Kulturfabrik, Krefeld, Germany22nd February 2007
Northern Light, The World Domination
After I have seen both bands not long ago – exactly in November – in Münster during a club night I was looking very much forward a usual club gig. After the band took place in the Bundesvision Song Contest (where Oomph! Was the winner) the band is drawing more and more attention. In their home town Erfurt in Thuringia, they are playing in front of some thousands of people. But not in Krefeld, there they were scheduled for the small club in the Kulturfabrik which means it was a very intimate concert. Support act was again THE WORLD DOMINATION.
The World Domination
The duo consisting of front man Val666 who was born in Siberia and instrumentalist Ringo.Fire from Erfurt / Germany is supported on stage by live drummer Pfuetze. TWD was founded in 2004 and the call themselves “the gurus of Electro Glam” which quite well hits the musical direction as well as their approach. http://www.the-world-domination.org/ / http://www.myspace.com/theworlddomination
Music
THE WORLD DOMINATION combine Electro-clash beats, dance tunes and synthesizers with Glam Rock guitars with a certain Punk attitude and a pinch of Gay Disco. Their influences such as IGGY POP, THE CRAMPS or THE VILLAGE PEOPLE are obvious – not only in musical matters but also in visual attitude. The debut album ‘The Big One’ was recorded in just five days. Three singles followed. For their live performance, all the electronic party are coming from “tape”, but the live guitars as well as the live drums add a lot to the feeling of making “real” music. The band is freaky, maniac, wired and seems totally crazy… so much that it nearly hurts, but anyway, their music has its charm.
Performance
TWD are wired and they are maniacs. When they entered the stage you could see this at your first glimpse. All three were wearing some kind of red-white tight plastic superhero costumes – Ringo even with a real cape. Looked kind of crazy. And crazy was the show that followed. Again like during the last show I’ve seen, the visual concept was supported by some big video screens displaying TWD images. After you have seen them live you will keep this show in your mind forever. TWD are not afraid to shock with their behavior on stage… but different to the Münster show they were a bit “calmer” if you can say so – no rolling on the floor or stripping down the clothes – maybe just not possible with those suits. ;) TDW are ironic and perform with a certain tongue-in-cheek approach. During the show, Val and Ringo put on some mirror ball helmets which are just hilarious! Val was again the most active person on stage, whirling over the floor or just tying himself up into his microphone wire. Did I say crazy earlier? Yes, they are! The music might be a bit dated with its mix of Electro-Clash tunes and Hard Rock guitars. But the show is nothing else than funny entertainment.
Setlist
01. The World Domination
02. Let it out
03. Fuck Machine
04. Don't Miss The Plane To The Land Of Cockaigne
05. Buy our album now
06. Galactic Lover
07. Ballerina Petticoat
08. Spit on me
09. Disco in Moscow
10. Satan
Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 7.1
Northern Lite
In their 6th year of record releasing artist, NORTHERN LITE just made a big step concerning popularity. Not only that their videos are played on German music television, their attendance at the “Bundesvision Song Contest” gained them even more popularity which is not only proved by sold out venues in their home town. They were never a pure club act but with their latest album ‘Unisex’ they opened their sonic world even more to other genres and thus to whole new audiences, and the Pop appeal they always had now comes to full effect. NORTHERN LITE cross the borders of different music genres; they can play a Techno rave as well as a gothic festival (like 2006 M’era Luna) and they never feel out of place. NORTHERN LITE are Andreas Kubat, Sebastian Bohn and Sascha Littek. Additionally the band added Frithjof as another live guitar player. http://www.northernlite.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/northernlite
Music
The band was founded by Andreas and Sebastian back in 1997 when both met in their home town Erfurt/Germany. Both were involved in the music scene before – but with a different background: Kubat worked as a producer and Sebastian as DJ Boon in the Techno/Dance scene. The first album ‘Small Chamber Works’ was self-released in 2000 followed by some other albums ‘Unisex’ being the latest one. The band mixes driving beats infectious dance grooves with subtle guitar work and penetrating lyrics. With their music, NORTHERN LITE touch the Techno scene but also present quite some Pop appeal as well as a darker edge too. So, they appeal to fans of bands such as TOKTOK or ELLEN ALIEN as well as to fans of Synth pop, such as DEPECHE MODE.
The setlist on the evening in Krefeld contained the highlight of the latest album ‘Unisex’ – i.e. ‘What you want’, ‘Alien Girl’, ‘I don’t remember’ or the song they performed at the “Bundesvision Song Contest” – ‘Enemy’. But also fan favorites from the earlier albums were added to the set, containing smashers like ‘Reach the sun’ or ‘Go with the flow’. Kubat and Boon, who was behind a huge desk with keys and instruments, were backed up by two guitarists – Sascha and Frithjof - so that their live sound was much rockier than the studio stuff.
Performance
Different to the Münster show we attended lately, the show in Krefeld was a bit shorter and took place on a usual concert time in the small club of the Kulturfabrik, which was filled up quite well with about 200 people who were in a really good mood. But also the band was in a good mood; especially Andreas seemed to be very relaxed in his dandy-esque dark suit. He was laughing a lot and all were rocking through the whole set. As we knew it from Münster, Andreas asked someone in the audience for a cigarette… and later on he got more even without asking. Really seems a cigarette belongs to him on stage as his microphone does.
Again, the visual concept was very important and on the small stage in Krefeld, the videos on the four big screens were very intense. They were perfectly adjusted to the songs where they were shown to – i.e. white snowy mountains during the song ‘Cocaine’. I guess you can make the combination. ;) People at the very were very much into the show and during the evening, dancing got wilder and screams louder. And the band – which played in Krefeld for the first time – appreciated the applause a lot. When NORTHERN LITE left the stage after ‘Cocaine’ people screamed loudly for more and they got just one more song – ‘My pain’ – before the lights went on. And even than there were loud yells for more. The show in Krefeld was not as long as in Münster, but it was very intense and intimate which gave anyone the feeling of just experiencing a perfect concert night.
Setlist
01. Intro
02. Dancing With My Demons
03. Alien Girl
04. What You Want
05. Treat Me Better
06. 1000 Year Old Song
07. I Don’t Remember
08. Enemy
09. Trusting Blind
10. Go with the Flow
11. Even When
12. Reach The Sun
13. Cocaine
----
14. My Pain
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 8.7
All pics by Daniela Vorndran - Black-Cat-Net
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