Diary Of Dreams

DIARY OF DREAMS last regular live appearance was the Accession tour in winter 2003. Since then they just had a few festival shows and gigs in support of their releases. Now the melancholics are back on the road, not only supporting just one new album but even the entire Nigredo trilogy. In the summer 2004 the band has released the first chapter in form of the EP GiftRaum, a little later their seventh full-length Nigredo was put out, followed in by the last chapter: the EP MenschFeind February 2005. Tons of new material that needed to be performed awoke high expectations…
Also Canadian based support PSYCHE has released a new album in the beginning of the new year: The 11th Hour. Both bands I already saw together on stage on above mentioned tour in 2003; a package that have proved itself.
Whereas I visited the Tower in Bremen the very first time. This venue is a small club in the middle of the city (opposite of the main station) located in the basement of a tower block. Small, cozy and quite crowded, but not really suited for bands like DIARY OF DREAMS. The stage was tiny, everything was packed and the light … not worth mentioning (ok, that’s from the point of someone, who wants to take photos *g*). On the other hand audience and bands have been in the best mood, immediately creating an electrifying atmosphere …

:: pics ::

:. PSYCHE ~ kicked off their set even before schedule and could thrill the audience in the twinkling of an eye; even fans who never have heard of PSYCHE before. Singer Darrin Huss seemed to have some problems with his voice, but I guess that is excusable after all these done shows. In contrast sound wiz Bernd Servos paused in minimalist-monotone motion sequences behind his keys and probably displayed his most morose face. Personal highlight of this show was that the duo played Misery, a song from their 89 album The Influence and the probably most known PSYCHE cover version Goodbye Horses (this version came to honour in the movie The Silence Of The Lambs). Of course, most of the tracks were taken from their latest album The 11th Hour. After 45 minutes the show was over, no encore. Anyway, PSYCHE got an overwhelming response, surprising the guys, plucking their heart-strings. Well done guys!
Setlist: Bloodcurse, Yearning, Defenseless, 15 Minutes, Snow Garden, The Belonging Kind, Misery, Buried Alive, Goodbye Horses, September Moon

:. DIARY OF DREAM ~ before Adrian and Co. could hit the stage they had to cleave the audience – including the instruments – since the stage did not have separate stairs and room backwards. Duly arrived they started with the title track of their latest release MenschFeind, offering a conceptual frame for their live performance. Adrian himself was wearing a coat all buttoned up, showing a reserved, cool and stylish site, but taking off it bit by bit, metaphorically turning his inside out.
Quite unusual was to see him with his guitar over the shoulder, implying a more guitar orientated show. In addition to band mate and guitarist Gaun:A an always lively Beam (Feindflug) behind the drums and Diorama fronter Torben Wendt belonged to the live crew. Latter one disappeared most time in a dark corner behind his keys. Torben turned this show into something really special when he performed second encore AmoK in a piano version, just accompanied by Adrian’s singing. That was wonderfully haunting. It goes without saying that the girls lapsed into ecstasy from the first tones on, especially when Adrian let flow his long blonde mane during Soulstripper (and do not tell me that he does not know, what he is doing there ;)). But also the rest of the audience could not elude from the magic of DIARY OF DREAMS. Despite the oversupply of new songs the band went back far in the past with songs like End Of Flowers and Methusalem, older fans audible appreciated. Adrian had a scratchy throat too but it did not bar the band from not leaving the stage and playing two encores. DIARY OF DREAMS got as well an enthusiastic response, people were almost freaking out. The band was surprised, thankfully taking a bow.
Setlist: MenschFeind, Reign Of Chaos, The Curse, Giftraum, End Of Flowers, Methusalem, Chemicals, But The Wind Was Stronger, Play God!, Butterfly: Dance!, Soul Stripper, Sin Skinner, O’Brother Sleep, Kindrom // Traumtänzer, She // Panic, AmoK (piano version)

Upshot: Without a doubt this show was worth it to go to Bremen. Both bands made the best of this crowded situation, always having jokes on the lips and got involved in long small talks afterwards. Later they moved to a pub anywhere across from the Tower, to party with the fans.
But I have also to admit, that all shows I have seen in the recent past never reached the level of this legendary show in Essen in 2001.