Lieblingsplatte Festival: Smoke Blow

Smoke Blow came together at the end of the nineties out of the sheer desire to bring harder music to the stage. Initially covering songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, the band soon found their very own style. This is strongly influenced by American influences, be it the hardcore pioneers of Bad Brains or acts from the legendary West Coast label SST such as Black Flag or Hüsker Dü. The band's musical vision slowly crystallized on their first three albums and reached its temporary peak with "German Angst", which was released in 2003. An ideal balance of hard guitar parts, powerful drums and expressive vocals make up the sound of the album. With a remarkable sense for melodies that stick. As in the opening track of "German Angst", which the music magazine Visions describes as follows: "A musical coitus interruptus that reaches its first climax after just 56 seconds: in the chorus. Dirty, driving, anthemic, catchy. Awesome!" The album's hits, such as "Alligator Rodeo" or "Dancing With The Dead", have since become an integral part of the band's setlist, and the track "Circle Of Fear" has achieved worldwide fame thanks to its use in the classic skateboard video game "Tony Hawk's Underground". A new era also began for Smoke Blow in terms of the label, as they signed up with Noisolution, a renowned label for music between punk rock and hardcore, especially in this country.
German Angst" is also notable for its iconic cover, which sticks in the mind: a massive freighter plows through the waves, its chimney at the stern blowing thick black smoke into the cloudy sky. The album by the North German band was produced and mixed in NRW, in Troisdorf near Bonn. The mastermind behind the controls is the now sadly deceased Guido Lucas, who shaped the sound of an entire indie rock generation in his "Blubox" recording studio. In addition to Smoke Blow, bands such as Muff Potter, Spermbirds, Fishmob, Blackmail and Donots recorded there - the latter band is also part of Lieblingsplatte vol. 7.
Smoke Blow rarely perform these days and the band has assured us that the album performance of "German Angst" will be an absolutely unique event to mark the 20th anniversary of the record. "A night to remember" is therefore guaranteed, especially as a special "encore package" awaits the band's fans afterwards. They will certainly be traveling from far and wide again to experience Smoke Blow's masterpiece live in its entirety!