Now, let's start from the beginning of the prayer, starting off with the post romantic name "Emilie Autumn".

By the way, this is the only american act within this package. And I have to take one thing ahead, I hardly ever have somethin so photogenic in front of my lense, then this pseudo beauty from California. As you all know, we sometimes neglec supportacts, exspecially where there are three of them before the headliner comes on. 
I've just done an interview with one of those artists backstage and intended to get myself a good decent drink, when I discover those funny birds up there. And you've never seen me so quickly jumping into the photopit. Wauw, my camera is dancing a twist at this sight here. Those sisters from America draw all the attention of the audiance alone with there look. Extremly made up in fancy dresses and with lots of make up as you can see on the pics here. By the way, frontgirl Emilie designs these costumes by herself, and recently she even founded her own fashion label. The 29 year old singer, started to get into music aged 4 and enjoyed classical training as violonist. Meanwhile she has put out four albums. Two of them are available in Europe so far - ‚Opheliac’ and ‚Laced/Unlaced’. Above that, Emilie got some reputation through her teamworkt with Courtney Love and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins.  

This gig here, is the second on the whole after the debut at the Wave Gothic meeting in Leipzig. To describe the music of Miss Autumn, you need about as much phantasy as the one which is put into her clothes. It's a kind of mystic sound philosophy, partly with a melancholic touch, partly overdrawn, a little dark, but then again light as a feather transferred in spheric waves. Emilie's other girls are named 'Bloody Crumpets', and they are not much different to their frontwoman, neither what's up to the look nor what's up to the stage acting. In addition, the rhythm section comes from tape. But in Emilie Autumn case it doesn't really matter, because her appearance is less a concert than a theatralic play in classical mystic sense.
  http://www.emilieautumn.com/

Second on the bill is 'Down Below' who established themselves in the Dark scene at least since their gig at the Rock Am Ring festival.
You can easily put this german band into the same category like Him, to get a vage imagination about their music. Even the singers of both bands  look a bit similar on the surface only - of course. But you can realize on the reaction of the crowd, that this lot is not that unknown anymore. And singer Neo Scope is real girlies type, which he puts out even more during the show by taking off his shirt. Yep, it does work at all the females in the first row, that's for sure.
Down Below is described as a mixture of Alternative, Dark Rock and Metal. But they see themselves rather as Pop/Rock and Gothic with a bitter sweet touch.

Down Below consist of paradisebird Noe Scope, who's artist name is devided into new and telescope. On guitar - Carter, Conves on bass, and Dr.Mahony on drums. And that's how they started out four years ago. In the next days their second album 'Sinfony 23' comes out, which carries on with the tradtion of the debut 'Silent Wings:Eternity from 2004.

Down Below, in that case means - going into myself, and they don't make anything new or innovative, but they make their thing well. Neo Scope, as I mentioned before, it the focus of the group. His image transfers a rather dark personality with a magic look (thanks to his contactlenses) - It's Ville Valo meets James Dean and Frankenstein in his youth. There is no limit in imagination and phantasy. But the sparkle is definately their and jumps over to the audiance, and thats the most importatn aspect. Over all, I personally get the impression here, that they will climb up a bit further on the ladder of succes, and I hope, they will..... http://www.downbelow.de/

All good things are three, and there we are with t he project 'Unheilig' (which means in english - Unholy) This guy is going on for quite a while now in the Gothic circles. His name is ' The Graf' (Duke) and he takes over a 150% of the stage with his presence and aura. There is a guitarist and a keyboardist on stage as well, but they actually disappear into anywhere in sight of The Graf. To be honest, in my ears the music here sounds rather as a mixture of Rammstein, In Extremo and some other of these typical german-rock  bands. It's the stage outfit, which puts out most the gothic touch with all those candles  - in addition to the limelight of course. 

This guy here wears a suit and tie and no hair at all, and rather seems like a brave bankclerk than a rockmusician. And again it's that irritating contactlenses....
The setlist of Unheilig includes material of five albums, three EP's, three maxi singles and three DVDs. By the way, a new record is in the works, but won't be out 'till next year. Like I said, this lot already own a certain popularity in the german Darkbeat scene, you can easily recognize this on the reaction of the fans. And some of that is surely due to the cooperation with Project Pitchfork,  a TV appearance recently and the fact, that - The Graf appears at almost every summer festival of this kind of music. 

Oh yes, and also here many samples are used including the rhythm section. 
This good man jumps around the stage like a wild turkey, he winds himself, he bends himself and he goes down on the ground. At some time it's getting to hot and he throws away his jacket, only the tie stays in place for keeping the image ahead. Hmmm - what kinda image I ask myself. And the only answer I find is a comparison to a modern version of Dracula. But however, he catches the audiance and their attention as well. One point for Unheilig....
  http://www.unheilig.com/

Last but not least – The Krupps... - the headliner of tonight. And there we are at the point, where I really ask myself, what have they got in common with the others here in the musical sense. This here is very hard industrial Heavy Metal, blowing in like a tornado. Funnily all the gothic kids in here seem to luv it and celebrate singer Jürgen Engler and his band dearly. I wouldn't have thought this. The band presently consists next to the frontman of original member Ralf Dörper (synth), Rüdiger Esch (bass), Marcel Zürcher (Git) and Oliver Röhl (drums). And with this line up the Krupps are next to Down Below the only real band here.
Two years ago, the Krupps celebrated their 25th anniversary, although the carriere was interrupted inbetween. But they had never split officially. I have seen them playing last year at the Backstage Club in Munich. And it was great. All my expectations for tonight are met again, though the band seems even better in a smaller venue than here. As great as the Krupps are, as terrible is taking pics of them because of the lightcondition I have to admit. 

But otherwise I got nothing really to complain about the performance. It rips you off your shoes and off the gothic feeling straight into the eye of a hurricane. They take every bonus they got of their more than a dozens of albums so far. I for myself discovered this band rather late in 1997 when they released a cover of 'Fire' originally released by 'The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown' in the Sixties. By the way, Arthur Brown himself is contributing at this cover version as well. They don't play that song tonight though, but therefore many other's of their repertoire (view setlist). 
There is only one disappointment at this performance here, and that's the short time of only one hour. But in that case it's not the fault of the band. It's 10 p.m. and as I explained in the beginning, that's the time, where everything has to be finished and stopped - thanks to the town authorithies. Kids are almost going wild because of that, and singer Jürgen Engler comes back on stage and apologizes for something which he can't help. But that is it, and there is only the promise left to come back soon again.

click pic for  Clips

On the whole, it's been an entertaining amusing evening with a combination of Gothic, Dark Wave and Heavy Metal with a high visual level and lots of change. And some of us ask ourselves..... have these really been four hourse now ? Unbelievable but true....
  http://www.die-krupps.de/

View  Diary  for sone Aftershow snapshots