zakk, Düsseldorf, Germany9th March 2019
Backyard Babies - “The Nordic Noir” Tour 2019 - Special Guests: The Bones, Audrey Horne
Swedish Rock’n’Roll band BACKYARD BABIES have teamed up with two other Scandinavian bands to further their cause in Germany. While enjoying considerable success in their home country Sweden, BACKYARD BABIES still enjoy an insider status here in Germany despite their three-decade long history.
Audrey Horne
AUDREY HORNE are a Norwegian Hard Rock band, which was formed late in 2002. Live, they describe themselves as a “self-confidante energy bomb”. For their debut album, ‘No Hay Banda’ (2007), AUDREY HORNE received two Norwegian Grammy nominations in the categories for “Best Newcomer” and “Best Metal Act” and took home the Grammy for “Best Metal Act”. AUDREY HORNE#s home base is Bergen, Norway, a town made (in)famous by bands like IMMORTAL, ENSLAVED, GORGOROTH and other great metal bands in recent years. AUDREY HORNE, although a different type of metal band from the other bands mentioned, is every bit the quality act you’ve come to expect to come out of this town, and they pack a powerful punch. https://www.facebook.com/AudreyHorneOfficial / http://www.audreyhornemusic.com
Music & Performance
Shortly before 7pm, the lights were dimmed, and the introductory music of the Muppet show played over the PA. Singer Toschie literally jumped onto the stage and the band kicked off their set with ‘This is War’ from their newest album, ‘Blackout’. AUDREY HORNE, who derive their band name from the series Twin Peaks, were fun to look at from the start. During their 40-minute set, all five band members exhibited a great degree of enthusiasm and technical versatility. Singer Toschie went off stage into the crowd to perform ‘Waiting for the Night’, taking pictures with the fans. And for the final song, ‘Straight into the Grave’, the two guitarists Arve Isdal and Thomas Tofthagen also climbed over the barrier and performed the song back to back in the middle of the excited crowd. It all ended in a giant feedback orgy, and one of the guitarists hung his guitar around an unsuspecting fan’s neck and continued to play it. All in all, AUDREY HONRE ticked all the boxes of a solid warm-up show.
Setlist
01. This Is War
02. Audrevolution
03. California
04. Pretty Little Sunshine
05. Out Of The City
06. Waiting For The Night
07. Redemption Blues
08. Straight Into Your Grave
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 8
Sound: 6
Light: 6
Total: 6.8 / 10
The Bones
Slot Number two of that evening went to the Swedish four piece THE BONES from Karlskrona. THE BONES have often been compared to SOCIAL DISTORTION, and it is safe to say that the Californian Punk Rock band represents an important musical influence. THE BONES formed back in 1993, and since then they have released seven studio albums and four EPs. Their latest work is called ‘Flash the Leather’, which has been released in 2015. https://www.facebook.com/thebonesswe / http://www.bonesrocknroll.com
Music & Performance
Shortly before 8pm, a cheesy, Mexican-sounding intro emanated from the speakers. Then a very British sounding voice over the PA commanded the audience to put on their “dancing trousers”. The four members of THE BONES entered the stage and opened their set with ‘The Chevy Devils’. The simple Punk Rock coupled with the sing-along melodies very quickly unleashed a strong reaction from the crowd in the form of flying beer cups and wild pogo dances in front of the stage. THE BONES did not waste any time and kept pumping out song after song, and the audience loved what they did, as the pogo dancing showed no sign a wearing down over their playtime of 60 minutes. Based on their appearance, a sizeable portion of the audience were there at the concert because of THE BONES, as they were wearing the band’s merchandise. So Beef, Spooky, Andi, and Boner (as the band members call themselves) had no problem turning their set into an hour-long Punk party.
Setlist
01. The Chevy Devils
02. Shooting Blanks
03. Do You Wanna…
04. Not Another Lovesong
05. Screwed, Blued and Tattooed
06. Wendy
07. Hate
08. New Hooligans (090909)
09. Flatline Fever
10. Denial
11. Dog Almighty
12. Viva 13
13. Never
14. Railroad Track
15. Graveyard Gloria
16. I Don’t Want You
17. Monkeys With Guns
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18. Until I Die
19. Memphis ‘77
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 6
Light: 6
Total: 6.5 / 10
Backyard Babies
“We are one of the best Rock bands around, but even when we’re bad we’re damn good. That’s what separates us from the rest.” This statement shows that the BACKYARD BABIES from Nässjö, Sweden do not lack a healthy portion of self-confidence. But when you’ve shared a stage with Rock’n’Roll icons like AC/DC, Alice Cooper, Social Distortion or VELVET REVOLVER, you can rightfully consider yourself to be in the cream of the crop of the Hard Rock league. Since their inception back in 1989, the band has just released their eights studio album, which is called ‘Sliver and Gold’. Check out www.backyardbabies.com / https://www.facebook.com/backyardbabies.
Music & Performance
Shortly after 9:30pm, speakers began blasting ‘Friggin’ in the Riggin’’ from the SEX PISTOLS, with several other songs, which got people to wave their arms and scream in anticipation. The four band members grinningly appeared on stage and started their set with the song ‘Good Morning Midnight’ from their new album. The BACKYARD BABIES showed their fans why they are rightfully attributed with popularizing Sleaze Rock. The four musicians played together like clockwork, and each member contributed their very best to make this a memorable show. Singer “Nicke” Borg took over the major part of the vocal duties, while guitarist Dregen in his colourful and extravagant outfit stood out as a performer.
While the setlist heavily drew from the just released albums, the band also threw in several of the good old favourites from their previous work, such as ‘Th1rte3n or Nothing’ from their 2015 comeback record ‘Four by Four’, or ‘Minus Celsius’ from the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ album. This gave the security personnel a lot to do, since people started crowd surfing for real in the cosy Zakk. Nicke seemingly liked what he saw, as he repeatedly kept thanking people for coming out to their concert, and he complemented them for being the wildest crowd so far on this tour. The main part ended at 10:40pm, when the band briefly left the stage, only to be clapped back on stage for two more songs.
With their hit ‘People Like People Like People Like Us’ and after 80 minutes of playtime, the evening curtain fell, and the audience members adjourned with the assurance that Scandinavia does its part to keep Rock n’ Roll alive and well for the next decades.
Setlist
01. Good Morning Midnight
02. Look at You
03. Dysfunctional Professional
04. Shovin’ Rocks
05. Nomadic
06. Highlights
07. Heaven 2.9
08. A Song for the Outcast (Acoustic)
09. Roads
10. 44 Undead
11. Th1rte3n or Nothing
12. The Clash
13. Minus Celsius
14. Abandon
15. Brand New Hate
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16. Yes to All No
17. People Like People Like People Like Us
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 7.8 / 10
All Pictures by Tanja Schilling
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