UT Connewitz, Leipzig, Germany13th December 2025
Diorama - “A Substitute For Light Tour 2025/26” - Special Guests: Skuppin
December concerts always carry a certain weight. They arrive at the end of a year, when memories feel closer to the surface and expectations are quieter but deeper. For DIORAMA, this mid-December weekend marked the very beginning of the “A Substitute For Light” tour with the opening show in Frankfurt on December 12, followed immediately by Leipzig on December 13.
For many in the audience, this also meant a long-awaited return. It had been quite some time since we last saw DIORAMA live, and that absence was tangible. The anticipation in the room was not loud or impatient; it was focused, almost careful, as if everyone knew this evening mattered. UT Connewitz was a perfect setting for such a moment. One of the oldest cinemas in Germany, the venue carries more than a century of cultural memory within its walls.
Today, the charm of the past still prevails. High ceilings, deep sightlines, and the unmistakable aura of a former film palace give the space a sense of intimacy despite its size. On this particular night, the venue was gently dressed for the season. Subtle Christmas decorations and soft lights added warmth without kitsch, reinforcing a feeling of shared occasion rather than spectacle. The audience filled the hall early, scene-goers, long-time fans, and quiet listeners alike, all clearly prepared to listen rather than consume. The mood was attentive, affectionate, and unmistakably expectant.
Skuppin
The evening was opened by SKUPPIN, who proved to be an inspired choice. Hailing from Chemnitz, SKUPPIN bridges the Neue Deutsche Welle with classic 80s Synth-Pop influences reminiscent of DEPECHE MODE and KRAFTWERK. His sound is built on cool synthesizer landscapes, dark, steady basslines, and a vocal presence that balances vulnerability with intensity. www.skuppin-musik.de
Music & Performance
Live, SKUPPIN delivered a focused and emotionally grounded performance. The set moved fluidly between restrained introspection and moments of sharper synth energy, never losing coherence. Supported by Antonia and Ricky on bass, keyboards, and synths, the performance gained both depth and dynamism. Emotionality and electronic drive were skilfully intertwined, creating a sound that felt honest rather than decorative. What stood out was the clarity of intention. SKUPPIN did not attempt to overwhelm or overperform. Instead, he drew the audience in gradually, establishing a mood that felt aligned with the evening’s emotional trajectory. It was a high-quality, confident set, and an opening that prepared the room perfectly for what was to follow.
Diorama
Formed in 1996, DIORAMA have long stood as one of the most distinctive voices in dark electronic music. Built around the unmistakable presence of singer and lyricist Torben Wendt, the band have always navigated the space between emotional vulnerability and sonic precision. Over nearly three decades, DIORAMA have refined a language that merges electronic tension with organic depth, introspective lyrics with melodies that linger, and a live intensity that has earned them a deeply devoted following.
The “A Substitute For Light” tour marks the beginning of a new chapter. Following the release of the first single ‘No Complications’, DIORAMA are preparing the arrival of their eleventh studio album, “A Substitute For Light”, due in April 2026. The album explores light not as comfort or truth, but as illusion, promise, and distraction: flickering through screens, reflecting off glass, concealing as much as it reveals. It asks what remains once innocence is neutralised, once clarity becomes deceptive, and whether a different source of energy can be found beyond reflection. Leipzig, as the second stop of the tour, felt like an intimate early glimpse into this new phase.
Music & Performance
DIORAMA began without haste. The intro functioned like a slow inhale, allowing the room to settle before ‘Patchwork’ and ‘Prozac Junkies’ established the band’s unmistakable pulse. The sound was controlled, precise, and emotionally charged, immediately reaffirming why DIORAMA’s music has always felt deeply personal. It does not force itself upon the listener; it invites presence.
‘Gasoline’ and ‘E Minor’ deepened the atmosphere further. Their hypnotic structures and measured momentum carried a quiet intensity, anchored by Torben Wendt’s voice. At times steady, at times visibly trembling, his delivery felt unfiltered and sincere. There was no separation between performance and emotion; each line landed with the weight of something lived rather than performed.
A key moment arrived with ‘No Complications’, presented live for the first time (after the Frankfurt show the day earlier). Already familiar from its studio release, the song revealed a different texture on stage. The hypnotic rhythm settled into the space effortlessly, and the audience responded with immediate recognition. There was no sense of novelty or testing the waters. The song felt already integrated, as if it had always belonged there.
From that point onward, the set unfolded careful balance. ‘Exit the Grey’ and ‘Record Deal’ carried darker edges, while ‘HLA’ - one of the most iconic songs of the band - introduced subtle warmth without dissolving the underlying tension. ‘Why’ stood out as particularly intimate, its emotional openness mirrored by the stillness of the crowd. ‘Island’ shifted the dynamic again, blending club-ready energy with DIORAMA’s introspective core.
‘Off’ closed the main set without finality, leaving the room suspended rather than resolved. The first encore brought a moment of rare fragility. ‘Kiss of Knowledge’, performed in an electro version by Torben Wendt and Felix Marc alone, stripped the song down to its emotional architecture. ‘Synthesize Me’ followed, gently rebuilding intensity while maintaining the intimacy.
Encore two reintroduced momentum. ‘Ignite’ lived up to its name, while ‘Belle?’ - one of the most beautiful songs ever written - reconnected the room with DIORAMA’s melodic roots. The audience response throughout was marked by devotion rather than excess: soft sing-alongs, attentive silence, and a palpable sense of shared history. By the third encore, the line between band and audience had blurred entirely. ‘Advance’ acted as a final surge before the closing piece, ‘The Minimum’. As a farewell, it was quietly devastating. The song felt like a conscious letting go, a closing gesture filled not with resignation, but with acceptance.
What made this evening truly special was the bond between DIORAMA and their audience. This is a band whose music lives inside people, carried through years and personal transformations. That connection was visible in every pause, every sustained note, every moment where the room seemed to breathe together. What became especially clear in Leipzig that night - something I have always known about DIORAMA, but rarely felt so distinctly - was how deeply this music lives inside people.
This was not just a concert built around a strong setlist or a well-paced performance; it was a shared emotional space. The reactions in the room, the focused stillness during quieter moments, the collective release when familiar melodies unfolded, all spoke of a long relationship between the band and their audience. DIORAMA’s songs carry weight because they have accompanied listeners through years of change, doubt, and growth. Their strength lies in refined simplicity, in choosing exactly the right words, the right sounds, the right pauses.
Nothing is overstated, nothing is imposed. Instead, the music opens itself patiently, allowing each listener to find their own reflection within it. In Leipzig, this quiet intimacy filled the entire venue, and it was precisely this subtle, honest connection that made the evening feel so meaningful, so lasting, and so unmistakably DIORAMA. The band delivered exactly what they promised: a different atmosphere, shaped by emotional truth, restraint, and genuine presence. A Substitute for Light already feels less like an album title and more like a guiding principle. Leipzig witnessed that truth early.
Setlist
00. Intro
01. Patchwork
02. Prozac Junkies
03. Gasoline
04. E Minor
05. No Complications
06. Exit The Grey
07. Record Deal
08. More Gold
09. HLA
10. Why
11. Island (FH Remix)
12. Off
---
13. Kiss of Knowledge
14. Synthesize Me
---
15. Ignite
16. Belle?
---
17. Advance
18 The Minimum
The Leipzig show felt like far more than a concert. It was a moment suspended in time - a magical evening shaped by emotion, trust, and sonic artistry. DIORAMA created a space where vulnerability and precision coexisted effortlessly, where music did not merely fill the room but moved through it, connecting band and audience in a shared flow. It was one of those rare nights that linger long after the last note has faded, not because of spectacle, but because of truth.
The Substitute of Light tour continues in 2026 carrying this atmosphere forward into new cities and new encounters:
17.01.26 - Reutlingen, franz.K
30.01.26 - Karlsruhe, Stadtmitte
31.01.26 - Hanover, SubKultur (sold out)
27.02.26 - Munich, Backstage Halle
28.02.26 - Berlin, Frannz Club
10.04.26 - Oberhausen, Kulttempel
11.04.26 - Hamburg, Markthalle
All Pictures by Karo Kratochwil
