Airfield Drispenstedt, Hildesheim, Germany9th to 11th August 2024
M’era Luna Festival 2024 Day 1 with Re.Mind, Schwarzer Engel, Hell Boulevard, Lacrimas Profundere, Die Herren Wesselsky, Oomph!, Hämatom, Deine Lakaien, Saltatio Mortis, Front 242, ASP, Steril, Rroyce, Centhron, S.P.O.C.K, The Cassandra Complex, Funker Vogt, She Past Away, Assemblage 23, Suicide Commando, London After Midnight
Every year in August, around 25,000 lovers of darker music from all over the world are drawn to Hildesheim. The international Gothic scene meets on the grounds of the Drispenstedt airfield to celebrate music and themselves together for three days. With 40 bands over two days on two stages, boredom is not an option. But the festival offers much more than “just” music. The program includes readings, lectures, fashion shows, and workshops. After the concerts, the night parties continue the celebration. Various stalls tempt visitors to shop, and 40 food stalls offer extensive culinary delights.
Something is always up. So, let’s first get the negatives out of the way. What can you bring in, and what has to stay outside? Even though it’s clearly communicated beforehand what is allowed on the grounds and what isn’t, opinions on this regularly differ. PET bottles (no matter how small and flexible) must stay outside. Tetra packs, on the other hand (which can’t really be folded even when empty), are allowed. No one has an issue with 40 cm long drinking horns either. One might wonder if safety is really the main concern here. It’s similar with umbrellas. Walking-stick umbrellas are not allowed to bring to the grounds. But you can buy them there. Even those can’t be brought back in if you leave the concert area for a while. And then there’s the bag issue, which I don’t even want to go into further. What I mean to say is: The rules are not always understandable and clear to visitors, which can lead to frustration at the entrance.
Then there’s the seating situation. We’re not getting any younger, even though I’m happy to see many young people on the grounds. A large part of the visitors has grown older with the music and the festival, and their limbs just don’t hold up as long anymore. Especially with the temperatures we have in our region in August, you sometimes need a break and a place to rest. With 180 picnic tables for 25,000 visitors, there’s just not much space, and there are even fewer shaded spots. Many visitors would surely be pleased if more were done in this regard. Another frequent complaint is about the prices, especially for food and drinks. You can quickly spend 200 euros over three days of the festival. Add to that the ticket itself, travel costs, and increasingly expensive accommodations. That’s quite a lot to afford. Personally, I’m a bit more relaxed about it. Everyone has the option to bring their own lunch. This is expressly allowed, and water is available for free at four drinking water stations. This way, there’s enough left to treat yourself here and there. So, there’s still money left for ice cream or whatever else you fancy.
Enough complaining. After all, there are many positive things to report. As already mentioned, there are four drinking water stations distributed around the grounds where you can get free water. Except for a total failure with FUNKER VOGT (more on that later), there are no major technical problems. The sound is consistently good to excellent (depending a bit on your location). The lighting (and pyrotechnics) on both stages is impressive from start to finish. Big kudos and my respect to the entire technical crew for that. I also have a very positive impression of the security team. Especially the pit crew, who keep an eye on everything despite the large crowd. Even in tense situations, there is never a moment where it gets critical for the audience or artists.
Everyone remains exceptionally friendly, and some even help to distribute flyers, all with a smile on their face. And then there’s the audience itself. So many different people in one place, and despite the heat, I notice no aggression. On the contrary, people look out for each other, enjoy the diversity, and celebrate together. Even though you might not meet everyone you know due to the size of the grounds and the number of people, you still run into friends and acquaintances. In the end, everyone takes home some beautiful memories and moments, and that’s what really matters. But you know, first things first but not necessarily in that order.
The M’era Luna Festival 2024 kicks off on Friday with the cultural program in the Disco Hangar, where 400 chairs have been set up for the readings taking place. At the now fifth “Crypt Talk”, Chris Harms (LORD OF THE LOST) and Stephan Thanscheidt (CEO and booker at the organizer FKP Scorpio) provide insights into the music world. Before that, the first workshop “Dance at the Market” will already take place at the medieval market. After the “Crypt Talk” author Markus Heitz reads from ‘The Legends of the Albae - Dark Legacy’, the latest continuation of his bestselling saga about the fearsome dark elves. In the following lecture by criminal psychologist Lydia Benecke titled ‘Toxic Relationships - What we can learn from unhealthy love relationships in fairy tales’, the focus is on recognizing dysfunctional to toxic relationships and understanding how they unfold in real life.
Christian von Aster presents in his reading ‘Premiumolusdunkel: Of transience, bus tours & love carrier pigeons’ an almost truthful report from the Gothic periphery, the romantic adventure of an obese misanthropic pigeon, as well as a semi-insightful truth about death. After that, the M’era Luna Warm-up Party will continue into the early morning with more celebration and dancing. All of this is happening without me. I still have to work on Friday and will head to bed early in the evening. On Saturday, I have to get up at six, quickly get ready, and hit the road. After all, I have a four-hour ride ahead of me and want to be at the festival grounds by eleven for the first band.
While the early birds are already bustling at the first workshops (there’s “Dance at the Market” at the medieval market and a “Make-Up Workshop” in the styling tent), I will finally arrive at Hall 39 around eleven, where I will get my wristband. From there to the parking lot is not far, but by now many visitors are arriving at the festival grounds, and a small to medium traffic jam has formed at the entrance to the parking area. So, it looks like I will miss the opener on the Main Stage. Again, this year, on Saturday and Sunday, two newcomers have the chance to present themselves to a large audience. The decision is made by audience voting.
With the most votes, RE.MIND opens today and JANREVOLUTION tomorrow on the Main Stage. Now both bands have to win over the festival crowd in only 20 minutes. There’s no chance I’ll catch any of the opener today. At least RE.MIND’s performance is available to stream on arte.tv. Here you can watch some of the Main Stage performances from home or catch them later. I will also take advantage of this option for some bands later. We still have the setlist for the Leipzig Synthpop project. ‘Free your Liberty’ is a new song and will be released in October, by the way. // Setlist: 01. Intro / 02. I Remind / 03. Free your Liberty / Perfect Text / I Regret
While RE.MIND are saying their goodbyes on the Main Stage and STERIL are opening the Club Stage, I finally turn onto the field in front of the airfield being used as a parking area. Now, I have to hurry to catch at least one or two of their songs. After parking my vehicle, I take off running, sprinting across the former airstrip, and pass the Main Stage on my left, where SCHWARZER ENGEL is heating up the crowd with their metallic sounds. Nevertheless, Mähne, Axel, and Jan have already left the stage. The setup is complete for RROYCE and I make it just in time for their performance. Since the Club Stage performances aren’t recorded, I can only look forward to the next show by the Oldenburgers. I definitely won’t miss the gentlemen at SOLITARY EXPERIMENTS’ 30th anniversary bash in September. Unfortunately, that’s only a small consolation. // Setlist: 01. Overgod / 02. Lies / 03. Black Jesus / 04. Tanzt / 05. NoRemission
Arriving at the Club Stage, which is already packed, I make my way to my friends in the third row. A quick hello and it begins. Kay and Al kick off with ‘Principle Of Grace’, Casi storms the stage, and the crowd erupts in cheers. While my friends are already in party mode thanks to STERIL, I haven’t quite settled in yet. I’m sleep-deprived, stressed from the drive, and not at all in a festival mood. Wild partying surrounds me. By the second song, Casi can no longer stay on stage. After a bunch of flyers for the “still RROARRIN’!” club tour planned for spring 2025 are thrown into the crowd, the singer makes himself comfortable in the photo pit. The obligatory choreography to ‘Parallel Worlds’ is performed standing on the barrier along with the audience before heading back to the stage. ‘Paranoiac SL’ kicks off the block from the (still) current album ‘Rroarr’, finally getting me into party mode.
The morning’s stress falls away, and I fully enjoy the performance of the Dortmund Synth-Poppers. Casi repeatedly engages with the audience and even recruits the security to distribute flyers. A firefighter also gets pulled onto the stage after another trip to the photo pit, which is probably for the best. RROYCE ignites a true party fireworks display, even without the usual sparklers. It’s hard to believe, but it took 11 years for the Dortmund trio to finally make their first M’era Luna appearance. It ends after a set that feels way too short at 40 minutes with ‘I Like It When You Lie’, leaving radiant faces on and off the stage. // Setlist: The Principle Of Grace / Parallel Worlds / Paranoiac SL / Whipping Boy / Answers & Questions / Rebuilt. Reborn / Another / I Look Nicer With You / My Dearest Enemy / I Like It When You Lie
On the Main Stage, HELL BOULEVARD keeps things guitar-heavy, while CENTHRON keeps the Harsh Electro flag flying on the Club Stage. We finally grab a coffee and then wander around a bit between the many vendor stalls, which leads us to the “Quarkerei” stand, where you can get ice cream and shakes. While the reaper watches over the black crowd in front of the Main Stage from high up next to the M’era Luna sign, LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE rocks the stage. Meanwhile, we enjoy our ice cream and head back towards the Club Stage. On the way, we pass the “arte Summer Tour” bus, next to which several nonprofit organizations and associations have set up their information booths. I had planned not to spend any money on merch or similar things this weekend. However, I make an exception at the stand for “Kein Bock auf Nazis” (“No Tolerance for Nazis”), Germany’s largest independent youth initiative against right-wing extremism and racism. It simply has to be supported, especially now.
Back at the Club Stage “S.P.O.C.K is back in the house”. STAR PILOT ON CHANNEL K are performing their last festival gig in Germany for this year and turning the area in front of the Club Stage into a huge party zone. During the opener ‘Borg’, the crowd sings along loudly. With ‘Alien Attack’ green balloons with alien faces on them whirl through the air. ‘All E.T.s Aren’t Nice’ – “so, what do you do with those aliens when they come?” Obviously, you grab the water gun and shoot. Even though ‘In Space No One Can Hear You Scream’, S.P.O.C.K first gets the ladies and then the gentlemen to scream. The trio says goodbye at three in the afternoon with ‘Never Trust A Klingon’ and a collective “live long and prosper”. Even after more than 35 years, S.P.O.C.K is still a lot of fun. Many would have liked to keep partying a bit longer. But the schedule is tight, and THE CASSANDRA COMPLEX is already ready to take over the Club Stage next. // Setlist: 01. Intro/Borg / 02. E.T. Phone Home / 03. Dr. McCoy / 04. Alien Attack / 05. All E.T:s Aren’t Nice / 06. Astrogirl / 07. In Space No One Can Hear You Scream / 08. She’s an Alien / 09. Out There / 10. Never Trust a Klingon
Meanwhile, we make a quick trip to the medieval market, get something to eat, and actually find a seat where we can enjoy our meal in peace. DIE HERREN WESSELSKY are just saying goodbye from the Main Stage and making way for OOMPH!, who are set to make some serious noise today with live support as a sextet on the Main Stage. Meanwhile, the first “Gothic Fashion Show” is taking place in the Hangar, with another one scheduled for the evening. Under the motto “between sin and sensuality”, there are collections and performances from RE-AGENZ, LITTLE SIN, JOANA GIERGA SCHATTENGEWÄNDER, FLEURINNA WINGS, JADED JEWALL, and POLE DANCES to be seen.
In front of the Main Stage, the next band is delivering some hard guitar sounds. The performance by HÄMATOM is slightly delayed. Somehow, the unicorn-rainbow banner doesn’t want to stay in place and has to be taken down. To the delight of their fans, the band from Upper Franconia starts their set with Disney’s Gummi Bears as we head over to the Club Stage, where FUNKER VOGT should have been delighting the electro-heads for a good half hour already. We arrive just in time to learn that every attempt to get the equipment working has failed. Apparently, there is no connection to the mixing console, and the concert ultimately has to be cancelled. The disappointment is visible on the faces of both the band and their fans. The band will be back next year, to catch up on everything.
Fortunately, there are no problems with the subsequent performance by SHE PASSED AWAY, and the Turkish formation starts their set on time. The area in front of the Club Stage is packed, and fans of Post-Punk, Cold Wave, and Dark Wave are in for a treat. I’m torn. Should I stay here, or head over to the Main Stage, where DEINE LAKAIEN are performing as an electro duo today? Just Ernst Horn and his machines, and Alexander Veljanov and his impressive vocal cords, just like they did almost 40 years ago at the beginning of their joint career. For today’s performance, they have chosen songs from the early days of DEINE LAKAIEN. Since the sun is still blazing in the sky, I decide to watch DEINE LAKAIEN later on the arte.tv stream and stay here for now. // Setlist: 01. Lonely / 02. Colour-Ize / 03. Down Down Down / 04. Reincarnation / 05. My Decision / 06. The Night of Love / 07. Ulysses / 08. Dark Star / 09. Love Me to the End
I let myself drift a bit and watch the activity in front of the stage in a relaxed manner. There’s extensive dancing, and the audience is enthusiastically singing along and clapping. During the break for stage setup, I find a spot in the middle next to friends in the front row. It’s the perfect spot to thoroughly enjoy the upcoming performance by ASSEMBLAGE 23. Founder and mastermind Tom Shear is joined on stage by his partner Mari Kattman, with whom he has collaborated for several years and later started the joint project HELIX. Shortly after seven, Mari takes the stage, immediately creating a great atmosphere and firing up the crowd. Tom kicks off with ‘Opened’, encouraging the audience to “sing with me” and “I need your hands”. The vocals are absolutely fantastic, and ASSEMBLAGE 23 deliver a wonderful, varied set. My highlight is the surprise HELIX song ‘Hurt Like Me’, where Tom and Mari switch places. The singer impresses not only with her vocals but also with her qualities as a front woman. Simply amazing. This performance, too, is over much too quickly after 40 minutes. // Setlist: 01. Opened / 02. Drive / 03. Naked / 04. Bravery / 05. Hurt Like Me (HELIX) / 06. Document / 07. Let the Wind Erase Me / 08. The Noise Inside My Head
On the Main Stage, after the brief electronic intermezzo by DEINE LAKAIEN, it’s back to rocking again. Fans of refined medieval rock can dance their hearts out to the sounds of SALTATIO MORTIS. After that, it gets emotional for EBM fans. The Belgian EBM legend FRONT 242 is on their “Black Out” farewell tour and is performing their very last open-air festival in Germany at M’era Luna 2024. In the autumn and winter, they will tour the USA, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, the UK, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, and will have a few more shows in Germany. Their very last festival performance in Germany will be at the Dark Storm Festival on 25th December in Chemnitz, before the final curtain falls after three concerts in Brussels at the end of January 2025.
For us, it continues on the Club Stage with another Belgian legend. Preparations are being made in the front row during the break for the performance by SUICIDE COMMANDO. Red, black, white and silver balloons are being inflated, Belgian flags are distributed, and the barriers are decorated. During the soundcheck, it’s already packed. Right on time at half past eight, “Welcome” is displayed in large letters on the screen, and Johan Van Roy, accompanied by his live musicians, takes the stage. After ‘Gates of Oblivion’, when Johan thanks the audience, balloons fly, and flags are waved. It’s a really nice fan gesture.
Within minutes, SUICIDE COMMANDO turns the place into a boiling pot, which poses challenges for the security personnel here and there. After a while, a small circle pit forms, which needs to be managed occasionally to ensure the surrounding spectators aren’t too disturbed. A fan indulges in crowd surfing and is safely carried by the audience toward the photo pit, where security receives him and escorts him to the side. Finally, Johan says, “we’re doing it differently today”, jumps over the barrier into the circle pit, and ends up crowd surfing back to the stage himself. After the one-hour performance, the audience demands an encore. Johan briefly returns but only to wave goodbye one last time. // Setlist: 01. The Gates of Oblivion / 02. God Is in the Rain / 03. I’d die for you / 04. God of Destruction / 05. Conspiracy With the Devil / 06. Kill All Humanity / 07. Cause of Death: Suicide / 08. The Devil / 09. We Are Transitory / 10. Dein Herz, Meine Gier / 11. Die Motherfucker Die
While we take another short break to gather strength for the final performance, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT are making up for their show from last year, which had to be cancelled at short notice. We head towards the Main Stage, where ASP will be concluding today’s festival. The festival is sold out, and it’s packed in front of both stages for the respective headliners. For today’s festival performance, ASP has brought reinforcements. The opener ‘A Prayer for Sanctuary’ is accompanied by the a cappella choir STIMMGEWALT from Berlin, whose multi-voiced singing gives the song a very special atmosphere. But this isn’t the only guest appearance that makes today’s performance unique. Shir-Ran Yinon accompanies several songs.
The musician, who pushes musical boundaries with her fiddle, electric violin, viola, singing, composing and arranging, gives several pieces a new twist. When the band shares the stage for ‘Sing Child’ not only with guest musician Shir-Ran but also with the 11-member choir STIMMGEWALT, it’s “almost as crowded up here as it is down there”. ASP sends the audience off into the Hildesheim night blissfully with ‘Raise some hell now’ and a reminder of their 25th anniversary next year. // Setlist: 01. A Prayer for Sanctuary feat. Stimmgewalt / 02. Wechselbalg / 03. Die letzte Zuflucht / 04. Fürst der Finsternis / 05. Werben feat. Shir-Ran Yinon / 06. Krabat feat. Shir-Ran Yinon / 07. Duett (Minnelied der Incubi) feat. Shir-Ran Yinon / 08. Und wir tanzen feat. Shir-Ran Yinon / 09. Ich, der Teufel und du feat. Shir-Ran Yinon / 10. Schwarzes Blut / 11. Brennen / 12. Sing Child feat. Stimmgewalt and Shir-Ran Yinon / 13. Raise some hell now
For some, the party continues in the Hangar with the after-show party. We, on the other hand, prefer to head back to the hotel. The night will be short because tomorrow I’ll be standing in front of the Main Stage promptly at eleven. For now, there’s just one more thing to mention: the visitor survey. If you want to share your opinions and wishes, just take part.
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
Comments powered by CComment