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Tag: Hafenklang

… there ain’t no better way to kick-off for a tour, congrats Moving Targets!
It is not only me, also some friends around me have this little shiver whenever a Moving Targets show is being announced. The shiver is less driven from that they are top of the individuals personal list of “best records“, it is more a positive shiver steaming from that fact that they are exceptional friendly humans.

Exactly the type of guest you like to have in your living room (aka the Hafenklang).

With that in mind i was utmost happy that they started their month long run across Germany in Hamburg and just a day ahead of me buggering off to our second home up north in sunny Denmark.

Support was from Skranefjell outta Wilhelmshaven. The guitar player Robin was a known face to me, he did some guitar for the Moving Targets on their 2022 tour. His dad is behind the drums and an old scene veteran (infamous for his 80s Band Rudolfs Rache nowadays but back then a known fixture on the Deutsch Punk scene).

They claim to play Happy Pain & Pow Pow Pop-Punk and i am not sure if i would use such wording. On the good side the music relies pretty much on the guitar and that guitar provides a lot of variation.
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Skranefjell (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 18.04.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
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On the not so good side half of the songs mingle around the Indie mark and that by definition puts me off. When they are to the point they have drive, umpf and are good. As ever, check it out for yerself.
<a href="https://skranefjell.bandcamp.com/album/angst-vor-blom-donner">Angst vor Blom & Donner by SKRANEFJELL</a>
.. and when they are not to the point then they smear Where Eagles Dare (Misfits) onto the street, piss on it and set it on fire. And that is what you should not do with that song. That cover was extremely painful to digest.

But the good thing is that this rant allows me to slot in this great cover of the same song:

My personal guess though is that outside my single minded mu-sick-al dictatorship Skranefjell actually do appeal to younger people today, so i wish them good luck.

The Moving Targets where quick to setup and with broad smiles kicked into the proceedings. And as ever the initial eye catcher was the relentless action by Ives on Bass, jumping around and always smiling.
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Moving Targets (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 18.04.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
```
Once initial sound problems with the Bass were solved the overall sound was near perfect. And fan boys that we are we knew what was coming our way, a nice mixture of old and new stuff.

Moving Targets – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 19.04.2024)

Given that the Moving Targets are still a band wide apart (Ken in the US of A, Emile and Ives in sunny Montreal) and rarely rehearse in the same room it remains stunning that they kick off the first show of the tour, across the big pond, as a near perfect and tight outfit.

Within a couple of songs they had won over the audience, roughly 80 people made the effort to come out and most of them had broad smiles on their face.

It was double fun to note the stage setup: Ken not centered but pushed to the right, Emile way back and Ives demanding and commanding the rest of the stage up to and including the side part of the Hafenklang that is technically not stage anymore.

Give him room, he will roam.
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Moving Targets (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 18.04.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
```
The longer it went, the more joy came back from the audience. Plenty of people dancing, loads of sing-a-long and everybody glued to the stage.

It all culminated with the extra, Ken choose Dead Wrong from Bullet LaVolta (another cool Boston outfit he provided guitar duties for). There could not have been a better choice to get the audience completely going – well done both on and off the stage!
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Moving Targets (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 18.04.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
```
They graced the Hafenklang in their current incarnation in 2018, 2019 and 2022 – this show by far was the most convincing one counting all possible angles, they rocked the place (to use an old-fashioned and odd expression).

In my head it was simply the human energy that came down from the stage and was upped & mirrored back from a willing and thankful audience. That created the sound in everyone’s head and made the pre-synaptic neurons releasing their neurotransmitters across the synaptic cleft.

But the Moving Targets were not the only exceptional human in the room as you can see, also Luke falls into the same category (also both on and off the stage).

Luke – the only double Jever wizzard in the world!
There ain’t no better companionship at a show!

Within in minutes from leaving the stage Ken, Emile and Ives roamed the Hafenklang and, being indeed the exceptional friendly humans, mingled with the lot. And as always after a Moving Target show more people than normal stayed longer for another drink (and a chat), including me and me mates.

I wish them good luck for the “In The Dust” Tout. If they keep this form, if they keep this energy – then their run through Germany will an exceptional and well deserved success. And hopefully a platform for the next record and the next tour.

We’ll be there!

PS: Thanks to Frosch for the videos, i was so glued that i did not take one.
2024/04/19
… taken by surprise by an inner enemy!
Enemic Interior? No clue. From Catalonia? Mhhh…

But sometimes it is good to listen to those in the know. And they suggested attendance. Plus the internet (damn internet, never forgets) was having some choice words too:
```
Barcelona’s Enemic Interior is a band that treads the finest of lines between raw rage and an introspective sense of melody, a balance which they manage to maintain in spite of their confrontational delivery.

Catalan lyrics, daring audacity, and incomparable songwriting come together to create bittersweet, desperate songs that at once seem both huge and intimate.

... their trademark sombre punk, both emotive and bleak, melodic and dark, at the place where punk, post-punk and Oi! meet.
```
Sounds like a reasonable promise for a Wednesday evening. So down to the Hafenklang then.

Upstairs though was quite empty and it was not really getting full, wild guess would be around 50 people. And two mates, one even made the effort on his birthday, so hugs and kisses again my dear!

Sharp at 21:13 the lads from Barcelona took the stage, very much unpretentious, and kicked it off like this:

Bang! And their signature song from their first tape in 2022.
<a href="https://enemicinterior.bandcamp.com/album/enemic-interior">Enemic Interior by Enemic Interior</a>
And what a forceful delivery! A clear indication of what was coming towards the audience. For myself i felt already convinced, as this was right down my alley.

And it turned out less so much Spain per sē but more France. The shirt of the drummer was my bet no coincidence and i spotted a female guest with a Youth Avoiders shirt – same references i had in my simple mu-sick-al mind.
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Enemic Interior (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 10.04.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
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And also for the presentation it kicked all my boxes, up to and including the centered bass that takes the main singing duties. Paired with the heavy push-forward drumming and very capable twin guitars, that carefully craft both forceful and flirting sounds (sometimes even the stereotypical Blitz sound), it was a near perfect mix.

And within that, breaking down a lot of mu-sick-al silo boundaries.
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Enemic Interior (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 10.04.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
```
They paced through all of their songs (the three EP’s carry 16 songs that sum up to only ever 23:53 minutes) and where done with their set within 25 minutes.

Enemic Interior – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 10.04.2024 (c) gehkacken.de)

In an almost shy fashion they thanked the audience for coming out but the audience, having gotten into dancing mode in the latter part of the set, was not ready to let them go.

They looked a wee bit astonished towards each other and then shrugged shoulders like in “why not, though we played all of our songs“. So the lot got one more extra, a song from another band of the guitar player if i understood correctly.

And the clock was 21:42, so they strummed through 17 songs in 29 Minutes. Now that is keeping pace.

As ever when a band convinces me live i strolled (frank: ran) over to the merch table and checked what was available. And as the whole discography was on the table at a bargain price i took it all in one go. A worthy investment and i was not the only one performing an all in…

Enemic Interior – full discography scored … ( (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

How does it sound on the brand new EP? Like this my friend, like this …
<a href="https://enemicinterior.bandcamp.com/album/enemic-interior-iii">Enemic Interior III by Enemic Interior</a>
And neat Catalan lyrics too:
Corbes negres cap avall Les mans blanques al volant Prego veure el primer raig Els seus ulls al meu clatell No goso mirar el mirall No hi creia però es fa present Estela de sang i foc Sense nom però el sents venir Estela de sang i foc Fugint d’ell fins a morir Als Àngels hi pujo sol Aquest ha estat el meu camí Als Àngels hi pujo sol Al mirall em veig a mi
Black curves down White hands on the wheel I pray to see the first ray His eyes on the back of my neck I dare not look in the mirror I didn't believe in it but it is present Trail of blood and fire No name but you feel it coming Trail of blood and fire Running away from him until he died I go up to angels alone This has been my path I go up to angels alone I see myself in the mirror
You can score these beauties at our trusted local dealer Sounds Of Subterrania!

Perfect Wednesday evening, this is exactly why #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic and why you should never stop exploring new stuff (and expose yourself to the unknown).

It may be an uplifting surprise for your inner enemy (that glues you to the sofa).
2024/04/12
… memory lane ctd: Brausepöter 2024 vs. 1980.
Plenty of me mates took a jog down memory lane on Wednesday at the Monkeys, cheering towards Cheetah Chrome & his Dead Boys. Whilst i definitely uphold the Dead Boys original vinyl output (two great LP’s, a couple of singles) it was the live videos i saw of this 2024 version that did turn me down. Big time actually. So i did let go, though later friends where full of praise of “great 1970s NY rock” … ok, choices – as ever.

Another choice for a jog down memory lane was Brausepöter at the Hafenklang. And in contrast to them Dead Boys their original recorded output (one 7″ on Zick Zack in 1980) is simply shite.

Also by the account of the band, as Zick Zack head honcho Alfred Hilsberg dragged them out of the Scala aka “New Scala Wave” in Herford straight into a studio in Hamburg manned with a bearded Jazz Hippie. And the output was poor, forgettable.

That Brausepöter still have a name in Hamburg (whilst having only ever played two shows here, 1980 and 2014) is down to this show:

Zick Zack Festival 1980 ( (c) oldpunks.de)

It was maybe the one show where the Hamburg Pogo Punk contingent and the Neue Musik lovers (soon to be Neue Deutsche Welle and hated) did split apart. Previous Festivals at the Markthalle (forever put to memory by Robert Nitz on Konnekschen) did keep a unity between the two – as late in 1980 the split seemed unavoidable.

Brausepöter guitar player Martin memorized it like this:
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Q: Alfred Hilsberg also organized the legendary Zick-Zack festivals in Markthalle (Hamburg), where you also performed. When was that?

A: That was in late December 1980. We played together with Radierer, the partner combo of The Wirtschaftswunder, they both come from Limburg. And Abwärts plus Einstürzende Neubauten.

Q: The mood is said to have been explosive, as you can read in Jürgen Teipel's book “Verschwende Deine Jugend”. What was going on with you?

A: So for us it was like this: Abwärts was the only band that was accepted by the audience. But they only came at the end. Although, that's not entirely true: Einstützende Neubauten continued to play afterwards. It was their first appearance outside of Berlin. The whole Markthalle was almost empty by then. There were only 30 people left and I was standing in the middle. It was like a moon landing that you just happened to be there for. I had never seen anything like that: the way they banged around on their instruments, with that archaic industrial sound, unbelievable.

Q: And how was Brausepöter received?

A: As I said: Abwärts were accepted. Otherwise the festival was not well received by the audience. The Hamburg punks were also strongly influenced by the British scene; It was very rough there. I don't remember whether they booted Die Radierer off the stage. I believe yes. In any case, we remained adamant. I told them: “Do what you want, we’ll play through our set here”. And maybe they spit on us, you wouldn't believe that. I was wet! From top to bottom. And then there is also a photo of me getting a full beer can in front of my head. I bled like anything else. “Keiner Kann Uns Ab” in its purest form.
```
And indeed the moment where the Hansa Pils can (cheapest piss back then and often used as a messenger) did meet Martin was memorized on a picture:

Markthalle 27.12.1980: Hansa Pils meets Brausepöter

Their “signature” song “Keiner Kann Uns Ab” (roughly “No one digs/likes us“) from that night with some pointed pictures is out out there too:

Memory lane, ctd.

With all of that in mind i had made the conscious decision to see them rather than the Dead Boys: Whilst the Dead Boys could destroy a good memory, Brausepöter could not. Also because i wasn’t at that night, though the three mates that would accompany me down to the Hafenklang were. And had no recollection of Brausepöter (other than the cool name).

They are back together (after their breakup 1982) since 2008 and found fame even in the US of A with some old stuff put out there in 2010 to much acclaim:
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A wild slice of punk scabbery with a vibe of what a male Kleenex fresh out of the Beat Club might resemble (Brian Turner, Music Director of WFMU-Radio, New York, commenting on the US "Bundeswehr" & "Keiner kann uns ab" 7" release)
```
They played the Astra Stube in 2014 (to no acclaim) and now tour again as Hamburgs Tapete Records decided to release the planned LP that Alfred Hilsberg never released.
<a href="https://brausepoeter.bandcamp.com/album/keiner-kann-uns-ab">Keiner kann uns ab by Brausepöter</a>
The show was moved from early Jan 24 due to a sickness within the band and on this Friday, down in the big room of the Hafenklang, only ever attracted roughly 50something people. Half of them old and funnily half of them rather of younger age.

They kicked off without support and i guess some newer songs: Well played and modern guitar music, with German lyrics. And the guitar was to be their main asset, a great sound that was above the average twang (of many of these modern German guitar bands).
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Brausepöter (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 01.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
```
It was paired with dual singing and varied in tempo, drive and – frank – quality. But over time (they played for almost 1h30m including a some extra songs) it all moved over to the pleasant side.

Here is “Keiner Kann Uns Ab” in the 2024 version:

Cool stuff, well received (up to and including some fans singing along to almost all songs). Between songs they chatted a bit and where surprised that a couple of folks (me mates plus one more) had been at the Markthalle back then. On top they also inquired if Alfred Hilsberg is still around (which he is, but not at good health according to one in the know).
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Brausepöter (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 01.03.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024
```
Frank, i did not expect that i would actually appreciate their set, but it was really neat and at the end had plenty of applause from the small audience. On top they where humble, approachable and thankful for having an audience and having a chat.

And because the contrast is so nice – here is a picture how they looked all stylish (according to the understanding of style in Riedberg, Ostwestfalen, in 1979).

Brausepöter 1979

This is where they come from, their practice place (back then? obviously now) and one of their new songs:

Memory lane, on all counts.

I guess they did not fit back then and nowadays sure seem to give a damn fuck about fitting anyway – they do music for the the music itself (and continued in their own understanding of style). Not my favorite style but still good to enjoy live.

For me and me mates a perfect #thereaintnuthinbetterthanlivemusic and at my perfect place.
2024/03/03