“Don’t miss the train” – Goodbye, Tony Sly

It’s always a strange feeling when somebody passes away. It’s terrible, when it’s a person close to you. It’s kind of weird, when it’s someone you only knew through records or as a performer on stage. Yesterday evening I stumbled across a terrifying tweet by Fat Mike of No FX, which was followed by another one by Fat Wreck Chords verifying the terrible news that Tony Sly, lead vocalist and guitarist of No Use For A Name and solo artist, had died.

Read Full Post »

John K. Samson @ Gebäude 9 / Greg McPherson @ Rubinrot – Canadian Weeks in May

I haven’t written anything in a long time. Somehow everytime I tried, something else got in the way. Well, things happen, so this will be yet another story which already feels a bit old. Way back in May the great John K. Samson (of The Weakerthans fame) came to Cologne to promote his new solo album. I had to check this one out, not only because I know John since I interviewed him in 1996 while he was still with Propaghandi. And to make things even better, a few days later fellow Canadian Greg McPherson came around for a visit. Which, as you can tell by the title of this post, were the Canadian Weeks in May.

Read Full Post »

Dead Swans + Horror Show + Hangin’ Tough @ Underground, Cologne

It seems to have been about six months since I last went to a show, but it definetely feels longer. I hadn’t heard about this one and if a friend of mine hadn’t pointed my attention to it I might have just stayed at home for yet another weekend. Turns out the show itself wasn’t that great, but meeting up with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time was worth the trip. The “Underground” might have played a part in my overall impression as it was as horrible as always. Still some things never change. Especially at hardcore shows.

Read Full Post »

Cobretti + Just Went Black + Man The Change + Remember + Gust @ Autonomes Zentrum, Cologne

This was something I wanted to do in a long time but never quite had the right chance to set into action. Ever since I heard that there was a new squat I was pretty excited, because things like that don’t happen around here that often anymore. So when at the beginning of this year there was a huge stand-off between the cops and the squatters, which I only followed through Twitter (boy, at times like those these new things really come in handy, don’t they?) I figured that I had to hurry to catch at least a glimpse of that venue. It turned out that squatters were able to reach some form of agreement with the company who owns the building complex and so, if I remember it correctly they will be allowed to stay in the building at least until October. What got me to move my ass over the Rhine was the release show of Cologne’s part-time alcoholics punk/hardcore kings Cobretti, who I hand’t seen in quite some time.

Read Full Post »

This Will Destroy You + Arktika @ Gebäude 9, Cologne

It felt it had been quite some time since I last had the chance to get out of my everyday grind and just attend a show somewhere. But now that I flip through the entries of this page I am suddenly aware that it hasn’t been as long as I had expected. Only three months? It felt like forever. There are just so many, what I would call, missed chances. Concerts I couldn’t go to, because they took place during the week and my work wouldn’t allow me to be out late. This one however had two reasons why I had to be there. No actually three. First, it was on a Friday evening. Second, my work schedule for the week allowed me to get enough sleep to reallz enjoy this. And third, since my ex-band was playing a hometown show I figured I just had to go.

Read Full Post »

Mogwai @ Live Music Hall, Cologne

Sometimes life can play the cruelest tricks on you and in the end you still get away with something you like to remember. In my case I was supposed to fly to Japan on March 14th and we all know why that didn’t materialize as planned. As painful and heartwrenching as it is, I still got some sort of a consolation prize with a ticket for the Mogwai show which was set to take place in Cologne on the exact same date.

Read Full Post »

Findus + Adolar + The Town Of Machine @ Club Scheisse/Aetherblissement + Sonic Ballroom, Cologne

To be honest, I only went to this one because there was nothing else to do on a Friday evening and I really wanted to see a show. The concept was interesting as well because Club Scheisse/Aetherblissement and the Sonic Ballroom teamed up for this concert with the first to bands playing at the Club Scheisse and the main act finishing thjings of right next door at the Ballroom.

Read Full Post »

Love Academy + Apologies, I Have None + Zombies Are Pissed @ Club Scheisse/Aetherblissement, Cologne

It’s been quite a while since I had some time to go out to a show and I figure I only got my ass off the couch this evening because I had two weeks of holiday and that’s always a good sign that I had a lot of time to relax and recharge my batteries. Also I wanted to at least show up at the “Club Scheisse/Aetherblissement”, a very nice and cool venue, one of the last in Cologne which still have this semi-legal/squat feel to it.

Read Full Post »

The Gaslight Anthem @ Radio City Music Hall, NYC

I’ve seen what must be over a thousand shows in my entire life so far. Some took place in rotten cellars where the stench was so bad you wanted to puke. Some were in huge halls too expensive to buy a drink. Some were in small clubs with a few spectators where we hung out and talked to the bands afterwards. Some were at youth centres with nagging social workers who would show yu the dor if you were drinking a beer. But never in my life have I attended a show like the one yesterday evening. Ladies and gentlemen, The Gaslight Anthem at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Read Full Post »

Bridge And Tunnel + Young Livers + Rockwell @ Underground, Cologne

I was finally able to attend a show again yesterday, so I was really looking forward to this one, although the bands are not on top of my list at all. I had seen Young Livers before and I have one record by Bridge And Tunnel, so I was kind of prepared as to what I had to expect. I never heard anything of Rockwell though, a local band from Cologne and Bonn.

Read Full Post »