Photo by Marie Oleinik
It turns out, being at concerts after over a year of silence takes some getting used to. When I wrote my nostalgic love letter to live music and we were still stuck inside our homes, I didn’t expect how much effort it would take just to get to the venue at what has by now become my bedtime. Live music might have come back, but a lot of people’s energy is still catching up. If you have recently caught yourself at a gig, thinking about a Netflix show you would rather be watching, or wondering why those on stage are taking so long, you are not alone. Or maybe you are just at a wrong gig.
When the synth-punk trio Hiraki were announced as a support slot for a hardcore outfit EYES at Christiania’s Loppen on 2. October, I had a feeling that this time would be different. There is something captivating about this band, something that has been lacking in the Danish underground scene for so long, and ever since our in-depth interview about extreme music, I have been looking forward to seeing them live. How can they transfer the raw and unhinged energy their album “Stumbling Through The Walls” is overflowing with to a timid Danish audience? Do people even still show up early enough to see support bands?
I love indie and pop concerts. I love watching pretty people in trendy blazers and high-end perfume sipping cocktails, swaying their heads and having hushed conversations while a guitar band plays something about ill-fated love. But something about that Loppen crowd, dressed in black and repping metal merch, just clicked and felt like home immediately. It seemed, the venue was almost at capacity before the lights went down, and when Hiraki came on stage, no one stayed behind with a drink or a phone. All eyes were on Jon Gotlev, Tue Schmidt Rasmussen, and Tim Frederiksen. They must have played around ten songs, perfecting the art of tension and release, at this euphoric and sweaty show we all were so hungry for. The audience can tell when a band actually wants to be there or is just filling up the space; That night, Hiraki gave their all, and the Loppen crowd did the same in return, a highlight being a mosh-pit during “Wonderhunt”, a treat usually reserved for big festivals like Copenhell or Roskilde. It brought back everything that’s best about live music and reminded us how lucky we are to experience it again.
Reluctantly, I left that perfect bubble and missed the headliner as I had a plane to catch, but I walked away content, knowing that after such fiery warm-up, music fans at Loppen were in for an amazing rest of the show. I will make sure to see EYES another time.
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