Danish post-hardcore band Lack is set to perform at the Schungfabrik in Tétange (municipality of Kayl) on Friday 2 February 2024; doors open at 19:30 with the show kicking off at 20:30.
Known for its melodic yet powerful music, Lack has returned to the scene after a break, making a stop in the municipality of Kayl in south-western Luxembourg. Lack's upcoming performance will be supported by local post-rock three-piece band Kakumori.
Hailing from Copenhagen, Lack plays melodic music in a hard way. Formed in the previous millennium and part of the Danish hardcore punk-rock milieu at the turn of the century, Lack worked hard, wrote hard music and played hard shows. Always on the move, the band never settled for a musical style or genre. After some time apart, the band members regrouped in 2021 to play at the Ilter Festival in Denmark.
Chronicle.lu had the opportunity to speak with Lack member Jakob Reichert Nielsen about the band's upcoming show in Kayl.
Chronicle.lu: Is this your first time performing in Luxembourg? If so, what are your hopes/expectations (e.g. audience response)? If not, how would you describe your previous experience here and what are you looking forward to this time?
Jakob Reichert Nielsen: It is not our first time and we have been very fortunate to play numerous shows in and around Luxembourg and with legendary acts such as dEFDUMp and Mutiny on the Bounty back in the early 2000s. We have always had such good times with audiences surpassing expectations and in our many visits we even got to make long-lasting friendships. Luxembourg has definitely always been very welcoming and extremely fitting for us as people, and when embarking on only a few European dates, it made perfect sense to revisit to us. For the actual show, we are always depending on the room giving back to us, to make the best experiences and if all goes well, we'd all go off on the night.
Chronicle.lu: What can fans (new and old alike) expect after your recent break - have you made any changes to your sound or genre?
Jakob Reichert Nielsen: Late 2021, we played a few reunion shows in Denmark, learning not only that we've missed each other, the shows and the old songs, but also that we actually had more to do in terms of music and that we really enjoyed trying to work on new stuff. We have done that continuously since then and recently played three shows in Denmark with a little focus on new material. The show in Luxembourg will be a reunion show, revisiting songs from all three albums though, but with hints of new material.
Chronicle.lu: What inspired you to regroup and start playing shows together again?
Jakob Reichert Nielsen: Over the years since the breakup in 2008, we have had recocurring inquiries on reunion shows. All turned down for various reasons, but probably mostly because we didn't really believe in reliving something so strong to us from the past. Something just happened to all of us during COVID and by sheer luck or incident the right offer came at the right time to play a festival called Ilter, arranged by a very good friend of ours, amongst others. We all seemed to be in the right place to at least consider it and decided to give a few go's in the rehearsal room, learning that we really, really enjoyed each other, the songs and that we were not that far off from where we left it in 2008 (at least in our own heads). We ended up doing two shows and each of them being mindblowing experiences and testifying to us at least, that we actually had some relevance besides enjoying them thoroughly both individually and as a group.
Chronicle.lu also asked the municipality of Kayl if this concert fits within a wider initiative to attract international acts to the area. The municipal administration (Administration Communale) replied: "There is no special initiative to attract these acts to Kayl but these bands find their way to us in the context of the global cultural endeavours that have been put in place during the last few years in our municipality in order to diversify our cultural programme. It is with the greatest pleasure that we welcome such diverse international acts such as The Gipsy Kings, Black Flag, XIXA the Picture Books or in this special case LACK, to name just a few."
In terms of also showcasing local talent at such shows, the municipality added: "Of course, these events are the perfect opportunity to showcase local acts like Kakumori that rehearse at the Schungfabrik and we will keep on doing so in the future."
Finally, regarding the importance of such concerts for the municipality and its residents, the municipal administration said: "Our municipality is very diverse with over 80 different nationalities living in two towns and it keeps on growing. We are just as open towards our local cultural scene as we are towards the foreign scene and it is of the highest importance to us to make people come together in a cultural exchange in order to broaden their horizons."
Tickets for Lack's performance at the Schungfabrik cost €15 and are available online at https://schungfabrik.lu/events/lack/.
