Kulturpark, Deutzen, Germany7th to 9th September 2018
NCN 2018 Day 2 with Sündenrausch, Controlled Collapse, Machinista, Scheuber, Luc Stargazer, Fïx8:Sëd8, FAID, Widukind, Heimataerde, Box and the Twins, Armageddon Dildos, Evi Vine, The House of Usher, H ø R D, Escape with Romeo, Tanz ohne Musik, Tyske Ludder, Agent Side Grinder, S.P.O.C.K, Brighter Death Now, Kirlian Camera, Henric de la Cour, Peter Hook and the Light
The first day of NCN 2018 with an amazing performance of MARC ALMOND was already great and anyone was well warmed up. The second day promised a lot more performances and much more interesting shows with PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT as headliner of the day and a touching performance. Another highlight was surely AGENT SIDE GRINDER with one of the first shows with new singer Emanuel Åström.
Sündenrausch - Weidenbogenbühne (Marko)
Hamburg-based band SÜNDENRAUSCH released their self-produced first album, ‘Sündstoff’, in 2015. An EP, ‘Schwarz wie Ebenholz’, followed in the summer of 2016 and was produced by Chris Harms of LORD OF THE LOST. The band has toured with MEGAHERZ, XANDRIA and HELDMASCHINE already. It was the beginning of the second day of the festival, and it is so often the case that only a few people were in front of the stage. However, it was beautiful late summer weather with sunshine and pleasant temperatures on this Saturday. Some fans were already sitting with cocktails on the benches near the stage. The band soon lured them in with their electronic sounds. These, along with the guitar, bass and drums created some beautiful Goth Pop Metal, and soon more and more people moved nearer the stage.
As it slowly filled up the atmosphere improved immediately. “Can I see your hands?” asked singer Kira, but most fans appeared still too tired. The band then presented a song and asked if the audience liked the title. There was finally some applause from the audience. “We are from Hamburg, anyone else?” asked the singer to the crowd - but it seemed there were very few on-site spectators from Hamburg. Now people were waking up and joining in with the “morning exercise” and those nearest the front were beginning to clap. By the end, this performance from SÜNDENRAUSCH was finally pretty well attended and the band presented the fans with another new song. // http://www.suendenrausch.de / https://www.facebook.com/suendenrausch // Setlist: 01. Cinderella / 02. Schwarz wie Ebenholz / 03. Kontrolle / 04. Böser Wolf / 05. Freier Fall / 06. Sirenia / 07. Winter / 08. Heroin 09. Feuerregen 10. Wunderland
Controlled Collapse - Amphibühne (Marko)
CONTROLLED COLLAPSE from Poland was founded in 2003. The Electro-Industrial band has received attention when they played joint concerts with COMBICHRIST and AESTHETIC PERFECTION. In 2017, the band’s second album ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder’ was released. CONTROLLED COLLAPSE was the first band on the Amphibühne on Saturday. They played gritty Electro, which was just the thing to wake up to. The band consists of a singer and guitarist, both entered the stage wearing hoods. For a great live sound there was also a drummer present. Over 200 fans were there at the beginning and certainly got a treat for their ears.
The band blasted a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Singer Wojciech fully lives the music on stage and was constantly on the go, from one side of the stage to the other. The first people in the audience began to move slowly. The sound on the stage was really good and had a lot of dynamism - this band are really aiming higher than other Electro bands, one song was even very rocky. In the totally black-lit stage, even at noon, the lights were already in effect - with red, blue and white spotlights. “We love you- thank you, thank you for being here” said the band as a goodbye to the Deutzen audience. // http://www.controlled-collapse.com / https://www.facebook.com/controlledcollapse // Setlist: 01. Create The Change / 02. Dzień Sądu / 03. Burn The Bridges / 04. DIY (Edit) 05. Unhappy 06. Lust 07. This Is Your Way 08. Adios
Machinista - Weidenbogenbühne (Marcel)
In December 2012, John Lindqwister and Richard Flow decided to start a new, experimental project. In autumn 2013, a first EP was released with ‘Arizona Lights’. MACHINISTA’s debut album, ‘Xenoglossy’, was released in 2014 and shortly thereafter in 2015 the album ‘Garmonbozia’. Gloomy sounds and other style elements such as guitars further develop the sound of MACHINISTA. In live performances, the guitarist BRD supports the band and brings additional energy into the performances. At the end of 2016, two singles, ‘Pain of every day’ on AnalogueTrash Records and ‘Seconds Minutes Hours’ on Infacted Records were released, while at the same time the band was working on the third studio album, ‘Anthropocene’. The drummer DNTR joined the band during several performances and additionally spices the performances.
In September, the band released the digital single ‘Let Darkness In’ in preparation for their upcoming album. Unfortunately, with 15 minutes delay because SÜNDENRAUSCH unquestionably were over time, the guys from MACHINISTA started with their performance. Singer John looked slightly grim, but had found his balance after two songs and tore the audience along. He especially managed to involve all the children in the audience and addressed anyone of them what also pleased the adult audience. There was energy from the guitarist with a bird mask to get a few more people dancing. All in all, a successful show and a good start into the festival day. // http://www.machinistamusic.com / https://www.facebook.com/machinistamusic // Setlist: 01 Take Comfort In Being Sad / 02. Seconds Minutes Hours / 03. Let Darkness In / 04. Pushing The Angels Astray / 05. Salvation / 06. Dark Heart Of Me / 07. Ghost + Molecules And Carbon
Scheuber - Amphibühne (Marko)
After many successful years with the band PROJECT PITCHFORK, Dirk started his solo career with SCHEUBER in 2016 with the debut album ‘The Me I See’. In the summer of 2017, he released his second album, ‘Changes’. The space in front of the Amphibühne was by now very well filled and SCHEUBER started his performance with the song ‘Space’ from his debut album. Immediately there was a good mood among the audience. “Thank you friends, thank you for the sun” were the first words from the singer. There now came more and more fans, apparently most were well rested at this time. During the concert SCHEUBER congratulated a fan in the audience on his birthday and he then briefly introduced his bandmates on drums and keyboards to the audience. The music was really well received, and many people danced in front of the stage. After the title ‘Undone’ SCHEUBER said “I’ll have one final song left then you can all go and eat a sausage!” Overall, the fans experienced a totally beautiful appearance from the PROJECT PITCHFORK keyboard player. // https://www.scheuber-music.de / https://www.facebook.com/ScheuberMusic // Setlist: 01. Space / 02. Human / 03. Metabeat / 04. Spiritwalker / 05. Undone / 06. Out Of Time...
Luc Stargazer - Parkbühne (Marko)
The band LUC STARGAZER was founded in 2010. In 2011 their debut EP, ‘Evolution’, was released. Shortly before their appearance at the NCN Festival, the band’s new album, ‘Lunascape’, came out. On the Parkbühne in Deutzen, the band from Dresden had almost a home game. The numerous fans were looking forward to the songs from the new album and stood tightly packed in front of the stage. Beautiful wave guitars, partly in the style of THE CURE, made the gig a breath-taking experience. The new songs, such as ‘Dramaboy and Traumaqueen’, were very popular with the audience and there was a lot of applause. The band thanked them several times for it. The sounds and tones was very refreshing and extremely inviting to dance. It was a great gig, which ended way too soon with another song from the current album. From this band I really could not get enough. Luckily the band will be playing some more dates this year. // http://lucstargazer.bandcamp.com / https://www.facebook.com/lucstargazerband // Setlist: 01. Brightness / 02. Dramaboy and Traumaqueen / 03. Lucys Eyes / 04. Sternenmeer / 05. Jupiter / 06. Mr. Freeze
Fïx8:Sëd8 - Weidenbogenbühne (Marcel)
Fïx8:Sëd8 is an extremely dark Dark Electro Band from Frankfurt / Wiesbaden. Distinguishing are samples, somber, sometimes very accusing, heartfelt singing, complex sequences, disturbing frequencies and edgy rhythms. In 2005 he released his debut "Humanophobia". The result was a product of electronic mastery with a degree of diversity at all levels, so that Fïx8:Sëd8 are a completely independent, actually hardly comparable project. On the one hand there are powerful beat-driven club tracks, on the other side dark-atmospheric songs. In the end, a melodic, atmospheric song is always created that consciously burns into the concentrated listener. The current album Foren6 was released in May 2017. The musical companion enters the stage in a sombre and chic costume reminiscent of the Queen of the Damned. Shortly thereafter, Martin Sane comes on stage. White clothes and a transparent plastic raincoat, in front of the face a Leatherface mask. The stage design goes perfectly with the music and the choppy puppet dance style underlines the gloomy of the songs. 13:55 might have been too early for Fïx8:Sëd8, but that did not stop the duo from delivering a great show. // https://myspace.com/fix8sed8music /https://www.facebook.com/Fix8Sed8 // Setlist: 01. Lynch / 02. Ligamentum / 03. Syringe Relation / 04. Baptism Of Fire / 05. Flatline Friend / 06. Puritan / 07. Depression Deity / 08. Monolith
FAID - Amphibühne (Marko)
In February 2018, the current recording of the band FAID was released. From this EP the band published two singles including video clips. Relatively little was going on at the beginning of the performance, but the nice synth pop with the unique voice lured more and more people in front of the stage over time. The music was varied, sometimes very quiet and then suddenly alive. It reminded me of HURTS, partly due to the sound and intensity. ‘Save My Tears’, the new single which was released at the beginning of 2018, was included in the set. “Usually we play in the dark, but we are happy to be in this nice weather here”, said singer Alexander. The audience grew larger and sat packed tightly in on the benches in front of the Amphibühne. The set was also very varied, as the singer played some keyboards, and the keyboarder took over the guitar. Blue, violet and yellow spotlights made for some beautiful light effects. The band could not bring any CDs to the NCN Festival, because all are currently sold out! There was a lot of applause for this great band from Berlin. // http://www.faidmusic.com / https://www.facebook.com/faidband
Widukind - Kulturbühne (Nastja)
The NCN started for me with WIDUKIND on Saturday. The band from Berlin was scheduled for 14:35 at Kulturbühne. Two of the musicians appeared on stage with bunny masks. Though that might sound “funny”, the music WIDUKIND present to their audience is deep with mostly German poetical lyrics. The band itself describes their music as “Post-Apocalyptic-Folk” and “Post-Neo-Folk”. The Folk elements are definitely very dominant. The apocalyptic part was not so obvious at the beginning, the music appeared mostly calm, and the acoustic guitar was very pregnant here. There is a lot of philosophical background behind the music which becomes very observable during the concert. The society itself, our life, also what we call ‘politics’ nowadays, these all are the topics that get covered by the songs. // http://www.subkultur.de / https://www.facebook.com/Widukinder // Setlist: 01. Phoenix / 02. Licht / 03. Eine Blüte in Japan / 04. Galaxien Parcours / 05. ??? / 06. Odysseus As The Immigrant / 07. Es ist / 08. Atmosphere (Joy Division Cover)
Heimatærde - Weidenbogenbühne (Marcel)
HEIMATÆRDE is a German Medieval Electro Band founded in 2004 by DJ Ash. On a musical level, the project combines danceable, electronic beats with soft, partly archaic orchestrated melodies. Behind it is a mixture of electro, brutal electric guitar and unusual instruments such as bagpipe, hurdy-gurdy and cymbals. Medieval costumes, weapons, banners and war equipment belong to the fund of every stage show. Stage fights and the narrative underlines take you into the world of undead, Templars and fanatics, accompanied by the narrator Ashlar of Megalon. Conceptually influenced music tells a story to the interested listener. HEIMATÆRDE do not play a frontal electro, but infiltrate the audience, communicate, beat bridges and win their viewers with charm. Guitar & Drums as well as Shield & Axe.
The blood-smeared faces and robes on stage provided from the first moment for a good-humoured audience. From song two the audience celebrated and danced and the band reaps rejoicing and applause. The moral is in the foreground in the stories, but does not doubt the party character. Maybe that’s what made the mix from HEIMATÆRDE so popular. The show master, who was only there to present the songs and to animate the crowd, picked up the audience and the singers ensured for the rest with comments and the fun they had with their music. Motivation radiated from the stage and you could tell that all musicians had fun. Almost for the whole concert people kept clapping their hands and even going down on their knees to pray the paternoster with the band. The band had the audience under control and they wanted it that way. // https://heimataerde.de / https://www.facebook.com/HeimataerdeOffiziell // Setlist: 01. Gotteskrieger / 02. Der Verfall / 03. Hoch hinaus / 04. Tanz / 05. Dein Opfer / 06. Wie ein Tier / 07. Pater Noster / Heimataerde / 08. Hick Hack Hackebeil
Box and the Twins - Parkbühne (Nastja)
The next band on my list that day was BOX AND THE TWINS who I enjoyed a lot. The music project from Cologne was introduced to the crowd in front of the stage as “Dream Pop” or “Cold Wave” and the combination of these two styles is actually a pretty good try to describe the kind of music they create. The singer Box von Dü convinced with her powerful stage appearance. The sound was really good during their gig at the NCN on the Parkbühne and the distinctive and strong voice was giving the band the unique drive for their songs. Beside of some older songs, also a new song was performed for the first time on stage, ‘The First Dream’. The music made you want to dance and sing along as well as just dream yourself away while dancing. // http://www.boxandthetwins.com / https://www.facebook.com/boxandthetwins // Setlist: 01. Frozen Time / 02. Gravity / 03. This Place Called Nowhere / 04. Lovesong / 05. The First Dream / 06. Ice Machine / 07. Guilty Red / 08. Pale Blue Dot
Armageddon Dildos - Amphibühne (Marcel)
The ARMAGEDDON DILDOS are a German EBM band which was founded in 1989 by Uwe Kanka (vocals) and Dirk Krause (synthesizer) in Kassel. The debut single, ‘East-West’, became a club hit in the EBM scene in 1990. In 1991, after only 11 days of production, the debut album, ‘That’s Armageddon’, was released. The albums ‘Lost’ and ‘Unite’ appeared on Zoth Ommog, the album ‘Speed’ on Metronome. Returning to Zoth Ommog, the band released a collection of remixes of popular songs with the album ‘Re:Match’. 2003 was then the release year of ‘Dawn’ and after the tours “Speed” (1997) and “Ten Years of Zoth Ommog Anniversary” (1999), Dirk Krause left the band for personal reasons. In 2003, Rene Nowotny from Berlin became a member of the ARMAGEDDON DILDOS.
Live the DILDOS still show their quality and played from Rock-Electronic sets to strict old-school EBM performances pretty much everything. Energy! The constant beat spread over the ranks of the Amphi theatre and there was movement on all ranks. It seemed that the EBM masters brought their own audience. One had the feeling that the half “Familientreffen” (EBM Festival) had arrived to pay tribute to the men. After releasing their new album after seven years without any release at the beginning of the year and sporadically one gig, the fans’ pent-up energy exploded that afternoon. Great job! // http://armageddondildos.info /https://www.facebook.com/armageddondildos
Evi Vine - Kulturbühne (Nastja)
EVI VINE created a spherical dreamy atmosphere during her gig at the a little bit hidden Kulturbühne on Saturday afternoon. She is known for her clear and beautiful voice, though to me the sound was unfortunately not perfect enough for this kind of voice and music. The music EVI VINE presented was dark, mystical and dreamy in its own way. The beautiful voice takes you far away into an imaginary world and doesn’t let you go until the very end. The only thing that seemed unusual was the daylight during the performance as EVI VINE revealed to the listeners that it is “scary to play in the daylight”. Nevertheless the atmosphere was great and the sunlight didn’t destroy it, but of course this kind of music is revealing its full potential in the darkness. // www.evivine.com / https://www.facebook.com/evi.vine.music
The House of Usher - Weidenbogenbühne (Marcel)
There is music, which just does not get old. In this category belongs the Gothic Rock of THE HOUSE OF USHER, a band that was founded in 1990 by Jörg Kleudgen and Markus Pick. The name was given after the novel ‘The Fall of the House Usher’ by Edgar Allan Poe. The music of the band finds its roots in the Gothic or Wave Rock of the 80s. THE MISSION, THE CULT, THE SISTERS OF MERCY, KILLING JOKE and JOY DIVISION are all reflected in the distinctive sound of THE HOUSE OF USHER since ‘Cosmogenesis’, which is dominated by guitars. In general, the aim is to express an impression of space in the pieces, which can sometimes turn into a sense of loneliness. The CD releases are accompanied by short stories by singer Jörg Kleudgen. The lyrics are dark-melancholic and the music between melodic guitar-wave and catchy Goth Rock, as it is known from its heyday, now and then enriched with sensitively used synthesizers and female background-vocals, make the music of THE HOUSE OF USHER even today an experience for any guitar lover with a taste for good melodies.
The quiet, almost reverent stage design fitted in with the musical idea of the band, even if one looks at the inspirations that created this band. The sound was clear and let the listener stand quietly in the meadow and enjoy the concert, some danced the classic gravediggers dance - three steps forward, three steps back. The only drawback for me was the guitarist who had to light one cigarette after the other. As a result, the show was easily ridiculed and seemed forced cool. Otherwise a great performance by good musicians. //http://www.the-house-of-usher.de /https://www.facebook.com/thehouseofusher // Setlist: 01. Where The Storm May Drop Us Down / 02. To The Glorious Dead / 03. Arrival / 04. How Far Can We Go / 05. With The Heat Of A Sun / 06. Ordinary Days / 07. It Doesn’t Matter / 08. As It Really Is / 09. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes / 10. Finders Keepers
H ø R D - Parkbühne (Nastja)
H ø R D from France presented the audience in front of the Parkbühne later in the afternoon finest electronic music, inspired by Cold Wave sounds. The effect of the huge amount of fog was unfortunately lost due to the daylight, I am sure this would have been looked much cooler in the dark. The music of H ø R D was nicely danceable, the vocals slightly distorted. The performance simple, but effective. // https://www.facebook.com/hordmusic
Escape with Romeo - Amphibühne (Nastja)
ESCAPE WITH ROMEO played the wonderful Amphibühne on Saturday. I must admit, I knew the name before, but was not sure whether I knew any songs of ESCAPE WITH ROMEO. Well, who doesn’t know ‘Somebody’ with its epic line “I felt in love with my killer”, such a great late 80ies classics (actually from the year I was born). This and other songs created an awesome groovy atmosphere on and in front of the Amphibühne. ESCAPE WITH ROMEO delivered finest Synth Pop and Wave and the atmosphere on this sunny warm September afternoon became even more relaxed. I really enjoyed this gig and had great time watching them. // http://www.escapewithromeo.de / https://www.facebook.com/escapewithromeospain // Setlist: 01. Intro / 02. Helicopters in the Falling Rain / 03. Glitter on the Snow / 04. Darknesstaker / 05. Anteroom for Your Love / 06. Here Comes the Night / 07. Someone, Somewhere, Someday / 08. If Seeing is Believing / 09. Somebody / 10. It’s Loneliness / 11. Tears of Kali / 12. White Room
Tanz ohne Musik - Kulturbühne (Marko)
The Romanian band TANZ OHNE MUSIK brought the fans to the Kulturbühne with their brand of minimal Electro of a special kind. Interesting sound constructs seduced the audience on a musical trip into the world of drum machines and samples. The duo also used a video projector, thus creating interesting visual background effects, which adapted perfectly to the music. There was grateful applause after the first songs; the audience liked it very much. Unfortunately, the appearance was completely without any light effects. Singer Dan Serbanescu really has an interesting voice, including some strange sounds and noises. The performance was really well attended at the Kulturbühne. The band had fun and was very friendly with the audience. If you want to see more, you have the chance to see the band live in London in October. // https://www.facebook.com/tanzohnemusik
Tyske Ludder - Weidenbogenbühne (Marcel)
At the beginning of the 90s, TYSKE LUDDER represented the supremacy of technology in our society as the thematic constant in the work of the “German whore”. Their music varies from harsh Electro sounds to a kind of ominous Dance music somewhere between Industrial and the aroma of a nuclear bomb. The band around vocalist Albert-X and composer Olaf A. R. manages again and again to create Avant-Industrial soundscapes, which often divides the listeners into two camps. This is how the albums ‘Bombt die Mörder?’, ‘Creutzfeld’ and ‘Dalmarnock’ were made until the mid-90s. At the beginning of our new millennium, it was quiet around TYSKE LUDDER. In 2004, the band started working on new material and in the same year the live comeback took place. Since November 2005 the band is under contract with Black Rain and in the beginning of 2006 the long awaited new album, ‘Soyuz’, finally appeared. In April 2008, the EP ‘SCIENTifictechnOLOGY’ was released and in June 2009 the next album, ‘Anonymous’. Which, without any warning, turned out to be the best album of the Ludders in their nearly 20-year band history.
The now as a quartet acting Frisian monster has presented the next album with ‘Diaspora’ (2011) which deals thematically with minorities who were confronted in their history with scattering and uprooting and still are. Without completely ignoring trendy influences, old school attitudes, harshness and substantive substance are combined in a fascinating way. In 2015, ‘Evolution’ was released. “Do you want some EBM? Do you want some old-school?”, the band asked the audience and of course the answer was “Yes”! An EBM concert cannot start any better. Boots rolled the grass flat and the crowd in front of the stage occasionally swallowed up someone who appeared a short time later at the edge of the stage just to head straight for the dancing crowd again. One classic after another made it clear that no one here was allowed to take a break and then everything was over faster than you thought. As expected from TYSKE LUDDER it was merciless and “very big cinema”, as you say in Germany. // http://www.tyske-ludder.com /https://www.facebook.com/tyskeludder // Setlist: 01. Intro / 02. Pactum / 03. An vorderster Front / 04. Zeichen der Zeit / 05. Eugenix / 06. Grelle Farben / 07. Crack / 08. Narziss / 09. Bambule / 10. Meskalin / 11. Extrem / 12. Monotonie / 13. Panzer
Agent Side Grinder - Parkbühne (Marko)
Swedish band AGENT SIDE GRINDER was founded in 2005. In the spring of 2018, their current single, ‘Doppelgänger’, was released. While their first two albums still had their roots in Post Punk, their style has been changing towards Electronic sounds since around 2012. Two large keyboards faced each other on the stage. A huge steel spring hung in the middle of the stage. Everything was prepared for a great Electro concert. The Scandinavians with their new singer appeared with white painted faces and proceeded to put in a nice intro with the current song ‘In From The Cold’. Singer Emanuel, who did a pretty good job while wearing sunglasses and a black jacket, had the audience under control from the start. The fans gave him a great reception. It was not at all noticeable that it was only his second gig with the band, and the first international one.
The band offered brisk and varied Electro sounds. There was hardly any space left in front of the stage, the band’s performance was well attended. During the song, ‘Mag 7’ the keyboarder then made a very interesting sound using an iron rod on the big feather hanging from the stage ceiling. The band even presented a whole new song to the fantastic audience. Almost the whole audience were dancing and the band received loud cheers for their great performance. “Thank you so much, thank you NCN” - and so the Scandinavians said goodbye to their loyal German fans. // http://www.agentsidegrinder.com / https://www.facebook.com/agentsidegrinder // Setlist: 01. In from the Cold / 02. Life in Advance / 03.Mag 7 / 04. Inner Noises / 05. Giants Fall / 06. Doppelgänger / 07. This is Us / 08. Wolf Hour / 09. Allisin Sane (No. 2)
S.P.O.C.K - Amphibühne (Marcel)
Klingons, aliens, androids, Dr. McCoy and Astrogirl - all of them were involved when the universe’s best sci-fi boy band in 2008 debuted the Amphibühne of the Kulturpark in Deutzen and celebrated their 20th anniversary with an enthusiastic audience. The band was founded by the three Swedes Eddie Bengtsson, Finn Albertsson and Alexander Hofman. The commercial success began in 1990, when they released their first single, ‘Silicon Dreams’. The first result of the collaboration with Energy Records was the legendary single ‘Never trust a Klingon’. The live shows of S.P.O.C.K. are legendary, because more than any other band S.P.O.C.K fulfil their principle of being not just musicians but entertainers in their original sense.
And fortunately, the Swedes around the remaining founding member Alexander Hofmann, even after 30 years, despite the lack of new releases, do not feel like to do a farewell tour, because they have too much fun in what they do. The mood reached the boiling point shortly before the concert already. Big golden balloons that were brought by fans show the words “SPOCK 30”. Yellow light sticks were distributed and as the intro of Star Trek began there was no stopping. The entire round of the amphi theatre danced to Spock’n’Roll and celebrated the band’s 30th anniversary. With some surprises, such as some Jazz interpretations of their own pieces, S.P.O.C.K gave what was expected of them: great performance, stirring music and songs to sing along. A real experience for everyone! // http://www.subspace.se/spock /https://www.facebook.com/StarPilotOnChannelK
Brighter Death Now - Kulturbühne (Nastja)
It finally became dark and so again I went to the hidden gem Kulturbühne. I really like the atmosphere at this stage. Quite cosy and familiar, with the possibility to grab a drink or two and enjoy the concerts standing in the first row or just chilling at the beer tables. BRIGHTER DEATH NOW offered the visitors a very experimental music show. The music itself electronic and very different from everything I listened before on this day. The opinions were very different, a woman next to us stood up and just said “Wow, amazing. Third song and we are still listening to the intro” which wasn’t meant in a mean way, more just funny. The rhythm, the different sounds, also the vieo show and the whole performance was unusual and challenged the listener. Others mentioned it sounded to them a bit like soundtrack music. I just tried to let the music in and experienced an extraordinary show. // https://www.facebook.com/Brighter-Death-Now-189971351200853
Kirlian Camera - Weidenbogenbühne (Nastja)
One of my highlights on Saturday was definitely KIRLIAN CAMERA. I have to admit that I never actively listened to them, they kinda haven’t really been on my radar, but as they played at the NCN and were headlining one of the stages on Saturday I used the chance to check them out and that was a positive surprise. The band from Italy, actually founded in 1980 appeared in a very modern way so I am actually surprised for how long they’ve already been active in the music business. Elena Alice Fossi, female singing part since 2000, absolutely blew me away with her vocal skills. Every tone seemed to be just perfect. The music itself was harmonic, very danceable, but also spherical in its individual way.
The PLACEBO cover ‘Too many friends’ became their very own song on this stage with the unique voice of Elena Alice Fossi. The performance of KIRLIAN CAMERA completed the Saturday at NCN for me perfectly and made me curious for more. The atmosphere was magical, dreamy and just on point for this very familiar and unique festival. // https://www.facebook.com/kirliancamera.official // Setlist: 01. Der Mond über Mosul / 02. Holograms / 03. Polar-IHS / 04. Lost Islands / 05. Blue Room / 06. Eyes of the Moon / 07. Black August / 08. Kryostar / 09. Haunted River / 10. Too Many Friends (Placebo cover) / 11. Nightglory / 12. Heldenplatz / 13. Sky Collapse / 14. Eclipse / 15. Edges
Henric de la Cour - Parkbühne (Marcel)
Paul Henric Dornonville de la Cour, born in 1974 in Eskilstuna, has been indispensable to the Swedish music scene for twenty years. The big breakthrough was achieved by the charismatic giant with the gloomy indie rock band YVONNE. The band released four albums, then it was over. With STRIP MUSIC, Henric continued and followed a similar, but somewhat rockier direction. After two albums this band broke apart too. Since 2011, Henric is finally on the road solo, much more reduced, electronic, but still with the great melodies and the inner pain that you already know from his previous projects. ‘Henric de la Cour’ and ‘Mandrills’ are his previously released albums, each full of unique dark beads, but 100 percent Synth Pop. HENRIC DE LA COUR stands for an extraordinary voice with a Rock-melancholic musical accompaniment. Since 2014, there is also a documentary about this multi-layered, mysterious man.
HENRIC DE LA COUR looked gloomy with his peculiar Iro, the motionless face, the nearly two-meter-tall, lanky figure, the black clothes. His art is somehow radio-friendly, but then again underground. Somewhere in-between lies the truth. Definitely a recommendation for the Synth Pop friends from DEPECHE MODE to COVENANT. Emotionally, as always, the musician presented himself as one of the greats and yet not lifted off. He knew how music and text affect people and spoke to many of the souls in the audience. Music that was tuned to the smallest, stage presence that captivated even though there was not much movement and a voice that gained more and more charm with each listening. The songs from the new album were getting as usual under the skin, made you hungry for more and he has simply earned the additions. Luckily, he brought his new album, ‘Gimme Daggers’ (out one week after NCN) already to the festival where you could buy it at the label merch booth. // http://www.progress-productions.com /https://www.facebook.com/HenricDLC
Peter Hook and the Light - Amphibühne (Marcel)
The Brit Peter Hook was founding member and bassist of the band JOY DIVISION. After the suicide of singer Ian Curtis, Hook founded with the remaining band members Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris the formation NEW ORDER. During his time with JOY DIVISION, Hook was described as a “bassist who thought he was playing lead guitar”. Thirty years have passed since JOY DIVISION’s pioneering album ‘Unknown Pleasures’. The album, like its successor ‘Closer’, is considered a milestone in music history, which has shaped many other bands from THE CURE to THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS. In 2010, on the 30th anniversary of Ian Curtis, Peter Hook has assembled a group of fellow musicians and friends to celebrate Ian’s life and contribution to modern music. With his band THE LIGHT he revived JOY DIVISION in a complete performance of the album ‘Unknown Pleasures’.
In 2011 he returned to perform the second JOY DIVISION album ‘Closer’ live for the first time ever. At the end of 2011 PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT released the EP ‘1102/2011’, which in addition to three JOY DIVISION classics includes ‘Pictures In My Mind’, an yet unpublished JOY DIVISION track. The song was not completed during the lifetime of Ian Curtis. Hook has sung and recorded the song himself. Again the space in front of the Amphibühne was full, again the mood was positively charged, almost nervous. Understandable, since there was a musician on stage who, with JOY DIVISION, is holding a scene-defining legacy that no-one will get to grips with so quickly. And then happened exactly what everyone has guessed, but what nobody could handle. HOOK entered the stage and the tingling in the stomach turned into goose bumps when he started to sing… many eyes were filled with tears of joy. Great feelings actually met here!
Again and again, the musician approached the audience so close and interacted with them that they felt they were part of the event even further back. There was no doubt that there were friends on stage who would like to honour not only Ian Curtis but the band JOY DIVISION. There were all the emotions of joy over grief and again a concert was over too fast. Nobody would ever forget what happened here... // https://peterhookandthelight.live /https://www.facebook.com/peterhookandthelight // Setlist: 01. No Love Lost (Joy Division cover) / 02. Day of the Lords (Joy Division cover) / 03. New Dawn Fades (Joy Division cover) / 04. Digital (Joy Division cover) / 05. Isolation (Joy Division cover) / 06. She’s Lost Control (Joy Division cover) / 07. Shadowplay (Joy Division cover) / 08. Warsaw (Joy Division cover) / 09. Transmission (Joy Division cover) / 10. Atmosphere (Joy Division cover) / 11. Dead Souls (Joy Division cover) / 12. Insight (Joy Division cover) / 13. Twenty Four Hours (Joy Division cover) / 14. These Days (Joy Division cover) / 15. Interzone (Joy Division cover) / 16. Decades (Joy Division cover) / 17. Ceremony (New Order cover) / 18. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover)
After the show, in the cold of the night, the place in front of the Amphibühne was emptying. Some people went to their tents, others to their hotels. But still some stayed at the Kulturpark to celebrate at the after show party and have some drinks with their friends. All too soon the festival would be over again and there would be another year of waiting…
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet) and Marko Jakob
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