Live report FEINE SAHNE FISCHFILET, SLIME & MAID OF ACE, Open Air am Grossmarkt, Hamburg – August 18th, 2023

Open Air am Grossmarkt is series of live shows that take place in August with one of the events being the Elbriot Open Air. But before metal takes the stage on Saturday it is time for some punk rock. One of Germanys most thrilling punk rock bands, Feine Sahne Fischfilet are currently on a tour through the country with several bigger festival shows but also some garage concerts they played during the last weeks. This time it is the well-crowded Grossmarkt area in Hamburg that creates an impressive scenery.

Support bands today are Hamburg’s punk rock veterans Slime, who filled-in for Anti-Flag, and Maid Of Ace from England. The latter are the first band we see on stage today and they are announced by nobody less than Feine Sahne Fischfilet frontman Monchi himself.

The four sisters deliver adrenaline driven punk rock. Wild and furious, that is how the 30 minutes can be described. Amy, Alison, Anna and Abbey are a perfect opener, bringing energy into the crowd in front of the stage and fans appreciate what they get to hear. Maid Of Ace doesn’t waste time for long speeches and instead let the music do the talking. When ‘Made in England’ heralds the end of this 30-minute blast, fans have experienced a show that put untamed energy into focus and a warm late afternoon turned into a hot early evening.

People use the time of the stage rebuild procedure for grabbing a well-deserved beer before Slime start into their 45-minute set. Also announced by Monchi, who expressed his happiness of having the veterans in today’s line-up of bands, Slime don’t waste any time and start into their set.

Driven by Michael Mayer and Christian Mevy, Slime present a fair share of all phases the band went through. With ‘A.C.A.B.’ the band even goes back to the very early days and the guys hammer home to everybody attending today’s show why they belong to the spearhead of the German punk rock scene. Songs like ‘Alle gegen alle’, ‘Sie wollen wieder schießen (dürfen)‘ und ‚Weil fickt euch alle‘ are excellent and anarchic songs that live by an attitude and passion.

With Tex Brasket, the band also has a great new frontman on board who isn’t shy of also sharing some words with the fans and when he announces with ‘Störtebecker’ a classic that finishes off 45 minutes of high-octane punk rock everybody is prepared for a great sing-a-long session.

Fans have already witnessed two exceptional bands: a young and spirited group from the UK and a band that plays a pivotal role in German punk rock. What unites them is their unwavering dedication to their genre of music and a strong attitude. This is also what they share with today’s headliner, making this lineup truly thrilling.

Monchi is someone who’s interested in people, and therefore, it isn’t surprising that he takes more than one round through the infield and merch booths. Always open for a photo and/or a handshake with fans, it takes a while to bring him backstage again to get ready for the show.

The stage, though, is covered by a huge banner stating “Komm mit auf’s Boot.” The moment the curtain falls, the band gives all they have in their tanks. From the first note to the final song played, Feine Sahne Fischfilet delivers a thrilling show and during an almost two hours show, the band puts a focus on the latest release “Alles was glänzt.” “Komm mit auf’s Boot” is not only the banner statement but also a song from this album, and fans highly welcome the anthem, as it is the tune with the biggest fan response.

Hamburg is ready for the band, and from the opener onwards, flares are part of the scenery. Either fans cover the area in front of the stage in colorful smoke, or it is the band themselves adding some extra fumes.

Monchi isn’t only the singer of the band; he is the link between the band and the fans. Some small stories in between songs add a personal touch to the evening, such as when he talks about Hannes, who was stabbed at a tram station a few years ago.

Another touching moment of this evening is when the frontman tells about other bands who have special invitees with them on stage these days. Feine Sahne Fischfilet doesn’t need such a thing. Instead, Monchi honors his parents in front of ‘Niemand wie ihr’, and it’s the parents dancing while the band performs. What a moment this is.

‘Zuhause’ is also part of the set and is dedicated to all refugees searching for a new home, while circle pits start not only when the band starts songs like ‘Wir sind zurück in unserer Stadt’. The goosebump moment occurs when lighters and flashlights create a special atmosphere during ‘Wenn wir uns wiedersehen’. The song is dedicated to Captain Dariush Beigui, who is on-site but doesn’t want to be in the spotlight of a huge stage.

Feine Sahne Fischfilet is more than just a band that plays great songs. This band has an attitude that is not only reflected in the lyrics of songs like “Wenn wir uns sehen”, but also in their statement that it is important to focus on things that unite us all instead of the things that divide us.

Feine Sahne Fischfilet, but also the two support bands, deliver a great show on a summerly hot evening in Hamburg. No fan leaves disappointed. In contrary, there is a feeling of euphoria after such an adrenaline-driven evening that will stay in peoples mind for quite a while.