Kulturpark, Deutzen, Germany5th to 7th September 2025
Nocturnal Culture Night 19 Day 3 with Camouflage, Heldmaschine, FabrikC, Pecadores, Reaper, Kalte Nacht, Ruebi, She Past Away, SYZYGYX, Twin Noir, Blood And Sun, Monya, Stein, Grendel, Hell Boulevard, Promenade Cinema, Tanzwut, The Mao Tse Tung Experience and lectures by Jessica Iser, Torsten Low, Markus Heitz, Christian von Aster
Today we’re once again starting the festival day with a hearty breakfast. It seems like summer is making one last stand against the upcoming autumn. It was sunny, but not too hot. NCN and the Weather God were very nice to us.
By Sunday morning, the Kulturpark was alive again with anticipation. After two days of diverse performances, the third and final day promised an equally powerful mix of intimacy, intensity, and celebration. The weather held, the grounds were buzzing, and festivalgoers were ready for one last dive into music and community before the NCN anniversary edition came to a close.
Parkbühne
The Parkbühne opened gently with RUEBI, a veteran of the German Post-Punk scene. His set was less about spectacle and more about connection: songs that carried echoes of his years with PINK TURNS BLUE alongside new solo work that felt like personal letters to the Dark Wave community. The audience listened closely, many swaying softly, as RUEBI reminded everyone why sincerity still matters in a genre often cloaked in shadows.
From Hamburg we travelled to Athens with KALTE NACHT. Their set - one of my favourite ones of the festival btw. - was drenched in atmosphere with layers of analogue synths, hypnotic drum machines, and Myrto Stylou’s arresting vocals. The duo crafted a performance that felt both urban and otherworldly, each song balancing unease with fragile beauty. It was one of those shows where the line between audience and performer blurred, with the crowd feeding energy back into the music.
TWIN NOIR took that energy and sent it into overdrive. Their Berlin-inspired sound - somewhere between Post-Punk, EBM, and Techno - turned the Parkbühne into a kinetic space. With Cody Barcelona and Ian Volt trading vocals over pounding basslines and minimalist German lyrics, the set became a manifesto of freedom, rebellion, and movement. The dancing crowd was proof that their mission succeeded. I was enjoying the set and dancing along with my friends before the photo job on Amphibühne called.
Later, SYZYGYX created a different kind of intensity. Luna Blanc’s haunting presence, combined with 80s-tinged Darkwave textures, filled the space with vulnerability and strength. Often stepping down into the crowd, she transformed the performance into an intimate ritual of sound and emotion.
As daylight faded, SHE PAST AWAY took over. Their iconic blend of Coldwave guitars and hypnotic beats wrapped the Parkbühne in a spell of nostalgia and longing. The Turkish duo reminded everyone why they’ve become one of the most beloved acts in the scene - their closing notes leaving behind a silence heavy with both satisfaction and yearning.
Waldbühne
The Waldbühne was a place of emotional contrasts on Sunday. PROMENADE CINEMA opened with lush “Cinedramatic Synthpop,” offering grandeur and bittersweet melodies. Their music was cinematic in scope, each track unfolding like the soundtrack to a film yet to be made.
Then came HELL BOULEVARD, bringing swagger and grit. Matteo vDiva Fabbiani and his band leaned into Gothic Rock with flashes of Rock’n’Roll and theatrical piano flourishes. It was loud, unapologetic, and a reminder that gothic doesn’t have to mean static - it can also burn with energy.
THE MAO TSE TUNG EXPERIENCE provided one of the most unusual sets of the weekend. Sparse, mechanical beats, politically edged lyrics, and a hint of irony gave their show a uniquely sharp presence. Rarely performed live, it felt like a gift to long-time fans who had waited decades to see this project in action. Overall, I found it musically very good, but the stage presence needs a little uplift.
In the late afternoon, GRENDEL turned the Waldbühne into an Industrial battlefield. With their trademark Aggrotech energy, they whipped the audience into a frenzy - The ‘Soilbleed’ and EP and its title track still hitting hard today and remains a permanent club hit. Dystopian and cathartic, their set was a reminder of why they’ve remained club staples worldwide.
Closing the stage was TANZWUT, who brought a completely different spirit. With bagpipes, heavy riffs, and medieval-inspired theatrics, they delivered a fiery show full of dance, spectacle, and humour. The crowd in the forest joined in with unbridled joy, proving that the Waldbühne had perhaps the most eclectic journey of the day.
Amphibühne
If the Waldbühne offered contrast, the Amphibühne was a pure rollercoaster of intensity. PECADORES opened with one of the most eccentric performances of the festival: a voodoo-tinged ritual of Industrial Noise, Brazilian percussion, severed heads, and strange potions. It was disturbing, theatrical, and impossible to forget.
FABRIKC pushed the energy further with their uncompromising aggrotech. The trio hammered the lakeside with pounding beats, ensuring no one could stand still. HELDMASCHINE followed, bringing their Neue Deutsche Härte power to the stage with pyro, electronics, and a sound that drew both from and beyond their Rammstein origins.
As night crept in, REAPER transformed the Amphibühne into a full-on dancefloor. Dark techno rhythms and live energy kept the crowd moving relentlessly - the perfect buildup to what would become the emotional heart of the festival. It was a bit sad that Vasi performed mostly with the head down to read the lyrics of his songs…
Before CAMOUFLAGE entered, the festival paused. NCN organiser Holger, joined by moderators Anne and Manja, stepped on stage to address Friday’s tragedy. Their words, spoken with warmth and fragility, resonated deeply. Manja’s personal memory of how CAMOUFLAGE shaped her youth, even weaving in a story about her physics teacher, underlined the healing power of music. They invited everyone not to dwell only on grief, but to celebrate life and song as Jens himself would have wanted.
When CAMOUFLAGE finally began, the Amphibühne was transformed. From the first notes, the atmosphere was electric but tender - a collective embrace. Classics like ‘The Great Commandment’ and ‘Love Is a Shield turned’ into massive sing-alongs, with people holding one another close, some in tears, others smiling. The line “Shine from the inside… to light up the dark night” from the song ‘Shine’ became almost a mantra. This wasn’t just nostalgia; it was catharsis. The set closed not only the Amphibühne but also the emotional journey of the entire weekend.
Kulturbühne
The Kulturbühne offered an oasis for those seeking different textures. STEIN’s Dark Folk opened the day with introspective, melancholic songs that encouraged quiet listening and reflection. It felt like entering a private circle of stories and emotion.
From stillness came power: MONYA’s Industrial-Techno set was raw, physical, and confrontational. With pounding beats and unrelenting energy, she reminded the audience that electronic music can be both intellectual and visceral.
Later, BLOOD AND SUN brought a sense of timelessness. Their haunting folk songs, steeped in myth and existential reflection, resonated in the fading light. It was a performance that asked listeners to pause, to consider, and to reconnect with the deeper mysteries of life - a fitting counterbalance to the heavier acts elsewhere.
Lesebühne
The Lesebühne once again proved how unique NCN really is. On Sunday, it offered a quieter yet equally powerful programme. Jessica Iser drew listeners into fantastical realms with ‘Zweimondnächte’. Torsten Low combined humour and the fantastic in a playful treasure hunt of words. Markus Heitz, one of Germany’s best-known fantasy authors, presented from ‘Die Legenden der Albae - Blutrote Himmel’, capturing his audience with tales of blood-red skies and dark destinies. Closing the Lesebühne, Christian von Aster returned with wit, charm, and gothic humour, ensuring that even as the festival drew to a close, there was still room for laughter and imagination.
The 20th anniversary of NCN was destined to be special, but it became something more profound. Friday’s tragedy could have overshadowed the event, yet the response - compassionate, communal, and deeply human - shaped a festival defined by resilience and solidarity. Sunday’s highlights, from the atmospheric KALTE NACHT to the kinetic energy of TWIN NOIR, culminated in the unforgettable, healing performance of CAMOUFLAGE. It was not just music, but a collective act of remembrance and renewal.
Looking back across the three days, it is clear: NCN is not only a festival but a community, a tradition, and a testament to the unifying power of dark alternative culture. Here, under the trees of the Kulturpark, by the waters of Neuseenland, strangers become family, and music becomes memory. Even as the last echoes faded into the September night, one truth lingered: at NCN, we do not just listen to music - we live it, together.
I’m looking forward to next year’s NCN from 5th to 7th September in the Kulturpark, Deutzen. Tickets are already on sale, and the first price category is mostly sold out. I’ve booked my room for next year already. How about you?
All Pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
