Gigs Abroad Part 29 Cologne – Part 1

Cologne is the fourth most populous city in Germany and is located on the River Rhine and was totally rebuilt after World War 2 when 80% of the original city was destroyed by a grand total of 45k tons of bombs dropped by the Allies. It lies 14 miles in a Northwestern direction from Bonn, which was the former capital of West Germany from post war until 1990 and then remained the seat of government of the reunified Germany up to 1999, before both roles were hoovered up by Berlin.

Like many German cities, there are some fine structures including two basilica’s, the Great St Martin Church and the gothic and impressive medieval Cathedral (Kolner Dom) which is located adjacent to the Hauptbahnhof.  The Dom had the accolade of being the world’s tallest building during the 1880’s and even to this day remains the third tallest church and the tallest cathedral in the world.  It was originally built to house the Shrine of the Three Kings, alternately known as the Three Wise Men (most certainly not Uncle George, John Dewhurst and myself!) who reputedly presented their three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to baby Jesus.

Cologne Cathedral. Image Credit Unsplash.

It has a considerable musical heritage as the city contains over 60 music venues and has the most pubs per capita in Germany, many stocking the tasty local beer called Kolsch, which also doubles as the name of the local dialect. It is also famous for Eau de Cologne; a perfume created in the early 18th century and is still produced there to this day.

There was a huge outdoor music festival held there between 1993 and 2006 called Musicfest am Ring (Ringfest) where allegedly 2 million people attended the 1997 edition. Various famous and local German bands played including the fabulously named ‘The Piano Has Been Drinking’ and international acts such as Sparks, Cardigans and Motorhead performed.  Famous people from the city include Nico from Velvet Underground and the Krautrock pioneers Can were formed there in 1968.

The Piano Has Been Drinking. Image Credit genius.com

My first visit to the city was in 2007 and it was also my virgin lads trip and my first ever sojourn to Germany, and I instantly liked the vibe of the country. We stayed near the river, and I recall us walking past one of the fan parks that was used for the previous years World Cup that had been held in the country. One of the matches that took place at FC Koln’s stadium was England’s final group game, a 2-2 draw versus Sweden.  

We naturally visited various brahauses and I remember them lifting the kegs of Kolsch directly from the cellar to the bar area and then pulling a plethora of schooner size glasses of ale. They then maintaned an ongoing tally by notating the number on a beer mat, in one particular place there were a considerable number of lines when ‘Jimmy the Kitty’ went to settle up the bill.   

Jez Catlow took us on a tour around the vibrant pubs of the student area and later retrieved me from a fast-food joint where I was found devouring a giant bowl of chow mein! We also visited a hostelry where there were two macabre dolls whose heads rotated the full 360-degree circle and they were singing Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’, a rather surreal sight. We met a couple of young Armenia Bielefeld fans who were in high spirits as their team has just reached the pinnacle of the Bundesliga top division.

Our day trip was out to the aforementioned Bonn where we visited a vinyl bar but unfortunately it was poorly timed as on entering I only heard the final notes of an AC/DC album. We also dove into a unique sports bar that didn’t do what it said on the tin and actually show any sports, so we had to rely on one of the chap’s phones to check the football results.   

Bonn. Image Credit dutchwannabe.com

In another bar Uncle George decided to have a dabble on the fruit machine where it was difficult to understand the mechanics but with the barman generously deciphering for him, he proceeding to fleece the machine. When the munchies finally struck we located a gastro pub with some lovely tucker and Uncle George had his now famous ‘Pan of Fish’. Many of the lads were also distracted and somewhat smitten with the statuesque blond frauleinwunder who was our host that afternoon.

2025 Gigs – Part 3

I shall commence the final part of my 2025 review with the observation that I regularly head over to Liverpool for work and periodically catch a sliver of live music whilst traversing back to Liverpool Lime Street for my train home. One such bar is Liverpool Smokie Mo’s on Great Charlotte Street where I have seen local singers Paul Gillies and Chris Kinsella playing.

In March we gravitated over to Manchester New Century Hall where I saw Mercury Rev for the seventh time and the first time for a decade. They were premiering their new album ‘Born Horses’ but obviously including some highlights from their desert island disc ‘Deserter Songs’.  

Mercury Rev. Image Credit gigantic.com

On a work outing we visited New Century food hall one evening and we got ensnared into the nights quiz event. The second prize was two free tickets to any gig at the venue upstairs, and I have no idea why, but everyone turned round to me at that particular news!  Obviously we achieved a second place, and the tickets were donated generously to myself. Unfortunately, the first choice of Blondshell I couldn’t make due to illness and the revised choice of Dirty Three due to being notified of a close family bereavement just as I was setting off to that gig, so it was obviously not meant to be, but still a nice touch from my colleagues!

Whilst out on a sally down Burton Road in West Didsbury we caught a portion of the Beat Boys at Manchester Rustik, a bar that has since closed its doors for the final time. Over in Didsbury Village there are regular gigs over the weekends at Manchester Kennedys. I saw a chap called Paul Hunt playing and manufactured a visit there on Christmas Eve to ensure I reached my double century of gigs in the year. The act to mark that achievement was a geezer called Chris Addington from Rochdale who is a bit of an all-rounder as a music service tutor, musical director and alongside being a solo performer has been in a suite of bands, the latest being called Filthy Animals.

The final block of this year’s gigs will be covered under the auspices of the Lancaster Live Festival where over two days I saw 37 gigs and a grand total of 23 new venues.  I shall take you firstly to Lancaster Tap House where on the Saturday we witnessed a local band called Fuse. The following day we returned and caught the Sun Street Stompers who are a traditional jazz band whose driving force is Barry Marshall.

Sun Street Stompers. Image Credit jazznorthwest.co.uk

Barry has a long-standing pedigree as a clarinet player and played in various bands before in 1984 being approached by Steve Thorn, landlord of Ye Olde John O Gaunt pub, to set up a Sunday lunchtime band and the Stompers were born. They have retained that residency for over four decades with an ever-changing line up and provide valuable opportunities for local upcoming musicians. For the festival they made a rare foray to another hostelry, and they played in front of a hugely respectful audience where you could literally hear a pin drop.  

Continuing the theme of Lancaster Ye Olde John O Gaunt, a venue which was also subject to a double visit on the weekend. On the first day we saw Slackrr, who were a noisy pop punk trio who have been around since 2018 and had just released their third album ‘A Light on the Horizon’. On the Sunday we caught Helen and the Mellons who are a folky trio and are regular participants on the local circuit.

Directly opposite there is Lancaster Market Square where on Day 1 a jaunty band called Des Songsmith & the Flat Cap 3 graced the stage. On Day 2 we were presented with sets from Charlie Blugrass and from Daisy Smith. The latter named is a local singer/songwriter and is also the driving force behind the creation of a four-piece rock band called Do You Like Worms? The band’s moniker derives from a Beach Boys track recorded in 1960 which was subsequently released on a compilation album in 1963.

A stumbling distance away is Lancaster Library, one of the original venues for the hugely successfully ‘Get it Loud in the Library’ initiative and where I had previously seen Robert Forster, Yuck and Low amongst others. On this particular occasion Northern Frisk were performing who are badged as one of the finest ceilidh bands in the North of England and regularly appear at festivals, barn dances or they can even be hired for weddings.

Northern Frisk. Image Credit facebook.com

At the fine setting that is the Lancaster Pub Outdoor Stage we saw Circus Freak, a rock covers band from Bolton featuring Rokkin Roy on guitar. Later, we witnessed White Tyger who were in a similar vein to the previous band and were formed in 2015 in the West Midlands. Nearby at the Lancaster Cornerhouse a singer/songwriter called Brendan Cleary was on stage and then at Lancaster Crafty Scholar we caught sight of Mark McKenna, who we then found a second time whilst he was playing a later set at Lancaster Hogarths.

At the Lancaster Royal a very enjoyable and accomplished four-piece blues band based in Liverpool named Reillo were on stage. Their name derives from the reverse spelling of the surname of the lead singer James Ollier, who is the driving force and main songwriter in the band and a guitarist since the age of 14. Nearer to the station is Lancaster Jailors Barrel (previously the Robert Willow) where a solo indie singer called Jamie Walker was playing.