Destroy Boys arrived from the USA and provided one of the most wholesome gigs I have attended. To be fair, I have grown to expect punk gigs to be the most heartwarming and unifying experiences when it comes to live music. Even so, I left Pumpehuset feeling a little extra fuzzy this time.

I wasn’t very familiar with the band before, so maybe a little introduction would be helpful for others as well. Destroy Boys is a young American punk band from Sacramento. Their songs cover many important topics, which makes me happy to see that the band has many young fans. They sing about creepy older dudes, not identifying with one's body and many other subjects that can comfort any listener.

Destroy Boys had pulled quite a big crowd to fill Pumpehuset, and as mentioned before, it was noticeably young. The energy was already pretty high before the band even started, and everyone seemed to be in fantastic spirits. Thus, the band was already in a solid setting before entering the stage.

When the moment finally hit, all the fans absolutely lost it. From the very first song, the energy was just great, and it didn’t drop down at any moment.

The whole band is full of fantastic performers, but it is hard to take your eyes away from Alexia (the lead vocalist). They possess a certain charisma, cultivated from their dramatic style of performing, which I immediately seem to gravitate towards. Still, the whole band is extremely entertaining to watch, and clearly their fans agree. I really can’t remember the last time, I heard such cute fan screams, as I did whenever Violet (backing vocals) went even remotely close to the crowd.

The love between the band and the crowd was beautiful. Of course, we were mainly having fun and dancing around, but Alexia also had some very important speeches in between. These were to encourage everyone to have fun in the safest way, and of course, hit some important topics about trans rights and immigration to name a few. To make sure that all fans could have a fun and safe experience, there was also a moshpit only for women and non-binary people, which was just a cherry on top. Nights like this really highlight how important unity, love, and joy are, especially when facing adversity.

All this combined with stunningly performed fun punk songs? A Tuesday night can’t really get better than that.

Destroy Boys had a stellar night, but the night had already started greatly before. This is because their chosen support band, Gaffa Tape Sandy, was really fun. This British garage band made me feel like I was in the middle of a cool Y.A. gig scene, and gave me a new motto: ” We only accept positive feedback because we are quite fragile”. Thank you very much.

destroy boys - pumpehuset, copenhagen - 04.02.2025

Photos: laura ioana v

Words: hanna koivunen

I have wanted to see the British rock band Nothing but Thieves for a good decade now, and last night, I finally got to do so at K.B. Hallen.

To be honest, there’s only a few things I can say about the whole gig. Before it even happened, I told my friend that I would probably dance a lot and cry, which basically sums up the whole experience.

Nothing But Thieves has been background music for my many heartbreaks, for a good reason. Their music switches from fun dancing rock to heart wrenching songs for screaming and crying your heart out to. While listening to them you feel like you can conquer anything in this world, while also wishing to be anybody else. Practically any mood you are in, Nothing But Thieves has a great song for it, which is why we went through all the emotions last night.

The whole setlist combines the most famous tracks from all of their albums. The night started with more dancy vibes with “Oh No: He Said What” and “Futureproof.” It then took a dive to the emotional side with “Sorry” and “If I Get High” in between, before shooting back to a more energetic side. It was a real rollercoaster of emotions accompanied by Nothing But Thieves’ biggest hits.

All songs were performed stunningly, and the connection with the crowd was beautiful. The memory of the crowd singing “Sorry” will be stored in my heart forever, even though after Conor’s singing, the lack of our abilities was even more highlighted. Thankfully, Conor showed mercy and sang the rest of the song with us, so we didn’t need to continue embarrassing ourselves.

And now that we are talking about it, Conor Mason’s absolutely incredible singing is the big pulling power of the band, giving them a very recognizable flair. His ability to go high and powerful with his notes is simply astounding, and he sounds even better in real life.

Therefore it also makes sense that he was very much in the front of the whole band. Nevertheless, one could have hoped that the rest of the band would have been at least introduced at some point. Leaving this out gave a bit of a funny taste.

Other than that, the night was simply fantastic. This band was truly worthy of waiting for almost a decade and I recommend trying to catch the band before they will go for their well-deserved break.

nothing but thieves - kb hallen, copenhagen - 03.02.2025

Photos: laura ioana v

Words: hanna koivunen

A new year and new gigs for Clang are here, and I have been eager to go and hear some live music after the slow holiday season. A few Clangsters and I gathered to see The Veils live at Ideal Bar on Monday evening for a rather intimate show.

The band has toured consistently throughout their over twenty-year history and gained the astonishing stature of one of the greatest live bands to see. Not to forget that the band has been praised by film directors such as Tim Burton, Paolo Sorrentino, and the now late David Lynch, who also used their music in their movie masterpieces.
From being signed to Rough Trade at around the age of 17 up until now, seven albums later, The Veils have evolved musically and now present their latest album, titled ASPHODELS (2025).

At Ideal Bar, one of the most common phrases I hear from musicians is that the stage is intimidatingly and unusually close… If I could just get 10 DKK every time I heard this at this venue! Without a support band—which I did not mind at all—but with a full, over one-and-a-half-hour-long set that took us down memory lane from rougher earlier albums to the latest songs from ASPHODELS. The new album of this indie/rock band, fronted by Finn Andrews, is named after the Ancient Greek flower of the Underworld, giving enough of an impression that this album is somewhere between and about love and death. This is clearly conveyed in the atmosphere of the songs from this album.

What was significant and audible for me was that Finn was switching between piano and guitar, the songs were switching between albums, and the energy as well… The guitar-driven ones resonated with me definitely more than those from the new album. However, songs from the new album, like The Ladder or The Dreamer of Life, gave me the impression of a folk singer-songwriter in a pub somewhere in the UK or Ireland—beautiful in its simplicity and poetic narration of love and death—with Mortal Wound also giving me hope. Lyrically, one can find Andrews’ inspirations from Lorca, and I caught myself having a tiny similar impression to Nick Cave when absorbing the music and lyrics that night.

Blending the new album with strong hits such as Jesus for the Jugular or Nux Vomica, we got back to the Finn of earlier days, who felt to me as a guitarist more experimental, avant-garde-esque, and melancholic in a whole different spectrum than ASPHODELS’ tracks. Although the musical energy might not have been consistent, his outfit with the hat and his charm were.
I am definitely more amused by the old songs of The Veils, but it was nice to be reminded of the melancholy of the piano and its modulations within the sphere of the love-and-death spectrum.

the veils - ideal bar, copenhagen - 03.02.2025

Photos: francesca garattoni

Words: Karolina Čurová

This being my first gig of 2025 might have an influence on how I am feeling right now, but goddamn I have not been this excited for a concert in a long time. Regardless of whether the lack of live music is impacting my feelings, I know that my enthusiasm is also due to the band I will see tonight.

One of the best gigs in Copenhell 2024 was Dropkick Murphys’, and tonight I will be seeing them again. The American Celtic punk band has started their new tour, and my expectations are very high due to my last experience. So, how will tonight be? Will it be even better than the one I experienced in Hell?

KB Hallen wasn’t completely full, but the band had managed to gather a fair amount of people. To be honest, this was actually better in the end because now we had more space to dance around as we pleased. The atmosphere was already absolutely fantastic, and when the band entered the stage, the whole hall exploded.

Dropkick Murphys combines high-energy performances and quality songs with very charming personalities. All in all, you could call the band the perfect package for a good night. All the members just seem so lovely, but Ken Casey especially has a brilliant persona. He really seems like a dude you would want to be friends with.

And what’s better than seeing people like that perform? Nothing really. The setlist was a fantastic combination of songs that kept us dancing the whole night. Of course, all the biggest hits were played, and as predicted, the crowd went crazy for them. Moshpit here, crowd surfing there, and the rest of us were jump dancing. Nights like these show that you really don’t need to calm down when you hit middle age - or even after. Just go to a rock gig and you are more than welcome to mosh like you did in your youth.

One of the really cool things about Dropkick Murphys is the variety of instruments they use in their music and bring to the stage—banjo, bagpipes, accordion, tin whistle, and the list goes on! I am sure I also missed some instruments used on the stage, but they really add an extra flair to the performance —especially when they are played beautifully.

The evening could have been called Dropkick Murphys and Friends, or something like this. As I mentioned before, the vibe before the main band entered the stage was incredible, and this was due to the two support bands.

The Scratch, an Irish rock band that combines traditional Irish music with metal was absolutely fantastic and a great way to kick off the evening. Followed up with Gogol Bordello, a huge punk band from the US making sure that everyone was already dancing, before Dropkick Murphys came up. Oh, and I don’t mean huge just with popularity, I also mean the literal size of the band. I think at some point there were at least 10 people on stage, and everyone besides the drummer was dancing.

From the moment the Scratch started, until the sad moment that Dropkick Murphys left the building, I was having a blast. It is hard to say if the gig ended up being better than the one during the summertime because they were actually incredibly similar. The only difference really was that this time I didn’t get rained on, and I got to listen to the band for an extra 30 minutes. So yeah, maybe this time wins.

Dropkick Murphys - kb hallen, copenhagen - 28.01.2025

Photos: Thomas Vraaby

Words: Hanna Koivunen

It’s an incredibly gloomy time in Copenhagen, so why wouldn’t we make it a little bit gloomier or even gothy with the help of Twin Tribes?

If that didn’t hint already what type of music Twin Twibe creates, let me be much clearer. The music is dark wave and new gothic rock. So basically perfect or a gloomy night with a smidge of romance. The lyrics are full of poetic symbolism, while the melody itself would get anyone dancing - dramatically obviously.

This American duo consists of Luis Navarro and Joel Niño, Jr., but don’t let the small number of band members fool you. The music is incredibly multilayered, beautifully combining multiple instruments with vocals - an aspect I am especially excited to experience live.

I was surprised to see how full Loppen was. Considering that this wasn't a sold-out gig, I thought that I would have had more space or better visibility, but I was wrong. Between the pillars holding up the ceiling and the mass of tall Danes around me, I could barely see the stage most of the time. This is why it is even more impressive how great of a time I was having.

The duo seemed to be having fun on their last gig of this tour, which really transferred to the crowd. The style of performance was just as intense as I could've wished for and even more. I rarely get to see people with bigger facial expressions than I do, but Joel Niño, Jr puts my face in shame. I think it’s obvious without saying that this type of show is extremely entertaining to watch. As if this wasn’t enough, the use of a good old smoke machine and light design ensured that we didn't lack drama.

The band didn't really converse with the audience, but the connection was absolutely incredible. Obviously, the fantastic music helped, but there was simply something special about the band's energy that made them magnetic. And as I mentioned before, this was my experience without even seeing too much. I can only imagine how it felt to be one of those tall dudes in front of me, capturing every moment.

The gig was quite short, but since it was midnight on a Thursday across the city - I didn’t really mind that, and nobody else seemed to either. Actually, even this shorter length somehow suited the whole night. Every single aspect of this gig just came together beautifully.

So did I get what I was promised, a gloomy but fun and gothic night? Not really, because gloominess was left at the door, but the amount of fun I had covered this and more. Now I just need to go and get even higher platforms for the next gig so I can experience what those gigantic Danes do.

twin Tribes - loppen, copenhagen - 28.11.2024

Photos: LAURA IOANA V

Words: Hanna Koivunen