E-Werk, Cologne, Germany13th May 2019
The Hellacopters - European Tour 2019 - Special Guests: Lucifer
Did THE HELLACOPTERS save Rock’n’Roll? You bet! When these rude punks met in Stockholm in the mid-90s, they ignited a spark that set the scene on fire. Suddenly Rock’n’Roll was fun again, it was dangerous and alive. After ten endless years of silence, the legendary band announced three German concerts in Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin for spring 2019. And it seems, fans have been waiting for it, because if your show gets upgraded to a bigger venue (from Live Music Hall to E-Werk), and also a TV channel decides to live stream your show (ARD Rockpalast), that cannot be a bad sign after all.
Lucifer
While across the street, thousands of young teenagers were lining up to see their idols ONE OK ROCK in the neighbouring Palladium, the generation of their parents came to celebrate a dose of good ol’ Rock’n’Roll with some Swedish flavour. Opening the evening were LUCIFER, which is a Swedish-German Doom Rock quintet from Stockholm. They have formed in 2014 and, after a thorough line-up revamp, have a recently released their second LP called ‘Lucifer II’. The album has been written and produced in cooperation with HELLACOPTERS’ front man Nikke Andersson, who also took over the drumming duties in the band. www.lucifer.church / https://www.facebook.com/luciferofficial
Music & Performance
At 7:40 pm, the lights went low and a mystically sounding intro started resounding from the speakers. The members of LUCIFER went on stage and kicked off their set with ‘Faux Pharaoh’ from their second album. The music straight reminded you of BLACK SABBATH, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT et al. Vocalist Johanna Sadonis made the 70ies experience complete by wearing an orange suede cat with fringes suit better than Agnetha Faltskog (does anyone still remember ABBA?) ever could. The band was very interesting to watch, and Johanna developed a great stage presence, which more and more listeners found encapsulating.
When LUCIFER announced their penultimate song, the MOTÖRHEAD cover ‘Bomber’, people in front of the stage started to have some real fun and the first mosh pit of the evening appeared. Unfortunately for them, the set was over after 35 minutes, so people headed for the beer stands for a refuel.
Setlist
01. Faux Pharaoh
02. Phoenix
03. Ghosts
04. Dreamer
05. Anubis
06. Reaper on Your Heels
07. Bomber (Motörhead cover)
08. California Son
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 6.8 / 10
The Hellacopters
Shortly after their foundation in 1994, THE HELLACOPTERS went uphill. They received massive recognition for their infernally catchy songs and their “take no prisoners” attitude on stage. They churned out single after single and won a Swedish Grammy in 1996 for their wonderfully loud debut album ‘Supershitty to the Max’. The importance of the band for the rebirth of Rock’n’Roll cannot be overestimated. After numerous celebrated albums and various world tours, the band ran out of fuel in 2008 and decided to take a much-needed break. In 2016 the reunion in original line-up for a single show on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their debut album. The beast was awakened. THE HELLACOPTERS are back and in 2019 they finally came back to Germany. Check out www.hellacopters.com or https://www.facebook.com/thehellacopters.
Music & Performance
Shortly before 9pm, the speakers began blasting the characteristic sound of a landing helicopter, which moulded over into the opening notes of ‘Hopeless Case of a Kid in Denial’, the first title of the 2000 record ‘High Visibility’. From there on, THE HELLACOPTERS got their well-oiled Rock’n’Roll engines started. Song classics, such as ‘Born Broke’, ‘Toys and Flavors’, and ‘By the Grace of God’ found their way into the set list, and the audience loved it, having been neglected for the last 10 years during the band’s hiatus. It also became quite clear why THE HELLACOPTERS have earned a reputation as a stellar live act over the past decades.
The crowd definitely enjoyed what they were seeing, and each faster song was greeted by dozens of beer cups flying into the air, which sometimes made the jobs of the camera men on- and off-stage a little difficult. The mayhem continued for 75 minutes until the virtual curtain fell, but steady screaming and clapping brought THE HELLACOPTERS back for three more songs. At the end, guitarist Dregen - who also lends his talents to THE BACKYARD BABIES - performed one of his infamous jumps from his guitar cabinet, this time above the head of the kneeling singer Nikke, so the audience in the E-Werk as well as on the live feed screens had something to marvel at.
Setlist
01. Hopeless Case of a Kid in Denial
02. Alright Already Now
03. Carry Me Home
04. You Are Nothin'
05. Born Broke
06. Like No Other Man
07. The Devil Stole the Beat From the Lord
08. My Mephistophelean Creed
09. Ghoul School
10. No Angel To Lay Me Away
11. Toys and Flavors
12. Down on Freestreet
13. Long Gone Losers
14. No Song Unheard
15. Psyched Out & Furious
16. Before the Fall
17. Soulseller
18. By the Grace of God
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19. Tab
20. I’m in the Band
21. (Gotta Get Some Action) Now!
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 7.5 / 10
All pictures by Marcus Nathofer
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