way past crying

Konzerte

2007-12-16T12:23:00.000+01:00

Seahorses supporting Oasis '97
Super Furry Animals supporting Suede '99
Iggy Pop '99
Blochin '81, Space Kelly... '99
Beck '00
Johnny Marr (Ex-Smiths) and the Healers supporting Oasis '00
Superstore supporting Travis '00
Clint Boon Experience '00
T. Rextasy in London '00
Idlewild supporting Placebo '00
Madrugada Kesselhaus (Oct.00)
.scump '00
Slut '01
Sigur Rós '01
St. Thomas supporting Madrugada (Columbiahalle) '01
Madrugada (Knaack), '02
David Bowie (Sept. 02)
Madrugada (Silver Wings Club, Oct.02)
Madrugada (Columbiahalle, Nov. 02)
Suede (Universal Hall, Nov. 02) (i didn't pay for that one and have been forced to go there...!)
Onelinedrawing (New End Original), Dec. 02
Interpol (March '03)
Fuzzy Casino (April '03)
Beck Acoustic (April '03)
The Cramps + Trash Monkeys (September '03)
Kaizers Orchestra (December 03 Berlin)
Kaizers Orchestra (February 04 Berlin )
Kaizers Orchestra (April 04 Potsdam)
Kaizers Orchestra (April 04 Hannover)
Blue Man Group (Berlin, May 04)
Franz Ferdinand (May 04)
Kaizers Orchestra (Cologne, June 04)
Kaizers Orchestra, Ghinzu, Pleymo et al. (Namur, Belgium, June 04)
Kaizers Orchestra (Utrecht, The Netherlands, August 04)
Kaizers Orchestra (Aalborg, DK, Sept. 04)
Kaizers Orchestra (Oslo, Sept. 04) ***
Ping (Oslo, Sept. 04)
Interpol (Berlin, Sept. 04)
Popkomm: Ghinzu, M.A.S.S. (Berlin, Sept. 04)
Popkomm: Gåte, Sensor, Furia, Rotterdam Ska Jazz Foundation, The Hobos, Sjoen (Oct. 04)
Saybia (Berlin, Oct. 04)
St.Thomas (Berlin, Oct. 04)
Tom Waits (Berlin,17th November 04)
Skambankt (Bergen, Norway, Nov.04)
Dresden Dolls (Berlin, Nov.04)
Janove Ottesen (Berlin, Jan.04)
(by:larm festival, Stavanger, Norway 02/05:)
Gåte
Madrugada
Casa Electro Novo
Pål Jackman
Tumbleweed
Cloroform
Skambankt
R.E.M. (Berlin, February 05)
Saybia (Berlin, Feb. 05)
Ghinzu (Berlin, March 05)
Adam Green, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, , Mando Diao, Moneybrother (March 05, Berlin)
Kaizers Orchestra (May 05, Greifswald)
Madrugada, Vidar Vang, King Midas (Berlin, May 05)
I Am Kloot (May 05, Berlin)
Kaizers Orchestra, Shantel Bucovina Orkestar (July 05, Berlin)
Calexico (July 05, Berlin)
Kaizers Orchestra (August 05, Gelsenkirchen)
Gåte (Berlin, August 05)
Kaiser Chiefs (September 05)
Kaizers Orchestra (September 05, Hamburg)
Kaizers Orchestra (September 05, Berlin)
Kaizers Orchestra (October 05, Cologne)
Kaizers Orchestra (October 05, Bielefeld)
Kaizers Orchestra (October 05, Bremen)
Madrugada (November 05, Berlin)
Skambankt (November 05, Berlin)
Cloroform (January 06, Berlin)
Skambankt (February 06, Copenhagen)
Kaizers Orchestra (Berlin, March 06)
Kaizers Orchestra (Mannheim, March 06)
Kaizers Orchestra (Dresden, March 2006)
Emir Kusturica & The NoSmoking Orchestra (April 06)
Geoff Berner (Berlin, April 06)
65daysofstatic + 6NationState (Berlin. May 06)
The Dresden Dolls (Berlin, May 06)
Madness (Berlin, July 06)
Cloroform und Kaizers Orchestra ( Popkomm, Sept. 06)
Kaizers Orchestra (Bergen, November 06
Kaizers Orchestra (Berlin, November 06)
Kaizers Orchestra (Amsterdam, December 06)
Superbravo Band (Bergen, February 07)
Skambankt (Bergen February 07)
ratatat (Berlin February 07)
Skambankt (Kopenhagen, March 07)
Goose (Berlin, March 07)
SixNationState (Berlin, April 07)
SixNationState (Hamburg, April 07)
Geoff Berner (Berlin, Juni 07)
Modest Mouse (Berlin, Juni)
Five o’clock heroes + The Bravery (Berlin, June)
Goose (September 07, Berlin)
Saybia + Figurines (September 07, Berlin)
Heideroosjes + Jingo de Lunch (September 07, Berlin)
Skambankt (Oslo, Oktober 07)
Russkaja, (Berlin, November 07)
Wombats (November 07, Berlin)
SixNationState + The Bishops (Hamburg, November 07)
SixNationState + The Bishops (Berlin, November 07)
Gogol Bordello (Berlin, November 07)
BigBang (Berlin, Dezember 07)
Bishop Allen (Berlin, Dezember 07)

Shoot 'Em Up!

2007-09-28T01:58:00.000+02:00

Ein cineastisches Meisterwerk!

life’s too short for guitar solos.

2007-09-23T23:33:00.000+02:00

Since three years the Berlin September promises a highlight I’m looking forward to ever since the beginning of the year: Popkomm. This year, however, was not like the last couple of times when one could not decide which of the many simultaneous concerts of this four-days club-festival to attend. In fact, the overall line up was not very promising, at least for me and my admittingly rather peculiar music taste. So, it was quite certain, for weeks actually, which concerts I would see. – And this time Germany being the “partner country” of the event, I had my difficulty with being too much pleased with the overall programme. So I experienced much crap, some known and favourite bands but yet a few surprises.

my last week’s concerts: Tent, The Checks, Goose, Figurines, Saybia, Alphabeat, Dirty Fuzz, Heideroosjes, The Creetins, Jingo de Lunch

planned, but not attended: Keith Caputo

people spotted in the audience: Peaches, Geir Zahl (Kaizers Orchestra), various Saybia members

First concert I went to was Goose, an electro-rock band from Belgium who are, concerning the sold-out Lido venue, obviously not an insider’s tip anymore. It was my first time in the Lido, which I was positively surprised of - the venue, I’d like to remark, not the evening. From the beginning, I was really really pissed off by some skanky females who obviously mistook the concert with the perfect place to discuss repulsive relationship problems in front of innocent people and if the band “Tent” hadn’t been so bad, I would have been able to concentrate on the music instead. After I realised that I have just spent most of my life in that venue, listening to crappy music that would never stop, like in a dreadful time warp, Tent surprisingly came to an end (ha!) and the place filled. After another 24 hours The Checks came on stage which suddenly led me to feel the desire to take the air outside a bit. They were not too bad, though, but when you expect some truly danceable beats you know to expect from Goose you won’t be liked to be fobbed off by some semi-original Jim-Morrisson copy and tunes you think you have listened to a thousand times before. However, when Goose finally entered the stage, I realised I was not the only one waiting desperately for something to happen. The audience went crazy from the start, the first 4 songs being definitely the most danceable ones Goose ever made - the whole crowd was electrified. That was just awesome and really kind of made up with what the evening was like until then. Much to my sorrow, however, Goose decided to play not more than 35 minutes including… no encores. Fuck. That was like a coitus interruptus.

Next day was strange, if I had gotten earlier out of bed, I would have made it earlier to the Danish Music Night, a promising event at the Popkomm, with a promising line-up. I was in any case glad that I did not miss one of my favourite bands Saybia, who were due at around 23.30 but I was even more glad that I just came right in time to witness the truly fabulous band “The Figurines”. If you are reading this and do not know them: Go get their latest album! It’s ace! The singer has one of the most original voices I ever encountered, the melodies are sad-happy-melancholic-eerie-catchy-tremendous, I was completely carried away.

Doesn’t happen too often these days. They played a lot of their latest songs, and delivered a great performance over all. After that, Saybia played which was, I guess, only satisfying when you’re a fan: they played many songs which were unknown to many, as the new album will be released in October. “Angel” broke my heart. Saybia just know how to tease out every romatic feeling hidden deep within me. A short concert, but a great night, whatsoever. Got hammered afterwards on Wodka-RedBull and Cola-Rum. Embarassing. But otherwise “Alphabeat” wouldn’t have been half as good. Hehe. I’d like to take the opportunity and thank Anders from Copenhagen/Adlershof who got my friend’s and my Figurines album signed at 4 o’clock in the morning at McDonald’s. We would have never dared.

Next day I was chaperonage for a friend who introduced me to the great sounds of Jingo de Lunch, a Berlin rockband who obviously are cultfigures of the Kreuzberg music scene. And although the front’man’ was female, I really fancied this band. The fact that most, if not all, people came to see “Jingo”, how I learned this band is benignly called, the bands playing before them had quite a hard time. And rightly so, perhaps, as Dirty Fuzz was one of the worst bands I’ve ever seen! I know I’m probably not allowed to say that, because the rather scary leadsinger is black, and so are the band’s backing vocalists… but I say it nevertheless. Don’t trust their positive reviews!!

After that, the incredible Heideroosjes from the Netherlands played a truly awesome and vibrant set, and I daresay that normally it would not be too hard for them to make the audience jump and bounce, but this time most people only nodded their heads rhythmically, if at all. The singer closed the gig with the introduction of the last song, not without subtly criticizing the crowd by calling it “a little strange night, I have to admit.” But what the heck. I had my fun.

Temporarily. Because The Creetins, from Kiel, NOT from Berlin, how the rather unappealing lead poser, er… singer emphasized by raising his index finger, gave me a hard time. Thanks to a couple of drinks and a lot of people to look at, time passed quicker than expected and the aforementioned Jingo de Lunch came on stage. Overall a very nice night, I must say!

As long as I walk with you, I think I can be safe

2007-09-13T01:34:00.000+02:00

Today being the day I discovered that after Robert Burås’ early death a couple of weeks ago, Thomas Hansen, yet another Norwegian musician of great importance to me, has ceased away, I decided to finally start this blog in order to get things off my chest which I am tangent to. In a strange way, both musicians have accompanied me in a peculiar time of my life when I still didn’t know where to go – or if at all. Madrugada was my first love, in musical terms, a band whose music I adored so much that at times it almost hurt. It was around 7 years ago, the first broken heart, the first deaths of loved ones, the arising fear of losing those who are left, an unwritten future after a vaguely written past and so many doubts about what to live for – Madrugada stood by my side in a way you would not even expect from your best friend. I have cried a lot of pubertal tears over songs like “Shine” or “Quite Emotional”, many of them were needless, retrospectively. But it helped moving on, the idea of not being alone with the ability to feel sadness, love, lonliness and anger was like a revelation.

At one of their concerts in Berlin, Madrugada brought St. Thomas as a support act which was love at first sight for me. He was not in fact electrifying the masses, but what he did was touching everybody’s souls deep within, making them whistle the melody of “get down/get up/come here/have a cup/that's right/stand still/in the St. Thomas world” on their way home, actually striking a certain chord in them, because that was what he really could. Other singer/songwriters may have better voices or play the guitar more virtuously, but never could someone touch my heart in such a way this solitary musician did.

I also remember being in Stavanger in February 2005 at the By:Larm festival to see Madrugada and climb the Preikestol. At the street at daytime, at night on the way to some club, at each concert we went to see, we ran across Robert Burås who at some point had to laugh about our continuing encounters. During all three days he always wore the same, as if he did not have time to change clothes as it would mean to lose time he could spend by doing so many other things. And I remember how some night Janin called me to read out loud an article on a Madrugada concert where he was so engrossed in one of his eclectic guitar solo that he fell into the photographer’s trench. Head first. Lovely, loving memories.

So, three days ago Thomas Hansen joined him on his path to … whereever. From what I have gathered during all the years he had massive depressions and alcohol abuse problems which, at times, press and audience seemed to be more interested in than in his music. I, however, hope he will not be remembered as being that but rather as the immensely talented and heart-touching musician he was.

For me, even though I moved on and the music of Madrugada and St. Thomas mark an era of my life which I am sure I surmounted, it is hard to understand that there will be made no new music by them, and I realised that with them a grand piece of certainty and in a way immunity against whatever harmful or frightening in this world is taken away from me, as listening to their music has indeed helped me through bad times. I won’t be able to listen to these albums for a long time, now.

Rest in peace, both of you.

"As long as I walk with you, I think I can be safe"