This concert took us to the outskirts of Berlin. It doesn't happen often that there are concerts near Berlin that you can attend as a Berliner. It's not just laziness; it's mainly because most bands play in Berlin in addition to their concerts outside the city.
This year's tour by DISTEMPER from Moscow, however, did not make a stop in the capital, so after a brief consideration, it was clear that we would travel to Bernau. Since Bernau is connected to the S-Bahn as well as regional transport, it was quite convenient to get there. The regional train to Bernau took just 15 minutes. From door to door, it took a total of 45 minutes, which is about the same time needed to reach most clubs in Berlin.
I was somewhat surprised when we arrived at the youth club Dosto. I remembered an old barrack building, but that no longer exists. Instead, the club is now located in a new building. We were greeted at the entrance by a stylish graffiti announcing the bands of the evening.
In front of the club, people were sitting together comfortably, waiting to go inside. It was a pleasant summer evening, and the atmosphere was relaxed and full of anticipation.
After HAUSVABOT finally arrived and checked the sound, the doors were opened for the general public. The Dosto has turned out nicely. It's a concert space for maybe 150 people, perhaps 200, with a good sound system and a nice bar area. Everything is quite manageable but well done.
The start time of 21:00 could not be maintained, as there wasn't even an entrance yet. Around 22:15, the three Berliners from HAUSVABOT finally took the stage to warm up the audience with hardcore punk, so that they could really go wild when the ska punks from DISTEMPER came on.
HAUSVABOT blasted four songs, some new, at the audience before their first announcement. The sound was not optimal at first but improved from song to song, so that even for the sound purists, it sounded good by the middle of the set.
HAUSVABOT played a whole bunch of new songs that will be included on their new album, which is set to be released in late summer / autumn 2010. The new songs represent a clear evolution. The lyrics fit perfectly without any circumlocution and are all political and/or socially critical, but they also sing about their own scene and its behavior.
Musically, it gets even harder and more uncompromising than before, while still offering quite a bit technically. HAUSVABOT is sure to deliver a real hit with their new album. I'm excited.
In addition to new songs, the band also played a number of older and very old songs.
The atmosphere was great. After the first songs, people started dancing hesitantly at first, but then more and more boldly. The three Berliners knew how to please! In my opinion, HAUSVABOT has now become one of the best Deutschpunk / hardcore punk bands.
After about 40 minutes of HAUSVABOT, everyone collectively went outside for some fresh air.
Inside the hall, it had become quite warm, and the summer night outside was mild and much more pleasant. So we chatted, like many others, and missed the beginning of DISTEMPER. When we got back inside, we were first hit by a wall of heat and humidity. The temperatures were heading towards sauna levels. The roughly 100 attendees were thrilled by the show the Moscow band put on. People danced, moshed, or just moved quietly. Hardly anyone could stand still while DISTEMPER enthusiastically and powerfully blasted their ska punk through the speakers.
DISTEMPER sings their songs in their native language, which gives the songs a unique touch. The set was, as expected, powerful and captivating. Even the mascot, the DISTEMPER dog, danced enthusiastically on stage. I really felt sorry for the poor guy under the mask. It must have been hellishly hot.
The temperatures and especially the humidity increased from song to song. The drinks consumed were almost sweated out one-to-one.
It was a great party, with two super bands in a very pleasant club with very nice people. You can go to Dosto more often. It's great there.