[Dajana] In consideration of the fact that ZEROMANCER did not tour so regularly in the past and had announced not to tour (that often) anymore we got to see them quite often this year ;) Not that I would complain about this… no way! You can never get enough of them ;) Regarding this short fall tour I have to clarify that those are rescheduled ones from the spring, their companions DREADFUL SHADOWS had to cancel back then. Again I embark on a journey down to Duisburg to the • Eventcastle Pulp • Due to traffics we were late and I expected to struggle through an almost sold out location. Far wrong. It was pretty clear inside the Pulp… Well, ok, then let’s try the restaurant first (very delicious).
[Psycho] I actually did not have any expectations regarding the attendance as both bands never had the big breakthrough. So why should fans now appear in legions when the swan song has already begun. Life’s a bitch…

:: pics ::

[Dajana] That there was a third party this evening was announced rather short-termed. Show times had not changed so that :: ARMY OF THE UNIVERSE :: more or less played prior announced times. Means, people missed most part of their show. So I did. I caught them for the last three songs only. That’s why I can’t say that much about those guys. Never heard of them before. Formed in L.A. and now residing in Milano, Italy, ARMY OF THE UNIVERSE range in Electro/Dance fields, and delivered quite an energetic show.
[Psycho] Never heard of them either. First impressions on social media were not that good so I decided to stay with the food intake instead. Sometimes new media are a disadvantage…
Setlist: Hipster Sacrifice, A Visionary Story, PNKRZ!!, Lovedead, Goodnite, Kill The F* DJ, Dust In The Universe, Hollywood Drama

[Dajana] Before the :: DREADFUL SHADOWS :: jump onto stage the Pulp fills up pleasingly (with Depeche Mode, Suede and other acts playing nearby). Respect! The Berlin guys set powerfully in with some of my fave tracks, though they seemed to be a bit unrehearsed. Also their sound was quite unbalanced. Especially singer Juliane Richter was hardly ever to hear (and mostly acting in the background). However, it definitely did not narrow any bit of the pleasure fans had. Every song got almost frenetically welcomed and sung along. Unfortunately DREADFUL SHADOWS did not play any new song (they are so busily working on). I’m pretty curious about how the DREADFUL SHADOWS might sound in 2013, as some of the classics they played tonight already have 20 years under the belt. Well, you can’t have it all, right? Definitely a great show! Definitely a great feeling to hear all those old tracks again as I connect a lot of memories with them.
[Psycho] To be honest… I’m torn. Yes, it was great to see all those classics performed live again. But I also caught myself thinking how frumpy they sound meanwhile. Odd enough as I found them rather innovative and progressive back then. At the end, nostalgia outweighed, because singer Sven Friedrich very charmingly ironic hinted at the age of the songs, and “besides” did a really good job there, creating a great atmosphere almost alone due to his charisma.
Setlist: Intro, Chains, Burning The Shrouds, A Sea Of Tears, New Day, Desolated Home, The Vortex, A Better God, Dead Can Wait, Condemnation, Craving, True Faith, Beyond The Maze // Futility, Hurt (Johnny Cash)

[Dajana] Okay, winners tonight are undeniably :: ZEROMANCER :: This band live is hardly to top. Really. Moreover it seemed that the Norwegians had an especially great day. ZEROMANCER were so sparkling and brimming of energy, delight in play and wit. And they offered us a setlist with some pearls in it, not played live for ages. It goes without saying that the crowd was freaking out… Especially I my corner a handful of die-hard fans had gathered with Norwegian flags waving above our heads, screaming and cheering the band as if there were no tomorrow. Alex and Kim once again tried it with the German language. Not bad guys! And they scored and scored ;) And of course, ZEROMANCER were not allowed to leave stage without an opulent encore. Though the show was way to short. Again. Of course. Oh my… just awesome!
[Psycho] I actually can’t remember when I have seen ZEROMANCER going down so well. And this is even outweighs as the Norwegians are already one of the best live acts in the scene. Next to the impressive day’s form and many die-hard fans among the crowd, ZEROMANCER did their best on stage to make this show a memorable event. So I had the feeling that especially the old songs got refurbished and now sounded much fresher, modern and more powerful. The sound was extremely good too (something you don’t experience that often these days), so it was impossible to stand still. ZEROMANCER were brimming over with energy spreading such high spirits the crowd sucked up, amplified and gave back to the band. What an atmosphere. Big gestures, never embarrassing or snotty, made everybody feel great, having a blast during the show that was of course too short. It’s paradoxical that ZEROMANCER now want to make themselves scarce. Well, as already mentioned: the bitch, you know…
Setlist: Intro, Sinners International, Doppelgänger I Love You, Stop The Noise, My Little Tragedy, Hollywood, Auf Wiedersehen Boy, Industrypeople, Cupola, SFTP, The Underground, Need You Like A Drug, The Hate Alphabet, The Tortured Artist // Clone Your Lover, House Of Cards, Dr. Online

story Psycho & Dajana • pics © Dajana