Hendricks the Hatmaker is an interesting name for a band and one that might encourage curiosity with such curiosity being rewarded with an encouragingly energetic, and somewhat subversive, EP called “Slightly Dangerous”.
These days, slightly dangerous is a whole lot better than average and Hendricks the Hatmaker - Nicolas Sigrist, Stefan von Rohr and Ramona Dal Ponte – hijack the Swiss post punk train and stop it at a station right door to a theatre. The voice of dissent in these five songs is clearly heard all the way to the back row yet despite the band’s robust presentation, Hendricks the Hatmaker will still find many new friends in the festival crowd as it is hard to resist the temptation to sing along (and maybe even dance?). Try “All We’ve Got” and see if it activates your hidden terpsichorean abilities.
The band are more than party pleasers though and “Falling Off The Planet” duly provides the proof that they can drop the pace, make a serious point with their words and still keep your ears interested. “Government”, likewise, uses the party spirt and Americana musical moves to disguise, but not actually dilute, the fact that the protest song is alive and well.
The verdict? Fiddle while Bern burns, as our new favourite neo anarchists might say.