Back Home Tour 2023: 100 KILO HEART @ Chelsea, Vienna (09/23/2023)
It was a sunny late summer day in Vienna and the Coco Bar and the general store on the city railway arches were already well filled in the early evening. Like every Saturday, many bands were dragging their instruments into the venue and starting the sound check. This also applies to 100 KILO HERZ, who have decided to play the start of their tour for their new album “Back Home” in the legendary Chelsea. At 7 p.m. I also had the opportunity to interview the six-piece band, but more on that in the interview post that follows.
100 KILO HERZ have been playing together for seven years now and the energy is stronger than ever. Even though it was Rodi, the singer and lyricist,’s last tour with the band, you could tell straight away that he was really looking forward to the concerts. The Leipzig boys were supported by MUDFIGHT, one of our local heroes from Upper Austria.
MUDFIGHT started hitting the strings shortly after eight and heating up the audience. It didn’t take long until the space in front of the stage filled with young, dancing punk rock fans. At the latest when Max says “Baby Hey!” into the microphone it was clear what was happening, the die-hard fans of course immediately started a mosh pit and the energy in the room was really noticeable. The audience demanded more and the encore was “Nothing Left!” People jumped back and forth and danced as much as they could. MUDFIGHT were farewelled with much applause – a strong start to the evening.
After a short renovation period, the time had come. 100 KILO HERZ came on stage, the lights were dimmed and you could tell from the cheers and applause that the boys from Leipzig have built up a decent fan base in Vienna. “One, two, three, four” and we started with “Lights out”. From minute one the audience sang along and the front rows were immediately carried away to pog. It was packed in front of the stage and you had to pay close attention to your beer so that it didn’t spill while the people were jumping. Flecki and Claas really gave it their all on the saxophone and trumpet and the crowd even sang along loudly with the brass melody.
Rodi used a short break to make a short awareness announcement “Take care of yourself, know your boundaries and respect those of those around you” – a strong statement and there was also a lot of approval from the audience. But now the time had come, the band started banging on the instruments again and off they went. “Three years burned out!” – now everyone in the room sang along loudly. The atmosphere was emotionally charged, and by the chorus the whole hall was in unison.
It continued seamlessly with “Happy Hour” and now Marco’s lead guitar came into its own and broke through the brass punk melodies. Flak then quickly switched to the reggae beat on the drums and the first crowd surfer came towards the stage. There was even a flag waved in the audience. The band definitely had a lot of fun, that was clearly evident because all the band members sang along to every song – you rarely see something like that.
Time again for a short announcement – “Station 30!” is a song about our health system and a song for all the hard-working people who work in nursing and care. For this song, the band actually interviewed people from the nursing service and also shared their impressions with the audience that evening. Rodi not only pointed out the negative conditions, but also emphasized that the people who work in nursing also have an incredible dedication to their job and how valuable that is. Again, there was a lot of nods and approval from the audience. Of course, the band once again put on a fantastic performance.
There was no time to take a breather, we continued with “And that’s what you call life!” Rodi’s fat bass melody boomed through the room and the atmosphere was boiling. But no one could have guessed what came next. The boys from Leipzig sang a cover: “Denkmal” by WIR SIND HELDEN. 100 KILO HERZ gave this pop classic a brilliant, fresh punk rock touch and the crowd really celebrated. In the middle of it all you could suddenly hear was a kick drum and the audience belted out a whole chorus. The band got back in and finally stepped on the gas again and brought the song over the finish line with a classic punk rock rhythm.
It continued with the concentrated load of brass punk, fast rhythms, strong guitars and lyrics to sing along to. When the band was ready to leave the stage after a fantastic show, the audience echoed loudly “Alerta, alerta, anti-fasista!” The band didn’t come far from the stage and we went straight into the encore – everyone was singing and dancing again and ready for the rest of Saturday evening.
It was 100 KILO HERZ’s first concert in Vienna and what a start to the tour! After this energetic concert and all the positive emotions that came from the audience, it certainly won’t be long before the boys come back to Vienna. I’m definitely looking forward to it now!
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