Discussing the show with Erik as we headed to the U-bahn (subway), we popped back to the hotel to freshen up in our respective rooms, before heading to see another needle in the haystack of bands, Joe & the Shitboys. This 45 minute set at Resonanzraum was punk as heck, with the bassist, guitarist and drummer wearing denim overalls (the latter looking like the progeny of Brent Mydland), and then Joe, in tight shorts, shirt and white hair. Think Andy Frasco but more punk, similar audience interaction and far more songs. In these 45 minutes, at least 20, if not 30 songs were played, hints of early Nirvana providing the platform for songs that included “Free the Nipples,” “Blue Balls,” “Fuck You,” “Macho Man Randy Savage” and the anthem “Shitboys in the House,” which was played twice when the band was given an additional five minutes to perform.
Hailing from the Faroe Islands (I was skeptical of this at first, simply due to geographic eccentricity), the four are vegan and bisexual, something that has not been as welcomed at home as it is in much of the western world. The stage presence of Joe, who very assertively encouraged the audience to fill in the empty space all the way up to the lip of stage, and later got everyone to crouch down towards the floor, only to spring up and dance, made the group a complete performance with music, crowd engagement and antics, coupled with in your face lyrics and song titles. I’m not certain when they’ll get to the States, but audiences will no doubt eat up what the Shitboys are serving.
Taking the U-bahn from Resonanzraum to the Reeperbahn, we got a walking beer as we headed towards Molotow once again. There we caught a few minutes of a four-piece all female punk band in the Karatekeller, a part of the venue where you could try to squeeze in through the Backyard, or go downstairs through a small maze of bathrooms (some all genders, some specific for non-binary and trans) before ascending to a staircase that gave no better view of this mystery band.
Out in the Backyard, Toronto four-piece Kiwi Jr. served as the soundtrack to the voyage into late night. The Sub Pop signed band had a true indie feel and a keyboardist who kept your attention from drifting to the other bands in Molotow and around the city.
Connecting by chance with Natalie, our host in Hamburg and guide to the Elbphilharmonie, Erik and I shared a long chat as we learned about the festival, the venue and how she has seen things evolve in her time in Hamburg. From there, Erik headed back to the hotel and I ventured on with Natalie to Aalhaus, where the Aquarium Drunkard duo were spinning deep funk late into the night. Only a mile or two from Reeperbahn and it felt like getting a beer at a neighborhood bar.
Saturday arrived colder and rainy, with less people out on the street at the noon hour. The uncovered red light district and all its smutty glory was on display, as was last night’s mess that still needed cleaning up. Heading to lunch at Astra St. Pauli Brauerei, you could enjoy the tasty cheap beer Astra (although I found Jever to have a much crisper flavor) and lunch with the press contingent. Near us, a bachelor party was getting an early start on the day, matching shirts and all, and from our handler Guido (real name, a German too) gave us some final tips for our last hours in Hamburg. For lunch, a hamburger was naturally in order, with the waiter asking if we wanted cheese on it – of course, why not? And when the cheeseburger arrived, it definitely had cheese ‘on it’, poured over, queso style. This was unexpected, but still delicious, cutlery required.
Heading into the rainy afternoon, a guided tour of the early Hamburg history of the Beatles was next, where Stefanie Hempel guided us through the town of which John Lennon said, “I was born in Liverpool, but I grew up in Hamburg.” Singer-songwriter Hempel met us at Beatles Platz, where metal cut outs of the band’s stage poses were now visible, having been obscured at night with the crowds, and cleared up by the rain. A longtime fan of the Beatles, Hempel founded her tour and shared her knowledge, as well as some Beatles tunes, as she guided us across a few blocks of St. Pauli to a few notable haunts and locales.
With a band that had not only Pete Best but also Stu Sutcliffe and a 17 year old George Harrison (plus John and Paul), the quintet sported leather jackets and mushroom head hair prior to the Boy Band they would become. Among the many details we learned during this two-hour tour, was that the Beatles were not alone in Hamburg, and were joined by many Liverpool bands who arrived here to make good money. This area had an international flavor to it already, thanks to sailors who frequented the area and spent time and money in the red light district.
From 1960-62, the Beatles would come to the port city to play rock and roll covers from Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, all at local bars, including Gretel & Alfons. Rock ‘n roll became popular, requested by those from the US who were working here, and Liverpool bands were cheaper to book, as opposed to London bands. This would lead the Beatles to play Hamburg more than the legendary Cavern Club, due in part to playing longer sets that would go all night, than they would have been allowed in England.
Viewing a monument to the former Star Club, which closed in 1969 and burnt down in the 1980s, the number of bands who frequented Hamburg was quite astonishing given the venue’s brief tenure and the unassuming nature of the city in the grand scheme of German tourism.
Viewing the Kaiser Keller (a basement cellar club), where the band performed in Hamburg in 1960, it was quite a sight to see across the way a church, St. Joseph Kirche to be precise, the oldest Catholic Church in Northern Europe, the juxtaposition of its location at the end of the red light district not lost on passersby.
Hamburg also would be where Ringo would become acquainted with his future bandmates while drumming for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Down the street was Indra, where the band first performed on August 17, 1960, with a limited catalog of covers that necessitated repetition as well as pushing them towards writing their own material once their Hamburg adventures were complete.
The tour ended at Jager-Passage, and a doorway that dates to the 1870s and is featured on the cover of Lennon’s 1975 solo album Rock n Roll. Although the doorway is very much in use by the tenants of the building, they were nonetheless understanding as the group posed for photos, a la Lennon.
Saturday’s Reeperbahn Festival had more local Hamburgers attending the event than previous days, and the best was saved for last, including an awards show, and two of the top performances of the weekend.
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