COCK SPARRER and DISCIPLINE in my territory, wonderful…. And despite several good alternatives in Bielefeld, Paderborn, and Hameln, it was clear that Saturday belonged to Oi!-punk. And as the icing on the cake, the local heroes from VULTURE CULTURE were set to open the party, just like 30 years ago when they were on European tour as the opening act for COCK SPARRER, including at the Bielefeld AJZ. I didn’t catch that back then, so it wasn’t these two bands that were my first at the AJZ in 1994, but in 1995 WIZO, STEAKKNIFE, MUFF POTTER, and PROPAGANDI.
In any case, this concert was sold out weeks in advance, and I was looking forward to it immensely. Unfortunately, there were some complications with the early start at 6:30 PM, so I couldn’t see VULTURE CULTURE’s performance in full. But the 20-30 minutes I caught were already a very good start to the evening. Alongside their own songs, a few cover songs were also played, and Jörg & Dani energized the already half-full Kulturwerk (short KW), formerly X, before that Kick, and before that Rock Heaven, and before that it had another name too. My first concert was definitely BAD RELIGION at Rock Heaven. And while I’m at it, I should mention that I stood on stage with VULTURE CULTURE in the mid-90s. We were of course the opening act with NON CONFORM…. Back then, Elke was still at the mic for VULTURE CULTURE, which Dani has now taken over, and behind the drums sits now Danny, who also drums for BLISS, with whom I shared the stage a year ago with LOST ABEYANCE. But that’s a whole other story. Back to the new colorful packaging, VULTURE CULTURE definitely had fun on stage, and with their punk rock, they surely won over new young hearts in the KW.
Then DISCIPLINE came on stage, my first headliner. I last saw them at the same place 10 years ago, also before COCK SPARRER but with different opening acts. And I love their mix of hardcore, Oi!, and street punk. Especially the albums from the mid-90s to the early 2000s (Bulldog Style, Nice Boys Finish Last, Love thy Neighbor, and Saints & Sinners) were groundbreaking for me back then. Even though the old singer ended up in prison and only one album has been released since then, I believe that in 2014, things were really happening at X. Now, 10 years later, the dance floor has become more manageable. I’m also no longer found in the pogo mass, and it seems many of the old DISCIPLINE fans feel the same way. The bones just can’t take it anymore, and so the old pogo spirit was only felt and seen during three or four songs. As an excuse, one might also point to the sound, which wasn’t great down in the pit. After their 60 minutes, the four Dutchmen spontaneously played a cover song by the TROOPERS. Since I was already on my way to the bar, I could listen to the song near the KW mixing desk, and the sound there was significantly better than before in the pit.
And then it got crowded in the KW. It’s incredible how COCK SPARRER manages to bring their fans from all over NRW and NDS to Herford. Interestingly, every third car license plate came from “Living In Paradise,” which I didn’t expect. And while COCK SPARRER hasn’t been much more productive than DISCIPLINE in the last 10 years, they did release their second album of the decade this spring. At least the songs from the new album “Hand on Heart” were familiar to the audience and were eagerly sung along. There was no sign of the well-known Westphalian-Lippe sluggishness here. Depending on the song, the entire dance floor of the KW was pogoing, moshing, or at least had to swallow the waves that were created. And the sound in the pit was great; everyone felt 10 years younger, a dream….. And so COCK SPARRER played for 75 minutes through their 52-year band history. Songs from the 70s from their first album “Cock Sparrer,” from the 80s including tracks from “Shock Troops,” which I consider their best album. The 90s with singer Collin McFaull’s favorite song “Because You’re Young,” where the 60-year-old birthday boy Uncle Heini also stood on stage, who made this awesome concert possible. It’s simply amazing how these five Londoners, without any frills, manage to bring thousands into ecstasy with their Oi!-punk, while other contemporary “big” bands need pyro shows, music/other instruments from the tape, large choreography, etc. You can just feel it; with COCK SPARRER, it comes from the heart: YOU, ME, WE TOGETHER.
Conclusion: It was a fantastic evening, probably sadly for the last time ☹
