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The evening was kicked off by PALE ANGELS, and it seems there was no soundcheck beforehand. I can't explain otherwise why it took four songs for something resembling music to be recognizable. Before that, the three guys on stage were visibly going for it and seemed to be playing something, but all that could be heard was a rumble. The guitar, which seemed important in the intended sound that could somehow be described as NIRVANA meets Punk Rock, was hardly audible until the end. The vocals were also missing. Please swap in a competent sound engineer; this is really not something you can charge admission for. It wasn't until the second half of the performance that there was a tension-filled instrumental noise piece followed by a punk banger that hinted at what the band could generate in terms of passion and infectious energy at their best moments. Unfortunately, this quickly faded when they celebrated a rock piece at a mid-tempo for a bit too long. Perhaps the opportunity to get the audience excited was simply missed early on. The band undoubtedly played their hearts out, but poor sound and songs that likely thrive on raw sonic destruction or psychedelic effects fell flat. It's hard to say what the music would deliver under laboratory conditions. Good luck next time.
With MASKED INTRUDER, fortunately, things were different. The naive pop-punk with an overdose of sweetness was effortlessly conveyed to the audience, who celebrated the band accordingly. Unfortunately, here too, the solo guitar and vocals were still suboptimal, which would have been a significant plus given the intricate harmonies. Nevertheless, this did not detract from the music, which is so catchy that you can sing along by the second chorus of a song you hear for the first time, or at least the appropriate Schalalalah. Add to that the silly concept of a band of criminals, complete with colorful ski masks from the last bank robbery. Silly, but full of love in their hearts. Plus, the singer Blue wore thick nerd glasses without lenses for that extra ridiculous look. Thematically appropriate announcements kept the audience in good spirits, collectively singing along and swaying. To ensure this, the band also had a broad-shouldered guy dressed as a policeman as their fifth member, complete with a natural mustache, who continuously waded through the audience, sang along to all the lyrics, hugged people, and encouraged them to dance. Yes, the cops, those mood boosters! But what happened on stage was also skillful: from the athletic performance of the drummer, who would have honored the late Tommy Ramone with his turbo-fast eighth notes on the hi-hat, to the dancing guitarist Green, to the truly beautifully sung melodies that ran through all the songs. These are relatively similar in style, and thus the best and poppiest were all blasted through without any particular emphasis on either of the previous two albums. Overall, it was of course much louder and punkier live than on record, but that's why you go to a concert instead of sitting in your chair in front of your sound system.
There was an amusing moment when two supposedly random women from the audience were encouraged to sing a duet with Blue. Well, what can I say, when a completely unknown band comes to Germany for the first time and does it like this, two random singers not only know the lyrics completely by heart and hit every note but also know exactly when to come in. That's how it is in the land of talented punk women! But it was funny; it reminded me a bit of magic shows where the "volunteers" act surprised when they are "forced" onto the stage.
In the end, MASKED INTRUDER turned what started as a rather mediocre evening into a lively party, and I found it interesting how well they managed to do this, even though their faces were not visible. It seems to work when everyone plays their role and fires unrestrained pop-punk into the crowd. Feel free to ambush us again!