SHOK GÜZEL - Hardcore Without Borders ! (Germany - Punk/HardCore - Interview with the whole band !).
Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music ?
The Band : We are Hellen (vocals), Felix (bass) Martin (guitar) and Anton (drums).
Hellen : When I was 7 I was a big Fan of Shakira, always wanted to dance and sing like her. Now I'm singing and screaming in a hardcore punk band - that's how life works out haha !
Felix : I started playing because my parents forced me to do something else than play World of Warcraft - thank you for nothing, mom. I sucked so hard that i felt bad for my teacher who sensed i didnt even want to be there, so i started to actually try and get better at guitar somewhere down the line. To quote Hellen: That’s how life works out :)
Anton : I got introduced into music very early, my dad played in a Rock’n’roll band, so I sat behind the drums quite early. With discovering Punk and Hardcore as a Teenager I took music more seriously and tried to play along to all my favorite records and by diving deeper I discovered different genres to become an overall better musician. Nevertheless, Hardcore and Punk is where this drive originates from and now Shok Güzel is the Band I always wanted to be in when I was younger. Martin was just born rocking a Les Paul style guitar haha !
Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band ?
Anton : I know Martin since school, Hellen even is my cousin, so we know each other like forever. Martin and Hellen formed their first Punk band "White Sparrows" 15 years ago. Hellen and I had a Teenie Band, too and played some Funk/Soul stuff pre-covid.
Hellen : In 2022, I supported Felix other band "Die Farce Die" on their Tour. We immediately clicked. When I sat with Martin and Anton at the Kitchen table of my mum in Fall 2022 to speak about how to form a band, everyone expected to just play some Soul Covers or danceable Indie Songs. Then I just dropped "Let's do hardcore Punk - we can play a show in 4 weeks" - thanks to an amazing friend who trusted us and opened not only this stage, without knowing what will happen, but also opened fantastic opportunities for the future of Shok Güzel ! We immediately asked Felix if he wants to join, wrote a Set and rehearsed it. 4 weeks later we played our first Show with "Todeskommando Atomsturm" in Frankfurt am Main.
Felix : Despite Hellen and Martin moving to Berlin shortly after founding the band, we managed to play more than 60 shows in 3 years, wrote new songs, recorded an album, printed Merch by ourselves, met amazing people in amazing places and so much more.
Anton : We played a lot of different musical styles so far but Shok Güzel is not only creating music that we really love. It is about friendship.
Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
Felix : People often tell us we have some sort of 90s sound - whatever this should be...
Hellen : Shok Güzel has some variety to it which makes it interesting to listen to. We draw so much inspiration from different Genres and styles resulting in Songs that cover different styles like Punkrock, Emo, Hardcore, Crossover and Boomer-Rock (lol).
Martin : Moreover, Hellens voice is just outstanding and her lyrics on point.
Anton : Especially live, we rely a lot on energy on stage - and every show is something new, you never know what happens - maybe someone falls headfirst into the drum set.
Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
Hellen : At the beginning of this project, we honestly had no clear idea where it would go. I had written several lyrics about life experiences — personal situations as well as broader social and political conditions that evoke grief, fear, despair, and anger.Hardcore felt like the right genre to channel all of that. It became a space to release frustration, to scream things out that otherwise have no outlet.
For me another important motivation for stepping into hardcore was the male dominance on and in front of the stage. Like in most music scenes — and society as a whole — patriarchal structures are still very present: men are loud, aggressive, take up space (especially in Hardcore); women are expected to be quiet, controlled, and pleasant. I wanted to challenge that. Especially as a woman in this fucked-up world, there’s not just a right but an urgency to express anger. Hardcore punk felt like the most honest place to do that.
At the same time, our music didn’t end up being purely aggressive. The songs are quite melodic and, compared to many hardcore bands we play with (maybe even too soft). That comes from our musical influences and from the need to also express vulnerability, sadness, and despair. Once emo, always emo.
But despite all the darkness, it’s crucial for us to leave a glimpse of hope. I tend to be pessimistic, but I don’t want to stop there. Friendship, love, and solidarity give me strength. And all the shows we’ve played — the encounters, the (free)spaces, the exchanges — constantly remind us that there is more possible than what we usually experience in this broken world.
One more thing we often get asked about: How come there are Turkish lyrics as well ?
My paternal grandparents came to Germany as so-called Turkish “guest workers.” Since I unfortunately don’t speak much Turkish, writing lyrics in Turkish became a way — especially after a semester abroad in Istanbul — to reconnect with my family history, explore intergenerational trauma, and learn the language and culture through music.
E.g.: The song “Burdayım aşkım” is explicitly written in solidarity with the feminist movement in Turkey — and, of course, with feminist struggles worldwide. It references a protest chant that stands for the courageous fight against authoritarianism, repression, and for freedom, equality, and solidarity. “Burdayım aşkım” translates to “I am here, my love!” — a declaration of resistance and collective strength.
About your latest release ?
Hellen : We have a few Singles upcoming this year. For now, we plan on releasing them digitally only. The Upcoming Singles were recorded @Tag&Nacht Studios Darmstadt in January with Marian from the Rockband Ersatzkopf. We are extremely happy with what we have heard so far and think that we managed to capture more of our "live energy" in the recordings. For the artworks we collaborate with different FLINTA* Artists from Germany and Turkey. That should be it for now, we will not tell you everything beforehand :) Stay tuned !
Anton : Since we never talked about our first record "Haymatlos" maybe this is the chance: We played our first ever show with "Todeskommando Atomsturm" and their guitarist Chrissi (@blitzfinger.audio) later approached us if we wanted to record with him his final project of his audio engineer studies. This resulted in recording our first LP just 3 months after forming Shok Güzel and having played maybe 4 or 5 shows. The Title Haymatlos is inspired by the collection of poems "Haymatlos" edited by Tamer Düzyol & Taudy Pathmanathan. The record features 10 songs including songs in solidarity with feminist and antifascist movements in Iran, Turkey and everywhere else, songs about love, empowerment (and of course a song against cops.) The artwork was done by Elisa Hammerbacher (@elz.artwork). It is available on all streaming services, Bandcamp and on Vinyl and tape via Insta DM, 
Future plans ?
The Band : Releasing our Singles, Playing Shows, Meeting new people, travel new places (maybe Turkey) and creating new music
Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
Anton : Living in the same city lol
Hellen : maybe not that insane but Türkiye tour is a dream that could come true
Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ?
Anton : Best :Fusion Festival 2025: no explanation needed.
Hellen : Best : maybe our first concert; future was open and it was the start of something really good.
The Band : Worst (and funniest): ams-Camp 2023.
We arrived in the afternoon, thinking stage time would be around 8pm and started exploring the festival and occasionally having a beer or two. We then sat down with the organizers planning the schedule for the stage tonight ending in our stage time actually being midnight! We continued partying and got way to drunk, even Hellen taking a nap an hour before stage time. Sadly, memories of that night are a little bit faded, nevertheless we managed to play a whole show with a lot of wrong notes Martin and Hellen falling on stage, peaking in Felix falling head on into the Drums within the last song. However, the crowd was as wasted as we were and the vibes were amazing. Thx ams-camp haha. 
Next live-appearance(s) ?
April 9 - Hamburg (MS Stubnitz) Supporting Mamore
April 10 - Dortmund (FZW) - Bierschinken eats FZW festival
April 11 - Mülheim (AZ)
April 29 - Vienna, AT (ask a punk)
April 30 - Linz, AT (ask a punk)
May 1 - Luzern, CH (Pfau)
May 2 – Basel (OFF)
May 3 – Frankfurt (Main), Dreikönigskeller
July 31 - Berlin (about.blank) Alarmsingnal Open Air
We have some more dates planned. We will announce them soon on our socials :)
Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ?
The Band : Since we're a long distance band, it is hard to stay local - which also makes us so special hehe.
We are so greatful to have met amazing peolpe, bands and places so far, just to name a few: Kommando Schimmelkotze, Todeskommando Atomsturm, Fab, catbiteback., DVMP, Bolzenschuss, Szene Putzn, Burnswell, Ersatzkopf and many many more.
Go check our Playlist Çok Güzel on Spotify or Tidal where we collect Songs from friends, bands we like and we find inspiring.
Moreover, we would like to name a few places and organizers that are just incredible and very important to us and the subculture in general:Oetinger Villa Darmstadt (DA FOMO, AYC,…), AZ Metzgerstraße 8 Hanau, Kafe Marat München, ZGK Berlin, Konzertkommando Affenfelsen Leipzig, AZ Mülheim, Gängeviertel Hamburg, Gerber 3 Weimar, Desi Nürnberg, ams-camp, KTS Freiburg, AK40 Suhl, and many many more
Last word is yours..
"Solidarity is all we need"
Credits :
Live photos 1 & 2 : Marco CAPGRAS
Live photos 3 & 4 : Kay ÖZDEMIR
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