Live Review: HARDCORE SUPERSTAR at Indoor Summer Fest, Hamburg Germany (2023)

Our friend and occasional contributor, DP, embarked on a mission to the beautiful Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday, September 2nd, to immerse in the rock ‘n’ roll magic of the second day of Indoor Summer Fest. The entire day was a whirlwind of pure rock madness, filled with great vibes and stellar performances by bands such as Seventh Crystal, Stala and So, The Cruel Intentions, Hericane Alice, Heavens Edge, and Hardcore Superstar. The only disappointment was the absence of Crashdiet, who had to cancel their performance (but they hadn’t officially clarified the reason yet).

It was an unforgettable experience to witness the electrifying performance of The Cruel Intentions, alongside American veterans Hericane Alice and Heavens Edge. They truly demonstrated why we still hold a special place in our hearts for the legendary late ’80s glam/hair metal bands. However, the pinnacle of the second night’s festivities was undeniably the performance by the legendary Swedish sleaze metallers, Hardcore Superstar.

“When they took the stage and played the first notes of the opening song ‘Abrakadabra,’ it was clear that they had a purpose. That purpose was to deliver the best performance to the horde of fans who had gathered in Hamburg from all over the world. Pure, in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll, masterful sleaze, and a ton of energy – that’s what you get when you’re just a few meters away from Jocke, Vic, Martin, and the rest of the band.

They effortlessly went through their 16-song set, making jokes and having fun with themselves and the fans throughout. The setlist included songs from nearly every stage of their career, with special attention given to tracks from the legendary Black album released in 2005. They played a total of seven songs from that album. While tunes from another colossal release, ‘Dreamin In A Casket,’ were missing, it didn’t spoil the overall vibe of the show, which was filled with the best of HCSS.

Anyway, it was my first time seeing this band live, despite being a fan since the late 2000s. It was worth waiting all this time and certainly worth flying all the way from Bergen just to prove one thing – Hardcore Superstar are one of the greatest sleaze metal bands of all time. It was an honor being there and sharing the room with a horde of like-minded people wearing HCSS t-shirts and screaming “you can’t kill my rock n roll” out loud. A great and unforgettable evening!