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.
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).
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.
Cran (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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.
Cran (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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.
Béton Armé (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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).
No Class (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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.
No Class (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 17.09.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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.
