Live Review: Die Krupps - Dresden 2025

Beatpol, Dresden, Germany
29th September 2025
Die Krupps - “45th Anniversary Tour” - Special Guests: Johnny Tupolev, Schattenmann

The “45th Anniversary Tour” of DIE KRUPPS stretched across Europe, city after city ignited by the band’s Industrial firepower. Each night carried the weight of legacy, but also the pulse of immediacy. And in Dresden, the tour reached its grand finale - a culmination of nearly five decades of sonic revolution. The evening unfolded in three chapters, each unique in spirit, but together forming a narrative of intensity, creativity, and sheer power.


Johnny Tupolev

The night began with JOHNNY TUPOLEV, who set a tone of depth and atmosphere rather than aggression. Their set unfolded like a carefully crafted journey - immersive, layered, and hauntingly melodic. It was a magical experience of in-depth music, where sound, light, and vision fused into one seamless flow. Beautiful, intricate lightscapes accompanied each passage, illuminating the stage like moving paintings.



Instead of overwhelming force, JOHNNY TUPOLEV offered introspection and mood, reminding the audience that Industrial and Electronic music can be not only hard and metallic, but also expansive, emotional, and luminous.

Setlist
01. Joy of not knowing
02. Bomb your head
03. Balance of pain
04. Down again
05. Shot in black and white
06. Sleeping desire
07. Obsession

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Schattenmann

Then came SCHATTENMANN, shifting the energy into wild, unrestrained territory. From the moment they stormed the stage, their performance was a riot of power, theatre, and raw impact. Lavish costumes, dramatic staging, and sonic artillery created a world of their own - equal parts spectacle and assault. Their sound was sharp, modern, and ferocious, each riff and beat delivered with precision, but infused with a wild energy that kept the crowd locked in.



Where JOHNNY TUPOLEV conjured atmosphere, SCHATTENMANN exploded with physicality - bodies, lights, and sound colliding in a frenzy. It was Industrial as excess, and the audience answered with equally unrestrained enthusiasm.

Setlist
01. Jeder ist schlecht
02. Brennendes Eis
03. Menschenhasser
04. Generation SEX
05. CHAOS
06. Licht an
07. Kein Kommando
08. Spring
09. Hände Hoch
10. Día de Muertos
11. COSIMA

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Die Krupps

Finally, the legends took their place. DIE KRUPPS entered not as veterans, but as masters still at the height of their craft. Their presence was immediate, their precision absolute. Across the set, the band demonstrated why their name remains carved into the very foundations of industrial music.



This is music that simply never grows old. Whether heard decades ago or yesterday, the impact is the same: vibrant energy, slashing power, and a dynamism that cuts through time. In Dresden, they proved their relevance not through nostalgia, but through sheer presence and execution.



The performance was a masterclass in Industrial craft. The iconic Steelophon rang out like weapons of rhythm, still unmistakable, still electrifying. Guitars roared with metallic bite, synths etched razor-sharp patterns, and drums hammered with relentless force. Every element was perfectly layered, every strike a direct hit. The production reinforced the spectacle - light and shadow heightened drama without ever distracting from the core: the music.



Onstage, Jürgen Engler commanded with unflagging intensity, his energy sparking directly into the audience. The interplay between band members was as precise as machinery but alive with human fury. This was not a band “running through old favourites” - it was a living statement of vitality and dominance.



Dresden’s finale was not only the close of a tour, but the reaffirmation of a legacy. From JOHNNY TUPOLEV’s magical soundscapes to SCHATTENMANN’s wild theatrical power, the stage had been set. And then DIE KRUPPS delivered a demonstration of why they remain unmatched: still blazing, still defiant, still gold.



Forty-five years on, their power has not faded - it has sharpened. Thank you for the music, and for reminding us that some forces do not diminish with time, but grow only stronger.

Setlist
01. Nazis auf Speed
02. Isolation
03. Schmutzfabrik
04. Der Amboss (Visage cover)
05. On Collision Course
06. Dawning of Doom
07. Industriemädchen (S.Y.P.H. cover)
08. High Tech / Low Life
09. Black Beauty White Heat / Scent / Vision 2020
10. Crossfire
11. Will nicht, muss
12. Fatherland
13. Machine Metal Music
14. To the Hilt
15. Robosapien
16. Bloodsuckers
---
17. Machineries of Joy

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

All Pictures by Karo Kratochwil