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… FCK RBF, here is real joy: A tale of Broncos, Oi Boys and a surprise return!
On the day prior to the show i had to run an errand to get some medicine for our cat Toni and stumbled through early extends of the damn Reeperbahn Festival: Also bars in side streets had been booked by – i guess – Event Managers for entertainment of Mu-sick Biz Cool People. In short, i had to side step my way on the pavement through a bunch of indie whores.

Boy was i glad that my outlook was not queuing to see a band marketenders hype as the next big thing but a real club with real people. A place not participating in it. A place where i would get to see something unknown (welcome Bronco Libre from Leipzig) and something unusual (welcome Oi Boys from Metz).

Bronco Libre kicked off, a 3 piece from Leipzig with i guess a French singing in … quelle surprise, French. I have not come across them prior, namely because i tend to ignore Bands originating from Germany (and ever more eastern Germany).

I know it is a shortcoming but somehow it is hard to overcome. I know also that i am wrong, simply because i loose out on good music.

Like this one, here is Déchirures (Tears) from Bronco Libre:

And the lyrics are worth to look at too:
Sous les ordres de son pays C'est lui-même qu'il assassine Sous le joug de son bourreau C'est lui-même qu'il massacre
Under the orders of his country It is himself he murders Under the yoke of his executioner It is himself that he massacres
Unfortunately the vocals where not well audible, though as non-French speaking person that would not have made a large difference. I can only urge you to take in their 2018 LP to figure everything out – it is worth it!
<a href="https://abfall-records.bandcamp.com/album/a-r-12-bronco-libre-s-t-lp">A.R.12 – Bronco Libre – s/t LP by Bronco Libre</a>
For me the mix of the hard hitting drummer, the very cool bass carrying loads of melodies and the high pitched voice (and somewhat high pitched hectic guitar for a lack of better description) worked very well and to my surprise i indeed liked it.
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Bronco Libre (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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As they did not have the LP with them i resorted to download it and as much as their short set it is a more than worthy effort. They got plenty of applause, though down from the stage their where largely quiet (shy?).

Good stuff, i guess i will need to train my blind spot!

Next Oi Boys and with them it would be going into a very different territory. Those in the know eagerly inspected the setlist, so here it is:

Oi Boys – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

They tag themselves as #oi #punk #synthpunk #coldwave #wave but that does not do them justice. It may for the vinyl but live they are much more wild, much more raunchy and much more outgoing than introvert.
<a href="https://oiboys.bandcamp.com/album/oi-boys">Oi Boys by Oi Boys</a>
How did it sound live? It sounded like this:

And the most convincing item: The smile of the drummer (aka human beat machine) at the beginning of the song. That smile carried through the whole set, as much as all made the impression to be utmost happy to be there, on stage.

Communication with the audience was hampered by a lack of fluent English on their side but that was easily overcome (and some in Hamburg do speak French, indeed).
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Oi Boys (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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They got drive, they got some interesting soundscapes and they definitely got the audience (a shameful 66 people only) dancing, mainly the strong female contingent upfront.

Somehow it reminded me of seeing Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft 1981 at the Markthalle for the first time and ahead of them breaking big as DAF.

I did read a review somewhere and it had a fitting phrase:

They manage to find a perfect balance between nostalgia and anger, and their up-beat and melodic songs can definitely become anthems on our way to an uncertain future.

Another quote i captured makes neat sentiment too:

Everything’s here to make us feel the unique over-wintering chills of disapointement.
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Oi Boys (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 20.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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Gosh, their set went like a fly and those attending where utmost happy, i would even say they all had a bright smile on their face. As much did the band, they loved the appreciation and many time provided a real and humble Merci.

I think they also sold plenty of Merch (the LP, a cool Poster and some cool T-Shirts), exactly as it should be after a great set.

Among the audience though was one person carrying the broadest smile: He had been battling health in hospital for many weeks and is on a long (and exhausting) road to hopefully full recovery.

For him the evening was the first time out of hospital or home for like 3 months and for him it was nothing less than being a child in a wheelie enjoying it to the max.

… the happiest person in the room! ( (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

Big hugs big man, these evenings continue to be your evenings!

Great show with a wide mu-sick-al spectrum, all DIY and a nice middle finger to what is happening up the road at the Reeperbahn Festival. I know that some who attended will also pick selected showcases there to see bands but i for myself just don’t need that.

I’d rather see happy kids throwing fists in a wheelie. Makes me happy. As a fuck.

And as a double bonus next morning my early rise gave me a beautiful sun rise.

Sunrise over Hamburg ( (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
2023/09/22
… a master class in modern Oi!
The lead in towards this master class was just another master class by FCSP, a neat home win vs. Holstein Kiel that finally had the team score at home. And not once, not twice but 5 times.

FC St. Pauli vs. KSV Holstein Kiel 5:1 (3:0) ( (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

The master class exhibit here was the tactical choice to give up the box and score (4 out of 5) from outside the box with stunning kicks from far out. That home win was a perfect intro into the early show at the Monkeys, fueled with joy i set out on me bike to see not less than one of the best French band of these days (next to Syndrome 81 and Kronstadt)

Cran are very new and as such i guess their setlist included all the songs they have done so far – it covered their great LP, a new (old) song and their excellent (if not world class) contribution to the Paris on Oi! compilation).

Cran – Setlist (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 – from the collection of Monsieur Matthias)

They started bright and early at 20:00 and where done within i guess 30 minutes. But stunning 30 minutes. 30 minutes of near perfection. Sturdy drumming (that though sometimes was not mellow enough, the only little naughty bad feel i had during the set). A near perfect guitar wandering between Blitz, Test Tube Babies and Wave. A full perfect Cold Wave Bass sound and execution, with good drive. And aggressive but fitting vocals and presentation by Edlira.
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Cran (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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And how did it sound? Here is how one of the more tempered songs sounded:

I was lucky to capture Edlira on stage, most of the time she used the void in front of the stage to roam around and dance with those from the audience how also danced along.

They have something and they are one of the great examples of creating and subsequently filling a niche within a niche genre (which itself is a sub-genre of another genre). Marketing literate people would have fun to unpack that, i rather enjoyed a great set of something that the French currently do extremely well.
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Cran (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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They finished off their set with Famine, a song that is as much great on the musical side as it is on the lyrics: It is a hymn (and sing-a-long) to carry the memory of the Holodomor – the great Ukrainian famine of the 1930s and simply another forgotten genocide.

Wow, what a stunning set by a young band. For very good reasons they got plenty of applause and support, up to and including my friend Matthias dancing all the way throughout the set.

And for me it was the much needed live set that did allow me to finally buy the record (remember the rule: Only buy records if the band convinces you live). This was holding true to the promise to their bass player when he graced the Monkeys earlier in the year with Claimed Choice.

After that great but short set any band would have just a little bit of difficulty unless … yeah, unless they completely change course, direction and sound.

And voila, Béton Armé did set themselves up on stage, had a little but of sound probing and knocked us back in time. They are self-proclaimed a Montreal Oi! band inspired by French Punk/Oi! bands from the 80’s and that is what they did throw at the audience:

It was very primitive, very cut back to the bare bone, full of chorus-chants (like on this one from their 2023 EP) and delivered by the singer full on at dance floor level instead of the stage.

And what comes across initially too primitive turns out as just a crisp delivery of some really lovely sing-a-longs (if only i would speak French). And whilst the band on stage did not move a lot but hammered out the songs with a sort of smile, the singer was on non-stop movement, boxing, kicking and just like a whirlwind.
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Béton Armé (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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Go and check them out for yourself, best live. They are worth it if you dare bare bone and a real deal. You won’t be disappointed! And if they pop up in a package – even more, because i saw all 4 supporting Crane in front of the stage and later No Class. They are simply into it!

It took No Class (sometimes also referred as Nö Class) a wee bit more to setup (as they had two guitars) but they did not fiddle too much with sound settings. By 21:45 (remember, it was a 20:00 start) they where ready to ruck (though Australia just lost to Fiji in the 2023 Ruby World Cup in France).
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No Class (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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And where Cran where the French surprise and Béton Armé the Canadian full-frontal it was no surprise that No Class very clearly took the audience down under, into a sleazy & greasy bovver territory with rustic calls into Rose Tattoo and – no surprise – Colored Balls.

It is all baseline Rock’n’Roll in the end and it is all about energy. And loads of energy came down from the stage, all contingents (Hamburg, Norway and Denmark) where up in front of the stage and everybody enjoyed it.
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No Class (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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The only item of concern was that No Class where thoroughly roughed up in the previous rucks of their “Trouble over Europe” Tour, they admitted that they where a wee bit spent. This was their final date leading into a couple of days off (recovery, anyone?) before they finish of the tour in style in Paris.

As such they only ever got like 30 minutes under their belt and then needed recovery time (which i guess they later traded against party time at the Jolly Roger).

As far as i am concerned they are a simple but perfect party band, like the other two they would have fitted MOi!n It’s Hamburg just perfect. Because it would have given them so much more bodies in front of the stage.

Whilst me mates took home shirts, EP’s and even more i focused on convinced me most – Cran. As such the excellent Cran LP ended up at my home.

Whilst the Millerntor was sold out for the home win, this master class session was far from. It had more attendees than the Claimed Choice gig (and people coming all the way from Norway and Denmark to see the package) but still lacked overall presence from the Hamburg lot.

Sad.

Great evening, perfect timing, early home and on Monday still a broad smile. Life can be good, you gotta just enjoy it! And whilst enjoying yourself, you gotta support the band and the club, please. Me and me mates did it and we got something back.

Your turn. Now.
2023/09/18
… dancing the night away with Dead Years and Red Dons!
As the Red Dons are not only a club favorite but also a fan favorite i was expecting a sold out Hafenklang downstairs. But unfortunately the new reality is that is was only ever a decent filled upstairs, not even sold out. So much for post-Covid reality. I was keen to see them, up to the point of cutting short work in NL and flying back on Wednesday in time get down to my favorite club.

Little did i know that i was actually to get a double headliner, as the – to me and me mates at least – unknown support band from the town that does not exist got the lot dancing as much as the Red Dons would do later.

Dead Years hail from Bielefeld, are a trio and tag themselves as #PopPunk #Punk #PostPunk. Little did i expect, also once they entered the stage. But from the first chord i was like “woho … wow” … a very welcome surprise did hit my mu-sick-ally single-minded ears.

Their tagging may be right but in real they much better than these tags. They play a very modern mix of great spherical guitar work (though with umpf and drive), dual vocals with challenge/response effect and effectively a very dance-able sound.
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Dead Years (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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After the initial surprise i started to listen with much more attention and have to admit that they got almost all ingredients right. On top they seem pretty much in-sync, giving the impression that they have played their set often enough to know it insight out.

How did it sound? It sounded like this:

They appeared a bit shy (or maybe only humble?) to me, did not move a lot on stage and between songs did not do a lot of interaction. But letting their music speak for them served them well, they got a lot of applause and they got plenty of people dancing.

They surprised me positively and they also surprised me mates. In my little sphere alone 4 records and one tape was grabbed from their merch table after the show, i hope they have been able to sell even more of their excellent record.

Next Red Dons in their 2023 incarnation, eagerly awaited by some die hard fans. As such the setlist was inspected by more than one – here is what they where up to:

Red Dons – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

And this is how they kicked off:

I am not a die hard fan, effectively i do not have a record in my collection. But i do enjoy them as an energetic live band. Even more so than Dead Years most of their songs are going straight into the legs, often paired with plenty of harmonies on the vocal side.

They also moved much more on stage, though the small stage upstairs did not allow to much moving around. Still, energies flow from the stage and is echoed back from the audience, where a large part was all but standing still.
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Red Dons (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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Ever since their first EP in 2007 they have been putting out records with plenty of line up changes and collaborators, despite partially being a globally dispersed band. Still, they managed to keep their sound consistent.
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In January 2015 they reconvened in Portland to record “The Dead Hand of Tradition” at Buzz Or Howl Studios, the same establishment where they recorded the album’s predecessor. “The Dead Hand of Tradition” features ten new tracks of their signature dark, driving, melodic punk rock sound. 

The formula of their distinctive songwriting hasn’t changed, but has matured as a result of having five more nomadic years under their belts. These new experiences have only added to the themes of alienation, emigration, and loss present in their music.
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Words of truth, here is “Pyrrhic Pyrrhic” from that record:

They got the lot dancing and to my enjoyment it was much more female in front of the stage than male. And across the room i saw much more smiling faces then consumers just taking it in.

… dancing the night away!

They did not play that long and in-between songs they had little interaction with the audience. Still, they got off the stage for sake of playing some encore. I liked it, though at few moments it a little itch of “it feels a wee bit non-inspirational” (but that again is my silly mu-sick-al understanding). People who know them much though also took some few points off from a 100% rating. By and large though they delivered a solid set and the lot liked it throughout.

Great evening, despite not being a 250+ sell out. And as ever when a band convinces we me live i took home vinyl, as Dead Years convinced me more i did leave the Red Dons East/West Collection on the table and grabbed the Dead Years LP.

Dead Years – s/t LP (My Ruin, Dirt Cult Records, 2023)

It is a worthy buy, suggest that you check them out yourself – best live. Great stuff, i do hope they return quite fast to Hamburg!

PS: Continued recovery wishes go out to the face still missing, though he has been able to leave hospital and continue recovery from home.

Big hugs big man, these evenings are your evenings!
2023/09/15