SubKultur, Hanover, Germany15th December 2023
Dark Christmas Brawl with Sea of Sin, Gulvøss, Zoodrake, ZyniC and Torul
With the Dark Christmas Brawl, club boss Jens Klostermann has once again created a small yet exquisite event, hopefully to be continued next year. Over two evenings, he presents a diverse line-up featuring five bands on stage each night. Tonight, we’ll see SEA OF SIN, GULVØSS, ZOODRAKE, ZYNIC, and TORUL. Tomorrow, LIVNG SIGNS, ROTOSKOP, DESTROY ME AGAIN, JAY:DEAD and VANGUARD will grace the stage.
Unfortunately, we won’t be present tomorrow at SubKultur as we’ll be attending NEUROTICFISH’s “Heimspiel” in Oberhausen. However, we didn’t want to miss being here in Hanover’s musical living room at least on Friday. After all, today’s line-up is extremely worthwhile, and many of our friends have announced their visit. A wonderful evening in the company of many dear people that comes to an end around half past two in the morning. But first things first, but not necessarily in that order. First, we fortify ourselves at the kebab shop across the street to have a sufficient base for the upcoming concert evening. We have a good view of the entrance door from here. Everything is calm for now. When we arrive at the venue at quarter past seven, the entrance has already started. It’s relaxed and comfortably familiar. You quickly encounter many acquaintances who want to be greeted.
The cosy club gradually fills up, even though it’s not supposed to get completely full tonight. Among the guests, as often happens, there are also some musicians indulging in their passion from the other side; that is, from in front of the stage. For instance, Heiko Lachmann (TOAL) and Uwe from NEON SPACE MEN are mingling among the audience tonight. And the musicians from the performing bands are not just visible at the merchandise stand, chatting with their fans and signing autographs. They also watch the other acts from the side or simply join in the celebration within the audience. And there’s quite a bit of celebrating going on this evening. The stage is quite packed; there isn’t much room for movement for the first artists. With drinks in hand, we find a nice spot in the front row. We’re ready, let’s get started.
Sea of Sin
Tonight’s evening and thereby the concert weekend are opened by SEA OF SIN. After the release of their debut album ‘Watch Out’ in the 90s and the ‘Illuminate EP’, it became quiet around the New Wave poppers. In 2018, Klaus Schill (synths, guitars, production) and Frank Zwicker (vocals & words) finally released a new album after a long hiatus and will celebrate their 30th band anniversary next year. Accordingly, the duo presents us tonight a small cross-section of their previous work, from the old days to the current album ‘Tired of Chasing Ghosts’. Klaus steps onto the stage shortly after half past seven and comfortably settles in with his guitar. The present guests gather in front of the stage as Frank shortly enters the stage and welcomes us to the Dark Christmas Brawl 2023.
The sound here at the left edge of the frontline could be better and sometimes sounds a bit muffled, which is a pity. Nevertheless, there’s swaying and dancing right away to ‘Truth’ and the subsequent ‘Contamination’. The stage remains mostly bathed in blue and red. “Thank you very much! Thank you. That was from our 2019 album called ‘Unbroken’. The next track, ‘Synchronize’, is from our current album. It was released in April this year. Enjoy.” By now, the SubKultur has filled up quite nicely, and with the "quite old song from the 90s", ‘I Live My Life’, SEA OF SIN spreads good vibes. With ‘High and Low’ and ‘Naked’, we switch between new and not quite as new. As the song from the 2019 album ‘Unbroken’ fades out, someone from the audience shouts, “One more; two, three, four,” to which Frank corrects, “We’ve got three more.”
While Klaus works on the guitar, Frank utilizes the limited space as best as he can to dance. The two of them really get us fired up. After two more songs, it’s already “the last song for tonight,” namely ‘Beyond Sadness’. Now, the strobe light comes into play, unfortunately the only variation in the lighting. However, the set offers plenty of variety, and a bit of sadness is in the air as Klaus and Frank bid farewell to the stage at a quarter past eight. The encore calls go unheard. But the duo has big plans for the anniversary year. Especially in February and March, the concert calendar is already filled, so there will soon be a reunion.
Setlist
01. Truth
02. Contamination
03. Synchronize
04. I Live My Life
05. High and Low
06. Naked
07. Immaculate
08. What Are You Waiting For?
09. Beyond Sadness
Gulvøss
During the brief break for change over, there’s temporarily some space in front of the stage. And on stage, some space becomes available as well before singer Sven Wittmiß, guitarist Ralph Ehlert-Fiedler, and Jens Mauermann (E-Drums) storm the stage ten minutes later. Another tiny soundcheck. Just before half past eight, Sven gives thumbs up, the music starts. Let there be light, and behold, there’s even some green available, and later on, there are also white spots. It’s nice that something’s happening with the lights now too. GULVØSS kick things off with ‘Apple Of Eden’, and the audience starts getting into it. “Thank you very, very much! It looks pretty cool when some people are already singing along.” The set is packed with many new songs. Hence, we have ‘Running With The Light’, ‘Highs and Lows’ and ‘Lord Of The Game’, all of which are being celebrated. Sven switches again and again between keyboard and guitar. The audience claps to the beat and dances with abandon. The charismatic singer simply sweeps the audience along with his stage presence and charisma. This is incredibly enjoyable.
My personal highlight of the set comes with ‘Walking On Water’. This song caught my attention in Rob Dust’s remix during my weekly GEWC (German Electronic Web Charts) voting some months ago. Somehow, I had lost track of the band. But then in May, I rediscovered them at the concert in Kulttempel Oberhausen. GULVØSS opened the Synth-Pop Festival there and left a lasting impression. Today, this song also brings a lively atmosphere and great vibes. The frenetic cheers at the end bring a contented smile to Sven’s face. Yet, the next new song, ‘My Salvation’, also creates an awesome mood among the audience. “Wow, I’d love to take you home with me. Friends, thank you so much!” With ‘You Make Me Shiver’, Sven wants to thank Jens, “who brought us here. Since he likes ballads, as you can see; Jens, this one’s for you.”
Of course, a proper ballad needs “something that shines”. Sven wonders if we have something, and suddenly, some people switch on their phone flashlights. Here, not only Sven but also the audience showcases their voice, singing the title line at the top of their lungs. Sven thanks everyone for “this support. We have one more song, and then we wish you an awesome evening. There are still fantastic bands to come. Who’s here tomorrow?” Judging by the cheers, quite a few will be here again tomorrow. ‘Freelove’ marks the end of this far too short set. Quarter past nine, it’s “thank you so, so much! Stay healthy, take care of each other. We’ll see you somewhere, sometime, maybe next year.” I’m pretty sure of that, hopefully with a new album in tow.
Setlist
01. Apple Of Eden
02. Running With The Light
03. Highs and Lows
04. Lord Of The Game
05. Walking On Water (Remix)
06. My Salvation
07. You Make Me Shiver
08. Freelove
Zoodrake
I urgently need a short disposal break. Meanwhile, space is cleared on the stage. Shortly after half past nine, keyboardist Silvveil takes the stage, whose identity remains hidden behind the silver mask. Then mastermind Hilton Theissen armed with a guitar jumps onto the stage full of energy, kicking off with ‘Success Of The Snake’. “Thank you very much, and a wonderfully good evening. What a club. What a line-up. You guys are maniac!” We continue with ‘black out day’, and there’s lively dancing in front of the stage. For the next song, the guitar is set aside, the jacket is taken off, swung like a lasso, and tossed into the crowd. “Thank you very much! So, you know what’s coming next. We’re kicking it up a notch. How about you? Shall we raise the bar?”
‘Upgrade’ makes the floor vibrate, and the crowd dances and sings exuberantly. ZOODRAKE presents a colourful array from the three previous albums, with Hilton frequently switching to the guitar. The highly energetic set offers plenty of variety, blending electronic sounds with elements of Alternative Rock and Indie-Pop. From ‘fighter’ to ‘Nothing’s Wrong’, ‘same old’, and ‘g.o.d.’, the energy remains high. The audience dances exuberantly, and Hilton gives his all on stage during ‘Death Bloom’ and ‘Jackal Parade’. “Thank you so, so much, SubKultur. That was wonderful. I hope we can come back again. I hope you enjoyed it.”
But ZOODRAKE has one last song for us. “This is ‘Right Back’. Join in once more.” All hands are up again, there’s clapping, more lively dancing, and singing along. Then, it’s time to say goodbye once more. “Thank you very, very much. See you soon, have fun with the awesome folks coming up next.” With that, ZOODRAKE also bids farewell to the stage amidst thunderous applause a quarter past ten.
Setlist
01. Success Of The Snake
02. black out day
03. Sent To You
04. Upgrade
05. Fighter
06. Nothing´s Wrong
07. same old
08. g.o.d.
09. Death Bloom
10. Jackal Parade
11. Right Back
ZyniC
By now, we’ve warmed up quite a bit, and I’m extremely grateful for the cool draft coming from the entrance door during the next change over. Peter Siemandel’s Synth-Pop project is up next on the schedule. The singer suffers from an incurable eye disease, which has almost completely robbed him of his sight. I’m really glad that he has decided to bring his music to the stage despite the challenges he faces. His festival debut at Moritzbastei during WGT 2023 in Leipzig was one of my WGT-highlights. And ZYNIC is secretly my personal headliner today. I adore Peter’s wonderfully dark humour, which is also present in his ironically cynical lyrics. Packaged in fluffy Synth-Pop melodies and delivered with such ease that it’s a true delight. On stage, Peter is supported by BEBORN BETON frontman Stefan Netschio on synthesizers and backing vocals.
Stefan is also the one who pitches in during the changeover and attaches small light sticks to the microphone stands before Peter is led onto the stage amid stormy applause just before half past ten. And Stefan is the first one to greet us. “Good evening. I heard everyone’s lively here in Hanover.” Then Peter clarifies for everyone: “Good evening, Hanover. We are ZYNIC, and we play Synth-Pop.” Right during ‘I don’t care’, there’s enthusiastic singing along and ample dancing. With ‘Neon Oblivion’, there’s “a bit of Christmas music” and Stefan fires up the crowd. The Synth-Pop party continues with songs like ‘Land of the Free’, ‘Only Human’ and ‘My Darkness’. Stefan and Peter keep encouraging the audience, first alternately and then together. Some sing along. There’s clapping and ample dancing. During ‘Fear My Love’, Peter jumps and dances by the microphone, and Stefan grabs his mic for the backing vocals of ‘Algorythm Slave’, approaching the edge of the stage briefly.
‘Cardiac Arrest’ gives everyone a brief moment to catch their breath and wind down before the showdown. Two of my all-time favourites follow, and the audience provides a wonderful background chorus for ‘Dreams In Black And White’ and ‘Dead End’. “Thank you. We have one more, there’s another coming.” During ‘Slice Of Life’, Stefan can’t resist anymore and joins Peter at the front with his microphone at hand, leaving his instrument behind. It´s too bad, this set is over that quickly, and ZYNIC bids farewell from the stage at ten to twelve amidst thunderous applause. “Thank you, guys. I love you, that was awesome. Enjoy the rest of the night with TORUL.”
Setlist
01. I don’t care
02. Neon Oblivion
03. Land of the free
04. Soul For Sale
05. Only Human
06. My darkness
07. Fear My Love
08. Algorythm Slave
09. Cardiac Arrest
10. Dreams In Black And White
11. Dead End
12. Slice Of Life
Torul
One last gasp of air. On stage, it gets a bit crowded again, taking a while for everything to find its place. Then it goes dark again, fog rolls in, and 20 minutes before twelve, the intro to ‘Like A Sound’ echoes out. In almost 15 years of band history, the Slovenian Synth / Indie-Pop trio has released several albums and regularly graces European club and festival stages. Featuring 8 songs from the album ‘End Less Dreams’, released in February, approximately two-thirds of the current album are performed in its entirety today. Additionally, TORUL treats the audience to a colourful mix of their previous releases. Since their debut ‘Dark Matters’, quite a bit of material has accumulated, providing a rich repertoire to draw from. Founder and namesake Torul Torulsson and Maj Valerij take turns in vocals, perform some songs together, and complement each other on the synthesizers, while Borut Dolenec switches back and forth between guitar and synthesizer.
The heavily distorted guitar sounds are quite dominant (at least here in the front, directly in front of Borut’s position) and sometimes quite prominent in the foreground. As the night grows late, it seems the SubKultur becomes somewhat emptier. However, the present audience is all the more enthusiastic, dancing and singing loudly right from the beginning. ‘Higher’ and ‘Hearts’ are celebrated as well as the subsequent ‘End Less Dreams’ block. That begins with ‘The Only Way’ and concludes with ‘Willing To Connect’. The stage remains quite dark overall, and due to the fog, I can hardly recognize Torul Torulsson on the other side at times. However, the atmosphere among the audience is lively. People are in party mode. The trio from Ljubljana is really pumped up, spreading good vibes, and close the main set at half past midnight with ‘We Don’t Care’. The lights go on. Cheers, applause, calls for an encore. It takes a moment before the three musicians take the stage again. “You know that we like drama.”
The encore block kicks off with ‘Show Me Your City’ and revs up the mood once more. This is followed by ‘You And Me’, ‘Explain’ (“a song we’ve just got to play”), and ‘Try’, before TORUL exits the stage again. The audience isn’t satisfied and demands another encore immediately. Despite this, they leave the stage and the lights come back on. But that’s far from being the end, and so TORUL returns again at ten minutes to one. “You know, it’s like a reunion. Driving to Hanover is like driving home. Driving home for Christmas, almost.” With ‘If It’s Dark Enough’, ‘Saviour Of Love’, ‘Monday’, and ‘All’, the tempo picks up again. The audience enthusiastically celebrates before TORUL bids farewell with “an early Christmas present”. This cover from 1977 they performed “last week for the first time live. And we can do it again. The song is called ‘Psycho Killer’ and it is a bit rough on the edges. Still. But, if you like, we can give it a go. Shall we do it?” The TALKING HEADS cover is sung along by some loudly and forms a fitting conclusion to the first day of the festival.
TORUL bids their final goodbye from the stage amidst thunderous applause. However, the party continues tomorrow with LIVNG SIGNS, ROTOSKOP, DESTROY ME AGAIN, JAY:DEAD, and VANGUARD, albeit (as mentioned earlier) without us.
Setlist
01. Like A Sound
02. Higher
03. Hearts
04. The Only Way
05. Now I Die Inside
06. Hero Material
07. Le Replika
08. Mnenje O Vsem
09. Falling Apart
10. Resonate
11. Willing To Connect
12. We Don’t Care
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13. Show Me Your City
14. You And Me
15. Explain
16. Try
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17. If It’s Dark Enough
18. Saviour Of Love
19. Monday
20. All
21. Psycho Killer (TALKING HEADS cover)
All Pictures by Aileen Ritter
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