This article was automatically translated by AI.
Missbrauch, Kafkas, Alarmsignal, SS-Kaliert, Rasta Knast, and a local support band graced the stage on February 14th this year as part of the tour at SO36. Rasta Knast and Alarmsignal seem to be quite popular in Berlin, as this is already their third concert within just six months (Resist to Exist Festival 08, Punk im Pott in Exil 08, and now the Schlachtrufe Tour).
I made my way to the concert extra early, thinking that it would start on time given such a packed evening program, and indeed, at 8:20 PM, the local support "Frei Schnauze" took the stage. I was not familiar with the band until then; had I not gotten to know them, I wouldn't have missed much. The right concert atmosphere had yet to develop, likely because at that point, only a maximum of 100 visitors had made their way to SO36, and they seemed quite lost there. According to Puke Music, ticket pre-sales were also "rather sluggish."
With a "warm Grüß Gott," Missbrauch from Bavaria began their set after the support. The six musicians from Munich delivered a musically strong performance, bringing different tones into the genre of Deutschpunkrock with their saxophone, and they seemed to enjoy playing. Unfortunately, the pogo crowd, if one can call it that, consisted of only five people. As expected, their Schlachtrufe contribution "Maden im Speck" was the most well-received, with the audience showcasing excellent knowledge of the lyrics.
Next up were the gentlemen Kafkas. Staying true to their self-proclaimed punk without studded leather jackets, they maintained their stereotype of being a bit different from the others. They not only played "Blau blüht der Enzian" by Heino as an intro, wore bright neon wigs during the concert, but also successfully encouraged their audience to participate in a Polognese and to pass beer mouth-to-mouth. They directly addressed individuals from the audience and brought them on stage, resulting in more concert-goers being on stage than band members at times. It seemed they were not bothered that their music suffered as a result. Unfortunately, Kafkas was the band with noticeably poorer sound quality compared to the others; I recognized the songs I already knew only much too late. Statements like "We're only playing for the money" and the many insults directed at the audience I would dismiss as pure irony, which other spectators did not see the same way, leading to some booing and a noticeable emptiness in front of the stage. Nevertheless, I found the band to have a great sense of humor, and they definitely left a lasting impression. The singer from Kafkas remarked after their performance in response to my question: "Although there was three times as much going on the night before in Chemnitz, our four-and-a-half-hour drive to Berlin was still worth it." I found it quite amusing that the guitarist, as I also noticed after their performance during a conversation at their merch stand, seemed quite fond of the band's free beer, and I had significant trouble understanding him when he wanted to tell me something about MTV and VIVA. However, this does not make the band any less likable to me.
At 11:00 PM, Alarmsignal took the stage, with an estimated 300 visitors now present; it wouldn't get any fuller from this point on, as there were definitely more visitors at the Schlachtrufe tours in previous years. People who really had no business on stage were once again shooed in front of the stage, but at least there was some decent pogo dancing now. Alarmsignal shone with all their well-known songs and sing-along anthems like "Mittelfinger," "Klassenkampf," and "Zivilkrank," creating a great atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the next band with a questionable name took the stage: SS-Kaliert with their hardcore punk. And as is often the case, the harder the music, the more motionless the audience. This was also true that evening. While the band's jumping around on stage was quite amusing, I did not understand which songs were sung in English and which in German until the end of their performance, as I did not understand a single word. What a shame. The songs also barely distinguished themselves from one another, or at least that was my impression. Others felt the same way, leading to a general waiting period until Rasta Knast would take the stage.
Rasta Knast were undoubtedly the highlight of the evening. The audience was already in motion after the first note; the wait had been worth it. They delivered the best stage sound of the evening, which was certainly due to their clean playing style honed over their long (now 12 years) experience; the stage program felt downright perfect. Almost everyone could sing along, and all the classics were played from "Die Katze beißt in' Draht" to the last song "Blut, Tod und Tränen." With songs like "Ost-Berlin," Rasta Knast naturally earned many sympathy points in West Berlin. Their set time flew by far too quickly, and despite three encores, the concert evening ended at half-past one, and before one knew it, SO36 was left empty.
As the singer from Kafkas mentioned that their four-and-a-half-hour drive was worth it, my half-hour journey was definitely worth it, and I will be there again for the next Schlachtrufe tour.