Hafenklang, Hamburg, Germany24th September 2026
Klez.e - “Einmal mehr mit Dir gegen die Furcht” Tour 2026
What could be better to start the dark autumn season than sounds that perfectly fit the setting: more than two hours of gloomy German songs with lyrics against fear, not only during the spooky season, but in times that can be scary to live in. KLEZ.E proved to be the perfect soundtrack for exactly that when they brought their “Einmal mehr mit Dir gegen die Furcht” tour to Hamburg’s Hafenklang on 24th September 2026.
Hafenklang is a venue right at Hamburg’s harbour, which can be quite melancholic in autumn. Doors opened at 7:30 pm. There was no support band, but there were several mixtapes giving us emotional support. You could check out the tracks and the bands in a nice black guestbook with pictures and messages and get to know several new bands, such as BOX AND THE TWINS with ‘Pale Blue Dot’ and MONOXYD with ‘Angst’.
Music & Performance
The melancholic atmosphere continued when KLEZ.E entered the stage to THIS MORTAL COIL’s haunting ‘Song to the Siren’, sung by COCTEAU TWINS’ Elizabeth Fraser. Then it was time for KLEZ.E to tell their own story: ‘Nun, das ist die Geschichte unserer Affäre’ (“’Well, this is the story of our affair’) marked the beginning of ‘Hymnus’ and of more than two hours of music against fear. Amidst all the black, there were refreshing glimpses of pink and red: Siebert’s guitars, which he repeatedly raised towards the ceiling and, at one point, even seemed to scream at in a theatrical gesture.
Throughout the evening, the lyrics moved between very personal images and bigger questions: time passing, memories, love and loneliness, but also fear and the unsettling world around us. From one song to the next, very different and sometimes almost surreal images emerged: one played with the passing of time, while another brought up the unexpected image of a Christmas tree decorated with red baubles. One song blurred the line between lyrics and performance particularly effectively. Repeating ‘Das ist alles nicht echt’ (‘None of this is real’), Siebert pointed at the stage around him, the lights and his guitar, turning the very setting of the concert into a part of the song.
Musically, there were references to be discovered as well, with ‘Verpassen’ offering a distinct nod to DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Black Celebration’. Songs from the new album naturally played a major role throughout the evening, including ‘Ich seh es an mir’, ‘Melancholia’ and the title track ‘Einmal mehr mit Dir gegen die Furcht’. During ‘Ich seh es an mir’, Tobias Siebert invited the audience to sing along. ‘Melancholia’ seemed almost made for this dark autumn evening, while the title track brought the central theme of the album and tour, facing fear together, right into the room. There were also lighter and more playful moments. During ‘La Boum’, Siebert invited the audience to slow-dance, fittingly referencing the iconic dance scene from the film of the same name.
When the main set came to an end, the audience was far from ready to go home. Calls for “Zugabe!” (“Encore!”) were answered. Siebert returned to the stage having changed into something different, although, naturally, still black and what followed felt almost like a second chapter of the concert. Siebert introduced the encore with what he called the “finstere dreiseitige Pyramide” (“dark three-sided pyramid”), referring to the three songs ‘Mauern’, ‘Flammen’ and ‘November’. And the encore did not end there: what followed was a surprisingly long run of beautiful and increasingly danceable songs. Instead of simply returning for one or two obligatory tracks, KLEZ.E really delivered.
The evening did not end with the last song. At the merch table, you could of course find KLEZ.E shirts and vinyl, as well as bags carrying the words “Call it Love”. There was even an “FC Melancholia” football scarf which, by pure coincidence, came in brown and white - colours that could hardly have been more fitting for an evening in Hamburg and so close to St. Pauli. And then there was one last detail connecting the songs to the world outside the stage: next to the merchandise stood a small Christmas tree decorated with red baubles, the very image that had appeared in one of the songs earlier that night.
And with that, more than two hours of melancholy, darkness, dancing and songs against fear came to an end - leaving Hafenklang and the Hamburg autumn night just a little less frightening.
Setlist
01. Hymnus
02. Düster
03. Call it Love
04. Erregung
05. Verpassen
06. Herbstherz
07. Mailied
08. Ich seh es an mir
09. Paradies
10. Das eine Treffen im Jahr
11. Wir ziehen die Zeit
12. La Boum
13. Melancholia
14. Im Herbst
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15. Die finstere dreiseitige Pyramide: Mauern / Flammen / November
16. Hamburg, wie schön du bist
17. Mrs. Free
18. Nachtflug
All Pictures by Ozan Yildirir
