Die Pumpe, Kiel, Germany16th March 2024
Kielectric 2024 with In Strict Confidence, Alienare, Mental Exile and Versus
The Kielectric 2023 drew in so many folks and got such positive feedback that the organizers decided to keep the party going. Last year, I missed out on heading to Kiel. But for the second round of Kielectric, it’s a case of “I come to Kiel, I get electric”. Starting out as a crazy idea and launched as a “birthday festival”, Kielectric could actually become a regular thing. The groundwork was laid over Easter 2023, and with the second edition in 2024, the organizers are on the right track. This time, MENTAL EXILE, VERSUS, ALIENARE, and IN STRICT CONFIDENCE are rocking the stage, while Dirk Steyer (ACCESSORY, M!NC) is setting the vibe at the after-party. Initiator Robert Korritke and André Steinigen (VERSUS, VASTÉ, STNIGN) are guiding us through the night as they did last year.
And because André didn’t want to announce “the second-best band in the world” himself, he and Robert decided on the spot to auction off the announcement slot and donate the proceeds to a good cause. Robert chose the Clinic Clowns at the City Hospital Kiel, who work to ease children’s fears in the hospital, making them less afraid of hospitals, of doctors and the whole situation. André also thought about which organization to support with the action. He opted for the Tina-Eismann-Stiftung, a support foundation for the benefit of Sonnenstrahl e.V. Dresden. The association takes care of children with cancer and their families, with a special focus on terminally ill children. Tina Eismann was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 10, fought hard, and openly dealt with the disease. Despite her illness, she independently raised donations for Sonnenstrahl e.V., “so that others can also be helped”. After “living with cancer” for five years, the girl lost the fight and passed away from the disease. What an incredibly strong girl Tina must have been.
So that both organizations can receive a substantial amount, a donation drive was launched in parallel, and a donation box was set up at the merch stand during the festival evening. Through the auction and the donation box, around 400 euros have already been raised. The performing bands also chipped in a portion of their merch earnings into the donation box. If you still want to support the cause, you can drop a donation here until 1st April. All donations will be split evenly between the Clinic Clowns and the Tina-Eismann-Stiftung. One thing’s for sure, the generosity and support for these projects at Kielectric 2024 have far exceeded all expectations. And there’s one more thing the festival organizers can be happy about. Even though pre-sales didn’t meet expectations, in the end, almost 200 guests showed up. A few more would have been nice, but Kielectric will still be back for another round in 2025, once again over Easter. Let’s hope this small, family-like festival can continue and establish itself in the future. But back to Kielectric 2024. As you know, first things first but not necessarily in that order.
With a 580 km and a tight seven-hour journey ahead, it was clear this was going to be an extended weekend. So, we decided to take off work on Friday and Monday to make the seaside trip worth it. After a decent breakfast, I hit the road up north around 10 on Friday morning. Since we are all coming from different directions, we meet up in Giesen, where I leave my trusty vehicle in the care of friends, and from there, we head to Kiel together, straight to the hotel. We aren’t the only ones using the festival as an excuse for a seaside long weekend, so it doesn’t take long to gather a cheerful little bunch of people. Robert had sorted out a table for us all to have dinner together, complete with drinks. So, we spent the evening together, and it doesn’t wind down until Saturday morning in the hotel lobby.
After a way-too-short night (breakfast ends at ten), we enjoy a bit of sunshine with a stroll through the capital of Schleswig-Holstein. Feeling refreshed and after a little evening snack, we find ourselves at Die Pumpe shortly before six, where some black-clad figures are already waiting for entry. The green ties of some guests give away their musical preferences. Shortly after six, Die Pumpe opens its doors and the waiting crowd floods into the spacious foyer, where the festival and band merch ares set up and where the bar offers relief for dry throats. While we wait for the doors to the hall to open, we take a look around. The mighty pumping wheel (pump No. 2, of the former total of 4 pumps) on the ground floor of the former pumping station is not just a sight to behold, but it can still turn. In front of it, there are a few tables where you can give your tired feet a break. On the ground floor, you’ll also find the hall, the cloakroom, and the toilets. The Red Salon, where the after-party will take place later, can be found one floor below along with other rooms. A short word about the tech team. The acoustics in the hall are surprisingly good, and Micha (light) and Götz (sound) from MichaLights Showtechnik in Kiel are doing a really good job. There’s nothing to complain about regarding the lights and sound. These two clearly know what they’re doing.
About fifteen minutes before seven, things start happening on the wide stage. The hall is much wider than deep. So, practically all of the nearly 200 attendees have a front-of-stage feeling. Even in the back rows, you’re still close and have a good view of the stage. There, Augustina and Piff-Paff from the Clinic Clowns at the City Hospital in Kiel give us a little taste of their work. Unfortunately, they don’t have a mic at the beginning, so they’re hard to understand. But André jumps in and fixes that. Piff-Paff doesn’t seem too thrilled about the mic, though. But after a few warm-ups with us, she gets into it. And then Robert and André are already there to rescue the two clowns, introduce them, and officially kick off the festival. It’s all going to “follow a strictly planned schedule” that the hosts “don’t even know themselves”. Anyway, the program starts with Damasius Venys, who André welcomes as the “Michael Jackson of the Gothic scene” and then it’s time to clear the stage for MENTAL EXILE.
Mental Exile
We’ve had the pleasure of seeing Damasius with his solo project on stage before, where he’s accompanied by his partner Daniele on the keyboard and reported on MENTAL EXILE several times. In 2022/2023, MENTAL EXILE toured as a special guest with FROZEN PLASMA and SOLITARY EXPERIMENTS, and in October, they were seen as support for SOLAR FAKE at the Kulttempel Oberhausen. Damasius’s expressive performance and the lovely, open nature of the couple always make their appearances a special treat. Melancholic dark Pop arrangements, led by vintage synthesizer melodies, beautifully brought to life by Damasius’s unique and emotional voice. And amidst all the melancholy, there’s always a hint of summer floating around. It’s just always an incredible joy to watch and listen to the singer.
Today, Daniele and Damasius are ‘Strangers’ to only a few. And they effortlessly find their way into the hearts of even those. The transitions between songs are a bit bumpy tonight. There are a few longer pauses. Maybe it’s because Damasius doesn’t seem to be in top form today and needs to catch his breath more often than usual. ‘Run away’ isn’t an option for anyone though. On the contrary, “dancing through the night” seems to be the vibe, and many are singing along loudly too. Next up is ‘One Of Us’, ‘Stalker Love’, followed by ‘Renegades’ and ‘Top Model’. But before ‘Renegades’, Damasius needs a short break and has to ditch his jacket. And then... “Are you up for a premiere?” Who wouldn’t be? “Kielectric is a new event, a cool event. So, we thought, why not play something new.” But first, Damasius needs to do something about his dry throat before he takes us on a journey “to the moon and back” with the first new song of the year. The song is called ‘Pretenders’, and it hasn’t been released yet. It’s a really beautiful piece of music that leaves us wanting more. Hopefully, we’ll be able to check it out for ourselves more intensely soon.
Then it’s time for the nearly 200-strong background choir to give it their all one last time with ‘Falling’ before Daniele and Damasius bid farewell to the stage just before half past seven. But we’ll see the two of them again in just a few minutes. This time, in the crowd in front of the stage, enjoying VERSUS.
Setlist
01. Strangers
02. Run away
03. One Of Us
04. Stalker Love
05. Renegades
06. The Top Model
07. Pretenders
08. Falling
Versus / Hagi Grimm
After a short break, Hagi Grimm (HZWEIG / TBA) kicks off his auctioned announcement slot. We spent 15 minutes with Hagi, and he “had a few ideas”. At quarter to eight, it’s time for the HZWEIG Kielectric theme from last year with new lyrics, and Hagi brings Robert on stage to join the performance. This is Kiel-electric and we all are in Kiel and getting electric today. But before we get back to the electric vibes, it’s Hagi’s time. In the next few minutes, he wants to be an artist who “takes a stand, raises his voice, and stands for a cause”. His cause today? Simply doing good. To get into it, Hagi needs to get personal because he and his family have experienced some goodness in the past few weeks. He tells us about his cat, who was pretty sick and needed surgery. Friends spontaneously organized a donation drive, and in a short time, they raised enough money to cover the surgery costs. Hagi wants to thank them. But really, he wants to set an example. An example of doing good in your own community. Hagi passionately advocates for volunteering and solidarity, which touches many of those present. His words about the Tina-Eismann-Stiftung, which he’s been thinking about in recent days, the thoughts of this brave 15-year-old girl, hit Hagi hard, and he’s visibly close to tears.
Everyone can do something. Maybe not always by being directly involved, but through donations. Even if it’s just a few bucks. “And this money is important so that people in volunteering can even pursue their activities.” And it’s up to us to support such people and organizations and just do good. Especially the call to donate into the box at the merch table finds its way from the ears to the hearts and ultimately into the wallets of those present. Tonight alone, around 250 euros end up in the box. Of course, Hagi’s here today because he won a major auction, the announcement of the “second-best band in the world”. And Hagi does this just as passionately as he appealed to goodness and solidarity earlier. What awaits us next? Well, Hagi can’t tell us either because he doesn’t even know “if the singer’s wearing shoes, if the stage will stay intact, if all band members are really present, or if some have been replaced by cardboard cutouts”.
Anyway, he wishes us a lot of fun with VERSUS, who are about to hit us with their mostly German-language, smart Synth Pop. “Anyone who’s seen VERSUS live knows, you’re in for a band that entertains well, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and doesn’t hold back.” That’s what is written in the announcement for Kielectric 2024, and it doesn’t promise too much. But first, things are going to quiet down a bit. As soon as Hagi falls silent, André takes over the microphone. Sitting in midst of the audience, we can´t see but only hear him. “Hagi, you’re one awesome dude. Good evening, everyone. My name is André. I’m sitting right between you all. Sometime back in 2017 or 2016, I don’t remember exactly, I was sitting in a bar in Leipzig and wrote a poem...” André recites ‘Ich bin’, and after Hagi’s announcement slot, some might wonder if this is turning into a poetry reading. But then the music blares, and André storms onto the stage, where Roman and Daniel make the keys blaze.
“We are the second-best band in the world. We’re called VERSUS. We look damn good, and I can’t remember a single lyric today. But that doesn’t matter because you know the lyrics - hopefully or not. And we’re a pop band. And with pop bands, you clap throughout the whole show.” And André doesn’t tire of reminding everyone of that. He might not be “the best singer” but he “looks damn good” and above all, he’s a great entertainer. He effortlessly charms the audience. And as you’d expect from “the best band in the world” [DIE ÄRZTE from Berlin], the trio doesn’t take themselves too seriously and entertains with banter, little stories between the songs, and serious, intelligent lyrics wrapped up in catchy Pop tunes that sneak into your ears and get you moving.
‘In Stein gemeißelt’ is a Pop song, so there’s clapping and people sing along too. Then André spots something on stage, which triggers a little laughing fit. What was it? What crap had André been following on Facebook? What was so funny about it? That’s a story for another day and another place. We continue with André’s personal favourite song from the current album, and that’s ‘Revolution’, a “Pop song where you get to rap” and where VERSUS once again don’t hold back. “If you encounter racism, fascism, homophobia, or any other crap on the street, speak up, don’t stay silent!” Next up are ‘A Memory In Frames’, ‘Immer dann’ and ‘Scheisstränen’ and then things get emotional. André’s dear friend Marion was murdered a few years ago. This song is dedicated to her. “Greetings up to Marion. The original song is called ‘Faith Over Your Fear’ by FROZEN PLASMA and we had the great honour of playing it on the ‘Pakt’ album, with new lyrics.” A very moving moment, ending up with André right between all of us again.
‘Kosmonaut’, ‘Ja/Nein’, ‘Am Ende aller Tage’ bring back the good vibes and are sung along by many. And, since they’re all pop songs, there’s clapping too. Of course. ‘Am Ende aller Tage’ could have been the perfect closer, but the guys see it differently. One more to go. VERSUS bid farewell ‘Into The Galaxy’ at ten past ten.
Setlist
01. Ich bin (Gedicht)
02. In Stein gemeißelt
03. Revolution
04. A Memory In Frames
05. Immer dann
06. Scheisstränen
07. Schaf vs. Wolf (FROZEN PLASMA - ‘Faith Over Your Fear’)
08. Kosmonaut
09. Ja/Nein
10. Am Ende aller Tage
11. Into The Galaxy
Alienare
About ALIENARE, there’s not much left to say at this point. Over the past 10 years, these two Northerners have built up an impressive fan base and secured a solid spot on the stages of scene clubs and festivals. We’ve also reported on ALIENARE here several times. Musically, we can expect a healthy blend of distinctive Synthpop and modern Darkwave, with lyrics that are sometimes critical of society, sometimes emotional, but often easy to sing along to. Visually, host Robert has adapted to T. Green (Tim Schulschenk) and T. Imo (Timo Hanusch) and appears “slightly green” at twenty past nine. Meanwhile, Host André quickly wrote a song, ‘Love is ALIENARE’. The intro starts and Timo greets the fans first. In the front rows, there are plenty of green ties visible. As Tim follows, he doesn’t conduct a choir but rather a true screaming concert. It kicks off with ‘Interference’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Perception’. Tim promises not to talk too much, but the obligatory "audience participation band test" is a must. It’s ‘Never Too Late’ to celebrate 10 years.
“Over the course of this time, a lot of songs have been created, so let’s hop into a time machine together.” Today, the ‘Time Machine’ brings us to ‘Providence’, ‘Tremor’, ‘Never Be The Same Again’, and ‘The Deepest of all Blacks’. The “Sports Capital Kiel” is throwing a big, or maybe better said, a green party today, which includes a bit of a workout, choir singing, and lots of clapping hands. ‘Mission Abort’ gives Tim another chance to venture into the audience. He probably shouldn’t have done that today. The stage is immediately invaded by Hagi, Damasius, and André, who take over the party there. But Tim and Timo probably weren’t completely clueless. Together, they go all out, and the audience does their best too. For ‘#Neon’ and ‘Emerald’, Tim takes back the stage. There´s some time for a quick encore. ALIENARE bid farewell with ‘Arrival’ just before half-past ten, but not before Tim has shaken a few hands in the front row.
Setlist
01. Intro
02. Interference
03. Freedom
04. Perception
05. Never Too Late
06. Time Machine (Song medley with Providence, Tremor, Never Be The Same Again und The Deepest of all Blacks)
07. Another Pain
08. Everything Will Be Alright
09. The Colour of my Soul
10. Diamonds
11. Wrong
12. Move
13. Mission Abort
14. #Neon
15. Emerald
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16. Arrival
In Strict Confidence (Electronic Set)
After another brief change over break, it’s twenty minutes to eleven, and time for Robert and “Fairy-Tale André” to announce the headliner of this festival. The last notes of FROZEN PLASMA’s ‘Let It Rain Love’ fade out of the speakers, and André remarks how much he loves this song. “It’s raining a bit of love.” Somehow the perfect opportunity for a little birthday serenade, and there’s a birthday present for the just-turned-18 girl available at the merch later on. The green ties have largely disappeared. Now things get a bit more serious. For IN STRICT CONFIDENCE, it doesn’t really need many words. André still tells a little story, which I skip to shorten this a bit. With over 30 years of band history, IN STRICT CONFIDENCE are true veterans of the scene. Dennis Ostermann’s sound and voice are unmistakable. The visual presentation of the songs, whether in video or on stage, is unique.
Actually, Dennis has never been in Kiel, “neither with the band nor privately”. But if he had known how beautiful it is here, he would have come much earlier, and he’s sure he’ll come back again someday. Today, Dennis is out with “the smallest band he’s ever had” and for this electro set, he’s only accompanied by Joerg Hofferberth. With the intro, Dennis and Joerg ignite a true firework display and take us on a journey through the last 30 years. Dennis’ stage presence and his incredible vocal power inevitably infatuate the audience. Many enjoy the set with closed eyes, singing along, and swaying to the beat of the music. As for me, I completely forget to take notes and let myself be captivated by the atmosphere. My personal highlight? ‘Set Me Free’. I love the power inherent in this song, and today it unleashes an unstoppable energy. Simply amazing.
Time flies by way too fast. The set ends with a song that’s been a staple at every show for 24 years. "What ‘Atemlos’ is for Helene Fischer, ‘Zauberschloss’ is for us." But we’re not letting Dennis and Joerg off the hook that easily. And because "the band still has it", we get treated to ‘Somebody Else’s Dream’ and ‘Herzattacke’, before Dennis and Joerg are allowed to go. But that doesn’t mean the evening is over at five to twelve.
Setlist
01. Intro
02. My Despair
03. Used and Abused
04. Kiss Your Shadow
05. Forbidden Fruit
06. Mercy
07. Seven Lives
08. Set Me Free
09. Morpheus
10. Industrial Love
11. Engelsstaub
12. Zauberschloss
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13. Somebody Else’s Dream
14. Herzattacke
André and Robert bring everyone back on stage for a final goodbye before the guests head to the after-party with Dirk into the Red Salon. We decide to wrap up the evening in a cosy circle in the hotel lobby until the early hours of the morning and letting the weekend wind down on Sunday.
We’ve come to Kiel. We love Kielectric. And you? No question. You come to Kiel. You get electric. On Easter next year, for the third Kielectric at Die Pumpe, Kiel, featuring FROZEN PLASMA and four other bands. Ticket presales have already begun. So, it’s the perfect opportunity to start planning your Easter holiday for next year and mark the 19th April 2025 in your calendars. You’ll find out who else will be on the Kielectric stage next year, most likely by early August. So, stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled. We’ve already booked our hotel and will be back for Kielectric 4.
All Pictures by Aileen Ritter
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