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Tag: Hafenklang

  • … a typical Monday: getting blasted & getting enchanted!

    … a typical Monday: getting blasted & getting enchanted!

    Back to the Hafenklang, where much to my surprise Kate Clover was due to play the smaller upstairs rather than a fully packed downstairs. From where i sit she should already have made it so much bigger, on the other hand maybe she thrives going through the ropes ctd.

    She got nicely paired with Küken, who just played 2 days prior with The Law and another band outside Hamburg in Elmshorn, a slot i unfortunately had to miss.

    Küken had to kick off early, as the whole thingy was supposed to by over by 21:30 sharp. They took a bit of grace time but then in their typical nonchalant & unpretentious manner they took the stage, smiled at each other and …

    … pushed the audience with their unique wall of sound.

    I honestly can not think of any other band around that offers the same. Period.

    For a surprise first time attendee of a Küken show they might sound all the same but if you give it a careful listen, if you see the subtle hooks, riffs and breaks within, then you realize what a perfect niche they have created.

    And how they nurture and grow it.

    Küken (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 05.10.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Those accustomed to Küken largely smiled away and slightly moved their upper bodies, those new to the proceedings stood in awe. Among them Kate and her band, i would wildly guess they have not had heard anything like that prior.

    15 songs, spanning across all their output. I guess i am damn lucky to be in Hamburg, where i can see them as often as possible.

    Küken – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 05.10.2026 (c) gehkacken.de)

    In sum simply a near perfect show, a mate noted “best ever show i saw of them” and i got to admit that i had the same feeling. They are more then ready for their upcoming two weeks tour, if you have a chance to see them – go!

    And whilst at it, buy their 2026 EP. It is out now for some time and in my household was/is on heavy rotation.

    I am yet to see another band that condenses a full concept album into an EP of give-and-take 6 minutes. Best Sicilian holiday for the least amount of effort and cost!

    Go – see them live!

    Next Kate Clover and her band, dressed for the occasion.

    All though it is a repeat i have to say that i fall for every band that chooses to wear stage uniform, chooses to dress in a selective way. So here is Kate in a shiny glittery red dress with black lighting and her band in black tuxedos, red shirts, black skinny ties, red socks and shiny black shoes.

    And a red neon “Kate Clover” sign on the bass drum.

    Dressed to deliver a show. And convincing me to a large extend already prior to the first chord.

    Kate Clover (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 05.10.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    Once that first chord came that feeling of “it’ll be good” turned into “it is great!“. Sure the show largely centers around Kate (sans center lights) but that is how she choose to bring her music to world: By her own. That why it is called “Kate Clover” on the ticket.

    They blasted through the set that somewhat was cut back by Kate by 3 songs, damn! Wild guess: As a professional musician she simply choose to match the 15 songs of Küken to make it a round evening for the audience…

    Kate Clover – Setlist (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 05.10.2026 (c) gehkacken.de)

    Still, it was great Power Pop set, with a speedy & hard undercurrent. And within that covering a wide space (of sounds). In an interview in 2017 Kate set the markings for that space very self-assured:

    © Copyright 2017 – Ponyboy Magazine

    And that is why i wondered how it comes about that she is still playing rather low key shows and venues.

    In a better world, she would make it bigger, or?

    Toss that thought, enjoy the moment with Kate Clover:

    The only “downside” was that it was quite loud and not all the vocals came across fully audible as a consequence. For my mu-sick-al receptors the backing band volume could have been tuned down a wee bit (and the lights could have been a bit brighter).

    The show sure had some of these stereotypical American showmanship elements (and some of them i simply can do without) but by and large Kate kept it at a good level and made sure the audience had a good time.

    Kate Clover (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 05.10.2026)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2026

    As far as i got it this was a touring band, compiled specifically for the EU run this year and if i was not completely off it included the Bass player of The Manikins (the SE one rather then the AUS ones from 1976).

    No clue how many also played on her very recent 2nd LP, but here you go anyway:

    The icing actually was that not only Kate and the band dressed for the occasion but she also made sure only ever high quality custom Tortex plectrums where used in … red and white.

    Just think of this one with a little bend on top and i’d like to think she gave me a red heart. I am melting…

    Illustrates the quality standard: Tortex “never break” plectrum…

    Kate Clover, a great musician, a great performer and the best word to describe her is simply enchanting. Period.

    I do hope that this month long run through Europe with daily shows is boosting her to the point that her next return over here gets her bigger stages, more listeners (than the max 60ish folks attending) and in return even more energy back to her.

    Perfect Monday with two convincing acts from different angles and with different sound. There ain’t nuthin’ better for a Monday evening.

  • … 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.