MTC Club, Cologne, Germany 17th June 2026
Zero 9:36 - “Let it Rip Tour 2026” - Special Guest: Goldmann
ZERO 9:36 is coming to Germany for four shows in June, finally bringing his intense mix of Rap, Rock, and electronic influences back to local stages. As part of the tour, fans can look forward to high-energy evenings centred around raw emotion, powerful sounds, and close proximity to the audience. And that was exactly why people were queuing round the block to be let into the venue.
Goldmann
Taking the stage first was the Stuttgart-based quintet GOLDMANN, tasked with warming up the crowd before headliners ZERO 9:36 were scheduled to turn the small venue into a pressure cooker. Entering the music scene around 2023, GOLDMANN have released two singles and three EPs, with the latest being called ‘Neues Accessoire’. They call their musical style “Pop Metal”, and with the ingredients down-tuned guitars, catchy vocal melodies, and energetic breakdowns they certainly appeal to the same demographic as the headliners. https://www.facebook.com/people/Goldmann/100089227111193
Music & Performance
From the first chord, it was clear that GOLDMANN is a very ambitious band that refuses to be constrained by the literal boundaries of a tiny club stage. This started with the intro, where one of the band members sat masked on an antique chair in the middle of the stage. Then he was joined by the other masked band members, and the band kicked off their set. They performed with the arena-scale energy of a group headlining a festival main stage, bringing an intentional overdose on pathos to every breakdown and soaring chorus. At times, the sheer level of dramatic grandeur felt almost too massive for the intimate, gritty walls of the MTC Club, but the crowd continued to be entertained by it.
Much of this triumph belongs to their frontman. The singer expertly ticked all the classic boxes of a good warm-up act, commanding the dense room with the charisma of a veteran general. Within minutes, he successfully convinced the packed crowd to jump in unison, wave their hands to the heavy rhythm, and eventually light up their phones, turning the dark underground bunker into a glowing sea of tech-lit euphoria. By the time their set concluded, GOLDMANN had elevated the energy in the room to a fever pitch, proving they possess both the songwriting chops and the stadium-sized ambition to go very far.
Zero 9:36
Matthew Cullen, hailing from Philadelphia, has carved out a unique position between genres with his uncompromising style. His tracks move between distorted guitars, glitchy soundscapes, and precise rap - always carried by a directness that comes across even more powerfully live. After years in the underground, ZERO 9:36 achieved his breakthrough with the EP ‘You Will Not Be Saved’ (2019), led by songs like ‘Leave The Light On’ and ‘WWYDF’, which were streamed millions of times and firmly anchored his name in the scene.
The artist remained a constant presence in the following years. With releases like ‘Adrenaline’ (2021), which reached number 1 on the Active Rock airplay charts, as well as other fan favourites like ‘I Felt It All’ and ‘The Fear’, he continuously expanded his reach. In parallel, he developed into a sought-after live act, having already toured with greats such as SHINEDOWN, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, or HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, and impressing audiences at international festivals.
The album ‘None Of Us Are Getting Out’ (2024) marks another important step in the career of ZERO 9:36. Released as an independent artist, the project showcases a new artistic freedom and combines catchy hooks with the familiar impact of his productions. Songs like ‘Kill Me’ or ‘Chasing Shadows’ seamlessly transfer this energy to the stage, making it clear why his first headlining shows in Europe sold out quickly. He followed this up rapidly last year with ‘They Were Always Here’, which reveals further facets of his genre-blurring work.
Anyone who experiences ZERO 9:36 live gets an intense concert caught between mosh pits and collective euphoria. The American's ability to bundle different musical influences while maintaining a clear, distinct signature creates a dynamic that particularly unfolds in direct exchange with the audience. https://zero936.com
Music & Performance
The tonal shift before ZERO 9:36 took the stage was a bit surreal. Just as the crowd was waiting in the cramped basement, OUTKAST’s ‘Hey Ya’ started playing from the house stereo. It was a disarming choice for an introduction, but the moment the music cut out, the room shifted completely into gear. The opener, ‘Make Me Feel’, brought a massive amount of energy into the compressed space.
The low end got an extra boost when ATREYU bass player Porter McKnight made a surprise appearance, joining singer Matthew Santos for a solid duet that caught the room by surprise. Despite how limited the space was inside the MTC Club, the crowd didn’t hold back. Circle pits and walls of death opened up anyway, and a few crowd surfers even made their way to the front. Because the venue is so intimate and lacked a barrier or dedicated security staff to catch people, the fans in the front row took over, carefully lowering the surfers back to their feet.
That cooperative attitude kept the night running smoothly, as both the crowd and the band were highly respectful. During the chaos of the pit, a bottle broke on the floor. The pushing stopped immediately as people gathered around to safely pick up the shards. The band paused the show for a moment, with Matthew asking what was wrong and requesting the crew turn up the stage lights so everyone could see. He joked that he wasn’t going to pay for anyone’s hospital treatments, before catching himself, laughing, and remembering he was in Europe where people don’t have to worry about hospital bills.
Once the floor was clear, they jumped right back into the music, playing straight through until the lights came up at 21:45h. At just 45 minutes, the set was super short, but the sheer intensity of the performance made it a memorable night in the sweaty basement.
Setlist
01. Make Me Feel
02. Underneath
03. Until the Day I
04. Break
05. One To Create You
06. Holding On
07. Kill Me
08. Chasing Shadows
09. Blurry
10. System
11. Here to Bleed
12. I’m Not
13. Adrenaline
14. The End
Pictures by Christian Beyermann
