On Halloween eve, we visited the Markthalle in Hamburg, one of the venues with an unbeatable location right in the heart of the city and only a couple of minutes away from the central station. KVELERTAK, supported by CANCER BATS, embarked on a tour in the last week of September that took them through Europe. Therefore, we made it our mission to attend one of the shows in Germany.
CANCER BATS, the Canadian hardcore/punk outfit, kicked off the evening appropriately dressed! To their disappointment, there were few attendees who followed the Halloween tradition of transforming into ghouls for this special day of the year. Frontman Liam Cormier made a comment about it, expressing surprise at whether celebrating Halloween was truly uncommon in Germany. In defense of the “mostly” German crowd present that evening, I have to say that celebrating Halloween is actually a widespread tradition, especially in big cities across Germany. Perhaps, like many visitors including us, some people considered dressing up but ended up regretting the decision shortly before leaving home—a choice we still regret to this day. Nevertheless, it was a great evening with a unique atmosphere, crafted in part by CANCER BATS as they started their show with groovy riffing and compellingly catchy passages from songs such as “Bricks & Mortar” and “Lucifer’s Rocking Chair.” Their high-energy performance immediately infected the crowd, which initially seemed to be pondering whether attending a concert on a weekday, considering most had work early the next day, was a good choice. In the end, the crowd was engaged, and the packed Markthalle bid them a loud farewell.
The headliner of the evening were the mighty KVELERTAK from Norway, known for their mix of hardcore, punk, and black metal influences— a name probably familiar to anyone acquainted with these subgenres. During the changeover, the band had a backdrop as a curtain for the stage with a light behind it, illuminating the name and logo of the band brightly. This naturally heightened expectations among visitors as we eagerly waited for the curtain to finally drop. Suddenly, there they were, exuding the astounding energy that characterizes this band, and never for a minute during the entire concert did it wane. Despite the visible toll this physically took on them, KVELERTAK gave their all from beginning to end, a commitment not as common as one would like it to be. Amid superhits like “Krøterveg Te Helvete” and “Kvelertak,” the crowd witnessed frontman Ivar Nikolaisen and bassist Marvin Nygaard engaging in crowdsurfing, keeping the security staff busy throughout the entire evening. We relished every second of it and emerged motivated in many ways from the experience of witnessing KVELERTAK live. We hope to relive this moment sometime in the future. Check our photo gallery of CANCER BATS and KVELERTAK here…
CANCER BATS
KVELERTAK
Text and photos by Michelle Rosales
