With Clox
Pitcher – The Düsseldorf Rock’n’Roll Headquarters, Dusseldorf, 24 July 2025
The end of our own #RaceAcrossEurope odyssey took us to The Pitcher Bar in the back streets of Dusseldorf. More accurately, we were heading to ‘Pitcher – The Düsseldorf Rock’n’Roll Headquarters’.
The exterior artistic work provides a clue as to what might be expected indoors. This is definitely not a place for a cosy we sit down to watch a favourite band. The venue is geared up for people coming together who have no desire for mainstream music.
Even before the doors officially opened, the pavement was filling up with fellow punks. Friends from across Europe coming together to witness 999 in action.
999 is familiar in punk rock circles as the name of one of the longest lasting first wave bands formed at the end of 1976 by brothers Nick Cash and Guy Days. Almost 50 years later they are still hard at it, touring across the globe, releasing albums on a fairly regular basis and having as much fun as the audience in front of them.
Pitcher is an intimate space, and by the time the band take to the stage it is absolutely rammed, with everyone ready for the sweat fest that was to come.
Nick Cash on vocals and guitar, Guy Days on guitar and backing vocals, Arturo Bassick on bass and additional vocals and finally tucking in at the back drummer Stuart Meadows all cram onto the stage with a carefree attitude that says ‘We’ve been here before. We’ve got the 999 T-shirt. We’re about to give you a good night, so prepare yourselves.’
And they didn’t let anyone down. Over little more than an hour and a half they rattled through eighteen songs that many in the crowd knew word for word, knew when to sing along, when to cheer and when to take a breather from the endless jumping and slamming that was taking place.
Those on the edge of the stage even got the chance to singalong as Nick thrust the microphone in front of them. Some even made it in tune!
What is fairly evident from the whole show is that all the band members have an innate ability to take a song and bring raw energy to it whether it is the thrusting drums of Stuart or the pounding bass lines of Arturo. The brothers Nick and Guy remain in the spotlight throughout, with Nick in particular acting like a choirmaster during the call and response numbers. Guy tended to let his guitar do the talking, and combined we witnessed a band who enjoy what they do. Who want people to love music, whatever that music may be.
After nearly 50 years, there remained hints of the old days when they broke onto the scene as punk exploded. Homicide, Inside Out, Feelin’ Alright With the Crew and Li’l Red Riding Hood, still resonate after all these years. Songs with meaning. Songs with feeling.
Our #RaceAcrossEurope had begun in Paris a couple of weeks earlier when Nine Inch Nails took to the stage in the Accor Arena. A huge stadium. A huge production. A fantastic gig.
It ended in Dusseldorf, our eleventh gig in under twenty days across six countries. Each one a unique experience.
Seeing 999 live in Pitcher – The Düsseldorf Rock’n’Roll Headquarters was as equally enthralling as all the others. It reminded us that small venues are at the very heart of the live music experience and, as more and more small venues struggle to stay open, it is critical we support them whenever and wherever we can.
Support – Clox
A bit of background research of the support act ahead of the gig may have helped!
CLOX from Dortmund was founded in 1977, and in recent years the band has become increasingly active again. After the fantastic 5-song CD “Nothing Changed,” there’s now a full 12-song album that clearly retains its ’77 punk roots and the typical Ruhrpott flavor!
And the above description is fairly accurate in that the set was a throwback to the late 1970s when the punk scene exploded across Europe.
The songs were short. There were power riffs, heavy bass lines, thumping drums and words spat out at a hundred miles an hour. It was the perfect start to the evening, setting the tempo for what was to follow.
My only disappointment is that I didn’t take advantage of buying a copy of the album before leaving!
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