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Tag: Hafenklang

  • … just another (electronic) Rock’n’Roll Freitag!

    … just another (electronic) Rock’n’Roll Freitag!

    My workweek was a tad bit annoying, loads of little items to take care of and plenty of derailing of my own priorities by others, leading to a Friday where i felt like it wasn’t fun. As such i took the next best thingy to get my head clear and that would be getting blasted by mu-sick.

    Luckily my favorite haunt down at the harbor was having just another Rock’n’Roll Friday full of bands & mu-sick off the beaten track and unknown to me. But the outlook of Synth Punk, Nintendo Core and Nature Hardcore was just too tempting to resist!

    On the subway down to the City i was thinking “who the heck would go and see these bands” and thought of a small turnout. Boy, i was wrong. From my normal circuit there was only Thomas (but he is anyway having a season ticket like myself) and rest was young folks, most of them with eager dancing feet.

    Katzenschlacht from sunny Münster (location of the Anabaptist rebellion, self-proclaimed bicycle capital and supposedly a Großstadt) kicked off, a guy and a girl behind plenty of synth equipment.

    Plus holding on to Guitar and Bass.

    Katzenschlacht (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.08.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Their sound triggered early 80s memories and ventured between kids harmonies, yelled vocals and quite interesting soundscapes. And the songs itself where brief.

    In short they offered a refreshing take on something i had not heard ever since visiting some of the ZickZack evenings at the Markthalle in early 80s. Think Geniale Dilletanten.

    I suggest you check them out for yourself, they had the front row already dancing and got plenty of applause for their completely honest and innocent set. Quite a surprise for the start.

    Next Kostenfalle from Hamburg, another Duo. Two guys, Bass and Synthie, Sequencer and other electronics, albeit not that much as with Katzenschlacht.

    Kostenfalle (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.08.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Their sound turned out as extremely danceable with the Bass providing a low fuzz drive and then plenty of electronic beats. Again it took me back to the early 80s and the Markthalle – if there would have been drums involved it could have been 03.06.1981.

    They had more than the front row frantically dancing and got most likely the biggest share of applause. Also for me they worked well, both in terms of drive and using the electronics to create soundscapes.

    I’d recommend you check them out, their live performance though to me feels way better than the recorded & released output (no clue why, maybe again my stupid mu-sick-all receptors in me brain).

    Where both Katzenschlacht and Kostenfalle rooted in electronic music, Raubwürger (Great Grey Shrike) took it into Hardcore (sans Bass).

    And a simple theme: Nature. And their mantra is simple:

    Three eccentric characters from Scharhörn are championing nature with brutal environmental hardcore. Ornithology is not a hobby (but a mindset!), a way of breathing, living, fighting. For nature, for freedom, for truth, and for birds!

    Raubwürger (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 14.08.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    They unfortunately had to face a slightly more empty upstairs at the Hafenklang, i guess that was because their sound somewhat did not fit the other two bands exactly.

    For me it all made sense, up to and including taking binoculars along when having a walk in nature (too see all the birds close up and in their beauty).

    Bang! Heavy stuff and sure thing, due to the virtue of a hard hitting drummer, fast forward. They are more than worth checking out, go and see them!

    The cover for their download only LP is just class and worth a showcase:

    And remember, the great grey shrike is a large and predatory songbird!

    I achieved what i wanted: Got out, got my ears blasted with something new and had fun all along the way. And got to learn where all the young folks hide and that their approach to Punk, Hardcore and alike seems much more open & wide than the oldpunk circuit.

    But, as my favorite booker ensured me, we old farts generate much more bar turnover.

    Prost!

  • … the future is bright and catchy (and rides a skateboard)!

    … the future is bright and catchy (and rides a skateboard)!

    Hamburg lately has been a damn hothouse, temperatures reaching easily 30something. The outlook of a show in the heated city was … let’s say sweaty.

    But hot shit was announced, a band from Soweto that not only flushes into everyone’s timeline (by the virtue of these damn algorithms) but last year played with “legends” DEATH at the We’re Loud Fest in Kenya.

    The show sold well upfront but when i arrived it was mucho vacio. Some folks are not yet in sync with “Doors 1900 Show 2000” by the looks of it. And when it was 2000 the support band did not make any impression to take the stage…

    … that got me a tad bid annoyed as i wanted to get home as fast as possible to not have to use public transport with people returning from watching that stupid tournament over yonder.

    I did spy the setlist of Worn Down Thread and it had a whopping 18 songs, god damn, that looked like a stretch. But once Abgenutztes Gewinde (a beautiful band name btw) took the stage it was quickly clear that potentially the whole set might only take say … 20 minutes.

    Worn Down Thread (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Worn Down Thread are a simple 3 piece with all members sharing vocal duties and sport a cool self-reflection:

    WDT gives blood, sweat, and throat — direct, loud, and without unnecessary extras. Fully DIY, the band runs on a regional-train-optimized setup: minimal gear, maximum energy.

    And indeed they sprinted through the set, started at 20:32 with their intro and started their finishing song skateboard fahren at 20:58:

    01:20 later they where done, even prior to 21:00. Go and check them out for yourself, they are raw (and sometimes bumpy), rough (and sometimes out of sync) and edgy (but never annoying).

    In short: Pure fun! Like the chorus in above: “Du Boomer!”

    If i get a chance to see them again i’ll be happy indeed. And in hindsight they where the perfect lead in to what was going to descent upon the by now packed upstairs of the Hafenklang.

    Twenty One Children hail from Soweto, a former Township that got incorporated into Joburg and back in 1976, when Punk hit the UK, was home to one of the uprisings of the oppressed black majority of the Republiek van Suid-Afrika.

    And the least place from where in 2026 i would expect see a H/C Band coming to Hamburg.

    Even prior to the show they where utmost friendly people, saying “Hi” to attendees and shaking hands. Once it was time, they took the stage one by one: First Guitar, jamming through some riffs that sounded almost Hendrix to me. Then the drummer slammed onto the stage and drove the jamming into more structure.

    Finally the singer crawled onto the stage and promised the lot to FUCK SHIT UP:

    Wow! And, given the guitar got amplified through both bass and guitar amp, i was not even missing a bass player.

    From the first chord they had the sweaty lot moving, dancing and almost frenetically applauding the band. I got to admit that rarely i had seen such a fast and almost instant connect between audience and band.

    Twenty One Children (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    They simply took the lot by storm, the sheer amount of juvenile fun, positive energy and determination simply reflected back on them. I saw a huge amount of smiling faces, dancing and “Thumbs Up” and the fun coming down from the stage just did not stop.

    Besides that, they also had so much going on on stage, eg. the drummer leaving his chair to slam dance on stage, the guitar disappearing into the crowd and the singer stage diving into the lot. And none of that felt rehearsed, planned or orchestrated.

    They are simply kids having fun. And yes, sure, that are influenced by American Hardcore. And yes, adopted gestures, styles and whathaveyou from visuals of the bands or records.

    And there ain’t nuthin wrong with that, that is how it works when you discover as youngster a style, a scene & a sound that make you go-bang.

    Twenty One Children (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    I guess all of that you get on this one, neatly tucked into 1:20something:

    By this time all attending already where devoted 21ers, without a doubt. In the end they finished of with the most simple and most honest words: “Let’s stop here and have a beer (together)”.

    And, icing on top, they are also creating unique setlists. The guitar player took a decent amount of time to draw this beauty (on the inside of a paper box lid). DIfuckingY.

    Twenty One Children – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 25.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Go and the see them live. Fullstop. Only after the show i checked out their releases and whilst they are good … they do not transport the no bullshit all energy feeling of the live show.

    It is 2026 and young kids falling for this shitty cupboard labeled Punk and turning it into something inspirational, boy, the future must indeed be much brighter than me old goon thought.

    I will try to see them again but at this pace they soon outgrow the upstairs of the Hafenklang and sure the downstairs too. Will they hit big? I do hope for them, they are authentic to the max. And live, boy, a real killer. Show of the year material? Sure thing!

    Perfect evening, though sweaty to the max. And i got a new country covered, never before saw a Punk Band from iRiphabhuliki yaseNingizimu Afrika.

    And plenty of happy friends around me, a win on all fronts.

  • … small turnout, loyal supporters and surprise visitors!

    … small turnout, loyal supporters and surprise visitors!

    Hamburg has been damn hot for a couple of days, luckily this early Sunday show happened in a slightly cooled down Hafenklang where my favorite booker relentlessly promotes DIY Punk (in the most professional way possible) and seeks the special stuff, off the beaten track (and inside a great little niche).

    As such he got his hands on Venenö, an absolute niche outta NYC. All members are battle hardened in other bands, here they come together from some real cool Post-Punk with a scent of Wipers (or French Cold-Oi, to add more labels).

    The Caved supported the early show and where a little surprise: After 10 years Cavity/Search just had enough of the name and choose … i guess a restart with a new name.

    The songs largely remained the same plus they where still selling some of their 2020 LP’s too.

    They live by the large, room filling, voice of their singer Aga, the backdrop of the rhythm section is somewhat indeed in the background and the guitar also felt a bit less driving.

    The Caved (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    For me it did not work too well this evening, somewhat it did not hit me as much as i wished. Friends around where quite of a different opinion, so it must have been me again.

    They had their fans, they got a fair share of applause (with i guess 20odd people attending still tough to drive & accept feedback) and there was nothing wrong with them preparing for Venenö.

    And the lads from NYC kicked off like this:

    Wow, that had much more umpf and hard edges than i thought upfront! Much to my liking i have to admit!

    Vocals are in Spanish, both Bass and Guitar sing. The Drummer makes plenty of funny faces whilst playing but boy hits utmost hard and drives the sound forward in a very literate way. Sometimes he even got up from the stool to hit super hard.

    Venenö (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 21.06.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    The longer they played the better it sounded and the more folks i noted with smiles on their faces and somewhat tapping along to the music with their feet.

    At the end the enthusiastic few in front of the stage pressed Venenö for an extra, they had already played all they ever had (rehearsed and recorded) so after a short internal debate they opted for something not by them.

    And that was a indeed a cover from Paralisis Permanente (thanks to Thomas K, always in the know, to hint at that), straight out of the 80s.

    Overall the songs and presentation where much harder, with more edges, more drive than on the records, live that definitely made utmost sense.

    To an extend it lost a little bit the softer side, as here on their EP, but that was not a bad thing at all:

    I already scored both records a couple of months ago from my trusted dealership, so i did let go the offer “buy both EP’s and get one T-Shirt for free“. Others did grab ’em, also the tape they had on offer sold well.

    I would suggest you give it a try too, if you like it hop over to Sounds Of Subterrania and get ’em there (sans shirt)!

    Great early Sunday (though again with the most shitty lights setup drenching everything in red) with a sadly small but expert turnout. And the continued assurance that both my favorite booker and my trusted vinyl dealership pick good choices. In my favorites niches.

    And the best: I can trust that like minded people around me share the urge, interest and curiosity. Perfect!