Live Review: Wunschkonzert - Oberhausen 2023

Kulttempel, Oberhausen, Germany
1st December 2023
Wunschkonzert with Living Signs, The Second Sight, Wiegand, Auger and Beborn Beton

You wish for bands. The Kulttempel brings them to the stage. And that for an unbeatably affordable price. Under this motto, on 10th November 2023, CHROM, ADAM IS A GIRL, BLUME, and ALIENARE already shared the Kulttempel stage. Today, for the pre-sale price of a truly unbeatable 18 €, you can even see five bands. For the second “Wunschkonzert” (request concert), LIVING SIGNS, THE SECOND SIGHT, WIEGAND, AUGER, and BEBORN BETON will be on the Kulttempel stage.

I have written it several times before. Events at the Kulttempel are always like a small family gathering. Today, LIVING SIGNS frontman Markus is also excited after an eight-hour journey from Berlin, including traffic jam, to see many familiar faces. And I am delighted to reunite with many dear people every time I visit. Somehow, there’s always someone you know, and you never stay alone here for long. Sometimes, the “program” isn’t the main focus, although today’s line-up is more than impressive. I am particularly looking forward to the guys from WIEGAND and BEBORN BETON. And AUGER leave a truly lasting impression. I confess that I immediately ordered the complete Bandcamp discography of the Brits right the next day. But first things first, but not necessarily in that order.




Living Signs

Today’s requested concert starts with LIVING SIGNS from Berlin. The Dark-Electro project by Markus Obscurus narrates in its songs about grappling with painful loss of control and his anger towards man-made strokes of fate. Markus receives live support from keyboardist Gabi, who steps onto the stage at half past eight and takes her place at the keyboard. Positioned in the background, the sympathetic musician repeatedly encourages the audience to clap along. On the screen behind her, videos for some songs are shown, displaying at times very intense and distressing images. The still relatively young project fires up the atmosphere with songs like ‘Kaleidoscope’, ‘Nachtzug’, or ‘Help Me’, spreading good vibes.



The invitation to “let’s dance” is willingly accepted, and clapping along ensues. Even though the Kulttempel isn’t completely full despite the affordable price today, we’re already feeling quite warmed up. Markus fires up the audience and infects them with his amiable nature and energy. I really like the lighting tonight. The investment in the lighting system has truly paid off, and they know how to use the technology well. The moving lights repeatedly create wonderful patterns on the walls and the balcony on the opposite side. In terms of sound, the location at the very front left isn’t quite ideal. It sounds a bit muffled here at times. Towards the centre, the sound is significantly better and there’s nothing to criticize.



With ‘Away’ things get “a little calmer”. Controlled fog adds extra atmosphere. In the next song, ‘SpeZialoperation’ LIVING SIGNS tackle a very serious topic. As the title suggests, it’s about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, referred to by Russian politics as a “special operation”. “War is crap, no matter where. But slaughtering people is the very, very, very last thing. No matter who it is.” The message is conveyed through driving beats and danceable rhythms. “After a bit of politics”, the last song follows. Markus thanks once again for the Kulttempel guests requesting LIVING SIGNS. “It was a huge honour for us. Keep having fun. And if you feel like it, we’ll be somewhere towards the merchandise stand or something.” The fun they have on stage is transmitted to the audience during ‘Ocean of Life’.



There’s another round of celebration before the musicians bid farewell at 9:00 PM. Markus doesn’t miss the opportunity to thank Peter Jurjahn and his team, dear friends, the Ruhrpott community, and wishes everyone a lot of fun with the following acts.

Setlist
01. Kaleidoscope
02. Nachtzug
03. Help Me
04. Away
05. SpeZialoperation
06. Ocean of Life




The Second Sight

After just ten minutes, the next duo takes the stage. The band logo of THE SECOND SIGHT appears on the screen. The lights dim, and Dierk and Alex seemingly in good spirits, step onto the stage. Throughout the set, the two musicians alternate between the microphone and keyboard. Alex starts as the lead singer, with Dierk handling the keyboard and backing vocals for the first three songs. Then, Alex switches to the keyboard and takes over the backing vocals, while Dierk moves to the microphone at the centre of the stage. After another three songs, they switch roles again for the rest of the set.



Dierk and Alex host a radio show together, and occasionally, one of them lets their inner radio host shine through. The announcements between the songs sometimes become quite extensive. However, they themselves realize that “we’re ultimately here to listen to music and not to hear stories”. The beautiful and highly danceable set creates a great atmosphere among the guests. The good mood of the two musicians quickly rubs off on the audience, who dance, clap, and sing to tracks like ‘Life wrote it down’, ‘Born on the wrong side’ or ‘Alone and Forgotten’. Alex and Dierk also elate vocally, which is particularly evident in more mellow songs like ‘Everything is Broken’, earning them corresponding applause.



The duo also has one or two old songs on the list. The one coming up “has never been played or at least not in the last 25 years or so. It’s been a long time. Let’s see how you like it". Judging by the audience’s reactions, ‘Street to Nowhere’ seems to be greatly appreciated by the “best guests in the world” and Dierk also “enjoys singing it”. Following that, ‘History’ (sung by Dierk) and ‘A place called home’ (sung by Alex) are two very expressive songs, enthusiastically sung along by some. ‘Make it on Your Own’ and ‘We open Eyes’ get the crowd moving.



The duo concludes their performance just before ten with ‘Tomorrow’ slightly behind schedule, and bids farewell to the stage after taking a quick selfie with the audience in the background. A really enjoyable performance from THE SECOND SIGHT, who have decided to play more often in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) now.

Setlist
01. Intro / Life wrote it down
02. Born on the wrong side
03. Everything is Broken
04. Alone and Forgotten
05. Street to Nowhere
06. History
07. A place called home
08. Make it on Your Own
09. We open Eyes
10. Tomorrow




Wiegand

At ten past ten, it’s time for WIEGAND to enter the stage. The intro to ‘Filter’ starts, and enthusiastic singing along begins even though Helge and Jens aren’t on stage yet. Then Jens greets the audience, “Good evening, Oberhausen...”. The rest is drowned out by loud cheers and applause. Even with WIEGAND, there are moving images on the screen. It’s very well done, how the music videos and animations complement the songs and lyrics. I particularly find this effective in ‘Connected’. On one side of the screen, you mostly see the outline of a male head. Whenever Helge’s son Noah is heard in the song, the outline of a boy appears on the screen alongside it.



After the opener ‘Filter’ Helge thanks everyone for coming and sets the performance under the motto “less talking, more music”. Jens adds, “we don’t have time”. The duo avoids long speeches or explanations between songs. The atmosphere is excellent regardless, and the audience immediately starts celebrating. Helge intermittently switches between the front microphone and the piano. But Jens, responsible for the keyboard and backing vocals, has his premiere on the front microphone today. He takes over vocals for ‘Down the memory lane’, while Helge handles the backing vocals at the piano. I have to admit, the song sounds really good in this vocal variation too. The audience rewards the courage (Jens isn’t “that comfortable on stage”) with radiant faces and generous applause.



Dancefloor hits like ‘Get Informed’, ‘Pied Pipers’ (today, “slightly altered” in the MENTAL DISCIPLINE Remix), and ‘Alive’ alternate with calmer songs like ‘Falling’ or ‘Connected.’ Helge switches to the piano several times. The audience enthusiastically sings along throughout, dances energetically to the faster tracks, and sways along to the slower songs. Jens uses ‘Falling’ to introduce Helge. “Ladies and gentlemen, on the piano, Mr. Wiegand himself” and Helge reciprocates during ‘Alive’ by saying, “On the keyboards, Jens Domgörgen”. Following the motto “save the best for last”, WIEGAND has kept the audience favourite ‘Then Came You’ for the conclusion. The song is sung loudly by everyone.



All hands are up, and enthusiastic clapping fills the air. “It looks wonderful!” Helge switches to the piano one last time before bidding farewell at 22:54. There’s no time for an encore. Just a quick photo, a bow, and then these two also leave the stage. Unfortunately, no time for an encore.

Setlist
01. Intro / Filter
02. Down the memory lane
03. Get informed
04. Falling
05. Pied Pipers (Mental Discipline Remix)
06. Connected
07. Alive
08. Then came you




Auger

During the short break, space is made in front of and on the stage. The change-over is more of a teardown because AUGER doesn’t need much. A drum set (including drummer Marcus) and a guitar are all that’s left at 23:05 when the intro starts. The Kulttempel quickly fills up again as the music begins, and AUGER is welcomed with vigorous applause. Singer Kyle doesn’t need much and has the audience on his side from the start. Today is my first-time seeing AUGER live, and I’m truly impressed by the performance of the musicians from Blackpool. I mentioned earlier that I immediately bought the entire discography afterward. I’m not usually convinced that quickly. Though today, singer Kyle is battling a cold and performs on stage with a sore throat.



Kyle dances (sometimes with, sometimes without the guitar) excessively across the stage, often at the front, interacting strongly with the audience. The fusion of Dark Rock, electronic sounds, and driving guitars occasionally reminds me of another British band with an equally charismatic frontman. “Amazing voice, so much charisma, great song, wow!!!!!!! Awesome!!” That’s exactly what I noted down about the opener ‘Goodbye.’ Excitement spreads around me as well. Those familiar with AUGER support the stricken singer vocally. There’s continuous dancing and enthusiastic clapping throughout.



During ‘Dark Clouds’ Kyle asks for “all your hands in the air”. Everyone willingly obliges. All hands are up, and once again, I realize how extraordinarily much I’m enjoying this. The singer creates a lively and fantastic atmosphere with his enthusiasm and joy of performing. Whether it’s quieter intense songs or driving drumbeats and hard guitar riffs, AUGER captivate the present audience consistently and surely gained several new fans today. That’s precisely what I love about smaller festivals. Every now and then, you make a discovery and come across musicians who simply inspire you. The evening was worth it just for that. It seems AUGER also saved the best for last.



At least ‘Oxygen’ hasn’t left my mind since then, and the audience enthusiastically celebrates the song before bidding Kyle and Marcus farewell from the stage with cheers and applause. What an intense and fantastic performance that will surely resonate for a long time. And again, no time for an encore.

Setlist
01. Goodbye
02. Sound of the machine
03. My death
04. Dark clouds
05. Libra
06. Before it began
07. When we are apart
08. Oxygen




Beborn Beton

By now, it’s almost midnight, and the Kulttempel is starting to thin out again a bit. During the last break, some step outside for fresh air and enjoy a cool drink. Considering the late hour and some attendees having travelled from afar, unfortunately, some are already heading home, resulting in the venue being not as crowded for the main act of the evening. It’s great for those who stay until the end, as frontman Stefan Netschio later utilizes the free space for several excursions into the audience. But shortly after midnight, it’s lights out again, intro on, and Stefan Tillmann and Michael B Wagner take to the stage followed by the frontman. “Are you awake? We’re on the night shift! We are BEBORN BETON.” And just like that, the three musicians get us fired up again with ‘Black Hole’.



Stefan Tillmann switches between the keyboard and the e-drums during the show. However, what’s truly remarkable is the guitar that, instead of strings, has various buttons and knobs. It’s not exactly a keytar either. Nevertheless, this piece of equipment provides the musician with freedom of movement, which he takes full advantage of. On the other hand, Michael discreetly stays in the background at the keys on the opposite side of the stage. Frontman Stefan uses the entire stage, frequently moving from the centre all the way to the left or right. He descends the stairs a bit and swiftly reappears between his bandmates in the centre of the stage. He also frequently stands at the front of the stage, engaging with the fans. Songs like ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘24/7 Mystery’, ‘Lost Little Robot’, ‘I Watch My Life On TV’ or ‘Another World’ prompt dancing and singing along.



“Thank you very much! You’re still having fun, right? You’re not ready to go home yet, are you?” The die-hard fans endure. And they’re still having lots of fun. ‘I Believe’ slows things down a bit, followed by a truly electrifying song from the new album. ‘Electricity’ gets everyone dancing again. It’s quite fitting that ‘Dancer In The Dark’ follows. Even with ‘Daisy Cutter’, “here’s something to clap and dance along to again”. Then Stefan can’t stay on stage any longer. He ventures into the audience. Now, the dance floor becomes his stage. We’re in full party mode. With ‘She Cried’ and ‘Burning Gasoline’ BEBORN BETON keep the tempo high. During ‘Im Innern einer Frau’ the singer once again joins the crowd. “Alright, now give it all you’ve got.”



Last song, and Stefan decides, “so, I’ll come down again”. Stefan spends most of ‘Mantrap - The Seduction’ with us on the dance floor once more. Back on stage, he introduces his bandmates and swiftly finds himself back in the audience, ending the song on his knees. This time, the calls for an encore are heard. Technically, we’re already over time, and the after-show party should be in full swing. However, it’s now December 1st, the first weekend of Advent, “so let’s play ‘Last Christmas’”. Okay, maybe not and the three musicians bid farewell with ‘Dr. Channard’. The audience still isn’t quite satisfied and just keeps singing. Stefan joins in for one more line, and then, at a quarter past one, it’s time to bid a final farewell. “Goodbye. Have a great party. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

Setlist
01. Intro / Black Hole
02. Sleeping Beauty
03. 24/7 Mystery
04. Lost Little Robot
05. I Watch My Life On TV
06. Another World
07. I Believe
08. Electricity
09. Dancer In The Dark
10. Daisy Cutter
11. She Cried
12. Burning Gasoline
13. Im Innern einer Frau
14. Mantrap - The Seduction
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15. Dr. Channard



All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)