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Tag: The Haermorrhoids

  • … just thankful: The last of a great DIY and LOCAL series!

    … just thankful: The last of a great DIY and LOCAL series!

    Good ideas do not last forever, but good ideas can make a lasting impact. The fine folks that keep the Punkrock Hamburg community going had such a good idea in 2019 and as ever with their ideas they made it real.

    Just DIY.

    2025 and 4 editions done (annual, sure dropped during Covid times) it was now time for the 5th and last edition at its chosen home, the Stellwerk in Harburg.

    Again DIY and local heroes only. And again sold out.

    Blanker Hohn (Harburgs longest standing Punk Band) kicked it off, delivering a short but crisp set of their own Deutsch-Punk variant, up to and including lamenting about yours truly – thanks for that Oile!

    Blanker Hohn (Stellwerk, Harburg, 01.03.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    It is a genre i still can not relate to but Blanker Hohn by now (compared to 2019) i can relate to: They have modernized sound and delivery and they have a couple of songs that do speak to me. And they had their local fan base dancing in front of the stage, setting precedent for the rest of the evening.

    Next Küken and they kicked off like this:

    Black Air from their 3rd Album, what a wonderful heavy slab to get it going! And from there they took it down the Küken path: Just a full on barrage of their very own, stripped to the bone, bare metal, destilled … you name it, it will fit. As long as it comes with the annotation of “unique” and “Punk Rock”.

    Küken (Stellwerk, Harburg, 01.03.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    To my surprise they even had some of the lot dancing and i got to admit that indeed it felt like a huge amount of energy coming down and energizing the lot. Kudos, for me a near perfect and to the point set.

    Perfect for the occasion.

    Them Haermorrhoids it took a wee bit longer to setup and once the finally kicked in it sounded … just not as perfect as i would have expected. Not sure what it was, amongst many little bits eg. the drums sounded a wee bit card board instead of “crisp”.

    The Haermorrhoids (Stellwerk, Harburg, 01.03.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    On top i somewhat had the feel they speeded through their set, tempo slightly upward. Luckily this rather slow song from their recent split EP with Proton Packs showcases what they are good at – here is C.I.A.:

    Whilst i am normally somewhat enthusiastic when it comes to my Haermorrhoids live experience this set somewhat did not make it to the same level. It could also have been me, still mentally suffering from the FCSP loss vs. BVB earlier that afternoon, a loss that in the 2nd half was feeling like the team not having any energy anymore.

    The Haermorrhoids (Stellwerk, Harburg, 01.03.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    Whilst The Haermorrhoids relentlessly pushed ahead, i still had this nag in the back of my head that condensed somewhat to “uninspired“. But it may have been with me only, the rest of the lot was either frantically dancing away or enjoying it as far as i could see.

    And the worst was yet to come: When i wanted to score their brand new 7″ after the show they (and the record) were all gone. Bugger!

    Next the Headliner, the unstoppable Party Machine outta Hamburg Horn, with the following setlist:

    Gerd – Setlist (Stellwerk, Harburg, 01.03.2025)

    And they kicked of with the song that Lemmy stole off them and gave to the Ramones – here is G.E.R.D.:

    Bang! And from there it was like a match from heaven: A band with exclusively known sing-a-longs and a crowd eager to sing-a-long and dance it away, on the floor in front of the stage and beyond.

    Gerd (Stellwerk, Harburg, 01.03.2025)
    (c) gehkacken.de 2025

    For some in the audience it was even too much (of booze) and they flippered along in the pit until a careful friend took them out (or they took themselves out). I happily stayed off booze and enjoyed it. And the joy was way beyond the mu-sick-al experience, the room felt full of joy (though towards the end of the Gerd set felt already no longer packed).

    With some overtime and slightly after midnight Gerd called it a day, to almost triumphant cheers. And, as far as i could make out, Gerd also gained a few new supporters out of the local circuit.

    I guess there could not be a better finish for the show and a better finishing line for that good idea formed in 2019.

    I am damn sure that it will have a lasting impact (DIY and Local!) and i am also sure that we get something else as a surprise next.

    If i could have my wish then it would be another Sommermärchen, in sunny beach setting at the Brewery. That was top notch entertainment in a perfect setting.

    FANX Perry and Arne for pulling this through over the years, much appreciated!

  • … their biggest show yet: Will The Haermorrhoids finally make it big??!

    … their biggest show yet: Will The Haermorrhoids finally make it big??!

    Thanks to Frosch for reporting, i was absent on family care duties!

    Got our tickets for this show at Hamburg’s long running Fabrik not because of Headliner The Chats, who I never rated that high, but for the support act, fellow Australians and beloved The Prize from Melbourne, probably the best Power Pop band going right now.

    Very nice surprise came a couple of weeks ago when a 2nd support act, local heroes The Haermorrhoids, was confirmed.

    Made the investment of roundabout € 40,- a little more reasonable I guess…

    This is how we were greeted at the Fabrik on a cold and rainy November night, just what the world needs right now. Some backbone in a world gone mad, right at the edge of fascism and nuclear war…

    ( (c) Frosch, 2024))

    We arrived at the Fabrik really early as The Haermorrhoids were going to kick the evening off at 8pm already. Meeting the guys just before the gig they told us that they were only given 10 minutes to sound check, so they were pretty unsure how it would sound on stage.

    By far their biggest gig yet as the Fabrik holds 1.200 people and they had sold 900 tickets in advance.

    This is how The Haermorrhoids kicked off:

    Talking later they said that they didn’t warm up at all, but you surely couldn’t feel that. Kicking into full gear and full of confidence with the title track of their latest album “At The Earth Core” they took the Fabrik by storm and got the crowd moving right away.

    No break, just like their heroes Ramones, Queers, Screeching Weasel, you name them all, Alleister Crowley next. And Sk8. Old favourites.

    I decided early on to record the whole show for them.

    Not being a musician – they are very picky when it comes to all these technical details… – I thought the sound was really good, guess it proofs if you watch the clips.

    And it was going to be a very short set, I counted 22.5 minutes.

    What I really like was the mix of old and new hits, just before the clip above we got the old crowd please “Overdose” and my personal favourite just recently, “Degenerator”, is kicking off these 2 songs.

    Just watch the young crowd getting into the band, pogoing along.

    For the last 2 songs we got the title track of great album No.1, “Apparatus Of The Ultimate Power”. I rate this one just as high as the best Teenage Bottlerocket album.

    Finally another Punk band from Hamburg with international class, and I guess we can all agree on that 😉. “Lost In Space” concluding this set, another example of the perfect dual vocals from Greg and Yannick.

    That’s what’s keeping this band really interesting, Lennart and Martin doing a great job on the strings too. Let’s all hope that they get what they deserve and make it really big in this fucked up world!

    After a short break The Prize took the stage. Love this band and their perfect blend of Power Pop. Honestly think nobody does it better than them at this moment.

    And they wear their influences on their sleeves, one of the 3  (!) guitarists sporting a Joe Walsh shirt. Very old school indeed, including drummer Nadine Muller, daughter of Cosmic Psychos drummer Dean Muller, wearing the matching 70’s stage outfit.

    And it’s her voice and great drumming that really drives this band, best heard on the instant classic “Wrong Side Of Town”, see the clip for it below:

    Shame that Nadine was set up right in the back, a hidden gem. That’s drummers usual fate after all, but when we did see The Prize before her drum set was placed right in the middle between the 4 boys in the band.

    Generally the gig felt a bit more lackluster than before, so we’re looking forward to the release of their 1st album hopefully spring next year and another tour to follow later in 2025, as male lead vocalist and guitar player Carey Paterson confirmed later.

    This is him performing the 1st song released off the new record, “Had It Made”, at the end of their set.

    Last but not least The Chats.

    Thanks to them The Haermorrhoids got their support slot for tonight, as they were supporting The Unknowns at the Komet a month before.

    Not completely sure about the drummer but I suppose The Chats are totally identical to The Unknowns, who in the end also play Garage Punk, just like The Chats, but with more emphasis on the end 70’s punk side.

    I immediately ordered their record and liked their gig in the small Komet basement, which attracted quite a few Chats fans, but never really got into the Chats recorded output.

    It’s still great that they attract a really young crowd, which feels much more vital than our usual old school punk sets, with a 60+ crowd.

    And they proved to be a really good live act, which is what’s causing all the fuzz about them I suppose. Being Australian and snotty helps as well. Up to 25 Mio. YouTube clicks, just crazy!

    I’ll never get one of their records I suppose, to me they just sound like any other garage punk band that can play the Get Lost Fest or Komet Club, not bad at all, but nothing special either.

    That being said, their song “6L GTR” is REALLY GOOD!

    And this is how it went off live, only the last 40 seconds, sorry, missed the best crowd support part, but just to give a little impression.

    After about half of their set I went from the front to the back of the room, as the songs all sounded a bit samey.

    But hey, a good live gig nevertheless and a fun evening with 2 great support acts!

    (Report, Pics and Videos by Frosch – hence color and not B/W. Fanx!)

  • … surprised down in the cellar: 4×4 and The Unknowns!

    … surprised down in the cellar: 4×4 and The Unknowns!

    Still suffering from the sadness of having loved ones in Hospital i choose again to get my head blown free, this time down in the cellar of the Komet. Where The Haermorrhoids were sure a receipt for success, The Unknowns … indeed the unknown in the formula. Too much hype around them sharing members with The Chats and – for my liking – too much of an Australian annotation if that makes any sense.

    But as ever, in order to form an own view you got to see a band live.

    The Haermorrhoids kicked off late, as it is more or less normal custom down at the Komet. They had shrunk their setlist for the support slot and arranged it into a near perfect 4×4 run.

    Pity though that a fan favorite like Overdose did drop out!

    The Haermorrhoids – Setlist (Komet, Hamburg, 18.10.2024)

    On the positive side: The 4×4 gave the lot Degenerator, a new song!

    As most of the times at the Komet the light was shite and the sound varied from where you stood. But sure thing that did not stop the 4 Haermorrhoids the slightest – full on #ramonescore delivered to an almost full house.

    The Haermorrhoids (Komet, Hamburg, 18.10.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    A very crisp set, little talking on stage (though news were shared that there soon will be another dad in the band) and simply delivering a well rehearsed set. The have come a long way by now and i sincerely hope that their way will be so much longer and further uphill! Next stops i believe are Flensburg (23.11.) and Berlin (20.12.), followed by a short tour with no good intentions next year.

    Go and see them!

    After a short (and from the outside a wee bit chaotic) changeover The Unknowns took the stage and surprised me big time, from the start.

    In an interview Josh (Singer, Guitar) confirmed the references that they triggered in mu-sick-al mind:

    Q: I love that you write love songs. That’s a big reason I love Eddy Current Suppression Ring too. A lot of power pop is about love also.

A: That’s the thing. I didn’t even know the actual genre term of power pop until, to be honest, a lot later because people started calling it that. It was a bit ditzy of me [laughs]. I just thought they were the best rock and roll bands. Look at the Beatles and the Kinks, all the British Invasion,  they brought back the whole resurgence in rock n roll and got kids listening to that stuff again. A lot of those songs were love songs.

From: Gimmie Zine

Great drive, heavy guitar work and all around great singing by all on top. From the start they were together, tight and pushed forward like well rehearsed and stage-hardened unit.

    Which i guess they are, as they exists since 2014 and all seems to play in a multitude of bands.

    In front of the stage they had by now an almost overcrowded room, loads of dancing and (wild bet: drunk) Swedish Turbojugend party crashers (that either fell into/onto the tiny stage or tried to to use the bass drum as jump point for stage diving).

    They also had female fans up front that acted like … screaming 70s rock fans. Or groupies.

    The Unknowns (Komet, Hamburg, 18.10.2024 (c) gehkacken.de 2024)

    I feared the worse (that would have been boring Australian Indie stuff) and i got the best (and that is powerful Australian Pub Rock and Power Pop, in a near perfect mix). To that extend i can only urge that you check out their stuff but trust me – live, on stage (even in a tiny, dark cellar with too much smoke) you will get the best of them.

    Here is their stuff, go figure!

    Happiness for me, forgetting the pain of loved ones in Hospital, and surrounded by Friends, who equally enjoyed them. That is how it should be, period.

    And speaking to them after the show and congratulating them on surprising me … gave me the opportunity to also learn that they are very humble and very friendly people.

    I want them back, on a bigger stage!