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Tag: The Bolokos

  • … quand la joie l’emporte sur la musique : Le retour des Bolokos!

    … quand la joie l’emporte sur la musique : Le retour des Bolokos!

    Last year The Bolokos delivered the show of the year at the Indra, surprising 30+ people with more than 2 hours of joy. This years return optimistically was moved to the bigger Monkeys … and indeed more than double (but still not enough) turned up.

    Support was to be Dead Dates from Düsseldorf, who would have brought the gear. They had to pull out short notice and the Monkeys had to find a local support with Backline. NōōS jumped in to help and thus secured the evening (and a support slot).

    Without NōōS there would not have been a show, hence they had my sympathy. Unfortunately they only called debits on that sympathy account, largely for their mu-sick (a bit of everything) but also for the overly self assured (and talkative) singer. 

    NōōS (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 15.08.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

    To a different audience and setting they may work, for me they did not work at all (though their Bass was fun – a guitar with Bass strings). For the rest of the audience they also did not work, it turned into the rare occasion that a band literally is emptying the room in front of the stage.

    … NōōS really achieved emptying the room, outsch!

    Sorry NōōS, with me you need to try again. Or better not, as my mu-sick-al mind is very narrow minded i fear.

    Next The Bolokos and they simply followed on from where they left it almost a year ago on 19.08.2022 – childlike joy and emitting fun down from the stage. Yet again with their borrowed drummer (running gag ctd, their drummer could not travel) and in their typical Bolokos gear (did i say that i like uniform stage attire?).

    The Bolokos (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 15.08.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

    Thats energetic Edy Caramello on Guitar, lovely Océ Cheapfret on Bass and the running gag on Drums. Edy joked that the last time they rehearsed was right back on the stage of the Indra – i guess that was a lie, as they where perfectly together.

    The Bolokos (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 15.08.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

    It was nice to note that Edy could remember almost all that attended the show last year but it was even more fun when he realized that the “lalala” replay attack would be levied against them again. His realization and the broad smile that came – priceless.

    I guess they did not play as many songs as last year, this time round they limited themselves to “only” ~2 hours. But these two hours where filled with exactly that uplifting joy that makes you feel good.

    As me mate Christian noted: Musically there are definitely better bands, but in terms of sympathy and what they have delivered, The Bolokos are way ahead.

    As expected the distance between the band and the yearning audience disappeared quickly and as per Bolokos custom their version of “If the kids are united” invited everyone on stage. The only item odd was that it also lured Luke (of Spitfire Stevens fame) on stage with something brewed in his hands that was not … Jever. Wow!

    The Bolokos (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 15.08.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)

    They came back for some more and despite that the Bass did not work anymore on the final song they got the lot singing. Indeed The Bolokos know how to deliver and how to take an audience along and thus deliver a worthwhile evening, period. Even with the too small attendance on a Tuesday evening.

    The only item i’d love to see next year is that they up their merch to include the famed Bokit sandwich and some local white rum. They they would not only please my ears, my eyes but also my stomach.

    How about that Edy?

    For the Hamburg lot the gentle reminder that attending a Bolokos show is minimum 2 hours of joy – don’t miss that next year (the only ones excused this year where those seeing DEVO in Berlin on the same evening).

  • … sans prétention et avec une joie enfantine: Les Bolokos se donnent à fond!

    … sans prétention et avec une joie enfantine: Les Bolokos se donnent à fond!

    Ever since i stumbled upon them in 2021 through their video for “Caribbean Dream” i was convinced that i must see them live. Some good people around me where in the same mood and took the chance to see them at Rebellion 2022. I had hopes that whilst in Europe they would grab the opportunity to come to mainland Europe like many other bands from Oversea doing a Rebellion stint .. and lucky i was!

    They are the first Punk band from Guadeloupe and they set the scene themselves like this:

    The Bolokos is a Punk band formed in 2009 in Goyave, Guadeloupe (French West Indies). Pioneers of the genre in their island, their sound is a blend of Punk, Rock, Ska, Country and influences from Creole and Celtic Music.

Their self-titled first album was produced by the Martinican artist Kali.

Since they continue to tour the Caribbean and overseas (England, France…)

    I was really keen to see them and Sam from the Indra made it happen (and was surprised that the band trusted him after just two emails and a phone call). Unfortunately on that Friday there was loads of other live mu-sick opportunities around so only ever 30+ people made it to the Indra. Damn. Not a good turnout Hamburg!

    This is how The Bolokos kicked off at 21:30 sharp:

    It is worth to note that somehow their drummer could not travel and they picked up a stand-in in Europe, with just a couple of practices and two shows together. It worked quite well and you could see throughout the set that drummer and guitar kept eye contact for guidance.

    Their look against the simple black backdrop of the Indra also was an absolute fit, black trousers, white shirts and their makeup – all in all a great visual (and pleasing my selfish viewpoint that bands should dress for the occasion). 

    The Bolokos (Indra Music Club, Hamburg, 19.08.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)

    From the first songs onward you had a clear felling that the lack of audience did not hamper them, they rather emitted a lot of joy from the stage and took an easy approach towards errors, failures or wrong chords (though there weren’t many)

    Their songs generally do not break any speed record (and with a stand-in drummer mid-tempo anyway is a safer road) but they are indeed as broad mu-sick-ally as their claim of influences.

    And many eventually land in sing-a-long territory, even when you do not get the lyrics. What they did not expect (not knowing the persistence of the Hamburg lot) was then when invited to sing-a-long then Hamburg sometimes plays back at you.

    And that what the lot did, invited to provide a “la-lala-la” like chorus it did not stop when the song ended, upon the last chord the lot carried on, the band had to restart. Once. And again. Thought they would get away with it. Nope – yet again. After the 4th reprise the singer just gave up, fell back to the amp and declared “You got us done now”.

    The Bolokos (Indra Music Club, Hamburg, 19.08.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)

    And they simply just did not stop, though – upon advice from the audience – they put a 30 minute break in for a smoke, a chat and a drink in the beer garden of the Indra. Only ever to come out and requesting presence in front of the stage again.

    And back inside they gave us what i consider their signature song:

    Class, just class.

    I was happy throughout, the people around me where happy too and best thing, the band was also in a happy mood, very humble and enjoying every minute. Sure some “what-if” came to mind, eg. could they have been paired at the Monkeys with The Movement and thus had a bigger audience?

    The Bolokos (Indra Music Club, Hamburg, 19.08.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)

    Nevermind, a great show by a band from far away, from a tiny sunny island, having sat in a car to drive to Hamburg from Düsseldorf (and knowing they got to drive back in the night) and pushing 22 songs onto the lot. Wow!

    The Bolokos – Set List (Indra Music Club, Hamburg, 19.08.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)

    They played for what felt like another 45 minutes and invited everybody onto the stage for a final sing-a-long to “If The Kids Are United”, something that most likely everybody in the audience can sing verse by verse.

    The Bolokos (Indra Music Club, Hamburg, 19.08.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)

    Remember the start at 21:30 sharp? They played until 23:50, relentlessly and without showing signs of exhaustion. As they said later “We’ll sleep well enough when we’re dead”. Point made!

    And after the show they sat at the bar, chatting, helped their family to sell merch, signed records and generally where just friendly, approachable people from far interested in those who came out to see them.

    Lets hope they come back soon and lets ensure they play a crowed, wild and sweaty house in a hot summer (anything below 28° is cold for them).

    PS: Unfortunately the liquid merch was not available at the Indra, i will now try hard to find some of their rum via my trusted sources.

    … rum is a big thing in Guadeloupe, so here is to yours!

    PPS: And they have a song about the local signature dish, a fried sandwich called Bokit (“The Soul Of Guadeloupe In A Sandwich“). I will try that one too, looks nice.

    PPPS: I do not speak French, hence thanks to an online translator for the headline, if it does not make sense at all please let me know (and if someone volunteers to translate all of this to French then please be my guest).