Lists

DIY Hardcore Scene in Germany: Bands to Check Out, Venues to Visit, Labels to Support

Preemptive Strike performing in Cologne, February 2024. (Photo: Pat Schmidt)

The following is a cool piece submitted by Basti Schaurer and Thessy Fassbender, two prolific members of the German hardcore scene that wanted to share some helpful tips for No Echo readers who might be traveling through there in the near future.

Basti plays in Preemptive Strike, co-owns a merch company, and hails from Frankfurt, Germany. Born in the '80s and socialized in the '90s and '00s, he's enjoying the diverse and active hardcore scene today. 

Thessy plays in the bands Placid and Slon, co-runs STTW Records, and also the co-founder and author of Stranded in Time fanzine. She's originally from Luxemburg and now living in Offenbach, Germany. 

Dig in and enjoy!
Carlos (No Echo)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This little article here is meant to capture a moment in time with no claim for completeness where the two of us are partitioners and witnesses at the same time.

"It is up to us to take out the culprits“ - Justus of Suspect, Echo Chamber, 'Stranded In Time' fanzine)

DeutschHC is in a good place right now. After the pandemic, shows came back with a bang, new bands, new faces... people were hungry for real-life interaction again.

The term "DeutschHC" functions as a bracket for what is going on in parts of the the German DIY hardcore scene at the moment. With bands like Echo Chamber, Mortal Form, and Spirit Crusher also getting attention overseas (songs on that Scheme Records sampler, 7", a release on Triple B Records, appearances on Spotify playlists of bands like Speed and Trail of Lies, etc.), it is time to give the world a little overview of our scene at the moment.

"Regular hardcore, what the fuck else.“ (Yannick of Reflex, Echo Chamber, and others)

Phase performing in Offenbach, May 2024. (Photo: Wallflower Frames)

On the record label side of things, the DIY imprints releasing most of the stuff at the moment are:

If you want to check out some live music, these are the venues to visit for packed and sweaty shows right now:

  • Juz (Mannheim) 
  • Oettinger Villa (Darmstadt)
  • Kulturschlachthof, Ratinger Hof, and JKC Franzmann (Düsseldorf)
  • Juha West (Stuttgart)
  • KVU and K19 (Berlin)
  • Cafe Exzess (Frankfurt)
  • HFG Kapelle (Offenbach)
  • Kunstverein and Kantine (Nürnberg)
  • Grossmarkt and AZ Mühlheim (Köln)
  • Barracke (Münster)
  • Villa Wuller (Trier)
  • Die Waabe (Andernach)
  • Emokeller (Essen) 
  • Kafe Kult (Munich)
  • Wohnwelt (Wunstorf)
  • Plaque (Leipzig)

You should keep an eye out for shows by these promoters:

 

Echo Chamber performing in Darmstadt, 2024. (Photo: Josi Hoffman)

Here is a playlist with a bunch of great German hardcore bands to dive into:

Some upcoming hardcore shows and festivals to have on your radar:
7th of December - United By Fate Festival in Ludwigshafen
25th of January - Take A Stand Fest in Vienna (Austria)
22nd of February - Break Down the Walls Festival in Moers

Also watch out for the next Stranded In Time fanzine.

Liebe Fucking Grüsse,
Thessy (Placid, Slon, STTW Records, Standed In Time fanzine) & Basti (Preemptive Strike)

Tagged: echo chamber, mortal form, phase, scene report