Has it really been that long since I saw DIARY OF DREAMS playing a club show? Well, yes, 3 years by now, except of two much shorter festival appearances. However, it was long overdue, so to say, and finally, the second part of the band’s Elegies In Darkness Tour made it possible to join in again. Me, I and myself, and approx. 500 other fans, made it to the • Kulttempel • in Oberhausen, Germany, for a long but swinging night with DIARY OF DREAMS.

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With :: A SPELL INSIDE :: supporting them, Diary Of Dreams had invited old friends to share the stage with. And this synth-pop trio was more than happy to get this chance again as they did not play live for a long time, so singer MelRow told the audience. And this was indeed noticeable. While key wizards PeKirk and MarCell were wrapped in smoke and hardly to see it was especially the singer that revealed insecurities and weakness regarding voice and singing. Musically A SPELL INSIDE played songs from the new album Autopilot, which was released in summer, but also a few older tracks. A solid but little spectacular show, danceable synth-pop patterns with quotes of known old heroes as I could hear more than once notes of Blancmange in the band’s music.
Setlist: Mein Weg, Kampfbereit, Keener, Ewig, Frei sein, Thorn, Stärke 10, Oneway

A short change-over break sees everybody pushing close to the stage, with faces full of expectations. Drummer and guitarists enter the stage with a dramatic pause left for frontman Adrian Hates to appear and then :: DIARY OF DREAMS :: kicked off their show… and left me confused… Has it really been that long that I even don't remember the tracks anymore? I have to admit, the last both records could not really captivate me, so I just had a listen around the time the albums were released. It indeed needed a classic first to get into full swing again. The special DIARY OF DREAMS atmosphere however, appeared immediately. And so did the joy to move and dance. It was great to see the crowd starting to swing and sway from above. But it all took time. The band itself was quite lazy and so was the audience. Despite of gruff guitars it took the half set, till Butterfly:Dance to be exactly, till band and fans heated up each other and finally some energy got released on both sides. Cracked this, no one was to stop anymore ;) DIARY OF DREAMS now really started to rock out. Adrian Hates joked with the fans and band mates and got some funny replies too. After their regular part DIARY OF DREAMS came back three times for encores, meanwhile frenetically applauded every time. I don’t know… did they play a 2 hrs. show? I lost track of time… Wow, what a nice evening. And nope, it definitely won’t take three years again till I catch DIARY OF DREAMS, I promise… ;)
Setlist: House Of Odds, Nekrolog 43, Malum, Haus der Stille, Grey The Blue, Mein-Eid, StummKult, Psycho-Logic, Daemon, Killers, Dogs Of War, Butterfly:Dance, King Of Nowhere, Undividable, A Dark Embrace // Luxury Of Insanity, Kindrom // O’ Brother Sllep, A Day In December // Requiem

story & pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography