Columbia Club, Berlin, Germany31st October 2007
Orkus International Festival Tour: London after Midnight, Kirlian Camera, Dope Stars Inc., Lola Angst
At the Halloween evening, the Orkus International Festival Tour made a stop in the German Capital where four bands occupied the ColumbiaClub. As the Orkus Magazine is one of Europe’s leading Goth magazines and features different styles of dark music, also the accompanying tour had a varied line-up in stock and presented something for the old-school Goth fans as well as for the lovers of the more electronic styles.
LOLA ANGST is a team of Alexander Goldmann and Reiner Schirner. Reiner was one of two creative people of BLIND PASSANGERS for many years. Alex and Reiner came to know each other while Alexander toured with his organ “LOLA” trough Europe. He got that little instrument on a sale out in a church of Berlin Lichtenberg. That organ was his love and it began a love story between them. ;) He’s pet his little Lola on her helix but her character was afraid and so she began to scream. That’s the reason why Lola became “Lola Angst” (anguish).
Music
Electronic Body Punk is the best description of the style of LOLA ANGST. The church organ is electronically modified so that they can use analogue synthesizers and drum computers. Alexander served the organ and appending analogue module with hands and feeds while Reiner improves the sound with sound effects. They work electronically and anyhow analogue. They resign of accepted sequences and preset sounds. There are elements of break beats, rap and techno sounds. It was a skilful mix of them and the band member “Lola”. At the end we have to say, that the album is dedicated to Oskar Panizza (German author).
Performance
The hall was quite empty as LOLA ANGST started with their set. So we could join the incredible stage assembling which remembered on the film “Schlafes Bruder”. Reiner was looking to the audience and Alex showed us his back with naked feet on his Lola. Their enthusiasm was admirable! Currently the hall had to offer only yawning emptiness but LOLA ANGST did their party on stage. They are happy with themselves and their instruments. The audience seemed at this moment still chary. Reiner decided to show them what fun is and had taken his bottle of beer to mud Alexander at first and later to serve the fans with beer. Bracing! Like their sound!
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 9
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 7.5
Dope Stars Inc.
DSI are an Italian synth-rock band. They started in summer 2002 with the name DEAD GIRLS INC. and renamed in 2003 to DOPE STARS INC. They had still some prosperity. They where newcomers of the month at the Orkus and Sonic Seducer magazine with their EP ‘10.000 Watts OF Artificial Pleasures’. They earned popularity with the internet yet. The cast of the band alternated sometimes. Actually the DOPE STARS consist of Viktor Love (vocals, guitar, synths, programming) Darin Yvonde (bass), La Nuit (guitar) and Noras Blake (live synth).
In the year of 2005 they attach an agreement with Trisol. That label has i.e. supported artists like Depeche Mode, London after Midnight, HIM and White Zombie. Thomas Reiner and John Freyer released their first album ‘Neuromance’ in 2005. Next steps were gigs on different gothic-festivals like M’era Luna or Amphi Festival. The second EP ‘Make a Star’ followed at the year 2006. This EP was produced by Viktor Love in collaboration with Thomas Reiner. They republished ‘Gigahearts’ at the end of the year.
Music
The music is not really a new thing at the scene. Similar like DEATHSTARS they mixed up EBM sound with guitar sonority. But the songs of the DOPE STARS are a little bit more electronic and few like pop music. They named their music style Industrial Rock´n Roll. But besides all that hard guitar sounds and the electronic beats singer Viktor Love has a wonderful lucid voice. Sometimes when he was rapping or only speaking into the microphone, it seemed not like that. But when he was singing some love songs it was great! It was bad luck that the music installation did not work too well during this evening. The music was extremely loud and the voices and lyrics of the songs weren’t understandable very well. It was really too bad for the fans and the artists, too.
Performance
The hall was filled up slowly, so that the two ladies - that I didn’t want to keep back - got their deserved appearance. A few minutes before the show began two much less clothed queens entered the hall. I looked to a boy and his jaw was dropping down. That was the right gesture to the right time because the sound was starting. Androgyny characters entered the stage and we could listen to sounds of the opera. Unfortunately not so many people were dancing as they should. The interaction between the band members seemed to be not honest though.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 6
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 6.7
Kirlian Camera
They are Italians and their front man is Angelo Bergamini. The name of the band is named after an invention of Semyon Kirlian. He could photograph the energy of insects with a special camera. The first appearance of KIRLIAN CAMERA was based in 1979. One year later, singer Simone Buja joined in and in spring 1980 the band formerly named SUICIDE COMMANDO re-named to of KIRLIAN CAMERA. At the same year they recorded their first demo album named ‘Dawn’ and one year later their first mini-album ‘Kirlian Camera I’. The band was inspired by many different musical ascendancies (i.e. Kraftwerk, Celtic music, Tango or film sounds).
Music
The music of KIRLIAN CAMERA grasps a wide musical range containing influences of Industrial, Neofolk up to Electro. For a start the music was smoothly, accompanied by the singer Elena. The music became more pop and electronic during the show. Unfortunately that concert had to suffer from a few breaks because the technical equipment didn’t work.
Performance
KIRLIAN CAMERA entered the stage with flashlights in their hands and masks on their faces. It was a very long intro and the orchestra music squired the lights. All band members wore something like army style clothes. Only lead singer Elena was dressed up in a sexy outfit. Angelo Bergamini took his mask away quite late in the show while the other three people on stage removed theirs right at the start. Elena did not only take over the vocal duties for nearly all songs, she also played a song with her guitar and later on she changed places with Angelo for one song, so she was playing the keyboard and he was more or less speaking one of the songs.
Setlist
01. Intro-Ein deutsches Requiem
02. In the endless rain
03. Coroner’s sun
04. Erinnerung
05. Illegal apology of crime
06. Herzwunden / CIA haunted headquarters
07. K-pax
08. Comfortably numbs
09. Edge
10. Heldenplatz
11. Ascension
12. Eclipse
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 5
Light: 5
Total: 7
London after Midnight
This band originates from Los Angeles and was founded in 1990 by the front man Sean Brennan. Their first album ‘Selected Scenes From The End of the world’ was released in 1995. An important station at the beginning of LAM career was the club Helter Scelter in LA, where NINE INCH NAILS still perform their music. LAM have a huge fan base in the whole world. They accented a few times that they weren’t a gothic band. Their music belongs to the rock genre. LAM preserves the underground und independent personality although they had also commercial success. Partners on their shows were HIM or GREEN DAY. LAM are engaged politically very much. They support organisations for animals and they are all vegan.
Music
Death rock was the first association I got as they started to play. But today they use more and more electronic sounds too. The show was a three piece rock show based on guitars and drums. Having just released a new album, the set contained several songs out off it. The new songs sounded even harder than the old ones and made the audience rock. But also some of the old fan favourites, like the very last song ‘Sacrifice’, have not been missed out.
Performance
The technical problems of the whole evening weren’t gone. Anyway, the sound coming out off the boxes now was a bit more solid. Sean Brennan wore in latex clothes while and the bass player was dressed up with a transparent shirt. The fans like it. But the quality of the show wasn’t very good - maybe due to all the technical problems - and so the audience and the band were in a not so good mood.
Setlist
01. Intro
02. Feeling Fascist
03. Republic
04. Your best Nightmare
05. Shatter
06. Heaven now
07. Nothing sacred
08. Love You
09. Kids
10. America
11. Kiss
12. Spider 35
13. Bondage
14. Sacrifice
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 5
Light: 5
Totally: 7
All pics by Nadine Ginzel
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