Kulturpark, Deutzen, Germany4th to 6th September 2026
Nocturnal Culture Night 19 Day 1 with Vanguard, Melotron, Elinborg, Girls Under Glass, Extize, Jesus On Extasy, Pankow, L’Âme Immortelle, Horskh, Hinfort, Atlas Bird, Siglo XX, Sierra Veins, Frequen-C & TC 75, Tears Of Othila, MS Gentur + Sven Phalanx, Nemuer, M. Kruppe, Christian Von Aster, Torsten Low and Jessica Iser
It is the beginning of September, autumn is just around the corner and this year my anticipation of the Nocturnal Culture Night is particularly high. Last year, unfortunately, I had to cancel my attendance at short notice for health reasons. That is why I am especially looking forward to it this year.
For one thing, this festival in the beautiful Kulturpark Deutzen is something very special simply because of its unique venue. For another, I cannot imagine a more beautiful way to usher in the end of the open-air season than spending a unique weekend together with the NCN family.
As every year, the NCN shines with an exceptional line-up and a musical diversity across four extremely different stages that you probably won’t find at any other scene festival. Nowhere else is the chance of discovering new music greater than here, and I am very curious to see which acts will broaden my musical horizons this year.
Furthermore, the numerous guests can look forward to an entertaining programme on the reading stage, a varied culinary selection, a photo corner, the black bouncy castle and plenty of small market stalls, where there is all manner of things to discover, from books, jewellery, music and clothes to all sorts of decorative little items. And if you still have any money left, you can of course happily get rid of it at the merch stalls by the Amphi stage.
As always, the festival weekend is ushered in on Thursday with the Warm Up Party at the barbecue area by the Kulturbühne. There, BAGGER 258, MRDTC, PRAGER HANDGRIFF and TYSKE LUDDER kick off the 19th NCN Festival. From what we have heard from other festival-goers, it was a successful start, with the after-show party continuing long after the last band had finished playing.
Due to the municipality’s noise regulations for the parties, the celebrations here take place at a reduced volume. However, this should hardly dampen the guests’ nightly party mood or stand in the way of a cosy end to the festival evenings. As we were assured, people danced extensively, chatted and laughed a lot even with the music turned down a little. For us, however, the 19th NCN begins on Friday afternoon. As in previous years, we have taken Friday off for the journey and based ourselves in Borna. Thanks to construction work around our accommodation, getting there proves somewhat more difficult than expected.
Auntie Google unfortunately has absolutely no idea how to get to the hotel. Luckily, our chief editor and favourite photographer Dani proves to be an excellent navigator. Guided by her over the phone, I finally make it to the hotel shortly after half past two. A quick freshen-up, a change of clothes and finally we’re ready to go. Off to a festival weekend full of wonderful encounters, new musical experiences and impressions, all in keeping with the motto “creating memories”.
When we arrive at the Kulturpark Deutzen shortly before three, a sizeable crowd is already patiently waiting to be let in. A few minutes later, the black-clad crowd is already streaming onto the grounds. We quickly collect our festival wristbands and, as always, head to the Kulturbühne first, where the group’s photographers stash their luggage for the day. Even on the short walk there, you keep bumping into friends and acquaintances. The NCN really is a proper family reunion.
This year, I intend to concentrate on fewer bands and take more time for conversations and spending time with friends. In between, I simply want to let myself drift, soak up the special atmosphere of the NCN and let it take effect. So, there are somewhat fewer bands on my to-do list than usual. And perhaps this will also give me time to attend one or two readings, which has always been a little neglected for me otherwise.
There are four opportunities for this on the reading stage today: at half past three, M. Kruppe reads from ‘Sommer ewig’, followed by Christian von Aster with ‘Der andere Mr. Holmes’ at five. Later in the evening, Torsten Low will read from ‘Atmen nicht vergessen’ and Jessica Iser from ‘Blade Of Nigt’. Surely, I can find a window of time to drop by here and there. But I start the festival day musically, like many others, at the Parkbühne with HORSKH from Besançon, France.
Horskh
The project centred around frontman Bastien Hennaut (programming, keyboards, vocals, guitar), Sylvain Abriel (live drums) and Jordan Daverio (guitar, keyboards) combines influences from Metal, Grunge, Neo-Industrial, EBM and Electro. Although HORSKH were formed back in 2009, I have not had any previous contact with the project. All the more reason to make sure I catch the Frenchmen at their NCN premiere. Several festival-goers have already gathered in front of the Parkbühne for the soundcheck.
The band is already being cheered and the soundcheck certainly makes me very curious about what is about to await us. I find a spot with a dear friend, centre stage in the front row. The band takes a little longer than planned and the area in front of the stage is already getting quite crowded for this early hour. The first electronic sounds from the Waldbühne reach our ears. EXTIZE seem to be starting on time there, at least. Eight minutes late, however, it is finally time here too. The intro starts. “NCN Festival, we are HORSKH.” Frontman Bastien’s distorted vocals could certainly be a little louder, but the trio’s music really packs a punch.
HORSKH really let rip and provide the best medicine against sleep deprivation. In front of the stage, people shake the Warm Up Party out of their limbs. There is shouting, singing, hair flying. I am having an incredible amount of fun with the trio and, judging by the looks of things, I am far from being the only one. For me, a very successful start to the festival weekend. // Setlist: 01. Intro / 02. Tension / 03. Hyperhuman / 04. Mud In My Wheels / 05. Engaged And Confused / 06. Interface / 07. Bad Glitch / 08. Breathe (THE PRODIGY cover) / 09. Trying More / 10. Xlungx
While EXTIZE are heating things up on the Waldbühne with their mix of Electro-Industrial, Metal, Cybergoth and pounding dance rhythms, we are already making our way to the Amphi stage shortly before four, where VANGUARD will be opening the festival day in just a few minutes.
On the way there, we pass the Klatt ice cream stand, which will have to wait a little longer for a visit. But I can already reveal that we will be making several stops here over the course of the weekend. For me, the best ice cream I’ve ever had at a festival, with the most unusual and delicious flavours imaginable. But for now, it’s time to move on with alternative electronic music from our Swedish friends from Gothenburg.
Vanguard
The fact that the Swedish duo have grown rather close to me since the "Transcendent Tour" with SOLITARY EXPERIMENTS and MENTAL EXILE around four years ago is probably no secret, and so VANGUARD’s first NCN appearance is fairly high up on my must-see list for today. VANGUARD were founded in 2008 by Jonas Olofsson (synthesizer, e-drums) and Patrik Hansson (vocals, synthesizer), after the two had first met online in a musicians’ forum. Whenever possible, the duo are joined on stage at their shows in Germany by producer Rob Dust, with whom the band have been working since the release of the album ‘Never Surrender’ in 2016. The three gentlemen are currently working together on the 6th VANGUARD album, by the way.
In front of the Amphibühne, too - how could it be any different - we immediately greet the next friends, who are also looking forward to the Swedes’ performance. There is a long queue at the festival merch stand, located at the top right-hand side of the grounds. The festival shirts and jackets are hugely popular every year and many people try to get their hands on one of the stylish items. You can also pick up a ticket for next year here at the same time. An opportunity that many festival-goers take advantage of.
The black-clad crowd gathers in front of the stage. The few seats in the stands are already taken. The weather forecast for this evening does not promise anything good. But for the moment, the clouds are opening up a little and it is getting really warm. Two minutes to go, fog pours across the stage. Host Anne warmly welcomes the “NCNers” and announces the first band on the Amphi stage of the 19th NCN: “And here, of course, we’re not starting quietly either, but in the finest Electropop fashion according to Swedish tradition. Are you ready? Then here we go. Have fun and have a great weekend together, and here comes VANGUARD.”
At the best coffee-and-cake time of day, Jonas, Patrik and Rob take to the stage. “Hello, NCN! We are VANGUARD from Gothenburg, Sweden. So lovely to see all of you here. We gonna start with a song called ‘Inside’. C’mon!” The already sizeable audience does not need much encouragement and is in high spirits despite some minor technical problems at the beginning (the backing track is sometimes too loud, sometimes too quiet).
As usual, Jonas switches between e-percussion and keyboard, or joins Patrik at the edge of the stage, armed with the megaphone. Rob also fires up the crowd. More and more people stream towards the Amphi stage and Patrik apparently keeps recognising long-time fans among them, waving, forming a heart with his fingers in front of his chest and beaming at the audience. With new songs such as ‘Punches’, ‘Venom’ and ‘UNZ!’ and older tracks such as ‘Only Lies’ or ‘Move Out’, the band repeatedly invites everyone to sing along, clap and dance. Here and there, the microphone is held out towards the audience, who confidently sing the respective lines.
“Okay, the next one is a bit little more Synthpopy and it’s called ‘Open Sky’. And it’s cloudy yeah, but there’s still open air.” Turquoise, blue and red beams of light surround the stage and dance through the light wisps of fog, and then it is time for ‘Ragnarök’. With all the good vibes the trio spreads on stage and the danceable electronic beats, you almost forget that the lyrics of this song have remained eerily relevant in light of another hot summer, with dried-up rivers, burning forests, severe flooding and thousands of heat-related deaths. What was still an urgent warning when it was released five years ago now seems almost prophetic in the face of forecasts that have long since been exceeded and increasingly frequent extreme events.
And I too find myself asking more and more often, “How can we sleep”. But perhaps the key to ‘Save Me’, the key to saving the world lies within ourselves. Of course, we cannot change thе things we’ve seen. But maybe we can “reprogram this machine and trigger a spark to glow inside of” all of us. If we finally wake up, clear our minds and reboot the system, perhaps each and every one of us can be “the light in this world for еveryone”. With this spark of hope, VANGUARD bid farewell and we pay a visit to the Lesebühne. // Setlist: 01. Inside / 02. Punches / 03. Venom / 04. Only Lies / 05. Move Out / 06. UNZ! / 07. Open Sky / 08. Ragnarök / 09. Save Me
While I spend the early afternoon in front of the Amphibühne with dear friends, things are kicking off at the Kulturbühne with FREQUEN-C TC75. Leipzig’s Tino Claus (AMNISTIA, TC75) and Christian Bergmann (DJ FREQUEN-C) are certainly making their audience work up a proper sweat with some of the finest Old-school Industrial. // Setlist: 01. Not Even Us (Live debut) / 02. Something / 03. Come Closer / 04. When You Go / 05. Now I Need You / 06. Jedes Mal / 07. If You Want (Live debut) / 08. They Want It All / 09. Collapse (Live debut) / 10. Lost In This Moment (So Serene)
Following HORSKH on the Parkbühne is the Cologne-based one-man project HINFORT. The project had only recently thrilled me at Echoes of Rebellion, and I am already looking forward to the upcoming tour with DIARY OF DREAMS, which the artist will be joining as a support act. So today I am skipping the performance. After all, you have to set priorities, and we’ll see each other in November. // Setlist: 01. worry / 02. deadbeat / 03. bare bones / 04. treason / 05. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (THE SMITHS cover) / 06. You Gave Up / 07. what I’ve done / 08. alive (DARKWAYS Remix) / 09. romanticism / 10. of letting go / 11. in silence / 12. no way out
At the same time as we join Christian von Aster at the Lesebühne (it’s five in the afternoon) and HINFORT are flying the post-punk flag high on the Parkbühne, JESUS ON EXTASY are striking up rockier sounds with more glamour on the Waldbühne. The band combines influences from Synth Rock, Alternative Rock, Industrial and Glam Rock on their albums. Distorted guitars, programmed sonic textures and catchy melodies may envelop the Waldbühne in an elegant darkness as the clouds continue to gather overhead. // Setlist: 01. Between Despair And Disbelief (Intro) / 02. Ghosts / 03. Somewhat Happy / 04. Wide Awake / 05. Change The World / 06. Alone / 07. Soul Crusher / 08. Days Gone By / 09. Assassinate Me / 10. Neochrome
Christian von Aster
“I’m thrilled with the new look of this reading stage,” the author remarks at the beginning of his reading, and I feel exactly the same way. The new look, with banners all around and the smart armchair for the author, has turned out very beautiful and atmospheric. There is, however, one drawback, as Mr von Aster points out: “Armchair and sitting at the back means that I’m no longer visible.” It’s not quite that bad. The author can still be seen perfectly well from the benches in front of the stage, and most people aren’t here because of his looks anyway, are they?
Thanks to a dear friend, I even manage to get one of the coveted seats, which are already filled up. After a few jokes and bits of banter, Christian von Aster appropriately welcomes his audience to this “furious NCN with a visually optimised Lesebühne”. The author is rather pleased and happy to see so much “pretty audience”. “A quarter of an hour ago, it wasn’t even remotely this full. I thought it was going to be a bit miserable today.”
Before we begin today’s reading, the author can’t resist doing a little advertising for tomorrow, when he will be reading from ‘Boar Boys’, which in his opinion will be the most fucking brilliant reading. Quite a few things have been thought up for it. Among other things, there will be an opportunity to drink champagne from a real Irishman’s belly button - with a straw, of course, for hygiene reasons. “But today we have something completely different in store.” Today’s reading is entirely dedicated to the theme ‘Der andere Mr. Holmes’ - something that gives Mr von Aster particular pleasure.
‘Die wahrhaft unglaublichen Abenteuer des jüdischen Meisterdetektivs Shylock Holmes & seines Assistenten Dr. Wa’Tsun’ is Christian von Aster’s magnum opus. The work was financed through crowdfunding because no publisher wanted the book, and later received the “Blauer Karfunkel” 2020 award from the German Sherlock Holmes Society. Despite the award and the rave reviews for the work, no publisher wants the second volume either, which the author has been working on for some time now. There will probably be 500 copies, and whether it will actually make it into the shops remains to be seen.
But Mr von Aster is writing “a beautiful book”, from which we will hear a few excerpts shortly, in order to make his appreciative audience “a little eager for more”. “But so that people who don’t want this book can get something out of it too”, we begin with a short, self-contained story that also takes place in the Holmes universe, but attempts to tell things within the classic canon “that were a little different, but still the classic Sherlock Holmes.” We hear ‘Das Renardi Komplott’.
Listening to Mr von Aster read is always highly entertaining and amusing. The facial expressions, the gestures, the emphasis on certain passages, the wordplay - simply wonderful. I don’t want to give too much away about the story itself. Suffice it to say that Mr Holmes is to be given a special birthday surprise, for which a daring plan has to be devised and carried out.
Whether the surprise will succeed in the end is something you will have to find out for yourselves. And I too, despite my boundless curiosity about how the story will turn out, bid farewell to the action after the first phase of the plan and head towards the Amphibühne, where I meet up with friends for a brief stroll around the festival grounds and, naturally, a detour to the Klatt ice cream stand. My first ice cream of the weekend is a delicious and very refreshing scoop of cucumber ice cream. Afterwards, we continue on to the gentlemen of MELOTRON on the Amphibühne.
Melotron
The band from Neubrandenburg have been known for their charmingly quirky electronic anthems since the early 90s. “Melodic, rhythmic, danceable and with German lyrics,” as host Anne aptly describes them. With their unmistakable interpretation of modern Electro-Pop music, Andy Krüger (vocals), Edgar Slatnow (synthesizer) and Kay Hildebrandt (synthesizer) continue to delight their audience to this day. “Guys, we’re expecting great things.” Kay is the first to take to the stage, enveloped in wisps of fog. The intro begins. Edgar Slatnow joins his bandmate and greets the audience with a deep bow. Andy Krüger follows, and MELOTRON set the clocks to ‘Null’.
“Es kann nicht sein, was nicht sein darf...” and yet, at that very moment, it starts to rain. The rain radar shows only a small cloud and for the time being it is merely drizzling. But something big, very dark and unpleasant seems to be making its way towards Deutzen. Perhaps we’ll be lucky and the worst will simply pass us by. Hope, as they say, dies last. Regardless of the approaching storm, Andy is in an extremely good mood today, and the audience’s party spirit remains undiminished for the time being. People dance and sing exuberantly. “Du bist es nicht wert / Du bist es nicht wert... / ...dass ich leide”. The humidity rises and the rain gets heavier.
Experienced festival-goers are prepared; umbrellas and rain jackets are of course part of the kit with a weather forecast like this, and a bit of rain isn’t going to spoil the mood anyway. So, the little journey through MELOTRON’s history continues and is celebrated hard by the fans. // Setlist: 01. Auferstehung / 02. Null / 03. Du bist es nicht wert / 04. Hate & glory / 05. Gib mir alles / 06. Wer wenn nicht wir / 07. Rosa / 08. Der Optimist / 09. Maschinen aus Stahl / 10. Der Anfang / 11. Kindertraum / 12. Brüder
A festival day is a long one, and breakfast for all of us is hours ago. So, we fortify ourselves at one of the many food stalls with a delicious vegan burrito. The temperatures have dropped considerably by now. So, it’s time to fetch our jackets and prepare ourselves for the rain as well. I use the short detour to the Kulturbühne to take in what is happening there for a moment. On stage, the folk project TEARS OF OTHILA by Marco G. Gardella is currently enchanting the audience, who have gathered here in large numbers at the barbecue area.
The weather seems to have taken pity on us and the rain bids farewell for the time being. This gives us the opportunity to stop by the Klatt ice cream stand once again - dessert. My choice for the second round of ice cream: gooseberry and pear-sage. Strengthened by this, we continue to the Parkbühne, where “two and a half hours of concentrated ATLAS BIRD power” await us - at least if frontman Martin is to be believed when it comes to his sense of time.
Atlas Bird
It’s Noise Pop time, and the band centred around Martin Schröder-Zabel (guitar, vocals) and Axel Kunz (drums, piano), who are now based in Leipzig and have had an anthem for every escape from reality since 2016. The simple instrumentation of guitar and drums leaves room for clear lines, for grandiose force and spaces in between. Today, the two musicians are joined by Joachim on violin and guitar. ATLAS BIRD already played here last year, albeit at lunchtime on Saturday. The audience and festival boss Holger were so impressed by their performance that the band were asked straight away whether they would come back this year and play at dusk.
So, the band once again enchant the audience today with their beautiful Indie-Pop melodies and Martin’s unique voice. I have already had the opportunity to see the band live several times and am very fond of the guys. Thanks to Joachim’s violin playing, their songs move me even more than usual today. The audience present dances dreamily to the music and rewards the performance with thunderous applause. Martin does have a little problem, though: “I’m twitching up here on stage all the time because I keep getting an electric shock. The microphone somehow has a bit too much electricity.”
The band nevertheless plays several songs from their first album. At some point, Martin pulls the plug and, lo and behold, everything seems fine afterwards. The evening can continue without any further electric shocks. Alongside many older songs, there is also something new to hear from ATLAS BIRD. It shouldn’t get boring, after all. ‘Out Of This Town’ will not be released for another six weeks, and the current single ‘Chrom Zero’, which was released just two weeks ago, must not be missing from the set either - today, for the very first time live.
ATLAS BIRD say goodbye with ‘All the Cities I know’. And I absolutely agree with Martin: “That was really fucking great.” Martin voices the hope we all share that the announced rain will disappear and that “we can all have a fucking great night”. For the moment, at least, there are once again a few patches of blue sky visible between the clouds. // Setlist: 01. My very own Blood / 02. Kiss Away / 03. Francis International / 04. Out Of This Town / 05. Love Is A Battlefield (Pat Benatar cover) / 06. Onyx / 07. Lovers & Leavers / 08. Voyage / 09. Chrom Zero / 10. Mine / 11. All the Cities I know
At the same time, the Italian EBM / Industrial pioneers PANKOW are surely letting rip on the Waldbühne. Founded in 1982, PANKOW were the first Italian electronic band to achieve international success in Europe and the USA. Certainly, influenced by bands such as KRAFTWERK and EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, the Italians developed their very own style, with electronic structures varying in rhythmic speed and English/German lyrics. // Setlist: 01. intro Zufall / 02. Halt die Klappe / 03. Taking Over The Asylum / 04. Let Me Be Stalin / 05. Treuhund / 06. Brucia Europa Brucia / 07. Sickness Takin’ Over / 08. Warm Leatherette (Grace Jones cover) / 09. Kunst Und Wahnsinn / 10. Gimme More (Much More) / 11. Logophobia / 12. God’s Deneuve / 13. Das Wodkachaos / 14. Young Black Rebels / 15. Me and my Ding Dong
Elinborg
Around eight, I make my way back to the Amphi stage, where ELINBORG is next on my must-see-list. The Faroese singer and songwriter, who is based in Copenhagen, released her first EP back in 2015. For her third album, ‘Vera’, which translates as “to be”, she worked among others with her older sister EIVØR, who already made a profound impression on me here at NCN two years ago and moved me to tears with her music.
ELINBORG’s artistic development is deeply rooted in the rich culture of the Faroe Islands. Inspired by the untamed spirit of the islands, ELINBORG moves within the realm of “dark electronic Pop”, creating soundscapes that are haunting and intoxicating. Her music is shaped by the contrast between dark, harsh winters and bright, vibrant summers, combining the sounds of her Faroese homeland with contemporary influences.
As the clouds in the sky grow ever darker, Jan Rúni Poulsen (drums), Heðin Ziska Davidsen (synths) and Elinborg Pálsdóttir (vocals, guitar) take to the stage. The area in front of the Amphibühne quickly fills up, and the musicians are greeted with enthusiastic applause. The atmospheric electronic soundscapes remind me of wind blowing across a rugged landscape. And then there is that voice, so full of depth and emotion. It doesn’t matter that I don’t understand the lyrics of this wonderful music. Images form in my mind, and the music touches me deeply.
“Hello everyone. Good to see you. You all look so beautiful. We’re match very well. We’re all wearing black. I love it. You all look very beautiful and we are so happy to be here tonight with you. This next song is called ‘Troyst’ and ‘troyst’ means ‘comfort’ and it’s a song about missing someone you love deeply.” Talent clearly runs in the family. ELINBORG manages to captivate the NCN audience just as effortlessly as EIVØR did two years ago. And ‘Blóð’ is simply beautiful and deeply moving. While the thick black cloud above our heads initially spares us, the first tears well up in my eyes and I get goosebumps all over.
“We’re gonna play a song called ‘Vatnsins Verur’ which means ‘The Sea Creatures’.” The sky grows darker and darker, and shortly afterwards the first drops begin to fall. At around half past eight, the sky finally starts to cry. My companions begin to worry about the sensitive camera equipment, which still has to function for the next two days of the festival. So, with heavy hearts, we say goodbye to ELINBORG and leave the NCN a little while later, hoping that tomorrow will stay reasonably dry. // Setlist: 01. Sjórok / 02. Vera / 03. Troyst / 04. Blóð / 05. Vatnsins Verur / 06. Sár / 07. Kærleikin / 08. Blóðandi / 09. Vón mín
On the Kulturbühne, we also leave MS GENTUR + Sven Phalanx to the rain that is beginning to fall. When it starts absolutely bucketing down shortly after our arrival at the hotel, we’re actually quite glad to be sitting here in the dry. The outlook for tomorrow is at least better, so we hope for two more great festival days.
All Pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
