| Doors: 7.30 pm | Show: 8 pm | Tickets: 35.50 EUR plus fees |

30 years of THE MISSION. Who'd have thunk? Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams probably not when they left cult goth rockers The Sisters Of Mercy back in 1985 and founded THE MISSION. 30 years of eventful history, with umpteen singles, live compilations, DVDs and 10 regular albums out, the latest one, Another Fall From Grace, still as fresh as the morning dew, released a month ago.

If that is not a good reason to celebrate, what else would that be? THE MISSION anyway wanted to celebrate and embarked on a five-week European 30th anniversary tour. To have a great time themselves, to say thank you to the fans for support and dedication over decades and, as they wittily said, for their retirement funds ;) Yeah, and we would love to join the party. As the tour included 4 German dates (Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Munich), our choice unsurprisingly fell on the :: Essigfabrik :: in Cologne, which was, pretty much surprising, completely sold out! WOW!

:: pics :: THE AWAKENING ::

The evening was kicked off by Johannesburg, South Africa-based band :: THE AWAKENING ::. To be honest, I never heard of the band before. However, the guys and girl around frontman Ashton Nyte celebrated an anniversary too, their 20th. Ok, it already happened last year. THE AWAKENING released 3 EPs and 8 full-lengths so far, the last one, Tales Of Absolution And Obsoletion, dates back on 2009 and should have collected a lot of dust already. In 2013 THE AWAKENING released Anthology XV, kind of a best-of album with partly reworked songs. And this compilation was the foundation for play list. The Fault, taken from this one too, seems to be a new song, sort of, and might be found on a rumored new album. This song live was truly a highlight.
THE AWAKENING played a vibrant set, brimming of energy, and I loved the charismatic and deep voice of Ashton Nyte. Musically, the band ranges in known fields, blending Gothic, Wave, a bit of Electro and a proper portion of Rock. Nothing spectacular but great to listen to. Kick-ass show!
Setlist: Razor’s Burn, Descent, Indian Summer Rain, Upon The Water, Fault, Angelyn, Maree, Martyr, Sound Of Silence, Dark Romantics

:: pics :: THE MISSION ::

A 30 minutes break and still no coffee at the bar (I was tired as fuck). Then, lights went out and the The Dambusters Theme heralded the appearance of :: THE MISSION ::. The gentlemen stormed the stage under almost frenetically applause. The band was in best shape and mood, and was really up to play a great show. Meanwhile the Brits are far away from those cool, reserved and snobbish Goth bands and are rather an ass-kicking and energetic Rock band. Suits them well ;)
A 30th anniversary tour of course demands songs from all chapters of the band’s history and so THE MISSION played one classic after another. In between new tracks from Another Fall From Grace got embedded, fitting in seamlessly.
On this tour, THE MISSION gets supported by the ever wonderful Evi Vine. Some might know her as solo artist, singer and songwriter, others from various collaborations, with The Eden House for example, where guitarist Simon Hinkler contributes too. What a beautiful woman with a stunning voice! THE MISSION played also a much rocking, highly energetic show, full of verve and infected everyone in the venue immediately. It was great to see all the fans swinging, dancing and singing along full-throated. Wayne Hussey even kneeled down in front of Simon when he started to play a guitar solo. It was so great to see the band playing with such fun and sparkling delight.
THE MISSION played a 70 minutes show and added 2 encores with 3 songs each. After Like A Hurricane at the end of the first encore, THE MISSION got handed a special anniversary cake with 30 candles on it and Wayne had to blow them out. The band members’ faces and smiles spoke volumes ;)
Yes, that was really a great show and a much entertaining evening!
Setlist: Intro (The Dambusters Theme), Beyond The Pale, Serpent's Kiss, Swoon, Tyranny Of Secrets, Garden Of Delight, Naked And Savage, Only You & You Alone, Severina, Like A Child Again, Met-Amor-Phosis, Tower Of Strength, Wasteland // Black Mountain Mist (acoustic), Butterfly On A Wheel, Like A Hurricane (Neil Young cover) // Never's Longer Than Forever, Belief, Deliverance

story & pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography