Hungry4 at Übel & Gefährlich Hamburg - Review

Mall Grab gets invited to play some high quality House Music at Hamburg’s famous Übel & Gefährlich Club. Thoughts on the night, the crowd, and how the city’s club scene is holding up in 2025?

December 14, 2025, 1 am. We arrive in front of the massive Bunker, a true Hamburg staple. Inside, a mix of businesses: a bouldering gym, a hotel, a bar, and, up on the highest floor, a club: Übel & Gefährlich, which has been operating for 19 years. Built into the old Flak tower, the club stretches across multiple levels and hosts concerts and parties far beyond electronic music. Stretching from hip-hop to indie to Taylor Swift nights. But tonight, it’s Hungry4 throwing a proper house music party in the Bunker.

Hungry4 is a Lisbon-based collective founded to showcase international artists and bring them to Portugal. Their roots are clearly in house culture, with a mix of headliners, international support, and local talent. Nowadays, they are not exclusive to Lisbon, but throw parties in Greece, Cape Town, Berlin, and, of course, Hamburg.

The Basics

It’s probably the worst possible time to arrive. There’s a solid line, and I’m already mentally preparing to freeze my ass off. Surprisingly, every other city except Berlin seems to know how to manage entry. After 15 minutes, plus a friendly security check, we’re inside. Only problem: the elevator isn’t working, so we hike all the way up the stairs.

What went well at the entrance got worse once we were actually in the club. The wardrobe took longer than the entry. Then, after dropping our jackets, we tried to get a drink. The main floor was already packed, and even after choosing one of the bars further back, it felt impossible to get served. The staff seemed oddly uncoordinated, which surprised me for such a long-running venue. Later, things got better, but my expectation is simple: ordering a drink should work smoothly at peak time and off-peak alike.

After that whole hustle, we finally had our Jackets off, drinks in hand. Time to start the party. A friend of mine posted up on the left side of the dancefloor on a podium to get a bit more space. I pushed toward the very front. There I struggled with two things: The sound system and the crowd

Sound-wise, the bass up front was way too boomy and undifferentiated. With the amount of breakbeat in Mall Grab’s set, that really didn’t work — everything sounded mushed together. But when I stepped back, the system quickly lost its punch. There was only a narrow “sweet spot” where it was somewhat okay. Overall, definitely one of the weaker systems I’ve heard in a long time. This wasn't only an issue during Mall Grab's playtime, but throughout the evening. Most of the time it was okayish, but unfortunatly often disrupted by those unbalanced moments.

The Vibes

Now onto my second criticism. The vibes during the opening. It was simply too overcrowded at the front, and a lot of people didn’t seem to realize it. Groups kept trying to push through where there was no space, got stuck, then awkwardly maneuvered back. Constantly… It killed the flow.

At the door, I’d noticed a pretty diverse mix. Unassuming people, economics-major old money style, hipsters, ravers, you name it. I actually think this is a good thing! But on the floor during the opening, a lot of people felt… stiff. Not even the “Berlin cool, no emotions allowed” stiff, more like the “I ended up here randomly and I’m not sure how to enjoy this” stiff.

My friend mentioned similar complaints, even though he was at a different position. Additionally, for him it was just too long of a break beat sequence during the peak time, and I see his point. I personally wouldn't have minded that if the crowd didn't react as strangely as it did. By chance we ended up leaving the main floor simultaneously and agreed on one thing: Mall Grab’s intro was not it!

Luckily, the Bunker itself is super atmospheric, with loads of nice corners. I personally love the smoking room, where you can look out through those tiny windows that were literally used to defend the tower back in the day.

Now, about those floors. The club is advertised as three floors, but I’d visited twice before and so had friends who go regularly — and we were all surprised, because usually it’s two: the big main floor (∼500 pax) and the Turmzimmer (∼250 pax). The “third floor” was on the highest level, only reachable via a long spiral staircase. A tiny dancefloor (∼30 pax) with a small PA, plus a small chill-out space next to it.

And to be clear: apart from that stiffness on the dancefloor earlier, I’ve generally had very positive experiences with Hamburg crowds. People are chill, easy to talk to, and not pretentious. We didn’t spend much time on the second floor. I remember going in briefly, but neither the music nor the setup nor the lighting pulled me in. Also, the entrance to that floor was always crowded and narrow, so after that one quick visit, I didn’t bother going back.

The third floor, though, was atmospheric. Decorated with old 70s radios all around, and because it was so small, it almost felt like a home party. But it also felt kind of obsolete. The sound system was basically house-party level, so people would climb the stairs, laugh at how cute the vibe was, dance a bit, and then leave again because the setup was tight and not that impressive. The irony is: every time I was up there, the music was banging.

To be honest, this third floor felt unnecessary. Like something to justify “3 floors” on the flyer. If it were my call, I would’ve put a darkroom up there. Some awareness person at the stairs, some music in the background. Basically, an extended chill space with some option for play. That would have been awesome. However, as it was, it didn’t add to the party. The opposite was the case - it kind of worked against it.

Is this a concert?

After some side quests and exploring, I ended up back on the main floor as Mall Grab was finishing his set. It was cool, lots of his own tracks — but nothing spectacular. The room was still crowded, but the moment he ended, masses of people left. A bit later, around 4 - 4:30 am (basically halfway into the party), it felt like half the club left. And spreading the remaining people over three floors made it feel even emptier.

I’ve rarely experienced such a fast drop-off in a club night. It felt more like a concert with an aftershow: the artist plays, and afterwards you can stay, but most people don’t. The main-stage design didn’t help either. It really was a stage, with an elevated floor and line arrays hanging on the sides. One positive detail: Hungry4 didn’t place the DJ up on the stage; he was at eye level, which kept it more club-like. They tried to minimize the concert feeling, but once I made that aftershow analogy in my head, I couldn’t unsee it.

The rest of the night was pretty similar to my previous visits — in a good way. The DJ after Mall Grab (David Jackson) was much more energetic, and the vibe improved a lot. You could literally feel the other floors shutting down, because every room closing sent a new wave onto the main floor.

During the final hour, Hamburg’s diverse crowd was a true pleasure to experience. Stylish club kids, ravers, gays, dolls, trans people, normie friend groups in Taylor Swift glitter dresses. A genuinely sweet blend! Only downside: it ended at 6 am, which feels early for one of the largest clubs in Germany’s second-largest city. I’m not judging the organizers, since it wasn’t packed at the end, but a hard cut is never a sexy ending… just saying.

Next to the smoking room, there are some additional tables and chairs to sit down, but without a wall between this space and the dancefloor. Thus, the sound is very loud, and it is a place to socialize and meet new people. In here, thick cables are hanging from the wall, and I can look all over the warehouse while giving my feet a rest.

In the background of the stage, I can see old replacement parts stacked. However, the most eye-catching piece of decoration is an old Mercedes E190 elevated on a rack at the side of the dancefloor. It is sometimes illuminated in color, but always in a bigger scene, never as a standout piece. The goal is not to have people focus on the oldtimer, but to make use of the feeling of partying in an old workshop.

I get up again and walk away from this corner. When I look up, I can see plants hanging over the edge. A whole upper floor with a completely different vibe. It gives this place its contrasty look. Not just the aesthetics of a rundown old car garage, but also something elevated and stylish. Unfortunately, this part is closed off to the general public.

The back part of the warehouse is home to the toilets. The lines are huge. There are too few, and with this weather, of course, no one wants to wait for the ones outside. I leave it up to your imagination how those few cabins looked after the influx of people. But I for myself was surprised that the bathrooms were still somehow intact after the party, as they looked like they might burst any moment.

With no proper socializing spot, the tense toilet situation, and my excitement not recovering, the only way was the dancefloor. Blasha & Allatt were delivering some classic Multisex Power House. At least one thing I could rely on was the high quality of music.

Conclusion

I wasn’t expecting Mall Grab to pull such a “concert-like” crowd, and I don’t think the organizers were either. With hindsight (and if up to me), I would’ve programmed it differently:

Replace the third floor with a darkroom (had to say it again)
Then put Mall Grab on earlier, like midnight to 2 am
Split the tickets into “before 2 am” and “after 2 am,” with the latter being cheaper
Sell fewer “before 2 am” tickets, because it felt seriously overcrowded during Mall Grab’s slot

The cheaper late ticket could catch the Hamburg bar crowd. People who were already out and were just looking for a good party afterwards. Not necessarily people who came for the headliner. Those guests ideally would have balanced out the concert-type audience.

None of this is written out of disrespect to Hungry4. If I’m not mistaken, this was their first event at Übel & Gefährlich, and overall it wasn’t a bad party. But the final verdict in our friend group, walking out, was simple: what a random evening.

PS: Hamburg, Are you OK?

Hamburg, Are you OK?

One last, but important thing to note: Hamburg’s clubbing scene is currently struggling. That’s a big topic on its own, and honestly, I don’t have the capacity to unpack every detail. Nor do I have the insider knowledge, since I don’t live there. What I can share is based on public information and conversations with friends (and people during my night out) who are from Hamburg. Meaning, this is mostly about public clubs and collectives; I can’t speak for the state of illegal raves or open airs.

In 2024, one of the most notable closures was PAL, which had been an institution and brought some of the best bookings to Hamburg. Though the owners continued organizing a few events in 2025 under the NTSC brand, it didn’t seem to gain much traction or become a sustainable replacement. On top of that, Waagenbau shut down, Fundbureau was forced to move to an inferior location, and the booking situation at Übel & Gefährlich looks... well, sad.

Collectives like Synthetic Love, rotor040, and others have noticeably reduced their activity over the past year. I’d even dare to say that Cologne — a city half the size — currently has a stronger club scene than Hamburg. Given how expensive Hamburg has become, it’s hard to tell whether this decline is mainly due to high costs of organizing events, or if it’s part of a broader cultural shift from long club nights to more relaxed bar and speakeasy-style evenings.

That’s why I really want to shout out Hungry4 for stepping up — putting on events, creating spaces for people who love this kind of music, and contributing to Hamburg’s scene despite the challenges. Their upcoming NYE event looks great, and honestly, the location seems much more fitting for their house music aesthetic than Übel & Gefährlich. So, big respect to them — and if you don’t have plans yet for that night, give it a shot ;)

As there was a no photo policy for guests all picture used are by Christoph Jakubek - Instagram