ABWÄRTS & AMPLIFIY on 07.11.2009 at S.O. 36 Berlin @

This Saturday was the day again. The punk legend ABWÄRTS graced the equally honorable S.O.36 in Berlin-Kreuzberg once more. It was a rainy, cold autumn evening. An evening that one could spend with good food on the couch with their loved one. Could, because quite a few people were already coming to Kreuzberg. Just before AMPLIFY's performance, there were perhaps 300 people in the hall, and more kept arriving. As with the last concerts of ABWÄRTS, the mix of the audience was once again worth seeing and experiencing. Even before the first band, a cluster of young girls formed right in front of the stage, either wanting to secure the best spots to swoon over their Rod from DIE ÄRZTE, or perhaps the opening band was that great? What I heard online didn’t blow me away, but they are on the Rodrec label of Rodrigo Gonzales, and how else can you introduce your bands than at a concert where you are playing yourself? When AMPLIFY from Hamburg started, there were perhaps 350 people in the hall. The older crowd, which was slightly in the majority, stayed at the back of the hall, sharing anecdotes from 20 years ago and were happy to be back at S.O. 36. From old leather jacket punks to wool coat wearers with silk scarves, everything was present. In between, the young fans were bouncing around in the hall. A meeting of generations. AMPLIFY played unremarkable poppy teen emo melody punk, paired with lyrics about losing a partner, being alone, and the tough years over 14. After three songs, I left the hall and pondered how to spend the next half hour without becoming aggressive. For me, AMPLIFY was nothing more than boring emo-punk with melody. Maybe Tokio Hotel mixed with early NO FX for middle-class kids who want to act punk rock. Although that’s almost an insult to NO FX. When the Hamburg band left the stage after what felt like three hours, in reality only forty minutes had passed, the setup for ABWÄRTS began. By now, S.O.36 was about three-quarters full. It was nicely crowded, but one could still move around comfortably. Just as a concert should be. Only the band for which everyone was there was missing. ABWÄRTS took the stage shortly after 9:00 PM. The first announcement came only after two songs. The band was in great spirits, especially Rodrigo Gonzales, in front of whom, as always, stood a crowd of girls. The further back you went, the older the audience became. Up front, the slightly younger crowd was having fun. However, during the concert, more and more older visitors came to the front and showed the younger generation what pogo used to be. The atmosphere in the audience was very good. People were dancing, singing along, and enjoying the moment. The sound was powerful again. The modern Abwärts sound is a mix of industrial, punk rock, rock, and a touch of NDW or electro-punk. ABWÄRTS also presented songs from their new EP “1,2,3,4 abgewrackt.” Especially the songs “Sei auch dabei,” “Abwärts und nie vergessen,” and the title track are great. Good lyrics that balance between irony, hope, and harsh reality meet hard industrial punk rock sound. Besides the new songs, mainly tracks from the last albums “Nuprop” and “Rom” were played. Of course, classics like “Computerstaat” and “Ich sehe die Schiffe den Fluss herunterfahren” were not to be missed. ABWÄRTS played for about two hours and delivered a great set that showcased the band's last years excellently. Let’s hope the band is around for a few more years. They not only defended their place in the scene that evening but cemented it.

ABWÄRTS & AMPLIFIY on 07.11.2009 at S.O. 36 Berlin

Write a comment