Kulturfabrik Löseke, Hildesheim, Germany13th December 2025
Midwinter Festival with Waldkauz, Lautenfeyn, Perkún
Actually, the Midwinter Festival in Hildesheim should have taken place in June as a midsummer festival, but unfortunately had to be postponed. These are not easy times for bands and organizers, but on the second attempt it finally worked out. Hildesheim is - apart from the M’era Luna Festival, of course - not a stronghold for lovers of alternative music, but every now and then there are some really worthwhile events. In this case, the audience was mainly from the gothic, medieval and LARP scenes. Or simply people with a broad taste in music, like me.
Perkún
Opener of the evening were PERKÚN, a North-German Folk Rock project with roots in Northern/ Scandinavian Folk music and mythology. The main creative minds behind the project are Sophie Sommerfeld (fiddle, hurdy-gurdy) and Marian Klein (vocals, guitar, bouzouki). Live support from a drummer. Band motto: We came to rock, we came to folk. The band lived up to this motto 100%.
PERKÚN are a new discovery for me and, with their energetic, atmospherically dense performance, clearly proved that festival line-ups can be really good from the first to the first live act. The band found its way straight into my record collection at home the very next day. https://www.instagram.com/perkunfolk/
Setlist
01. Min man
02. Pigopolska
03. Mikaelidagen
04. Hur du vänder dig
05. Hedebykvadet
06. Femspring
07. Trollfesten
08. Krummavisur
09. Waterman’s
10. Herr Mannelig
Lautenfeyn
Next on the bill were LAUTENFEYN. The band was only formed this year and played in front of a larger audience for the first time at the Mittelalterliches Phantasie-Spektakulum (MPS) in Bückeburg in the summer. Unfortunately, the concert in Hildesheim took place without their bassist Avelora, who was on stage with her other band SUSPYRIA in Berlin on the same evening. The band’s themes include outlaws, buccaneers, and medieval motifs such as the young King Arthur. The whole thing is spiced up with a good dose of party spirit and humour. Just a few days ago, the trio recorded their debut EP in a studio in Hanover.
LAUTENFEYN will release their first single in January. On March 7 there will also be a release concert in Hanover, where the EP will be presented. For further updates, keep an eye on their social media accounts. The band definitely has the potential and ability to become a fixture in the medieval scene. https://linktr.ee/Lautenfeyn
Setlist
01. Sors Libertatis
02. Das fahrende Volk
03. Vogelfrey
04. Freybeuter
05. Verdammt und vergessen
06. Stille Weis Lieder
07. Excalibur
08. Kettenbrecher
09. Fuchs
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10. Meister des Bösen
Waldkauz
Finally, it was time for the headliner: WALDKAUZ (English: Tawny Owl). The band is characterized by driving rhythms from drums and Irish bouzouki combined with modern electronic beats, electric guitars, and atmospheric soundscapes. This mixture forms the foundation that transforms flutes, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies, and Celtic harps into danceable and rousing melodies. In addition to older songs. They played several tracks from their new fourth studio album, ‘Königin’, which was released in August this year.
The band’s enthusiasm is truly remarkable, and it’s simply fun to see them live. There was a lot of dancing that evening with all three bands, but WALDKAUZ were particularly successful in getting the audience moving. Unfortunately, in a field that deals with Norse mythology and paganism, there are always people who have little knowledge of history but seek ideological connections for inhumane theories. Fortunately, WALDKAUZ make no secret of their position, which becomes clear at the latest when singer Niklas came on stage with an LGBTQ+ flag (more specifically, the Inter*Progress Pride flag).
When a male concertgoer got a little too close to one of the female musicians, there was an immediate announcement about it. This is what awareness looks like. It’s simple: safe spaces can only exist if they are actively defended. However, this minor incident did not dampen the party mood in any way, and the celebrations continued in high spirits. Overall, it was a really enjoyable evening, and I hope we’ll see more events like this in the future. https://www.wald-kauz.de/
Setlist
01. Königin
02. Danse macabre
03. Mond & Sonne
04. Harvest moon
05. All I need to know
06. Mati
07. Huldra
08. Frei zu sein
09. Baba Jaga
10. Hades
11. Persephone
12. Artemis
13. Spaces in between
14. Epane
15. Inanna
16. Puck’s dream
17. Three riders
18. Vasilissa
19. Pagans
20. Dimna Juda
All Pictures by Christian W.
