Kulturpark, Deutzen, Germany5th to 9th September 2014
Nocturnal Culture Night 9 Day 2: Cain, Amnistia, Monica Jeffries, Legend, Schöngeist, Traum’er Leben, Seelennacht, This Morn’ Omina, Der Blaue Reiter, Prager Handgriff, Edie Calie, Henke, The Devil and the Universe, Lacrimas Profundere, Fashion Show “Eve Couture & “Black Jewels Clothing”, 18 Summers, Rome (Jerome Reuter), Klangstabil, Meystersinger, Peter Heppner, Ataraxia
Saturday is always the longest day of the festival, starting at noon and finishing deep at night with an after show party. But all bands and the surrounding program of fashion show and various readings was very interesting, promising a great festival day. All in all, the weather was good too… with just a very short, but heavy shower…
Cain – Big Stage [NN]
The second day of the NCN festival started with a pleasant surprise – the music of the German gothic rock formation CAIN. I had never heard this band before and couldn’t say it was too gothic but it definitely rocked! Seven musicians made a powerful show and charged people gradually gathering at the place with the energy prepared them to the whole day of cool gigs. I personally like the combination of the male and female vocals and some phrases I managed to comprehend. Actually I can’t say more about the songs I was listening to for the first time but in general the set was great but short. // http://www.cain-music.com / https://www.facebook.com/CAIN.Germany // Setlist: 1. Torture / 2. Judgement Day / 3. Rage / 4. The Last Dance / 5. Last Word / 6. The Fall / 7. Save a Heart (Unplugged) / 8. Moonstruck / 9. Age of Darkness / 10. The Kill // Rating: 8 / 10
Amnistia – Small Stage [NN]
The action moved to the small stage where the German band AMNISTIA attacked the crowd with their vigorous sometimes even aggressive beats. Well I used to say that I’m a not a fan of EBM or any electronic music in general and can’t say that I was impressed with the set personally, yet it was really good and the voice went perfectly along with the music so the band sounded just right for the style and moreover that was enough to attract the audience. Good job so far. // http://www.amnistia.de / https://www.facebook.com/AMN.official // Setlist: 1. Bursting into Life / 2. Catch Me / 3. Suspects / 4. One Level Down / 5. Sermon / 6. Faceless / 7. Schwarz & Licht / 8. More // Rating: 8 / 10
Monica Jeffries – Big Stage [NN]
A voice and a synthesizer that’s not too much nevertheless for Poland born singer Monica Jeffries, living in Germany now, that was enough to play a pretty nice show. Of course the sonic minimalism may not impress everyone especially when you listen to music for the first time but I must say that I really enjoyed the whole set, yet this time can’t complain that it was short. Instead there was just the time to create a slightly gothic/ romantic atmosphere and didn’t make the audience bored because despite all the different sounds sometimes the melodies suffered from monotony. // http://monicajeffries.bandcamp.com / https://www.facebook.com/MONICAJEFFRIESOFFICIAL // Rating: 7 / 10
Legend – Small Stage [NN]
Honestly from this Icelandic formation I expected maybe not more but definitely something different, heavier or more expressive. Judging by the band’s name, the appearance of the musicians and of course the country of origin it was more or less obvious to count on something metal or at least hard rock yet LEGEND turned out to be synth pop of course with the elements of rock and industrial but still the tunes were rather mild. It was not bad just a sort of defeated expectancy despite that the concert was energetic and pleasant to watch for me. As for the crowd, the band already has made some true fans and for several attendees, this was the best concert at the festival, as I heard. // https://www.facebook.com/Legendband / Rating: 7.5 / 10
Schöngeist – Big Stage [NN]
Finally there came the gig of one of my most favourite bands and I would say it was my personal highlight of that day. For those who still don’t know about SCHÖNGEIST, their music, combining the elements of various styles, from gothic and sympho to industrial, mostly is rock slightly slanted to the direction of metal, yet it’s not so heavy as it may seem at first. Now back to the concert which was not the first I had ever seen but everything seemed to be new and the same songs sounded different. Maybe it also depends of the location, day time, mood and so on anyway the most important thing is that every show produced a great impression and that one had not become an exception. The setlist consisted mainly of the tracks from the band’s latest album ‘Wehe!’ however two pieces from the previous release were included. The musicians were happy themselves and played with a double energy and traditionally that was a powerful gig but too short, the only shortcoming. // http://www.schoengeist-music.com / https://www.facebook.com/pages/SCHÖNGEIST/146222891222 // Setlist: 1. Traumtanz / 2. Tief! / 3. Kenne mich / 4. Keine Zeit / 5. Zusammen allein / 6. Wieder / 7. Lebe / 8. Wehe! / 9. Sonne der Nacht // Rating: 9 / 10
Traum’er Leben – Culture Stage [NN]
An interesting set of the German dark folk formation TRAUM’ER LEBEN. Actually I couldn’t see the whole thing so didn’t notice too much of folk yet it was definitely dark and somehow gothic. The melodies sounded nice but a bit simple yet the main part in the creation of a suitable atmosphere was given to the vocals. In general it was neither good nor bad, just ok and pleasant for some people. // http://traumerleben.de / https://www.facebook.com/traumerleben // Rating: 6.5 / 10
Seelennacht – Small Stage [NN]
Well onstage SEELENNACHT turned out to be a duo: the singer Marc Ziegler was supported by a live keyboard player. Maybe because of the lack of the other musicians/ instruments, it was a total minimalism, not only electronic. Thanks to the lyrics the songs could be called romantic or dark as for the rest for me the gig looked like a school performance and everything seemed to be a bit artificial or tentative nevertheless the audience like it and I guess that was the main aim of the musicians. // http://www.seelennacht.de / https://www.facebook.com/seelennacht / Rating: 6 / 10
This Morn’ Omina – Big Stage [NN]
On the main stage there appeared a band with a strange name and even stranger sound. THIS MORN’ OMINA describes their music as industrial/ ambient/ tribal and probably these words reflect everything and I can only say that such songs are not for everyone however many fans of the style really enjoyed the show. As usual tastes differ. Besides there seemed to be some technical issues because there were some strange noises sounding through the speakers, definitely not belonging to the music, as the worried faces of the bands also told us. // http://www.mikagoedrijk.be / https://www.facebook.com/pages/This-Morn-Omina/49591080922 // Rating: 6 / 10
Der Blaue Reiter – Culture Stage [NN]
Another ambient project played on the culture stage and actually the ambient of DER BLAUE REITER sounds quite ok, peaceful and melancholic, but further it started getting monotonous. On the other hand the gig of the formation could be added to the list of interesting ones so I gradually fill the gaps in the music culture. Maybe that was the main reason of so called “culture stage”. // https://www.facebook.com/pages/Der-Blaue-Reiter/325530834177620 // Rating: 7 / 10
Der Prager Handgriff – Small Stage [NN]
What to say about this show? At first DER PRAGER HANDGRIFF is an EBM formation so that was not a big deal to realize what music they would play. Speaking about the performance, it was really good and energetic. So strong beats and expressiveness did their best and made the audience shake their heads, dance, scream, and at this point the set turned out to be successful. Maybe the vocals didn’t produce an impression on me personally as it felt it went apart from the music yet nobody cared. At a certain point of the show, PRAGER HANDGRIFF was supported by Dennis Schober (vocals) and Frank Glassl (drums) from SOLITARY EXPERIMENTS. Quite a nice surprise for many. // https://www.facebook.com/pages/Der-Prager-Handgriff-official/181343715238099 // Rating: 7 / 10
Edie Calie – Reading Stage [DV]
While at the small stage DER PRAGER HANDGRIFF was delivering a powerful performance, the reading stage belonged to your author Edie Calie. Not many people found their way to the stage since the author from Vienna was really unknown to most of the attendees. She was reading from her first book, ‘3 a.m.’, being an occult, ironic and post-modern novel. http://www.roterdrache.org/cms/backlist/3-a-m/
Henke – Big Stage [NN]
HENKE… That was an incredibly cool concert! I can’t say that I liked the music, especially listening to it for the first time. The songs were good and nothing more but the performance of the charismatic and crazy in a good way frontman produced a fairly good impression. Also all those black paper planes flying here and there looked great and helped to set the right mood for the show involving the crowd into to process. As a special guest for a couple of songs there appeared to be Sonja Kraushofer and so it made the whole set even more pleasant. // https://www.facebook.com/henkeband // Setlist: 1. Herz (remix) / 2. Valiumregenbogen / 3. Weil ich es kann / 4. Weckt mich / 5. Epilog / 6. Zeitmemory / 7. Vergessen / 8. Rote Irrlichter / 9. Helden / 10. Es ist Nacht / 11. Fernweh ist / 12. Maskenball / 13. Das / 14. Wer mich liebt / 15. Nur allein // Rating: 9 / 10
The Devil and the Universe – Culture Stage [NN]
Well, it was weird starting with the band’s name and to the performance itself with all those masks, crooked sounds and the atmosphere in whole. Maybe it’s just one of the ways to attract the audience because with all that masquerade application the tunes would sound too common. Ok, one more matter of opinion. // http://www.thedevilandtheuniverse.com / https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilAndTheUniverse // Rating: 5 / 10
Lacrimas Profundere – Small Stage [NN]
I heard this band once several years ago when had to review their album ‘The Grandiose Nowhere’ and the only thing I remembered that the songs were gothic and heavy enough. Of course this time LACRIMAS PROFENDERE performed mostly songs from the latest release but still there were all the typical features of the band and after all the previous electronic acts that was a pleasure to see such a rocking gig. Surprisingly at first sight the musicians seemed to come from different formations of different genres from heavy metal to glam rock. Fortunately not too glam. Anyway they all did their best and played an excellent show pleased their fans and just all those who like heavy riffs and powerful tunes. // http://www.lacrimas.com / https://www.facebook.com/lacrimasprofundereofficial // Setlist: 1. Dead to Me / 2. Remembrance Song / 3. Again It’s Over / 4. Be Mine / 5. Her Occasion of Sin / 6. Antiadore / 7. A Sigh / 8. Velvet / 9. Amber Girl / 10. Release in Pain / 11. I Don’t Care / 12. Dear Amy / 13. What I’m not / 14. A Pearl / 15. Mescaline / 16. Abandon / 17. Ave End // Rating: 9 / 10
Fashion Show “Eve Couture” & “Black Jewels Clothing” – Reading Stage [DV]
Eva-Maria Geißer, the woman behind both fashion labels, thought of something very special for her show. Even though the surrounding of the small reading stage was much too small for her show – despite there was no catwalk – it turned out to be really emotional. You may ask how a fashion show can be emotional? Well, this one was not only a show where models were presenting the clothes – great ones in my eyes btw. – but there were some special guest. First we had Oswald Henke who was performing on the big stage earlier, reading from his works ‘Menschenherbst’ and ‘Was ist Dein Wunsch’. His intense presentation was later even topped by the duet of André Böke and Sonja Kraushofer, touching your deepest heart. Overall, this was nearly perfect… if you imagine you had seen this all on a bigger stage… // https://www.facebook.com/Black.Jewels.Clothing.BJC // https://www.facebook.com/EveCoutureHandmade
18 Summers – Big Stage [NN]
I think the best word to describe the gig of this formation will be “blur”. It felt like that all the compositions consisted of separate elements and sounds mixed in haste yet later some harmony began to appear. In general the whole set produced a strange impression because I just can’t say it was bad, but still a way too incomprehensible, however maybe it was one of the peculiarities of the band. The songs getting most applause were the old SILKE BISCHOFF songs, with ‘On the other Side’ as final song of the set. // https://www.facebook.com/pages/18-Summers-official/286436224751177 // Setlist: 1. Astronaut / 2. Northern Lights / 3. Under Your Skin / 4. Virgin Mary / 5. Sensation White / 6. Deep in Your Heart / 7. Girl of 18 Summers / 8. Daddy's Coming Home / 9. Aj:Na / 10. Phoenix From the Flames / 11. Waste Of Time / 12. I Don't Love You Anymore / 13. No Paradise / 14. On The Other Side // Rating: 7 / 10
Rome (Jerome Reuter) – Culture Stage [NN]
Well, a quite nice solo performance: just a man playing the acoustic guitar and singing. Definitely this concert brought some tranquillity and romance into the second festival day and despite the absence of the pomposity or power or any special effect, or maybe thank to that, it produced a wonderful impression and I would say pleased all the people there. // http://www.jeromereuter.com / https://www.facebook.com/romeproject // Rating: 9 / 10
Klangstabil – Small Stage [NN]
This electronic formation from Germany had become the final act on the small stage that day and despite my attitude to such kind of music I must admit that performance was very good even if we take into consideration that it’s hard to make a show when onstage there are only two people and a computer. But those two people made the whole crowd move and it looked fantastic. As for the songs, obviously they were electronic with the lyrics in different languages yet it was hard to understand the words from where I stood and it wasn’t so important since the show itself was very intense. // http://www.klangstabil.com / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Klangstabil/7403019660 // Rating: 9 / 10
Meystersinger – Reading Stage [DV]
I had seen MEYSTERSINGER, the duet formed by Luci van Org and Roman Shamov, already twice as supporting act from DIE KAMMER. At NCN, the artists presented a mixture of reading and performance of some of their songs. A bit of bad luck was that they were performing at the same time as KLANGSTABIL where it was really crowded. But still, a good handful of people made it to the reading stage to enjoy the performance. During the “reading” part, there was while illumination on stage. But while they were presenting their songs, as usually, they used their bodies as canvas and projected various pictures on themselves. // http://meystersinger.com / https://www.facebook.com/Meystersinger
Peter Heppner – Big Stage [NN]
All I knew about PETER HEPPNER was that some of my friends liked his music and of course I had heard ‘Kein zurück’. Shame on me, since he is such a long time in business already and especially best known by his band WOLFSHEIM. Judging by the quantity of people near the stage, also his solo project was really popular and maybe it was good but here again I have to say about a matter of taste because the vocals still left much to be desired for me. As for the overall impression the melancholic songs could immerse people into a state of some drowsiness but not for long because of all those applauses and screams between the tracks. Almost everybody enjoyed so the gig can be called well-played. // www.peter-heppner.com / https://www.facebook.com/peterheppneroffiziell // Setlist: 1. Intro / 2. I Won't Give Up / 3. Alleinesein / 4. Meine Welt / 5. Vielleicht / 6. Being Me / 7. Once in a lifetime (Wolfsheim song) / 8. Künstliche Welten (Wolfsheim song) / 9. Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode cover) (instrumental - they started … more) / 10. God Smoked / 11. Cry Tonight / 12. Dream Of You / 13. Kein Zurück (Wolfsheim song) / 14. Give Us What We Need (Truth Is Not the Key) / 15. The Sparrows And The Nightingales (Wolfsheim song) / 16. Das geht vorbei / Encore: 17. Leben... I Feel You / 18. Wir sind wir / 19. Whenever I Miss You // Rating: 8 / 10
Ataraxia – Culture Stage [NN]
The final concert of the whole festival day and one of the most interesting I managed to see. The Italian neoclassical formation ATARAXIA impressed a lot with their songs in different languages, I can’t say which ones but they sounded great, powerful, expressive and beautiful vocals and peculiar melodies. // http://www.ataraxia.net / https://www.facebook.com/AtaraxiaFB // Rating: 9 / 10
Written by Nataly Night [NN] & Dani Vorndran [DV]
All Pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
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