Airport Drispenstedt, Hildesheim, Germany
11th and 12th August 2012
M’era Luna Festival Day 1: Placebo, Suicide Commando, Subway to Sally, De/Vision, Fields of the Nephilim, Leaether Strip, Diary of Dreams, In Strict Confidence, Letzte Instanz, Rabia Sorda, Megaherz, Faderhead, Roterfeld, Noisuf-X, Heimataerde, Jäger 90, Grüssaugust, Officers, Invaders, Noyce TM, Symbiotic Systems
Just on the weekend when the children of the night were celebrating their big festival, the sun was shining hot. Crazy and not for the pleasure of DIARY OF DREAMS guitarist Gaun:a who was complaining about the sun shining directly into his face during late afternoon. The rest of the festival attendees just seemed to like such a weather. Already for the 13th time, the M’era Luna festival was taking place in Hildesheim and again, there were more than 20,000 people following the call to gather at the airfield Drispenstedt. There were probably also a lot of day guests on Saturday, just coming for the headliner PLACEBO. And just to let you know already… they could convince once more.
SYMBIOTIC SYSTEMS were opening the festival on main stage at 11:00. The band had won the newcomer contest and was voted by the audience. They reached 42.78% of all votes cast and presented a mix of soft Gothic sounds and hard Rock. On top, the band presented female vocals of Diany Pretz, supported on microphone by Jan Jamaszyk and keyboarder Hans-Christian „Hacki“ Jentsch. The band did not really present something new to the manageable amount of visitors. But with their 20 minutes playing time they took care for a nice start into the festival weekend. // http://www.symbioticsystems.de / https://www.facebook.com/symbioticband
Düsseldorf based band NOYCE TM did not have much more time for their show, starting right after at the hangar stage. Besides the used keyboards, the band also included a singing saw into their set, whereas its player Markus Poschmann also changed to electric guitar in the course of the set. NOYCE TM delivered catch Electro Pop that some of the attendees already knew from their tours with i.e. DIARY OF DREAMS or VNV NATION. Even though it was still very early on this Saturday noon, the indoor area was quite well filled and even though there were some sound problems, the audience was well entertained. Who did not know which band was currently on stage did learn it from the big letters on the video screen in the back of stage. // Setlist: 1. Headland / 2. Tagwerk / 3. Sleepwalker / 4. Panique / 5. Year 03 / 6. This World // http://www.noycetm.de / https://www.facebook.com/noycetm
INVADERS probably had the longest journey to the festival, since they are heading from Sydney/Australia. The four-piece with classical Goth-Rock line-up consisting of vocals, guitar, drums and keys delivered dark Rock with definite focus on the last word. With the opening song, they kept it quite calm, but then their sound turned out powerful and catchy. With the second song, the band already got more drive, just to grab some solemn material from their debut EP. The powerful songs definitely fit more to the band and singer Tyrone Bain reached his vocal limits with the higher vocal range. When the band came down the stretch, they just went one better and said goodbye with the wish that anyone shall get drunk in the course of the day. // http://www.reverbnation.com/invadersmusiq / https://www.facebook.com/InvadersMusiq
Electro – Industrial - Wave, this are the three components the five British officers took up the cause of. Its musical equivalent was captured on their last year’s debut album ‘On The Twelve Thrones’. GARY NUMAN and NME were excited! NUMAN even booked the quintet as support act, NME found following warm words for the band: “completely soaking in dark, smouldering… brilliance”. Well, despite so much praise, the interest at the hangar stage kept within limits, even though the music was overall pretty good. But the sounds was a bit muddy and sometimes, the singer’s voice sounded too yowling. But overall, the band from Britain’s northeast knew how to animate for dancing, they just have to improve their fine tuning. After 20 minutes, the name of the following band was dragging me to the main stage. // http://www.officers.uk.com / https://www.facebook.com/officersmusic
GRÜSSAUGUST (Greetaugust), behind such an name anything can be hidden. In fact, singer Robert Beckmann and drummer Titus Jany were originally playing in the band THE INCHTABOKATABLES before and now have a new band since 2010 called GRÜSSAUGUST. Stylistically, the guys and their female companion on electric guitar can be compared with NEW MODEL ARMY and adequately powerful they started their presentation. Mr. Beckmann was grabbing a fiddle every now and then, he was even playing it without a bow and also torn strings did not distract him in his performance. The ‘Königin der Nacht’ (Queen of the Night) convinced with cracking sounds and rough vocals while the guitarist chose a language for the next, very atmospheric, song I could not classify. ‘Don’t Thing’ following later was however definitely English and pleased with grunting Slow Motion until it slowly got more drive and finally, CDs were raining down the audience. After 35 minutes, GRÜSSAUGUST finished their show as crispy as they started. The applause afterwards was well deserved. // Setlist: 1. If I Thought / 2. Diane / 3. Königin der Nacht / 4. Parad / 5. Don’t Think / 6. Heya // http://www.gruessaugust.com / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grüßaugust/127897910586529
Back to the Hangar where – as known – mostly the harder electronic bands were playing. For the upcoming 40 minutes, the stage was reserved for Thoralf Dietrich and Vigo Stahlmann, aka JÄGER 90, who without any doubt especially adore one band: DAF! Dietrich, who gave birth to JÄGER 90 in 2005, first acts alone on stage with a white mask, hat and black long coat you know from the Vendetta movie. Stahlmann just was handling a searchlight lighting up the main actor on stage. Soon, Dietrich was leaving the stage coming back with a different outfit, the well-known pilot dress with the helmet of a jet fighter pilot. Same outfit was worn by Stahlmann on drums, who was mostly hidden behind a thick wall of smoke. The audience on front of the stage was heavily dancing along to the hard EBM beats. The songs all had the same structure… but when the EBM grooved made your feed move, you just cannot stop. In the course of the set, Vigo also changed over to the keyboard. During this song, you had some time to breathe while the audience was delivered some free CDs. Then, it was time to move again and during ‘Dessau’, some more CDs were flying into the crowd who was really into the show giving a lot of applause. Finally, ‘Stiefelblitz’ took care for high speed and the duo ended its set as energetic as it started. // http://www.jaeger90.com / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jáger-90/41150591449
In the meantime, HEIMATAERDE had started their Medieval Crusader show a few minutes ago. And just as it shall be, the musicians and their extras wore knight- or monk outfits and did not – following the tradition – cheap out on artificial blood. Musically, anything was spiced up with harsh electro sounds, along with it one of the comrades-in-arms even lost his life. Of course, this was just show, but they were marching to war with all hands and in its course, punishments ending with death don’t stay out. Ashlar von Megalon, who founded HEIMATAERDE 2004 and refused playing live in the first years, once more was acting as the severe general and asked for a fitting name of a new invented instrument, the “Tastenleier” (roughly translated with key-symphonia). Besides, the usual instruments like guitars and synths were used, and if not needed as vocal support, brother Ansgar v. Hucretha was playing the flute. Generally spoken you have to say that the music of HEIMATAERDE at M’era Luna was playing a minor role; instead, the band concentrated on its stage performance, outfit and decoration with a lot of pennants, guidons and a big backdrop. The interest in the band was quite huge and it was really crowded in front of the stage by now. // Setlist: 1. Intro / 2. Templerblut / 3. Der Verfall / 4. Pilgerlied / 5. Wiedergänger / 6. Morituri Salutant / 7. Tief in Dir / 8. Heimataerde / 9. Wie ein Tier / 10. Allein // http://www.heimataerde.de / https://www.facebook.com/HeimataerdeOffiziell
Now, it was time for a fast location change again to listen to German Electro project NOISUF-X, brought to life by mastermind Jan L. in the middle of last decade. Jan was supported by two more musicians on drum pads and keys, just making the crowd move. While on the screen videos of various insects were shown, NOISUF-X were firing up their hard staccato electro sounds where especially the Cyber Goths (sometimes satirized as fireflies) had their fun. ‘Please Hang Up (Mobile Interferrence)‘ or ‘Deutschland braucht Bewegung’ made them move. But this was not enough for Jan and so, he combined his song ‘Aggrophil’ with the demand to add even more motion into the play. The German Alternative Chars hit ‘Hit Me Hard’ was surely the highlight for many. // http://www.noisuf-x.com / https://www.facebook.com/NOISUFXofficial
For the attendees who just had a quick view into the festival program, now time of wondering had come when at 14:45 ROTERFELD and not ROTERSAND entered the stage. Latter ones are surely better known, but their time would come a day later when they would play the Hangar stage. ROTEFELD, that’s Aaron Roterfeld, coming originally from a small village in Western Austria and releasing his debut album ‘Blood Diamond Romance’ last year. The name nearly makes you assume that the Austrian would deliver Dark Rock with Scandinavian touch. Along with the Dark Rock comes appropriate posing and dark eye make-up. Front man Aaron marched onto stage dressed with a long rope being held by two sparsely dressed women. The band quite impressed with the opener ‘Sick of Being Bored’, but already the second song ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ unveiled mismatches within the chant. What can be tuned on CD, was kind of marginal for the live performance. So, the voice sounded quite thin every now and then. In-between the songs, Aaron extensively talked to the audience. And so, the title track of the latest album ‘Blood Diamond Romance’ just got some polite applause. For the desired beer, singer Aaron had to wait in vain. If the announcement of a private concert was a promise or a threat, I leave it to your valuation. Anyway, ‘Great New Life’ sounded quite pinched and still it was the best piece where you saw clapping here and there. // http://www.roterfeld.com / https://www.facebook.com/roterfeld
I was now heading over to the Hangar stage, but until I could clean my head there I just had to wait a few minutes since they were still rebuilding the stage when the show was supposed to start. As known from past concert, Hamburg based Sami Mark Yahya, aka FADERHEAD, was supported by Joel Meyer and Daniel Meyer from SAM plus JL from STRAFTANZ. Finally, at 15:30 the intro was sounding through the hall and while the stage was glowing in blue, the guys fired up their fans with pushing ‘The Way To Fuck God’. Not that pushing, but still very rhythmic, ‘Acquire The Fire’ took over. ‘Electrosluts Extraordinaire’ following then missed some power this time. I would have loved to see a little more of the show, but MEGAHERZ were already calling! // http://www.faderhead.com / https://www.facebook.com/faderhead
I just loved to have a direct comparison beween MEGAHERZ and EISBRECHER, just like during Castle Rock 2010, but both ex-MEGAHERZ members Alexx Wesselsky and Noel Pix would have their show with EISBRECHER the other festival day. So, this time only MEGAHERZ for me. The cover of the current album ‘Götterdämmerung’ (No. 19 in German Album Charts) decorated as a huge backdrop the back of stage. Along with the intro, the stage was covered with smoke and one after another, all band members entered the stage. The three-headed guitar department by now was wearing similar outfits in uniform look while front man Lex Wohnhaas chose some pants that could not have been much tighter than it already was. But back to topic, the music, now. Bald Lex did not have any power for his microphone at the beginning and so wasn’t audible and the audience got first song ‘Jagdzeit’ more or less as instrumental version. Soon, all problems were solved though and the audience was presented finest Neue Deutsche Härte. The audience enthusiastically clapped along from the beginning and latest during ‘Heuchler’ it was for sure that singer Alex could handle his audience much better than previous band on main stage, ROTERFELD. 
And so, numerous attendees were swaying their arms along to ‘Prellbock’ and if hou had no time (‘Keine Zeit’), than you just need to push! And this was it what the Bavarians were doing with cracking, catchy ‘Heute Nacht’ from already mentioned seventh album ‘Götterdämmerung’. But also classics like ‘Dein Herz schlägt’ could not be missed in Hildesheim. This one will surely be contained on the setlist of upcoming tour as well, starting on 31st Oct. in Augsburg together with UNZUCHT. Surely, also ‘5. März’ and ‘Miststück’ will be contained as well – with those highlights of the MEGAHERZ discography the band said goodbye and of course, fans had to sing along latter one, which would be also contained in the EISBRECHER set one day later. Lex searched the contact to his audience and so, I can say that the 40 minutes set was over much too fast. // Setlist: 1. Intro / 2. Jagdzeit / 3. Heuchler / 4. Prellbock / 5. Keine Zeit / 6. Heute Nacht / 7. Dein Herz schlägt / 8. 5. März / 9. Miststück // http://www.megaherz.de / https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMegaherz
RABIA SORDA at the Hangar started their set with a ten minutes delay. Before, the intro was started, but stopped again due to unknown reasons. But finally, after a spherical start, the solo project of Mexican Erk Aicrag (HOCICO) could jump off with full force. ‘Out of Control’ with its danceable rhythms and harsh Aggrotech vocals made people dancing and also staccato sounds of ‘Radio Paranoia’ took care for enough speed. Already, nice weather and the show of LETZTE INSTANZ were calling outside and so, the show of RABIA SORDA was over for me too soon. // Setlist: 1. This is the End / 2. Out of Control / 3. Radio Paranoia / 4. Eye M the Blacksheep / 5. Save me from my Curse / 6. Breaking Through / 7. Heart Eating Crows / 8. Walking on Nails // http://www.rabiasorda.com / https://www.facebook.com/rabiasorda
LETZTE INSTANZ is surely a true instance at M’era Luna festival. Already in the first year in Hildesheim, the Dresden based band belonged to the line-up. And with a 12 year long history, the crossover folk band is a staple in the dark scene. Accordingly crowded it was now in front of the main stage. Already the line check was a highlight when a stage hand was reciting from Goethe’s ‘Zauberlehrling’ to check microphones. He received a lot of applause for it, but of course the real attendance belonged to the seven headed band later, who started the set with ‘Flucht ins Glück’. The festival attendees were all over excited and ready to party with the band and also following ‘Mein Todestag’ was happily welcomed. Singer Holly did not tell why the last concert in Hanover (close to Hildesheim) was cancelled, but he announced a new concert in the city along with the release of upcoming LETZTE INSTANZ album ‘Ewig’ to be out end of August. The, the mood calmed down a bit with ‘Dein Licht’. But as you know it from the band, soon after the band increased speed again and of course, cellist and Rasta man Benni Cellini was sitting on his “throne” with a bare torso. 
Powerful he and his companions were playing dance music and soon, it got also too hot for M. Stolz and he undressed his upper body along with the emotional track ‘Von Anfang an’. Maybe, the few onto the bare body was also caused by Holly’s information, that ‘Von Anfang an’ was a song for the ladies. Anyway… following ‘Sing’ was dedicated to the men and undoubtedly they had the stronger voice and so, especially the singing game along to ‘Finsternis (where also a short part of EUROPE’s ‘The Final Countdown’ was included) was decided in favour of the men. Along to the LETZTE INSTANZ hymn ‘Wir sind allein’, men and women were waving arms before the band finally left the stage and I made my way back to the hangar. // Setlist: 1. Flucht ins Glück / 2. Mein Todestag / 3. Der Garten / 4. Dein Licht / 5. Tanz / 6. Von Anfang an / 7. Sing! / 8. Finsternis / 9. Wir sind allein // http://www.letzte-instanz.de / https://www.facebook.com/letzteinstanz
In the beginning of IN STRICT CONFIDENCE, founded in 1989/90, the band was playing preferably harder electro with melodic wave influences. Latest with their third album ‘Love Kills’ (2000), founding members Dennis Osterman and Jörg Schelte turned towards technoid influenced electro, today combined with audible guitar influences. In this sense, the three instrumentalists – Heidi on guitar, Jörg on keys and Stefan on drums – entered the stage along to the intro, before singer Dennis accompanied by a video entered the scene. Catchy and powerful, ‘My Dispair’ opened the set, followed up by ‘Promised Land’ when also singer Nina entered the stage, as always in a wonderful tight latex dress. While Dennis delivered the rough vocals, Nina added the velvet female chant, sometimes appearing a bit too thin in my opinion. Anyway, ‘Seven Lives’ was convincing as gloomy mid-tempo stomper with dancing qualities, followed up by solemn ‘Forbidden Fruit’, also underlined like the rest of the set with wonderful videos on a big screen. Time already to move back to the main stage… // Setlist: 1. Intro / 2. My Despair / 3. Promised Land (Clubmix) / 4. Seven Lives / 5. Forbidden Fruit / 6. Set Me Free / 7. Away From Here / 8. Morpheus (Clubmix) / 9. Silver Bullets / 10. Zauberschloss / 11. Engelsstaub // http://www.instrictconfidence.com / https://www.facebook.com/instrictconfidence
Next up on the main stage were DIARY OF DREAMS, ready to excite the audience waiting in front of the stage. And as expected, it was easy for the band to get people going judging on their presence and song material, even though the bright sun lighting up the stage by now would not really fit to the band’s dark and gloomy music. Different to so many other bands, the Germans are a real band with drums, guitars and keyboard, and not just electro-knob-fiddlers like so many others playing in the hangar. After supporting UNHEILIG already, also the fan base of the band should have grown. So under best conditions, the set started with pushing ‘The Wedding’. 
Singer Adrian Hates in not only best known for his formidable voice, but also for his extraordinary stage presence and so it took not very long to excite the black audience which proved its lyrical confidence as well. One hour is not very long, especially if you have such a big back catalogue as DIARY OF DREAMS has. So the band was concentrating on the better known pieces and some songs from the latest album, all killers and no fillers so to say. No matter if ‘Chemicals’, ‘Traumtänzer’ or the trio at the end consisting of ‘Undividable’. ‘The Curse’ and ‘Kindrom’ – the pathetic sublime gloomy hymns did not fail and took care for good mood. At the end of the year, the band will be going onto an acoustic tour you should not miss. // Setlist: 1. Intro / 2. The Wedding / 3. Chemicals / 4. Butterfly:Dance! / 5. Lebenslang / 6. The Plague / 7. MenschFeind / 8. Traumtänzer / 9. King of Nowhere / 10. Undividable / 11. The Curse / 12. Kindrom // http://www.diaryofdreams.de / https://www.facebook.com/officialdiaryofdreams
DIARY OF DREAMS at the main stage were still playing their last song when we got one of those “knob-fiddlers” at the Hangar, namely LEAETHER STRIP, one of the projects of Danish Claus Larssen, who was supported on synths by his partner Kurt Grünewald Hansen. After refusing to play live for about 20 years, Larssen now seems to feel very comfortable on stage – you see him on many festivals nowadays. In the dark, the duo delivered an energetic set, containing of course also the biggest hits ‘Japanese Bodies’ and ‘Strap Me Down’. Too soon it was already time to return to main stage for one of the legends of Goth Rock, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM. // Setlist: 1. Kiss My Deutschland / 2. I Am Your Conscience / 3. Civil Disobedience / 4. Black Gold / 5. Strap Me Down / 6. Adrenalin Rush / 7. Japanese Bodies / 8. Don't Tame Your Soul / 9. Evil Speaks / 10. Unknown // https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leaether-Strip/44724618037
With FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, some old hands of the Goth scene were entering the main stage now. From the original line-up, only singer Carl McCoy is left. All other band members joined after the re-union in 2005. Sunlight is not the best companion for the FIELDS and even though there was lots of smoke blown onto stage, the dark feeling did not appear. All musicians were dressed in their usual Last Days look with dark coats, cowboy hats and lots of white powder. A good portion of Italo-Western was already shown in the intro offering the perfect soundtrack already, before vocally strong McCoy and his bands started. The stage was most of the set covered with smoke what is really appropriate for the music. Besides that, on stage not much happened, the guys on string instruments remained mostly quite static. But that’s just fine and belongs to the FIELDS. In last consequence it’s the music here that counts.
The set included such gems like the cracking ‘Love under Will’ in Slow Motion, the reverberant ‘From the Fire’ or the crunchy ‘Penetration’. Fat guitar walls accompanied also ‘Preacher Man’ starting the musical journey after the intro, and alike they took no prisoners with ‘Moonchild’ at the end. Apart from the quiet departure after just 55 minutes, the show could convince totally. But somehow such a departure fits to FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, no squiggles, no unnecessary movement and no needless talking. Just a little smoke, some echo, standard outfit and good old dark rock… Done! // Setlist: 1. Intro (The Harmonica Man) / 2. Preacher Man / 3. Love Under Will / 4. Dawnrazor / 5. Penetration / 6. From the Fire / 7. Last Exit for the Lost / 8. Moonchild // http://www.fields-of-the-nephilim.com / https://www.facebook.com/FieldsOfTheNephilim
In the next year, Steffen Keth and Thomas Adam, aka DE/VISION, can celebrate their 25th band anniversary. The guys, belonging to the spearheads of German Synth scene, do not show any wear marks. Just on scheduled time, the duo supported by drummer Markus Köstner entered the stage. With ‘Try to Forget’, they danceable moved far back in the own discography while the more solemn ‘Strange Affections’ especially made singer Steffen move and dance in his special way. Also silky ‘I regret’ is a bit older, but still did not lose its charm. The set also included new song ‘Binary Soldier’ to be released in 24th August on the new album ‘Rockets & Swords’. The song already could convince live and received heavy applause. After ‘Time to be Alive’ the band left the stage just to come back a bit unmotivated with the words “We are allowed to play one more song” and so they delivered ‘Flavour of the Week’. All in all it was really a nice concert. // http://www.devision-music.de / https://www.facebook.com/pages/DEVISION/24741337633
SUBWAY TO SALLY exactly know what the audience at a festival demands, and what they want in fact fire! And that was used extensively during the energetic show of the band. Along with the song for the announced Armageddon, they used lots and lots of fire cascades. Well, if Armageddon, then they bring it on stage as it should be. According to the Maya calendar, the Armageddon will come on 21st December 2012 and just for this occasion, SUBWAY TO SALLY had the right song with ‘MMXII’ and invited the audience to spend the end of days with them at the Eisheilige Nacht in Dresden. Before, the band delivered a sheer hit marathon: following ‘Kleid aus Rosen’ was magical ‘Sieben’ and ‘Ohne Liebe’ before anyone was dancing along to the ‘Veitstanz’. Without any doubt the bagpipes were running hot and also within the audience, the approaching cold had no chance. There was just one thing the band missed: the song ‘Julia und die Räumer’, one of the biggest fan favourites. When the band left the stage five minutes before scheduled closing time, there was no chance for some more encore since the stage hands already started rebuilding the stage. Maybe PLACEBO just needed those five extra minutes? // Setlist: 1. Kämpfen Wir! / 2. Schlagt die Glocken / 3. Mephisto / 4. Das Schwarze Meer / 5. Wo Rosen Blüh'n / 6. Eisblumen / 7. Mir Allein / 8. Wenn Engel hassen / 9. Besser du rennst / 10. Tanz auf dem Vulkan / 11. Kleid aus Rosen / 12. Sieben / 13. Ohne Liebe / 14. Veitstanz / Encore 15. MMXII // http://subwaytosally.com / https://www.facebook.com/subwaytosally
I just had a few minutes time to have a look into the crowded Hangar, where the SUICIDE COMMANDO of Belgian Johan van Roy was just preparing for his show. Additionally to the used video screen, the keyboard and the drum set, there was some additional “decoration”: eight “dead men”, wrapped in black plastic bags, were hanging from the stage. The Industrial / Aggrotech show of the band started up with ‘Severed Head’ in a quite “calm” way, but already with the second song ‘Hate me’, the show expanded to full power. ‘God is in the Rain’ was animating to dance. Then on the video screen, marching soldiers appeared – the right companion for the appropriate marching music following now. I already had to leave the show now to get in place for the headliner of the evening, PLACEBO! // Setlist: 1. Intro / 2. Severed Head / 3. Hate me (2010) / 4. God is in the Rain (Clubmix) / 5. The Perils of Indifference / 6. Death cures all Pain (Suicide Edit) / 7. Cause of Death: Suicide (remix) / 8. Dein Herz, Meine Gier / 9. Attention Whore / 10. Love breeds Suicide / 11. Die, Motherfucker, Die / 12. Bind, Torture, Kill (2010) / Encore: 13. Yee you in Hell // http://www.suicidecommando.be / https://www.facebook.com/IIXIII
Brian Molko and his companions were now doing themselves the rare honour of a PLACEBO show. After the ‘Leeloo’ intro was fading away and all musicians (besides Brian Molko and long-time bassist Stefan Olsdal as well as drummer Steven Forrest there were Fiona Brice on violin and keys plus guitarist Alex Lee) had found their places on stage, the show started with ‘Kittly Litter’ from the latest album ‘Battle for the Sun’ from 2009. Powerful and with grumbling guitars, the title track of this album followed while on the big LED monitors mounted over the stage scenes from videos were shown. Light cascades were pouring down in different colours and strengthened the acoustic impressions. With ‘Every You Every Me’ from the 1998 album ‘Without You I’m Nothing’, soon afterwards one of the bands classics followed. No doubt that this was one of the first highlights of the show. The tempo calmed a bit down now with ‘Speak In Tongues’ and ‘Black Eyed’ (released 2000 on the album ‘Black Marked Music’. Just like during ‘Battle for the Sun’, Fiona was playing violin along with the latter mentioned song before Brian announced (in German) ‘Special Need’ from the 2003 album ‘Sleeping With Ghosts’ with following words: “And now a Song for all the Ladies”. 
‘For What It’s Worth” was tightening the reins afterwards again. Then followed ‘I Know’ from the self-titled debut album (1996) including acoustic guitar. Some more German words from Brian – “A little bit of old-school” – were pleasing the fans. The song convinced, just like pushing ‘’ Slave To The Wage’, animating to clap along and making your feet move. ‘Meds’ from the same titled album from 2006 first presented charismatic singer Molko with his androgyny voice in the proper light before light flashed appeared over the stage accompanying ‘Song To Say Goodbye’ being received with excitement. The only drop of bitterness with this song is the fact, that the last songs was coming closer, like in the past this was ‘The Bitter End’. Both songs were again accompanied by Fiona’s violin play. Finally at 23:40, PLACEBO left the stage for a short moment just to come back for two more songs. First of them was the KATE BUSH cover ‘Running up that Hill’ in a wonderful version where Fiona was taking over part of the vocals. ‘Infra-Red’ finally offered the last chance for dancing and then, PLACEBO finally said goodbye. // Setlist: 1. Leeloo (Intro) / 2. Kitty Litter / 3. Battle For The Sun / 4. Every You Every Me / 5. Speak In Tongues / 6. Black-Eyed / 7. Special Needs / 8. For What It’s Worth / 9. I Know / 10. Slave To The Wage / 11. Meds / 12. Song To Say Goodbye / 13. The Bitter End // Encore: 14. Running Up That Hill (KATE-BUSH-Cover) / 15. Infra-red // http://www.placeboworld.co.uk / https://www.facebook.com/officialplacebo
70 minutes are surely quite short for a headliner concert, but those 70 minutes were absolutely exciting. Fantastic gig with a perfect choice of songs, good sound and a great light show! And finally, the evening was not ending now for many. At the disco hangar the party started and on the camp ground, the night was also not over yet, it was time for one or another beverage now while sitting together with friends. Celebrating or not, people were already looking forward the second festival day with its varied program.
Full Gallery
Warning: No images in specified directory. Please check the directory!
Debug: specified directory - https://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/images/concert/2012/august/meraluna20120811
Written by Daniela Vorndran in cooperation with Ulrike Meyer-Potthoff and Karsten Thurau (both Terrorverlag).
All pictures by Jens Arndt (All bands except Leaether Strip & Placebo) & Daniela Vorndran (Leaether Strip & Placebo - http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.black-cat-net.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/vorndranphotography / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
Comments powered by CComment