!

    Despite the weather all week being sunny here, rainy there, i felt energized for this Thursday evening. This was also because of a particular successful day at work, so i was all in for a barrage of strings and some growling.

    Arriving early into an almost empty upstairs at the Hafenklang, the only other attendee was a mate. It did not turn really better, at the end only ever about 30 good people took the opportunity for a good mu-sick-al beating at an utmost fair (and flexible) price.

    Atom Atom from Hamburg kicked off and turned out as a big surprise. I have not seen them before but came across their recorded output on Bandcamp, liked them and included them them into my December 2022 playlist.

    Atom Atom (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    What did i get? Besides the sub-optimal (and unfortunately broken) lights i got a hard banging drummer, a gifted guitar hero that both can do shredding plus fast finger play and a girl on bass that has a vocal spectrum from … say Opera to Growling. A real wow factor.

    And how did it sound? It sounded like this:

    That’s Zurück Zum Schmutz vom the 2019 Tape. The lyrics actually drive a wee bit a smile, as i just can not relate to it (other than the last sentence).

    Ist komisch, riecht komisch, sieht räudig aus
Prunkvoll zerfallen, mit Liebe verstaubt
Torkelnde Wesen vergnügen sich davor
Baraken der Hoffnung steigen empor

Zurück zum Schmutz - zurück zum Schmutz
Selbstverwaltung, Feuertonne
Zurück zum Schmutz - zurück zum Schmutz
Schmuddelkinder, wenig Sonne

Gegenkonzept zu Ordnung und Fleiß
Verpiss dich mit Scheiße und Engstirnigkeit
Räume befreien, im Plenum kurz fassen
Strukturen bewahren und verwahrlosen lassen

    It's weird, smells weird, looks mangy
Magnificently disintegrated, covered in dust with love
Staggering creatures have fun in front of it
Barracks of hope rise

Back to the dirt - back to the dirt
Self-government, fire barrel
Back to the dirt - back to the dirt
Dirty kids, little sun

Counter concept to order and hard work
Fuck off with bullshit and bigotry
Free up rooms, keep it brief in the plenary session
Preserve structures and let them fall into disrepair

    They got something, indeed. Their main asset to me is the brutal onslaught at times (driven by the guitar) and the male/female ping-pong on vocals paired with the two voices being distinct different (growl on the guitar side, the much wider spectrum on the bass side).

    Atom Atom (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    And, whilst they seem deeply rooted in the mu-sick-al cupboard labeled D-Beat, they actually spread much wider and thus make the songs less uniform. Here is the one i liked most live, it pushed downward from stage with even more umph:

    Great set, cheers and applause from the small audience and definitley a band that i will aim to see again. Check them out, it is a good bet for a good surprise.

    Nightfeeder, who were glued to Atom Atom during their set, next and they started with something that is just perfect showman ship: Intro music (dark, horror movie like) and the band on stage raising the bottle for a band-internal cheers.

    And then crossing over the intro music with an instrumental that drives forward harder and harder, accumulating into a short fast banger. Wild guess, it was this beauty (that also has a beautiful name):

    Where Atom Atom gave the audience variation, Nightfeeder focused. But not like the tip of a needle, no, far from. They focused on pushing a wall of sound to the audience, heavy, and with a growling voice.

    Only one song stood out and was different, I’m A Letdown sung by the bass player.

    As items out of the Crust and/or D-Beat cupboard are normally not my thingy i am not an expert but mates in the know told me that Nightfeeder (hailing from Seattle in the US of A) are somewhat a supergroup. They are made up by members from legendary bands such as Consume, Deathraid, and Disrupt – all bands i have never heard.

    But whatever that history, what counts is what is being pushed down from the stage. And that wall of sound, in best moments a powerful dark soundscape, felt near perfect as a live experience.

    Nightfeeder (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.06.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    As fast as they played, as fast it was over. The small expert audience responded with plenty of cheers even asking for even more, but Nightfeeder had fed what they wanted to feed.

    As ever if a band convinces me live i got to score vinyl, this time round for me the clear winner and more interesting catch was Atom Atom, so i scored their LP.

    Atom Atom – Licht Aus (Bomb-All Records, 2022 – click to score!)

    A mate got both the Nightfeeder LP and the Atom Atom Tape and surprised the hell out of me with the cool plastic bag he carried for getting the score safely home.

    A somewhat very fitting, dark humor type of bag. Cudos my friend, cudos!

    Great evening and a pity that the turnout was so small. Both bands should have faced at least a full upstairs – it was a more than fair price. A couple of days earlier two young hardcore bands sold out downstairs, at double the price.

    And i have been told it was not even half that good.