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Tag: Cyanide Pills

… from Leeds to Osaka: Fun at 50 RPM!

Initially it was Cyanide Pills only and 19 lucky guests got a slightly cheaper ticket for only them. But later The 50 Kaitenz from hot & humid 大阪市 where added and would be gracing the upstairs of the Hafenklang too.

A rather wild but, as far as i am concerned, interesting mix. I do dig settings that face value do not match, it is by and large a good recipe for an entertaining evening and often a setting that exposes something new and/or a surprise.

The Cyanide Pills kicked it off, on time and without any fuzz:

Their shows in Hamburg almost never differ, i take they are consistently themselves. That included almost speeding through the set and little to no chit-chat with the audience.

Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026

They simply deliver. And what they deliver is upbeat, fast forward, fun and hand-in-glove. Even the sound was great, just the lights – as often – where shite. Most of the time all was saturated in red, D’oh!

My guess is that they punched through the 21 songs on the set list in less than 45 minutes, including a brief walk off the stage and back for extras, like this one:

On top of everything else cudos to them for maintaining a single consistent stage uniform over all these years. It is always a bonus if a band dresses for the occasion.

What did the lot get for their bucks? This rooster…

Cyanide Pills – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026

I am happy to see them once a year, this time round they even had their brand new double LP with all their A & B sides with them, hop over to Damaged Goods to score it (or your favorite dealership). I was temped but choose to let the opportunity go by.

The Japaneese ~~Beatles~~ ~~Ramones~~ Rockers next, here is how they greeted Hamburg and introduced themselves:

Wow, that’s a lot to take in. First, perfect stage uniforms (front white shirt, black trouser – back black shirt, white trouser). 2nd: Beatles haircut. 3rd: It’s showtime!

And sure thing a somewhat “… we’re all crazy now!” attitude, which was mirrored by the almost exclusive female first row that flew in from Japan. With at least one lady sporting a The 50 Kaitenz fan scarf. Stunning!

The 50 Kaitenz (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026

Their sound ventures from what people dub as 60’s Punk (thus the set includes a Surfin’ Bird on speed) to Ramones (thus the set includes their very own Ramones appreciation song).

They where fun, they where fast (50 RPM!) and they had a perfect show. Rock’n’Roll at it’s bare best. Last time i saw such a perfect setup was RFTC in the 90s!

They got plenty of cheers from the packed room, plenty of smiles and even sing-a-long. And the devoted fans? Kept the front row and smiled like there would not be a tomorrow.

Here is the set list, what a beauty!

The 50 Kaitenz – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.05.2026)
(c) gehkacken.de 2026

And – not really a surprise – as an extra there was also a Ramones cover:

Boy, what a fresh take on something chewed over so many times. And, what a great show to go with it. Gregor from Sounds of Subterrania indeed is a truffle pig when it comes to bands that are … different. And outlandish. But fit perfectly. As such get your dose of The 50 Kaitenz vinyl over at our trusted local dealership!

Great show, early start, best companionship, a vinyl gift from the best booker in town and reasonable early home to take on the last working day before me and the love of me life scoot north to our 2nd home.

50 Kaitenz, arigatō! Odorokasa remashita!

2026/05/22
… packed Thursday: Nasty Rumors and Cyanide Pills!
Oh my, end of February almost and only by now i got to see my first show at the Hafenklang. Somewhat frustrating but as the time went towards loved ones in need of care it is somewhat all fine (though not ideal).

The package was cool, both bands sporting almost the same idea: Uptempo, Punk Rock and a heavy scent of Power Pop. And whilst the early show (doors 1900) at the start felt empty it turned into a nice packed upstairs at the beloved Hafenklang.

First the Bern contingent, last time over in 2023 as support for Chelsea. Back then i was somewhat full of praise, this time round some of me mates where. They got something going but this evening it sounded to me “too much the same”.
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Nasty Rumours (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.02.2025 (c) gehkacken.de 2025)
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I have no clue why this feeling somewhat was paired with an undercurrent of “lacking inspiration” … as they did have a good tempo, an almost good sound and got people somewhat moving and smiling.

Guess it must have been me, on this evening: They are in the end pleasant to listen to. Still, i won’t add a record of them.

After some shuffle and a revive of the Bass Amp it was time for the Leeds contingent. And with them it was an even better sound (thanks to a 2nd guitar with a perfect clear twang), a wee bit more variation and entertaining orchestrated stage movements (always a bonus in this household).
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Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.02.2025 (c) gehkacken.de 2025)
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And, as ever, they are a near perfect party machine, well rehearsed and no-nonsense. In that vein they speeded through their set like no tomorrow, little breaks and almost no chit-chat or banter with the audience.
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Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 27.02.2025 (c) gehkacken.de 2025)
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Did the lot like it? Yes, the lot did like it – broad smiles, shy movements but overall a great and joyful feel. They finished so quickly that they just immediately came back and gave some extras.

Pity though that they continue to ignore my loveliest song:

Hey Lads – next time pleaaaase! A round of beer will be on me, if!

For the greedy #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes they even had a tour single on the merch table, get it here if you missed it:

Perfect packed Thursday it was, with loads of known faces and friends around – that did feel good!

Now i gotta go repeat repeat!
2025/02/28
… package deal, sold out: Convincing myself the best possible way!
This turned out a bit of surprise combination (at least for those who got a Cyanide Pills only ticket initially): The Power Pop of the lads from Leads, who are a mainstay upstairs at the Hafenklang, paired with the Vancouver Street Punk from Bishops Green (who would grace the Hafenklang for the first time).

But joining two different corners together resulted in a packed and sold out upstairs, to that extend a neat move by the Hafenklang.

The Cyanide Pills kicked off at 21:14 and for me with two surprises: Their Norwegian guitar player no longer is, as such Phil did sling a guitar. And the on bass there was a new recruit too. But that did not change a thing – they kicked off with the same drive as ever. Power Pop, with sufficient speed.
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Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 24.11.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
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The last time i saw them was prior to Covid and i have to admit that i did not bother to check out their new LP, aptly named Soundtrack To The New Cold War. But as the new setup looked and sounded convincing i guess it is only a matter of time until i get my ears on it.
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Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 24.11.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
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For the Cyanide Pills it was not only the post-Covid but also post-Brexit return to Europe, they are happy to be back and take the new obstacles as something to just deal with:
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How do you think the government are doing, happy with the Tories still?

The government are doing a marvellous job! Encouraging us all to return to old traditions like starvation, destitution, hopelessness, and despair. Let’s hope the guillotine makes a resurgence too.

You finally managed to make it into Europe for your Covid-postponed gigs. What were the best and worse things to happen on the tour?

Touring will always be fun, a bit more bureaucracy and self-inflicted bullshit to deal with but it’s soon forgotten when we get to play for our punk brothers and sisters in Europe.
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Cyanide Pills (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 24.11.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
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They played for about 45 minutes, included some fan favorites and had many (and the female contingent in front of the stage specifically) singing along. The only bit that i was missing to a certain extend was audience interaction. There was little audience engagement down from the stage, they choose to let the mu-sick speak for itself.

Great, tight set. And plenty of fun in the audience. Could this be topped?

That indeed was the question for me, as i somehow avoided Bishops Green in the last couple of years, i think it was like 2015 at the Monkeys that i saw them live. So i was not convinced and i have to admit that if it would have been Bishops Green only on this Friday i may have skipped it …

… and that would have been the wrong decision. And here is Another Door to prove it:

I guess i was wrong. Greg and the lot proved it with ease. And as i was sooo wrong (and got taunted by a mate more than once for it) i even did break my custom to only have a beer once the show is over – Bishops Green got me singing-along and drinking along. And right so!
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Bishops Green (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 24.11.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
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And as most of their songs are well aged hits known by the audience Greg could command the lot with ease, ever the perfect front man. And the next well aged hit was just around the corner, here is Alone:

All of my fears and perceptions went out of the window, as much as the lot was singing, dancing and throwing fists. It felt indeed great in the packed room and it carried not only me away, smiling. And it was good to see that the female contingent was still up front, the show nicely passed without big bald males making a nuisance.
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Bishops Green (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 24.11.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023
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One complaint though i heard – with a smile: The drummer dropped his sweaty shirt and a female audience member (coming all the way from Berlin) commented “in Berlin the show now would be stopped” – i asked to stay shut about it, then we could continue to enjoy the show. And that we did!

They played for a bit more than an hour, Greg did steal a beer from me mate Beno (who sported a dodgy t-shirt anyway) and Dead Heroes came last:

Thanks Bishops Green, you surprised me. Well done! I’ll take ya back for good!

Bishops Green did not spend a lot of time mingling, they packed up quickly to hit the road towards Eindhoven, Revolution Calling was to be their next call. Same did some of me mates – the first car left also on Friday, the other one on Saturday morning. And that car was not so lucky, icy conditions on Saturday morning and an odd crash on the motorway.

Luckily no-one but the car was harmed. Puh, close call. And all of the joy of the show would have been gone. Sight.
2023/11/25