The mood stayed high as the guys from Dresden, led by singer Holly Loose, provided the next reason for dancing and singing in the audience with their rocking songs. They have a slightly unusual lineup as besides the obligatory guitars and bass, they are enhanced by Benni Gerlach on the cello and Rico Schwibs on the violin.
Before End Of Green could take the stage, there was a bizarre spectacle to behold in the interior. Many people lay down on the floor and had their outlines drawn with chalk. It looked as if there were a lot of corpses lying there. Additionally, there was the inscription: 'We die with you – R.I.P. Blackfield'. Nevertheless, the mood quickly lifted as the band energetically kicked off to the sounds of “Don’t Stop Killing Me”.
After Beborn Beton, the event continued with another veteran of the Dark Wave genre. Clan Of Xymox, who were already founded in the Netherlands in 1984, can look back on a long history. Nevertheless, it was a premiere for them at the Blackfield Festival.
Originally, Legend was supposed to play in the next slot. However, they had to cancel their performance at short notice, so Beborn Beton stepped in. This was a rare opportunity to see them live, as they rarely perform in their home country. But with the new album "A Worthy Compensation" in tow, it was a great chance to present the new songs to a live audience.
On the last festival day of the Blackfield Festival, the weather had become a bit more stable. I still let the first two bands of the day pass and only arrived at the infield for the dark rockers of The Beauty Of Gemina. They had already been guests last year, but with the slightly rockier versions of their songs. Today, it was to be an entirely acoustic set, for which the band had brought additional support in the form of a violinist (Eva Wey) and a cellist (Raphael Zweifel).
The day is coming to an end and despite the warm temperatures, Eisbrecher was set to rock the stage and the Blackfield Festival (even though front man Alexander Wesselsky had some trouble finding the right name of the festival). In full sailor attire, Wesselsky and his band mates, drummer Achim Färber, bassist Rupert Keplinger, guitarist Jürgen Planger, and musical mastermind Noel Pix, took the simple stage and immediately started with “Volle Kraft Voraus”.
From one veteran (Mesh) to the next. Deine Lakaien can even look back on a 30-year history and offered something from every album that evening. For the musical mastermind Ernst Horn and the incredibly distinctive voice of Alexander Veljanov, it was their debut at the Blackfield Festival. They were supported on stage by drummer Slobodan Kajkut and guitarist Goran Trajkoski.
From the rocking sounds of Unzucht, it seamlessly transitioned back to electronic sounds. From Bristol, a veteran was guest: Mesh. Since 1991, singer and guitarist Mark Hockings, along with his band mate Richard Silverthorn on keyboards, have been conquering stages. Over the years, they've amassed quite a bit of material, with one hit following the next.
The shooting stars of the festival were definitely the guys from Unzucht from Hanover. Their music suited me better again, as the dark rock with great German lyrics was more in line with my taste. They have often been on tour as support for genre greats like Subway To Sally or Eisbrecher, and are currently on tour for their new album “Venus Luzifer”, making a stop in Gelsenkirchen.
Solar Fake started their performance with a funny moment. They began to play, probably already hearing their music in the in-ear monitors, and went all out with the show. Unfortunately, nothing came out of the speakers, which caused amused smiles on many faces. After about half a minute, the problem was resolved, the sound technician found the right switch, and everyone could enjoy the great electro-pop tunes.