Tag: Motorhead

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.

Manchester Venues 140 to 141

If you head out the back exit of Piccadilly station you drop initially to the metro level and then the escalator gravitates down again to Fairfield Street at ground level and the accompanying taxi rank. Just beyond the cabs is a lift that takes you up to Platform 12 and then onto the next level and into the waiting area outside Platform 13 and 14. For more unscrupulous punters it could be used as a ticket barrier avoidance route!

Piccadilly Station with the lift in the right of picture. Image Credit showmethejourney.com

There are a plethora of breweries near the station ensconced in back streets and railway sidings. If you walk down Baring Street, you reach the hidden oasis of Mayfield Park, the 6.5 acre environmental green space encompassing the River Medlock which is the city’s first green space for over 100 years. To illustrate the industrial heritage of the area, thirteen Victorian wells were discovered in the construction and three were identified as still functional thus were then utilised to provide 20 cubic metres of water each to maintain the vegetation.  

Heading back from the park you would find yourself at Mayfield Depot which contains Escape to Freight Island with all their food and drink stalls and is also the location for conferences and fashion shows alongside the immensely popular Warehouse Project dance events. When waiting for later trains home on the overhead vantage point of Platform 14 I have regularly borne witness to the most extraordinary queues of customers awaiting access.  

Mayfield Park. Image Credit placenorthwest.co.uk

There was previously a venue alongside the Depot called the Fairfield Social Club on the wonderfully named Temperance Street where I once had tickets for a gig but unfortunately, they upgraded the show to another venue, and I never managed to attend there prior to its subsequent closure. It does now appear they have reopened Fairfield but in a different location over in Ancoats, near the Blackjack brewery, and they hold regular comedy nights there.   

Back on Fairfield St, you find one of Manchester’s most distinctive institutions, namely Manchester Star and Garter, the name of the establishment derives from the insignia pertaining to the Order of the Garter. It was originally built in 1803 outside the train station which had several monikers, including London Road prior to the current Piccadilly name. The build of the rail link to Oxford Road station in 1849 necessitated a brick by brick 100-yard movement of the venue, with its subsequent reopening in 1877.

Its initial incarnation was as a hotel containing an in house brewery. In 1986, the closure of the adjacent Mayfield station caused a chain reaction of the hotel also ceasing trading, and the area morphed into a brief ‘Dirty Old Town’ period. The building gained Grade II listed status in 1988 and reopened in 1991 as a live music site with its current pub and upstairs club lay out and has thrived despite its unusual location. It currently has a large Ian Curtis mural on one of its side walls.

It was threatened with closure again in the last couple of decades with the potential Northern hub expansion of the railway station. Their future however was solidified in 2020 with a ten year lease being purchased under the auspices of Mayfield Partnership.

It has been used as a location for many TV series including Band of Gold, Cracker, Prime Suspect and most extensively the recent Russell T Davies scripted landmark drama ‘It’s A Sin’. The venue is renowned for indie nights, Smile running for 20 years from 1993 to 2013 and the famous Smiths night which has been running for an even longer period than that.

The Star and Garter. Image Credit NME

It has hosted many diverse groups including Anti-Nazi league meetings, the 30-strong WBA supporters club of Manchester, Vampire Society and a comic night called Anti-Hoot which included the semi-legendary Bolton poet Hovis Presley!  It has mainly a rock/metal roster and was once coined as the ‘Temple of Doom’. Bands that have played there including Half Man Half Biscuit, Discharge, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, Low and remarkably Status Quo in 1999.

For many years I intended to visit but without success, until finally a gig was located, and a sabbatical trip was arranged in March 2015. It does look a little like a haunted house from the outside, evoking comparisons to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer ‘Fear Itself’ episode, but that was instantly dispelled by the warm welcome in the downstairs bar!  We then sallied up to the 200 capacity venue room and the first act on stage was You Want Fox, a noisy female two-piece from Nottingham.

The headline act was the East Town Pirates who travelled in from Ipswich to air their stompy sea shanties and have been referenced as sounding like ‘Motorhead meets the Pogues’. I returned once more in 2022 to see a band called the Reverbs.

In December 2021, local legend Tim Burgess put on a record fair themed event which had a novel set taking place on a Sunday lunchtime at the Manchester Piccadilly Station Mezzanine. The first challenge was actually finding this location and it transpired to be in the aforementioned metro entry level. By the time we found the spot, we only caught the last three tracks of an acoustic set from Starsailor’s James Walsh, who had an appropriate fine busker’s voice which matched the setting!