 |
| 2011-07-16
DE – Cologne - Tanzbrunnen |
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| Deine Lakaien - Die Krupps - Tanzwut - Samsas Traum - Zeraphine - Melotron - Staubkind - [X]-RX • Hocico - Suicide Commando - Leaether Strip - In Strict Confidence - Grendel - Frozen Plasma - Winterkälte - Mind.In.A.Box - Klangstabil [Sebastian] Pasta2Go. Now in case you’re wondering if the author of this text is completely nuts I can assure you he is and he’s not ashamed of showing it. Well, during our preparations for AMPHI FESTIVAL we encountered Pasta2Go and figured it should be part of the introduction and a recommendation to the AMPHI FESTIVAL organizers to keep such little lunch packages for busy photographers at the press tent. Anyway, that and a few other things set the right mood for this first day of AMPHI FESTIVAL that we hoped would go with as little rain as possible. :: pics :: [Sebastian]
Actually the first thing raining down on the audience was ::
[X]-RX
:: who, I suppose, were chosen to rip the entire area
out of sleep. The side effect was the cyber Goth fraction dancing
heavily at this early hour to the torturing bass drums of the
two guys on stage. Offering tracks with titles such as Tanz Schlampe
or Virus Infect they kept that particular group on their toes,
while people like me tried to figure out how the hell someone
could actually and voluntarily listen to that stuff, which, for
me, lacked any sort of content.
[Niggels]
The first day at Staatenhaus was committed entirely to the electronic
side of music and covered a wide range of influences from experimental
to industrial over to the harsh and the poppy. This promised to
be very interesting. So it seemed a bit wrong to me that ::
KLANGSTABIL
:: were to open the second stage of the first day of
AMPHI FESTIVAL, not just because I'm a fan of their recent
works but also as their popularity seems to be rising since Math
& Emotion and the following singles. However, KLANGSTABIL
were surely a nice addition to the festival's line-up, especially
as they are not the typical stereotype Goth or EBM band. Actually
their gig at AMPHI was a first for me as I had never seen
them live on stage before.
[Niggels]
It's funny what they sell you as “Goth” these days,
as :: STAUBKIND
:: are rather conventional Rock/Pop with German lyrics
and, admittedly, a slightly melancholic undertone. But then STAUBKIND
never claimed to be Goth, yet they find their approval of certain
parts of this scene. Perhaps the presence of handsome boy Manke
plays a role here... STAUBKIND look like a Pop act and
sound like a Pop act, nothing wrong about that but on the other
hand their music is hardly inspiring or overly remarkable. On
the plus side of things, STAUBKIND delivered a very professional
and routine performance at the AMPHI at this festival.
Songs like Königin or Ein Traum der nie
vergeht are pure, guitar-driven and radio-friendly Mainstream
Pop with touchy-feely lyrics. STAUBKIND did have their
own audience at the AMPHI FESTIVAL, which just proves that
sometimes anything is accepted as “Goth” or “Dark”
as long as image and marketing are right. Technically very good
performers but what was the point again?
[Sebastian]
My first band at Staatenhaus this day and one of my favorite ones
already :: MIND.IN.A.BOX
:: I wondered if they could improve their performance,
based on their past live experiences. The sad bit was, while Roman
or Adam actually did move a lot more, Stephan positioned behind
a tower of gear at the front didn’t move a lot, really.
Another thing marring the experience this time was a sound engineer
who obviously couldn’t manage to get a proper mix of the
sound done at the venue. The result was the drums covering almost
everything and all the inventive sound bits, details and melodies
were drowning in the mix. If that due to the acoustics in the
hall I don’t know but the sound was crap nevertheless. The
choice of songs was nearly the same as on other shows and I was
very pleased to hear Fear live again and Change
for the first time ever. Glad to see they’re gradually including
different songs in the setlist. Really loved the show except for
the mentioned points and so did many of the attendees.
[Niggels]
:: MELOTRON
:: vocalist Andy Krüger is somehow “East
Germany's Dave Gahan”. There's a striking resemblance between
Krüger and the famous Depeche Mode front man, and watching
Krüger live makes clear where he got his inspirations for
his dance moves. Anyway, MELOTRON's version of synthesized
Pop is surely glossier, neater, and less Rock than Depeche Mode.
Instead, MELOTRON often combine their catchy Pop tunes
with the heavy dance beats of Future Pop, and live they spice
up their synth sound with additional live percussions and little
gimmicks like an accordion. Their cover version of Rio Reiser's
Menschenfresser demonstrated that MELOTRON is not
only influenced by electronic pioneers and songs like Der Anfang
or Das Herz show that they have the right touch for a good
melody. On the other hand there are songs like Kindertraum
where the cheese factor is on an absolute maximum, which spoils
the fun if you ask me. Sound-wise, MELOTRON's music wasn't
that well mixed - surely not their fault as it was the same for
many bands of the festival - and Andy Krüger unfortunately
didn't have his best day in regard to his vocal performance. But
those who were strong enough to withstand the high cheese factor
were rewarded with an entertaining gig and two new and yet unreleased
songs from the forthcoming album. MELOTRON finished their
set with a slow version of their club hit Brüder,
a somehow bold step as they could have played it safe by doing
the anthemic club version of this song. All in all MELOTRON
was surely not a highlight of the festival but at least a nice
addition to the line-up for all lovers of catchy Synth Pop.
[Niggels] Pure noise and an orgy of light - that's :: WINTERKÄLTE's :: gig at the AMPHI in short. Although there were lots of Techno-ish beats as well, and a scarce use of the video screen behind the two protagonists, one on the drums and one behind a keyboard. At times behind the keyboard, as he was moving a lot! All instruments' signals were apparently sent through at least a dozen of distortion effects to create the brutal assault on your nervous system that is WINTERKÄLTE live. The flashing LED strobe lights would put you over the edge, finally, and the fans either joined the mosh pit at the front or stared at the stage as if they had been hypnotized. I could swear they actually were! WINTERKÄLTE often put the label “progressive” to their music but I wonder how progressive a music project band can be which sounds live almost exactly the same as ten years ago (when I witnessed a WINTERKÄLTE show for the first time) and which delivers in their set 5-minute sonic attacks at maximum volume which in the end all sound alike. Anyway, forget the “progressive” thing and appreciate WINTERKÄLTE simply for what they are: A sonic attack on body and mind, which is quite a change to the sweet Pop melodies catering the masses at the main stage of the AMPHI. It is a good thing to have a band like WINTERKÄLTE at a festival like this. But you either give in to this rhythmic noise, or you go.
[Sebastian]
My next appointment at the main stage was ::
ZERAPHINE
:: who were just about to start their show with the
recent album’s opener Nie Mehr Allein, by ZERAPHINE
terms a quite harsh effort. I just discovered something during
their show. I still like the music, I really do. Not the most
ambitious ever heard, but its rock solid and still better than
many other bands. The thing is though that the show really lost
its fascination and that is due to it being devoid of any surprising
elements. It’s you know what you’re getting when attending
a ZERAPHINE show. For some that’s a good thing because
it proves reliability. On the other hand it’s just getting
boring over time. They hardly ever deviate from their scheme.
They should consider becoming a little more unpredictable when
it comes to their performances. Otherwise I fear people will stick
to their CDs in a long run. But maybe I’ve become a dinosaur
clinging to the old virtue of diversity. So what’s the bottom
line: Music: Great! Performance: Expandable!
[Sebastian]
Next one for me ventured into poppier regions with ::
FROZEN
PLASMA :: The show took off unpretentious with
the intro to The End announcing the show and the guys appearing
on stage where Felix would soon start running up and down, always
eager to get the audience involved into the show. Sadly, the vocals
weren’t on par at all moments with his fitness. Responsible
for that were a bad vocal mix and maybe a bad day on Felix’s
side. He can do a lot better. Anyway, enough criticism or else
I’m going to get burned. Amongst that collection of well-known
songs you could find a new one with Deliverance that always
kept both eyes fixed on the dance floors and had a bunch of good
melodies, Condense off the first album which I can’t
recall hearing live already at all, and one of Felix’s own
songs from the new album with The Muse, suiting the sets
direction perfectly. Solid performance, but there was lots of
room for improvement! Have seen them doing it a lot better.
[Sebastian]
So Alexander Kaschte and :: SAMSAS
TRAUM :: were up now at the main stage. With them
came a kind of humor you either like or not. The music seems to
share an equal fate with most people and the genre hopping of
Mr. Kaschte surely isn’t up everyone’s alley either.
Before we get to the interesting part but we start off with a
little of the music being played, because that’s what this
is about after all, isn’t it? Ein Name im Kristall opened
the show in the current metal fashion, whereas Fick Mich Noch
Fester roused quite some Agonoize associations with me. In-between
songs, Alexander would revive an old tradition of throwing stuff
into the audience or utilizing anything but subtle irony. The
peak of disgust he reached when he would throw a sweaty t-shirt
into the audience. A sweaty t-shirt in itself isn’t the
disgusting part. He would give the t-shirt to a girl, asking if
she wanted a little more sweat in it. She obviously gave the wrong
answer since Kaschte really enjoyed rubbing the thing in his armpit.
I’m going to leave it up to you to judge the mind-set of
audience and artist here. Musically, apart from that, it was a
flawless show with a good amount of audience participation, as
well as old and newer songs.
[Niggels]
As quickly as :: GRENDEL
:: entered the stage they had to leave it again - right
in the middle of the first song there was a electrical power breakdown!
After some irritation the band left the stage and it took a while
until the crew was able to solve the problem. But at least GRENDEL
could go on with their show in the end. Some mean old bastard
remarked later sarcastically that the moments of silence was probably
the best about the gig but the GRENDEL fans surely would
not agree here. Performing as a four-piece with shouter VLRK,
a keyboarder, a drummer (electronic drum kit of course) and a
guitarist for some songs, GRENDEL delivered a compact set
with songs mainly taken from the 2007 album Harsh Generation
and the Soilbleed EP but also presenting a new song
from the forthcoming album. However, “new” isn't the
attribute I would personally attach to GRENDEL's music
and performance. While their music is admittedly a solid piece
of workmanship, their style is on the other hand not that original.
Trance layers, four-to-the-floor Techno beats, shouted vocals,
stereotypical movie samples - there are simply too many bands
with the same formula. This recipe is probably good enough to
spawn a few club tracks but for one hour of entertainment, be
it a live show or an album; it is in my opinion simply not enough
to keep up my interest. Maybe it's just that I saw too many live
gigs of electronic bands that all had a similar sound and setup.
Anyway, the fans seemed to love GRENDEL's show, and some
perhaps didn't care too much about the music anyway as long as
they can dance to it - which would be the only explanation why
some Cyber Goths decided to go through their dance routines to
GRENDEL's pounding beats in a hall next door, where they
of course couldn't see a single thing of the show and where the
sound was even worse.
[Sebastian]
It is an open secret, really that I’m not much of a fan
of the bagpipe-inflicted stuff :: TANZWUT
:: are exhibiting during their concerts usually. Also
it’s still a mystery to me what the fascinating bit about
all this is, but one thing’s a fact: It works, and it works
really well. Otherwise there’d be no rational explanation
for all those people in front of the main stage at the time and
hanging on the words of front man Teufel, bringing the devil into
the paradise of Cologne to bring the healing over everyone with
the following show. That guy always keeps running from left to
right and if the audience had their way they would’ve done
the same thing. But there was this little problem of colliding
with people who just wanted to pass. Anyway, for those interested
in this kind of music it was definitely the place to be and they
visibly enjoyed every second.
[Sebastian]
Before that show I heard of many people really looking forward
to this one, especially as a young lady. Well, I just hoped they’d
get a better sound than previous bands so people were able to
fully embrace the sound of :: IN
STRICT CONFIDENCE :: Didn’t work out a 100%
I have to say, but it’s been a little better than before.
My Despair was meant to be the show’s opening and
did it properly with a good balance of melody and a doze of harshness.
It was followed by Promised Land which did benefit a lot
from Nina’s vocals, if only they had been a little louder.
It seems to be she’s constantly holding back and I don’t
see the point in having a classically trained voice and not using
it properly. I mean, seriously, picture Set Me Free with
her full vocal range. Dennis wouldn’t stand a chance, no
offence. With Silver Bullets they delivered another floor
cracker. A little more movement to suit the song’s direction
wouldn’t have hurt. Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch
more of the show as I had to jump back to the main stage to catch
the other half of the Tanzwut show.
[Niggels]
I was a little surprised that :: DIE
KRUPPS :: got the co-headlining slot at the main
stage of the AMPHI on the first day of the festival. Brilliant
band, so I'm happy for them, but to be honest I would have guessed
that a band like Tanzwut, who played before DIE KRUPPS,
would be more popular among German Goth crowds. However, this
is surely no complaint - that the gig of DIE KRUPPS was
overlapping with the ones of Leæther Strip and Suicide Commando
at the Staatenhaus was on the other hand indeed a little frustrating.
Anyway, after a short intro Jürgen Engles and his band mates
rushed on stage and started with the energetic Hi Tech Low
Life. There was a good fan crowd in front of the stage who
was into it from the start, and with smashers like Isolation
and Crossfire DIE KRUPPS quickly won over those
who just were to take a glimpse at the Düsseldorf legend,
and also those unlucky Suicide Commando fans who weren't allowed
to enter the packed Staatenhaus. The sound left a bit to desire
for (again!) but the energy of DIE KRUPPS and Jürgen
Engler's engaging stage presence made up for it. Als Wären
Wir Für Immer and Beyond represented the new material
from the latest EP, while the rest of the set was dominated by
the band's output from the 1990s. As a best-of set was announced,
some fans might have hoped for very old gems like Volle Kraft
Voraus but the classic Germaniac and the Visage cover
Der Amboss were just as captivating. To The Hilt and
the hymnist Fatherland, probably the biggest DIE KRUPPS
hits, saw an audience in high spirits before we got to hear Wahre
Arbeit Wahrer Lohn for the first time this weekend, though
this wasn't clear yet when DIE KRUPPS performed it. There
was a surprise in store for all those who would also attend the
Nitzer Ebb show the next day but not even DIE KRUPPS knew
that when they hammered the high-speed beats of Bloodsuckers
into the round to finish their fabulous performance. The gig does
get a few points off for a rather average sound (as mentioned
before, a general problem at this year's AMPHI) but in
the end it was one of my personal highlights of the festival.
[Niggels]
Two years ago, Claus Larsen aka :: LEÆTHER
STRIP :: made a first appearance at the AMPHI,
which was exciting news for all EBM-heads as it was one of the
first LEÆTHER STRIP live gigs in almost 20 years.
Back then Larsen performed alone on the main stage, just him and
some equipment in the sunlight. It was great to see him back on
stage but I have to admit that in the end I wasn't too overwhelmed
by the performance itself. This time LEÆTHER STRIP
played indoors at the Staatenhaus and he brought his partner (and
husband actually) Kurt to play the keyboards. The effect of these
two details was quite considerable! LEÆTHER STRIP's
music works so much better without sun light, and Claus Larsen
didn't look as lost as on the huge main stage in 2009 and obviously
felt much more comfortable on stage - perhaps also thanks to the
numerous gigs he played since his last AMPHI gig. Starting
with 1990 track Satanic Citizen, LEÆTHER STRIP
was about to not just play a live gig but also to make a musical
statement, intentionally or not. But after seeing so many modern-day
EBM/Electro bands at the AMPHI as well as many other festivals
and concerts LEÆTHER STRIP demonstrated where the
likes of Agonoize, Combichrist, Grendel, Hocico etc. pp. got their
ideas from! Outsiders might claim that LEÆTHER STRIP
does sound almost exactly the same as some of the mentioned acts
but this is actually the point, but the bulk of the songs LEÆTHER
STRIP performed at the AMPHI date from 1989 to 1992.
This should tell you something about how “progressive”
most of today's so-called Hellectro/Aggrotech acts are! And while
all the copycats and epigones do their best to fit overused clichés
and hollow stereotypes Claus Larsen fills his songs with life
and identity - not bad for a chubby, middle-aged dude and a keyboarder
who looks like retired maths teacher! From the debut single Japanese
Bodies to the club classic Strap Me Down to the title
track of the 2008 album Civil Disobedience to the cover
version of Soft Cell's Sex Dwarf as the show closer, LEÆTHER
STRIP delivered a stripped-down but storming show. Quite impressive,
despite the lack of any show effects, videos or any other gadgets.
Or because of the lack of them, at last someone who trusts the
strength of his compositions enough to abandon all “shock
value” effects! The only sour note was that LEÆTHER
STRIP played at the same time as Die Krupps at the main stage
- still want to kick the arse of the guy who decided this!
[Sebastian]
Right in time for this day’s headliner on main stage the
weather god had decided to open heaven’s floodgates and
dress the environment in an autumnal fashion. Nothing to hinder
anyone from enjoying every single bit of the ::
DEINE
LAKAIEN :: show, starting with On Your Stage
Again off the new album Indicator. The big open
air stage had its advantages for their show, especially when it
comes to Alexander’s expressive performance that didn’t
suffer a bit from the summer flu he caught. Next they switched
to an earlier effort with Into My Arms, an equally fascinating
and haunting pleasure, just as Where You Are or a classical
of their repertoire Forest that made you almost forget
it was raining. The rain didn’t make it particularly easy
for you to make any notes at all. But in situations like that
the text feature of your mobile really comes in handy. Well, it’s
easier to handle than a notebook while you’re holding an
umbrella, isn’t it? As on the last shows I’ve seen
the guys were supported by a few guest musicians on stage (Tobias
“B.Deutung” Unterberg on violoncello and Yvonne Fechner
on violin) who were showing as much commitment as the main actors
on stage. As much as I loved the show I needed to get somewhere
warm and dry, which made the Staatenhaus the perfect place. Apart
from that I could catch a little bit of the Hocico performance
as well who were just playing at the same time.
[Sebastian] With the show of DEINE LAKEIEN; the first day at the main stage had found its end. It’s been a mixed day, regarding the choice of bands playing there. Seriously, we really need some new bands appearing on festivals. Why is it so hard to just take a risk and invite over one or two rather unknown bands that could bring a fresh wind into the dark scene’s musical landscape? More than the ever rotating line-up carousel. [Fee]
When :: SUICIDE
COMMANDO :: started their great show we were already
done. The weather made me nearly collapse. Johan van Roy began
his show with Severed Head, a song of his latest album.
I like the song, the audience did too. But I remember not many
visitors singing along. This just changed when they played Dein
Herz, meine Gier. It’s a bit older song and so I think
more known. The video just fit to the lyrics and Johan was doing
a great show. With his serial killer smile he made the perfect
bridge between lyrics and the blood-filled videos. The audience
enjoyed the show and when the band started playing Bind Torture
Kill, the whole Staatenhaus was dancing and screaming the
lyrics. The show finished with See You In Hell after the
audience wanted an encore. In my eyes there was no better song
to finish a show that made me and all the other people there sweat.
A little minus was the sound at the Staatenhaus. Whenever a band
started there were sound problems. As well the music sounded creepy
the more away from stage you watched the show.
[Fee]
For me, every :: HOCICO
:: show is something special and a highlight of every
festival. I can remember only visiting AMPHI FESTIVAL because
of them. When Erk Aicrag from HOCICO entered the stage
after singing Breathe Me Tonight behind the stage, the
audience screamed for more. It’s always the same thing:
HOCICO’s playing a festival and so many people are
there to see them. It doesn’t matter what time and what
place, the audience is always so energetic. They sing, scream,
dance. I can’t remember any other fan audience doing this
with this intensity. The younger fans liked the newer songs such
as Bite Me or Dog Eat Dog, the older fans preferred
Instincts Of Perversion or Forgotten Tears. So the
setlist included a good mixture of new and old songs to satisfy
everyone. On stage Erk Aicrag was like a tornado. He always is
and he blew his audience away. When he wants people to clap their
hands, they’ll do it. When he wants people to jump, they’ll
do it. Absolutely fascinating. Of course they had these TV screens
on stage and played videos on it. My personal favorite is the
video for Tiempos De Furia where a little clown is dancing
an then gets attacked by dogs. I missed Racso on stage though.
He wasn’t even playing at Wave Gotik Treffen and we hoped
he’d be back at AMPHI. But he wasn’t there,
but replaced by Grigory Feil who is also playing keyboards in
Rabia Sorda. Hopefully Rasco will be back later this year, we
miss him. Racso not being on stage is the only little minus I
can tell.
[Sebastian]
So after even the day’s last band had completed their set
and people were streaming towards the exit we were just starting
a little late birthday celebration with the crew and some friends.
Thanks for that again. Was great and no of course we didn’t
drink any alcohol… |
| stories © Sebastian, Niggels, Fee • photos © Daniel Horlbogen & Dani Vorndran |
