Tag: AC/DC

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.

Gigs from Abroad Part 17 – Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands, containing 43% of the total population of the archipelago. Located there are two separate World Heritage sites at La Laguna and Teide National Park. Back in the day of the New World colonization many Spanish expeditions on their way to the Americas had a cheeky stop off there for additional supplies. It was also the location of the worst ever aviation crash in 1977 when two Boeing 747’s collided on a foggy runway resulting in 583 deaths.  

Teide National Park. Image Credit peakvisor.com

Many movies have been filmed there including Fast and Furious and Jason Bourne and music videos with artists such as Brian May, Mike Oldfield and Pendulum. It is a popular holiday destination with five million tourists visiting annually and we decided to make our debut in November 2023 in the Costa Adeje resort. Whilst in residence we walked many miles and frequented numerous establishments and restaurants where we saw a plethora of low quality music acts but as cited previously, I need to cover everything in these blogs for it to be a full compendium of Jimmy gigs!

So, let’s begin with the Tenerife Berlin Bar on the main road where we saw an artist called Paddy. From the road to the harbour front there are a suite of escalators and on the first level down is Tenerife Scallywags Family Showbar where in passing we witnessed Rebecca Bond and an excruciating Boy George tribute. Maintaining that outstandingly low bar, we briefly endured a Chris Rea and a Neil Diamond at Tenerife Old Lodge.

We spent many hours walking up and down the promenade which at the following restaurants Tenerife La Farolo De Mar we saw Pablo, Tenerife Qomo where Beth was performing and Tenerife Cala where Ella played. Nearby was the Amalfi restaurant overlooking the sea where we visited one lunchtime and there was an unseasonably torrential downpour resulting in half of the establishment flooding out, thankfully for us that was an anomaly as the sun shined for the rest of the week.       

There were also beach bars visited and these were namely Tenerife Diana’s Bar where The Fleetwoods were playing and Tenerife Cocoa Beach Club where a half decent performer under the moniker of Purple Rain was playing a set. Back up on the main road was Tenerife Unique Bar where a chap called Dave T was on stage and further round the street in the ground floor shopping arcade a place called Tenerife Cocktail House sprung into life in the evening hours and a crowd gathered for Doug to sing his tunes.  

One night we took a break from the bright lights of the resort and took a cab up into the hills to find some solace in the quiet streets of Costa Adeje old town where we located a panoramic vantage point. There were also some homely local restaurants and one that locals flock to is called the Oasis near the top of the hill and the Church. We managed to purloin a table and enjoyed their simple and tasty staple of spicy chicken and chips washed down with a couple of ice cold beers! 

Costa Adeje old town. Image Credit tenerifebooking.com

The remaining four events at least had some quality control to them. First up was Didi in the Tenerife Sky Bar who had a lovely smoky voice and there were fine views from there overlooking the ocean. Nearby is the live music bar Tenerife Route 66 where we witnessed a decent band called ElectriccirKus. The next occurred when we were heading down Tenerife Bar Duque Promenade and there was a terrific violinist called Maria performing. I recall she did an absolutely stellar version of the ’Game of Thrones’ theme which was spellbinding!

The final one occurred at Tenerife Harleys American Restaurant and Bar which is modelled on a biker bar diner with large plates of unhealthy food and live music from Wednesday to Sunday each week. It was a very busy spot on the night we visited, and we could only obtain seats perched at the bar.

The resident house band were Soundchaser who formed in 2004 and have twice won the ‘prestigious’ Tenerife Entertainment Award for best live band. They have recorded a couple of albums and undertook a European tour in 2012. The lead singer Marcos Rodriguez took a break in 2013, living in Belgium and Germany and undertaking a six year stint as the composer and music producer for the heavy metal band Rage, before ‘getting the band back together’ in 2019.

Harleys Bar. Image Credit harleystenerife.com

They are now a covers band but played at a very healthy volume and played three AC/DC tracks, which is always fine by me. These kids could play and had an engaging banter with the audience and had a humorous extended monologue in Spanish with the gist being that they would continue in their native tongue until the crowd became more responsive!