Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne, Germany 14th March 2026
Poppy - “Constantly Nowhere Tour 2026” - Special Guests: Fox Lake, Ocean Grove
An insatiably inventive drive has fuelled POPPY’s surrealistic rise through countless corners of the arts and music worlds, with each of her many projects so far revealing a different glimpse of a true visionary unconcerned with genre, unimpressed by convention, and forever defying expectations. It’s that eclecticism that has cemented POPPY’s reputation as a boundary-obliterating artist redefining culture as we know it, at every turn.
From performance art provocateur, to video director, to sci-fi graphic novel author, to a globe-traveling recording artist whose songbook encompasses anything from brutal Metal breakdowns and snappy 60s bubble-gum, to Trap-Pop and Grunge-Punk, absolutely nothing has been off-limits when it comes to POPPY masterfully executing her multi-faceted artistic vision. So, the approximately 1,600 fans inside the sold-out Carlswerk Victoria queued patiently around the block to get entry into the “House of Poppy” on this cold Saturday night.
Fox Lake
FOX LAKE is a high-altitude heavy hitter from Denver, Colorado, that has rapidly become a dominant force in the modern nu-metal and hardcore revival. Their style is a punishing, rhythmic assault that fuses the groove-heavy bounce of 90s hip-hop with the abrasive technicality of modern metalcore. Formed in 2017, the band’s history is defined by a DIY hustle that saw them move from basement jams to sharing stages with genre titans.
Their heritage is deeply rooted in the aggressive, working-class spirit of mid-western Hardcore, filtered through a lens of high-energy, “Adrenaline-Rock” production. Their discography is a steady escalation of violence, beginning with the ‘Silence & Violence’ LP (2020) and the cult-favourite EP ‘Fear & Loathing’ (2022). With the 2025 release of ‘New World Heat’ and their 2026 single ‘devil’s / speak’, the quartet has mastered the art of the “mosh-call”, creating a sound that is as catchy as it is physically demanding. https://www.foxlakeband.com
Music & Performance
Tasked with warming up the crowd, FOX LAKE set a bar for intensity that few could match. The performance was a masterclass in controlled chaos; the atmosphere was immediate, with the band utilizing a stark backdrop featuring an AK and M16 that mirrored their lyrical militancy. The interaction with the early Cologne crowd was relentless, with vocalist Steven Campbell frequently stalking the edge of the stage, goading the floor into an occasional swirl. By the time they tore through their closing track ‘Freestyle’, the first pits of the night had opened, fuelled by the band’s raw, blue-collar energy. And I believe many participants made a mental note to check out the band’s releases afterwards.
Ocean Grove
OCEAN GROVE is an Australian genre-agnostic powerhouse from Melbourne that has spent over a decade redefining the boundaries of “Oddworld” Rock. Their style is a kaleidoscopic blend of Nu-Metal, Grunge, Britpop, and electronic Dance Music, characterized by a playful yet powerful “Loud-Quiet-Loud” dynamic. Formed in 2010, the band’s history saw them evolve from a Post-Hardcore outfit into a globally recognized alternative force.
Their heritage is a sun-drenched, Surf-Punk aesthetic mashed with the Industrial grime of the 90s, drawing influences from KORN to THE PRODIGY. Their discography is a journey through stylistic experimentation, from the ARIA-charting debut ‘The Rhapsody Tapes’ (2017) and the neon-soaked ‘Flip Phone Fantasy’ (2020) to the soaring anthems of ‘Up In The Air Forever’ (2022). Their late 2024 release, ‘Oddworld’, alongside the 2025 anthem ‘Fly Away’, has cemented their status as the kings of the unconventional. https://oceangrove.tv
Music & Performance
Continuing with a roster of bands with innocuous names, OCEAN GROVE took the stage, and the atmosphere shifted into a high-gloss, tracksuit-clad frenzy. Their performance was a Technicolor explosion, with vocalist Dale Tanner acting as a parkour enthusiast in human form, constantly in motion and scaling the stage equipment. The interaction was effortless; the band possesses a “Party-Metal” charisma that turned the Carlswerk Victoria into an underground rave.
The crowd roared along to ‘Intimate Alien’, and during the heavy groove of ‘Raindrop’, the floor was a sea of jumping bodies. It was also during this song, that singer Dale and bass player Twiggy Hunter switched jobs, something you rarely see. OCEAN GROVE doesn’t just play a set; they invite the audience into their specific, weird universe, and the people inside the packed hall in Cologne was more than happy to follow.
Poppy
POPPY is the definitive chameleon of modern music, a Grammy-nominated artist who has transitioned from a surrealist internet mystery to a premier architect of Industrial Metalcore. Her style is a jarring, brilliant juxtaposition of sugar-sweet pop sensibilities and crushing, machine-like Metal riffs. Her history is one of the most fascinating in the industry, evolving from the Bubble-Gum-Pop origins of ‘Bubblegum’ to the metallic breakthrough of ‘I Disagree’ (2020) and the critically acclaimed ‘Negative Spaces’ (2024).
Her heritage is a hybrid of NINE INCH NAILS-style industrialism and the hyper-curated aesthetic of Digital-Age Pop art. Her discography reached a new milestone with the January 2026 release of ‘Empty Hands’, produced by JORDAN FISH. This record serves as a natural evolution, emphasizing “industrial elements” and “surrealist roots” while pushing her vocal range into more aggressive, Metalcore-heavy territories. Check out www.impoppy.com.
Music & Performance
The moment the lights dimmed and the glitchy intro ‘Welcome to the House of Poppy’ before the opener ‘Bruised Sky’ began to crawl through the PA, the atmosphere in the Carlswerk Victoria became suffocatingly intense. POPPY appeared like a futuristic apparition; her performance defined by a robotic precision that made the heavy drops of ‘BLOODMONEY’ feel like a physical blow. The interaction with the crowd was characteristically uncanny; she stood largely motionless during the verses, staring through the audience with an intensity that felt both alien and captivating, only to explode into a whirlwind of hair and kinetic energy during the breakdowns of ‘Scary Mask’.
The highlight of the night was the live debut of material from ‘Empty Hands’. When the band - with all members obscuring their identity by wearing white masks with black lipstick - launched into ‘the center’s falling out’, the industrial rafters seemed to vibrate. The crowd was a dense, pulsing mass of “Poppyseeds” and metalheads, all united during the soaring chorus of ‘Time Will Tell’. A highlight toward the close of the rather short main set was the BAD OMENS cover ‘V.A.N.’. With the anthemic ‘new way out’, POPPY proved that she is no longer just an experiment. She is the future of the heavy music landscape, and Cologne was a witness to her absolute reign, and worshipping at her feet.
Setlist
01. Bruised Sky
02. BLOODMONEY
03. Scary Mask
04. the cost of giving up
05. Public Domain
06. Concrete
07. the center’s falling out
08. Anything Like Me
09. have you had enough?
10. Crystallized
11. Time Will Tell
12. V.A.N (Bad Omens cover)
13. If We’re Following the Light
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14. they’re all around us
15. new way out
Pictures by Christian Beyermann
