The Shocks, Stroiners and Illegal in Perleberg @

A trip to the old Brandenburg homeland, to the idyllic Perleberg, was on the agenda, and besides the obligatory family visits, the weekend had a lot more to offer. The Shocks honored the province with their presence, and to round out the program, two local bands were set to enrich the evening. That sounds really good and is a great opportunity to see what's happening in the small town located (pretty much) in the middle between Hamburg and Berlin. And one thing upfront: this was one of the best concerts I've seen in a while. After we arrived around half past nine, the first band of the evening was already in full swing. Illegal from Pritzwalk offered solid, rowdy, very Oi!-heavy sound that made you crave more and stayed pleasantly in your ears, not necessarily outstanding but overall worth listening to. The organizer of the whole evening also took care of the sound, which was excellent from the start, crisp and quite on point, very nice. Perhaps a few words about the venue where it all took place; it was quite amusing, had a bit of a living room atmosphere. The whole event was in the old slaughterhouse in the cafeteria of a building that also housed the land registry office and had the charm of the late 70s in terms of decor. Man, where could the Shocks play in a more fitting setting? But first, the Wittenberg Stroiners were to present their repertoire. The crowd present was in great spirits and started moving with the first sounds of the band. Surprisingly many people were really into it, and a respectable circle of pogo dancers created a good atmosphere for the Stroiners, who did their best to musically quench the thirst of the good audience. It worked well, and in my opinion, it was a good gig. Punk rock with a high Oi!-factor was the secret recipe here as well, and it was well received everywhere; the hall was now nicely filled, and the evening was developing splendidly towards its peak. What struck me even before the Shocks was not only the colorful mix in the audience, from punks to regular folks to skinheads and back, but also the consistently great atmosphere and no arrogant standing around and nodding, as is all too often the case in big cities, where people are just fed up (that's what I think). When the Shocks then took the stage (actually, there was no stage, let's say the spot where the instruments were), Lucifer really took off. From the very beginning, the pogo mob filled up with more and more people, and everyone was having fun, so I couldn't hold back any longer and started to dance to the brilliant 77 punk of the three Berliners. A top-notch concert unfolded, where old and new songs were skillfully mixed and played with enormous enthusiasm. I couldn't spot anyone who wasn't thrilled. As far as I was concerned, they could have played all night, but when it's at its best, it's time to wrap it up, and so the Shocks' concert ended after an encore, and we quickly went to the pub (which is no longer a pub but a lousy cocktail bar) for a nightcap. All in all, it was a well-rounded evening, with two good bands and one outstanding band, cheap entry, plenty of beer, music, and fun. I'm already looking forward to the next time in Perleberg, hopefully in November with another great band, as I've heard rumors. But those are still unlaid eggs.

The Shocks, Stroiners and Illegal in Perleberg

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