For those who have never been to Astra Stube in Hamburg, the venue is about the size of an airing cupboard and nestles resentfully under a railway bridge in Hamburg. I suppose you could say it’s the troll of all venues.

Local four-piece Kapelle Herrenweide kicked off the evening’s entertainment with their brand of urban folk-rock, for want of a better way to describe it. They combine influences from Finnish humppa music, klezmer, and polka, coupled with German pop and schlager, with lyrics which the band and two or three people in the audience (at this point of the evening I wouldn’t call it a crowd) found hilariously funny.

These youngsters lean heavily on German witticisms and social observations from the Teutonic perspective. The lyrics are of course in German. Their music occasionally runs uncomfortably close to bad cabaret with slight rock influences, a style which is well-liked in Germany but I’m not sure if it could really appeal to non-German punters. I couldn’t understand most of their puns and witty innuendo, so concentrated on the musical side of the performance. After three songs I was on the footpath with the rest of the crowd waiting for the Barons of Tang.

If you thought it was hot inside Astra Stube, the thermostat in the broomcupboard was about to be wound open several notches.

Between festivals, Melbourne’s self-proclaimed Pioneers of Gypsy Deathcore decided to grace Hamburg with their presence. And the Barons were worth the wait.

Combining tango, ska, punk, Balkan and metal influences, just to name a few, this seven piece combo from the Antipodes set the place on fire. Packed like cigarettes the crowd moved shoulder to shoulder as a unit, with just enough space down the front for one white guy with dreadlocks (why is there always one?) to embarass himself and everyone else by dancing like no-one was watching.

The lead singer slapped his double bass to psychobilly speed, with a box full of pedals to stomp on, while the rest of the band kept pace on whatever came to hand. It seemed like every member played at least two instruments, often simultaneously.

From « Villain Stage Left », which combines tango strains with old style ska and wistful jazz refrains, to the sheer musical violence of « Dogs of Rotterdam » and « Even if You’re Missing Fingers You Can Still Make a Fist » the Barons of Tang had us totally under their spell until finally the door opened after the last number and the steam rushed out of the pressure cooker. The band and crowd mingled sweatily on the footpath, gasping like fish and gulping beer.

The Barons formed in 2007 and they’ve risen rapidly. This year they played about 40 dates on a merciless three month tour of North America and Europe. That tour sees them with a berth at no less than ten European festivals, including giants such as Roskilde in Denmark, Sziget in the land of the Magyars and Womad in the UK. Not bad for a band that’s only been around a couple of years.

See them somewhere if you can !

© CCC