Kulturpark, Deutzen, Germany
6th to 8th September 2013
Nocturnal Culture Night 8 Day 3: Die Rostigen Löffel, Low-Fi, Unzucht, Bloody Dead & Sexy, Autodafeh, Heimataerde, Aesthetic Perfection, The Eternal Afflict, Die Kammer, Rabia Sorda, Camouflage
Much too early, the dusk of the last festival day was coming. Again with a varied program, my personal highlight was the show of DIE KAMMER on the culture stage. But of course the day had a lot more great bands in stock with headliner CAMOUFLAGE on the big stage.
Die Rostigen Löffel
This band was totally unknown to all of us. Strange name (the rusty spoons) was making us guess what music will await us. No one really had in mind what came next… Done some research after the festival, I found out that the crew behind this band is not new in music business. The project DIE ROSTIGEN LÖFFEL was already started in 2005 by Stefan Banas. The first album, ‘Paranoid’, was already out in 2007, followed by co-operations with some quite well-known bands in the Industrial / Electro genre, like PIGFACE or RX. Grown to a full band by 2010, they started writing on new material, produced by Chris Peterson (Front Line Assembly). The first track, ‘Wer schöner ist als ich, ist eh geschminkt’, which was also opening the NCN set, was out in 2011. Musically, I found the band quite interesting… but when the chant started, I just starred onto stage with big eyes since I could not believe what I heard. This was not really chant. It was not only me reacting with lack of understanding what we got presented there. Could have been good or at least interesting… with other vocals! // http://www.dierostigenloeffel.de / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Die-Rostigen-Löffel/215184725173297 // Rating: 5 / 10
Low-Fi
LOW-FI from Italy were, compared with the band on the small stage, a real ray of hope. I found the mix of Electro and Wave with strong bass line quite appealing. In February 2012, the trio consisting of twins Alessandro and Adriano plus Fabio on synths released their debut album ‘What we are is secret’. With their catchy melodies, lyrics sung by a well-trained voice and with their likable attitude, they found quite a few admirers in the audience. This is surely an interesting band you should keep an eye on in future. I really liked it. // https://www.facebook.com/lowfiband // Setlist: 01. White Crisis / 02. Dead Disco Syndrome #1 / 03. Complexed Heart / 04. Something / 05. Lagartija Nick (Bauhaus cover) / 06. Teach me how to live // Rating: 7.5 / 10
Unzucht
Just like LORD OF THE LOST, UNZUCHT are currently right popular, sailing in the same musical seas. Due to that popularity, despite of the early hour, a good crowd gathered in front of the small stage. UNZUCHT presented their set on this small stage just as professional on the big main stage at M’era Luna festival, where they btw presented the same set like now at NCN. The band around Daniel Schulz will release their new album ‘Rosenkreutzer’ on 4th October and of course we were already served with a new piece, ‘Nur die Ewigkeit‘. But the crowd pleasers of course were songs like ‘Unzucht‘ or the final piece ‘Engel der Vernichtung’. // http://www.unzucht-music.com / https://www.facebook.com/Unzucht // Setlist: 01. Der Schrauber (Intro) / 02. Todsünde 8 / 03. Unzucht / 04. Deine Zeit läuft ab / 05. Nur die Ewigkeit / 06. Kleine geile Nonne / 07. Engel der Vernichtung // Rating: 7 / 10
Bloody Dead & Sexy
BLOODY, DEAD & SEXY from Germany are already active since 1997, releasing the debut album, ‘Paint It Red’ in 2003. After a few gigs in 2006, the death rockers disbanded for several years, coming back in 2010 with the new album 'An Eye on You'. The new album, ‘Bad Ambient’ is currently released, presenting “bizarre melodies, unorthodox song structures and terrific hymns”. The band was a welcome alternation between so many electro bands. The quartet expressed clear punk (‘Solemn Times’) as well as post-punk and even wave influences, mixing everything nicely together. Their first hit, ‘Bloody Rose’, was surely one of the set’s highlights. // http://www.bloodydeadandsexy.de / https://www.facebook.com/bloodydeadandsexy // Setlist: 01. One by One / 02. Sick 6 Minutes / 03. Gloom Within / 04. Bloody Rose / 05. Something Real / 06. Frau im See / 07. Solemn Times / 08. A Friend in Mescalin // Rating: 7.5 / 10
Autodafeh
AUTODAFEH was founded in 2007, releasing a first album, ‘Hunt for Glory’, in 2009, becoming a real bomb shell. Expectations for the follow-up album were high and ‘re:lectro’, release in August 2009, did not disappoint. AUTODAFEH satisfied old fans and they acquired new ones. The trio’s latest album, ‘Blackout Scenario’, was out in March 2013. While we were offered mostly handmade music on the main stage before, now it was time for pure electronic stuff cuts in the vein of bands like FRONT 242, getting people dancing. The band from Sweden is really enjoyable live. EBM still has lots of fans and with their old-school attitude, AUTODAFEH hit their nerves. // http://www.autodafeh.com / https://www.facebook.com/autodafeh // Setlist: 01. No Names / 02. One Man / 03. Bodycount / 04. Hunt for Glory / 05. Dark Sky / 06. Conflict / 07. Seven Sind / 08. Stompers / 09. Getaway / 10. Love, Hate and Pain / 11. Souls of Destruction / 12. Fuel of Fire // Rating: 7.5 / 10
Heimataerde
On the main stage, we were now moving back to medieval times. Usually, bands dealing with medieval topics are playing medieval music or at least folkish rock. Not HEIMATAERDE. The present guitar spiced up electro sounds while bringing medieval scenery onto stage. Surely this mix is quite controversial and you just love it or hate it. Anyway the band was attracting a huge crowd at NCN with their mix of EBM, Electro, brute guitar and uncommon instruments like hurdy-gurdy and flutes. Not only music was uncommon, also the show had lots of things to offer… a dead toy rat, bleeding woman, an executed knight and of course lots of blood. // http://www.heimataerde.de / https://www.facebook.com/HeimataerdeOffiziell // Setlist: 01. Templerblut / 02. Gotteskrieger / 03. Dein Opfer / 04. Der Verfall / 05. Pilgerlied / 06. Gib mir / 07. Die Brut / 08. Pater Noster / Heimataerde / 09. Morituri Salutant / 10. Tief in dir / 11. Darkdance / Encore: 12. Lebloser Körper // Rating: 7 / 10
Aesthetic Perfection
The project of Daniel Graves, live enhanced by keyboarder Elliot Berlin and drummer Tim van Horn, is currently on the road with COVENANT. But before they started this tour, they made a stop at NCN festival, where they met an enthusiastic crowd. AESTHETIC PERFECTION was started already 13 years ago, but had their final breakthrough with the 2011 album 'All Beauty Destroyed'. Daniel was wearing his flamboyant black and white make-up in form of a hand across his face we already know from former shows. The whole band was vividly acting at stage and soon transported the good vibe into the crowd, making people instantly moving. Hits like 'Inhuman' or 'The Devil's in the Details' did a great job. // http://www.aesthetic-perfection.net / https://www.facebook.com/aestheticperfection // Setlist: 01. Intro / 02. Antibody / 03. Inhuman / 04. The Devil's in the Details / 05. One and Only / 06. The Siren / 07. The Ones / 08. Hit the Streets / 09. The Dark Half / 10. The Great Depression / 11. Spit it out / Encore: 12. Schadenfreude // Rating: 8 / 10
The Eternal Afflict
THE ETERNAL AFFLICT are already around since the early nineties and are best known for their Electro club smasher ‘San Diego’. When the band reached its climax in the mid-nineties with the album ‘War’, the band members decided to concentrate more on their solo projects. After a best of album in 1998 it took them another five years until they finally got back with the album ‘Katharsis’ in 2003. Winus, Cyan and Mark tried to deliver a good show. But in the duration of the show, the voice of singer Cyan audibly lost power. But still he put lot of efforts into his performance, rewarding the audience at the end with that one song anyone had waited for, ‘San Diego’. I decide not to see the full set of the band since there was a band now playing at the culture stage, I really was waiting for… // http://www.the-eternal-afflict.net / https://www.facebook.com/theeternalafflict // Setlist: 01. Godless / 02. Suicide Kingdom / 03. Agony, I Like / 04. Childhood / 05. Hatelove / 06. Huma Remains / 07. We Libanon You / 08. Trauma Rouge / 09. Red Violet Flowers / 10. Euphoric & Demonic / 11. Eternal / 12. Perish / Encore: 13. Crash Course in the Garden of Christ– Babylon / 14. San Diego // Rating: 6 / 10
Die Kammer
DIE KAMMER was built from the ashes of Marcus Testory’s CHAMBER, releasing the first album, ‘Season I: the seeming and the real‘ one year ago. This band is quite extraordinary. Around the two heads, Marcus Testory (vocals, guitar) and Matthias Ambré (formerly ASP, vocals, guitar, Irish bouzouki), five more musicians are gathered: Dirk Klinkhammer (tuba), Oliver Himmighoffen (minimal drums), Tabea Müller (cello), Aline Deinert (violin) and Matthias Raue (violin, viola). The audience at the little culture stage found the right surrounding for that kind of music – singer-songwriter-chamber-music presented with a lot of passion and much commitment. Besides lots of songs out of the debut album, there was also new piece ‘Hither and Thither’ presented as well as a powerful and intoxicating cover version of ‘That's When I Reach for My Revolver’. Fantastic concert I enjoyed from the first to the very last second. // http://www.die-kammer.com / https://www.facebook.com/diekammer // Setlist: 01. The Orphanage / 02. Fate/Illusion / 03.Labyrinths of Despair/ 04. The Seeming and the Real / 05. Backward Glance / 06. Home in your Eyes / 07. Hither and Thither / 08. That's When I Reach for My Revolver (Mission of Burma Cover) / 09. Final Days // Rating: 9 / 10
Rabia Sorda
I had some deja-vu with RABIA SORDA playing right after DIE KAMMER; I already had this constellation at this year’s Blackfield Festival. Musically, the presented stuff could not differ more. Now we were meeting hard-hitting electro, but still catchier than the stuff Erk Aicrag is presenting with his main project, HOCICO, we heard the day before. The duo did the best to animate people for dancing with their electro-rock-punk music. They surely deserved the last slot on the small stage, where it was really crowded and people celebrated along to songs like ‘Out of Control’ or ‘What U Get is What U See’. // http://www.rabiasorda.com / https://www.facebook.com/rabiasordaofficial // Setlist: 01. New Song / 02. Eye M the Blacksheep / 03. Out of Control / 04. Radio Paranoia / 05. Misery / 06. A World on Fire / 07. Deaf / 08. What U Get is What U See / 09. Heart Eating Crows / 10. Save me from my Curse / 11. Turbulence / 12. Dibujando El Veneno (Instrumental) / 13. Burning House / 14. Somewhere along the Road / Encore: 15. Walking on Nails / 16. Money Talks (and Rots) // Rating: 7.5 / 10
Camouflage
Also CAMOUFLAGE was a band I already witnessed during this summer, to be exact at Nordstern Festival, where they could not really convince me. And even though they were missing one man today - Oliver Kreyssig was laying sick at home – they did much better in my opinion. Marcus Meyn was very energetic, using all space he could get, running from one end of the stage to the other. Shrunk to a live quartet, the guys of course presented all their big hits, ‘Neighbours’, ‘Suspicious Love’, ‘Love Is a Shield’ and of course ‘The great Commandment’. Short before ten, the band said goodbye with ‘Strangers' Thoughts’. And at the end, the NCN also got its rain. But no one really cared anymore. // http://www.camouflage-music.com / https://www.facebook.com/camouflagemusic // Setlist: 00. Overture / 01. We Are Lovers / 02. Dreaming / 03. Perfect / 04. I'll Follow Behind / 05. That Smiling Face / 06. Neighbours / 07. I Can't Feel You / 08. Misery / 09. Suspicious Love / 10. Close / 11. . Me and You / 12. Love Is a Shield / Encore 1: 13. Tora Tora Tora (Depeche Mode Cover) / 14. Shine / 15. The Great Commandment / Encore 2: 16. Strangers' Thoughts // Rating: 8 / 10
After the last concert, all helpers of the festival traditionally gathered on stage for a thank you and a final group picture. Indeed, they all did a great job. Promoters were putting up a really good line-up. NCN is always a family meeting people are looking forward to the whole year. It is kind of different there. And even it is not as professional as the big festivals of the scene, for many it is the favourite event of the year. And we will be back next year again, that’s for sure!
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.black-cat-net.de/ / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
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