{"id":22224,"date":"2026-01-14T18:08:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gehkacken.de\/?p=22224"},"modified":"2026-01-14T18:08:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T17:08:36","slug":"2025-in-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gehkacken.de\/?p=22224","title":{"rendered":"… 2025 in numbers!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the private side it wasn’t the best of a year: We had to transfer me Mum & Dad into a care home, me Dad passed away due to cancer and me Mum ain’t the fittest either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top we made a big move into our to-be pension home out of the city, in the green of a “neck of the woods” suburb and as part of it took up a full renovation of a 1970s apartment into modern standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such less time for shows, less time for reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw about the same number of Shows as in 2024 (32) but less bands (equals to less festival like shows):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/td>#of shows<\/td># of bands<\/td>av. bands
per show<\/td><\/tr>
Hafenklang<\/td>12<\/td>26<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr>
Monkeys<\/td>6<\/td>16<\/td>3<\/td><\/tr>
Pretty Vacant HQ<\/td>3<\/td>6<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr>
Knust<\/td>2<\/td>4<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr>
MS Hedi<\/td>2<\/td>2<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
Indra<\/td>2<\/td>2<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
Komet<\/td>1<\/td>2<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
Marias Ballroom<\/td>1<\/td>3<\/td>3<\/td><\/tr>
Stellwerk<\/td>1<\/td>4<\/td>4<\/td><\/tr>
FCSP Fanshop<\/td>1<\/td>1<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>31<\/td>66<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It sure should have been more, specifically at the Hafenklang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best show 2025? That’s a tough one, on my mental shortlist are six shows. Mhhhh. Let’s see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best show: Shattered Faith, Sloppy Seconds and T.S.O.L.<\/a><\/em> at the Hafenklang. I guess mainly because of Jack and his lot driving this one home. Gold! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Runners up: Razors & Demolition Girl at Burn Down The Baum 18.0<\/a><\/em> at the Knust (Silver) and Sonny Vincent & Spitfire Stevens<\/a><\/em> (what a great return for Sonny!) at the Hafenklang (Bronze).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best set: Rancoeur (Hafenklang)<\/a><\/em>, followed by Gimp First (Monkeys)<\/a><\/em> and Youth Of Altona (Pretty Vacant HQ)<\/a><\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biggest surprise: The Spartanics<\/a><\/em>! And luckily they will hit Hamburg on 22.01.2026 at the Hafenklang again. Count me in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the reading side it was even more bleak: For the first time since i take these statistics (2016) i dropped below 20.000 pages read per year. Damn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/td># books<\/td>#pages<\/td># of days<\/td><\/tr>
Crime<\/td>52<\/td>17.671<\/td>308<\/td><\/tr>
History<\/td>3<\/td>1.072<\/td>25<\/td><\/tr>
Music<\/td>1<\/td>322<\/td>10<\/td><\/tr>
Fiction<\/td>1<\/td>396<\/td>23<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>57<\/td>19.461<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That is a mere<\/em> 76 pages read per day (last years high score was 93).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of it was crime and my favorite publishers remain almost unchanged: Polar Verlag (12 books), Suhrkamp (8 books), Unionsverlag (6 books) and Kampa (5 books).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also my trust into those who run certain items remains, including almost blindly trusting books translated by the lovely Conny L\u00f6sch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the best read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That turned – in hindsight – out to be dead easy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicol\u00e1s Ferraro \u2013 \u00c1mbar (Pendragon, 2025)<\/a><\/em> – a real surprise (from Argentina) and a real treat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Runners up (only by small margin):

David L. Ulin \u2013 Die Frau, Die Schrie (Polar Verlag, 2025)<\/a><\/em> – a book where on purpose i do not disclose anything in the review because the story & twists are utmost cool is something special indeed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les Edgerton \u2013 Das grenzgeniale Pseudo-Kidnapping (pulp master, 2025)<\/a><\/em> – How low can you go?<\/em> Rarely the books heroes where such looser, rarely that right amount of gore (and blood, and vomit) came through the pages!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And other great reads: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1974, Glasgow. Never done better than in Alan Parks \u2013 M\u00f6ge Gott Dir Vergeben (Polar Verlag, 2025)<\/a><\/em>, A great surprise with a local bloody hard-boiled in Timo Blunck \u2013 Ein kleines Lied \u00fcber das Sterben (Emons, 2025)<\/a><\/em>, More excellent Canadian stuff from Giles Blunt \u2013 Kanadische N\u00e4chte (Kampa, 2025)<\/a><\/em> and a great American road movie (down the drain galore) in Hannah Deitch \u2013 Killer Potential (List, 2025)<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A honorable mention: The completion of the Big Bend trilogy by J. Todd Scott<\/a><\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking forward to some great books in 2026, some have already passed the read!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the vinyl side i was still concerned with selling off stuff, my Discogs count is now 4.883 – so right below the magic limit of 5.000!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025 i added only 37 new records to the collection (and that included a some great reissue formats). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best ones (in no paricular order):<\/p>\n\n\n\n