German blues – rock bands and excellent Rory Gallagher tribute acts, including Heavy Duty, Jack Despy, and Whiskey Flowers, ensured memorable performances. The relaxed atmosphere, international visitors, and musical quality made the long journey more than worthwhile.
Sometimes a musical adventure begins with a simple Facebook message from a German acquaintance. Next, you meet the festival organizer at the Rory Gallagher Tribute in Wijk aan Zee, and before you know it, a new plan is on the table.
Since a visit to the Rory Gallagher tribute festival in Ballyshannon was not possible this year, Zelt Open Air in Striegistal offered a great alternative.
With recognized Rory Gallagher tributes like Aidan Pryor, Heavy Duty, and Jack Despy on the program, there was every reason to make the 700 kilometers to Germany.
From fan initiative to two-day festival
Zelt Open Air in Striegistal originated fifteen years ago, explains co-organizer Mario Horn. The trigger was a performance by M.O.N.O.K.E.L. organized by fans.
What started with one band grew into evenings with two and later three bands. However, that felt too short for Mario and his friends: the rush of the day was over after just one evening. That is why the step was taken to a two-day festival.
The addition of Rory Gallagher tribute bands came after Mario and his wife Dagmar visited the Rory Gallagher Tribute in Ballyshannon in 2018. Yet it took until 2023 for this idea to become a reality.
Rory Gallagher was once again prominently the focus this year, featuring three strong tribute acts and the German Rory tribute band Brute Force and Ignorance. The rest of the program was filled by bands that made a name for themselves primarily in the former East Germany: M.O.N.O.K.E.L, Engerling, and the locally known Shophonks.
A festival in a fairytale setting
The location felt like something out of a fairytale book: a small restaurant hidden in the woods and accessible via a forest path with a significant elevation change. Despite this remote setting, the festival was excellently organized.
There was plenty of room for the bands, sufficient time for encores, good food, tasty beer, and, especially on Saturday, ideal festival weather. Moreover, because the musicians were easily approachable after the show, the whole event took on a relaxed and personal atmosphere.
The German bands: blues, roots rock, southern rock, and rock ’n’ roll
Engerling opened the festival strongly. Their music was in the vein of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, complemented by blues classics in German translation that sounded surprisingly convincing.
The band has existed since 1975, and pianist/singer Wolfram Bodag is considered one of the best songwriters from East Germany. It became immediately clear that he and his band can still put on an excellent concert. Next up was M.O.N.O.K.E.L, also active in the former East Germany for decades. The band opts for a hefty dose of southern rock, featuring guitar solos typical of the genre, topped off with a generous helping of harmonica.
The name stands for “Möchten Ohne Not Oder Kummer Ewig Leben” — loosely translated: Wanting to live forever without hardship or sorrow. And who wouldn’t want that?
The local trio Shophonks completed the German lineup. The band has existed in its current configuration since 2015 and is a true rock ‘n’ roll machine in the style of ZZ Top. With original songs and raw reworkings of classics by ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin, the band set Zelt Open Air completely ablaze.
Rory Gallagher as the common thread
Thus, Zelt Open Air had two faces. In addition to the German bands, there was a lot of attention focused on Rory Gallagher, and it turned out that he has a loyal following of fans here as well.
Besides German fans, visitors from the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and even a couple from Ireland had traveled to Striegistal. The Jack Despy Band, Whiskey Flowers, and Heavy Duty performed on both days.
Jack Despy Band
Jack Despy kicked things off with, as he put it himself, “the legend” Dave Burns on bass. Jack is still young — only 17 years old — but since I first saw him, he has learned a lot.
That he can play guitar was already clear, but his stage presence is also becoming increasingly strong. With Dave Burns by his side, someone who knows Rory Gallagher’s repertoire inside out, Jack had the perfect foundation to shine.
Whiskey Flowers
Whiskey Flowers is the band of Rory Gallagher expert Aidan Pryor. Together with Steph Ashcroft, he forms the heart of the group. This band, too, has grown tremendously since the first time I saw them.
Steph combines charm with audacity in her vocals; whether it concerns songs by Beth Hart or Rory Gallagher, she throws everything into the fray. She leaves the guitar work to Aidan.
Anyone who knows him from the past knows that he can sometimes digress considerably in solos, but here his solos are entirely at the service of the songs. That works excellently. Together, they delivered two fine performances.
Brute Force and Ignorance
The German band Brute Force and Ignorance, named after a song from the album Photo-Finish, consists of Marco Menzer (drums), Markus Kerkeling (guitar/vocals), and Björn Eilert (bass).
The band originally started with the ambition to be able to play Gallagher’s complete oeuvre — approximately 180 songs.
They are getting pretty close to achieving that, I reckon, because they certainly didn’t serve up the most obvious songs to the audience. The passion of guitarist and singer Markus stood out in particular. A first-class performance.
Heavy Duty
For many, Heavy Duty is one of the best Rory Gallagher cover bands, and they underscored that convincingly. On Friday, they showed they have more to offer by incorporating other blues songs into their setlist.
The show on Saturday was entirely focused on Rory Gallagher, and it was precisely then that the band’s true capabilities became apparent. The trio consists of Matt Hegarty (guitar), Jamie Callaghan (bass guitar and vocals), and Sean Reynolds (drums), who hails from Ballyshannon, Rory’s birthplace.
At the end of their performance, Jack Despy, Aidan Pryor, and Steph Ashcroft came onto the stage to join Heavy Duty in a delightful jam featuring “Shadowplay”.
That the band is receiving recognition was evident from a remarkable story: guitarist Matt Hegarty recently received the guitar amplifier of the late Tony Dowler from Dave Burns.
Dowler’s song “Hellhounds on My Trail” is a staple of The Zac Schulze Gang’s setlist. Drummer Sean Reynolds was also put in the spotlight: Dutch drummer Johan vd Linden gifted him a 1970s Hayman drum kit, which was previously used by former Rory Gallagher drummer Wilgard Campbell.
Zelt Open Air in Striegistal required a long journey, but it proved to be more than worth it. The combination of a unique location, strong organization, approachable musicians, and a program centering on both German rock tradition and Rory Gallagher made the festival an experience not to be forgotten.
Steph Ashcroft
Jack Despy
Jack Despy en Jamie Callaghan
Aidan Pryor
Sean Reynolds
