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A SADGOTH WGT 2008
Summary of Bands seen this year
Day 1 - Thursday 8th May 2008
After many months of planning and waiting the time to go to WGT 2007 finally arrived. This year we decided that we would travel on the
Thursday rather than the Wednesday (as we had done for the past two years). Hotel costs and the exchange rate meant that this year
the cost of WGT would be approximately 12% higher than the year before, so I think everybody was trying to reduce the cost. This also
meant not staying in the Renaissance Hotel as we had done for the past four years, mainly due to the very high rate, so this year we
decided to stay back in the Seaside Park Hotel (we stayed here for the first few years that we attended WGT). Our flight details had also
changed from the past few years when we had flown from Stanstead to Leipzig / Halle with Air Berlin, this year we would fly from
Gatwick to Berlin Schonefeld and take the ICE down to Leipzig.
The trip up to Gatwick was uneventful due to the early start (06:30) and we all parked at my works that is 5 minutes in a taxi from the
Airport Terminal (and so saved us a load of money in car park fees). We made it to the Airport in good time and headed to the Easy Jet
check in, I had previously checked us in online to get the queue jump privilege when you board the aircraft. With Check-in complete we
headed to passport control and scanners, it was the normal routine of taking off our big boots and all metal and walking through with no
problems (there is always a little light humour from security staff, and they always take more time with my bag as it normally contains a
load of electrical and camera gear). Once through we headed upstairs for breakfast and for some of us the first drink of the trip. After
scoffing some food we waited for the gate to be announced, and as usual it was as far from the terminal as you could get (still walking
across the sky bridge is always good being so high and seeing aircraft travel underneath). When we got to the gate it was time to board,
and being Easyjet we scrambled aboard the aircraft and grabbed a row of seats. The flight was uneventful and we landed in Berlin
Schonefeld in good time and with slightly cooler weather.
After heading through passport control it was simply a case of waiting for the suitcases (which in the normal tradition are always last to
appear on the belt) and heading outside. We had pre-booked our ICE train from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Leipzig, so didn't have any time
to hang around, we knew we could get the train, but didn't really know how long it would take, so not wishing to gamble and miss our
train we jumped in an 8 seater taxi. The taxi trip is probably quite a good way to view Berlin, we ended up driving along the longest
section of the Berlin Wall that still remains and down Under Der Liden past the Reichstag. We arrived at Berlin Hauptbahnhof in good
time, checked the boards at the front of the station and headed down to Platform 4 (NOTE: The toilets are on the front Ground Level,
there seems to be no others on other levels). There was a little complication here as we checked the Wagenstandanzeiger (an
information board on every platform that informs you of your train length and where your carriage will arrive in relation to the lettering on
the platform). Anyway we got ourselves to the correct location only to find that when the train actually arrived that the train was being split
in to two, and that the information was wrong. So we quickly ran up the platform to our coach to find the inevitable crowd of people trying
to get on with loads of luggage. We clambered on, only to find that the train was rammed with people trying to find their seats with
suitcases, unfortunately we had got on to the carriage at the wrong end, so needed to travel down it (when everybody else had seated
themselves). Finally people settled down, we left our most of our luggage by the doors where we got on, and headed for our seats.
Unfortunately somebody was in them, a bunch of UK Goths had sat down in our seats, they hadn't pre-booked so we unfortunately had
to show them our tickets to show that the seats were ours. They moved and we apologised for the inconvenience, I am pretty sure they
would not have found seats anywhere else as the train was very busy. We alway advise pre-booking your train tickets, its the only way to
ensure that you get your seats.
The trip was quite uneventful, I think I managed to grab half an hours sleep and we arrived in Leipzig in good spirits. By now the weather
had warmed up, I was wearing a leather jacket and my leather jeans along with high New Rocks, as I had tried to keep my luggage
allowance down (as Easyjet always charge for overweight luggage, as it was my suitcase was 21kg, lucky that others had not used all
of their allowance). So we quickly exited the station and walked across the road and square to the Seaside Park Hotel.
The Seaside Park is a lovely hotel, although it does lend itself to the community spirit in the same way that the Renaissance does,
however the rooms are much better and cheaper (and breakfast was included). After quickly checking in we headed upstairs to a nice
quite room at the back of the hotel. One thing I was very happy to note was the inclusion of Air Con in all the rooms, the lack of Air Con
was the reason we had left the Seaside many years ago when WGT had coincided with a heat wave (that made sleeping extremely
hard). The rooms are well equipped, the beds are huge and very comfy, my only complaint about the room (and hotels in Germany in
general) is the lack of coffee and tea making facilities. By the time we arrived at the hotel it was about 3pm.
Within an hour we had unpacked and were sitting downstairs outside the hotel having a drink. Feeling a little hungry we headed back
over to the station to pick up some food (curry) before heading back to the hotel to eat. After eating we went back out, and headed
around to the Gotik Store ('Gotik and Schach'). The store has moved from its old location and is now situated 20m away at the end of a
small arcade. To be honest the shop seems to have lost something, the clothing looked very much the same as last years and nothing
inspired us to part with any cash. From Gotik and Schach we headed to Hautnah, I knew exactly what I wanted so head to the fetish
section at the back and purchased a new set of wonderful (if expensive) well made bondage wrist cuffs. For some reason I feel
undressed without them, after twenty years of clubbing wearing them I suppose one gets into a habit, and my old pair were looking a bit
weathered. Once we had finished we headed down to XtraX, the shop still does not inspire me to part with cash, the menswear seems
to be quite boring, all canvas, with straps and buckles (that tend to break easy), that and the rails have so much on them that looking at
items is almost impossible. Anyway enough moaning by me, by the time we had finished shopping it had gone 5pm, we had tickets to
get so we headed back to the hotel to deposit our purchases before heading over to the tram station.
As it was Thursday we purchased Tram day tickets from the machine (€5.60) and headed over to the stop for Tram 11. I once again I did
not need a ticket for WGT as I had a Press-pass, however my friends all needed tickets. One of the group had ordered the tickets
several weeks before the festival, however they had not arrived in the post, so with some nervousness we headed down to the Agra to
try to sort the problem out. The 11 tram was quite empty so we all managed to get seats, and within half an hour we was standing
outside the Agra Messepark Ticket office. On production of an email confirmation the rest of the group managed to get their tickets
(being informed that there had been a postal strike, and that they had not been posted out). As for me, I had a mild panic attack, I had an
email that detailed my Press-pass accreditation, unfortunately for me I had left it back at the hotel, doh! Feeling rather pissed off I
thought I would have to go right back into town only to come all the way back. However chancing my luck I went to the Press-pass
window of the ticket office to explain my situation, and after a few questions I was granted the Press-pass wrist band. Wonderful, thanks
guys you saved my day. When everybody had exchanged their tickets for wristbands we jumped back on the 11 Tram.
For the past six years we had always spent our Thursday late afternoons in Sued Brause that is located just outside Werk II, however
this year with the new Pre-WGT Meeting at the Bayerischer Bahnhof we had a new place to check out. Once again I was being plagued
with forgetfulness and had forgotten the map that I had made to help people get to the meeting. Lucky I have a good sense of direction, I
judged that if we got off the tram a stop before the Moritzbastei that we could then simply just walk to the location by walking East. I knew
what the area looked like from above (from Google Maps) so had no trouble finding the bar.
The Bayerischer Bahnhof looks a little deceptive from the outside, it certainly does not look as big as it is. There is a large outside area
with many tables, and when we arrived we noticed a few people dressed in black sitting at various tables. The Pre-WGT meeting time
was set at 7pm, so we was half an hour early, with this in mind we headed inside to try to find the area that had been set aside for the
meeting. The inside of the bar is wonderful, everything being constructed from a rich coloured wood. Seeing that the place was huge I
asked about our the Meeting area, and was quickly shown to a large room. We sat down and English menus appeared and drinks were
ordered. Even though we was early it felt a little disconcerting to see that nobody else was around. Anyway I ordered a large Gose, I
have always wondered what the beer tasted like, and to be honest I was quite disappointed. The beer tasted rather mild, with quite a
distinctive twang and after taste, not something I could drink a lot of, so it was on to the Schwarzbier afterwards (also brewed by the
brewery here, as was the Weissbeir). The menu looked very good so food was ordered, and to be honest it was great, highly
recommended. Just before the food arrived Eva turned up, she had done most of the work in organising the event (as she lives in
Leipzig), and to her credit she did a great job. So we sat there and chatted for quite some time before anybody else arrived, and it wasn't
until about 8:30 that really the main bulk of people arrived (apparently many had been sitting outside in the garden, and to be honest I
couldn't blame them as the weather was tremendous).
Anyway the Pre-WGT Meeting was a great success, a load of people turned up, and it was great to meet so many old and new friends. I
took the opportunity to hand out a load of gig guides so I hope they were useful (from the feedback already I believe they went down well
again). It was about 10 o'clock when we left and people were still arriving, I hope that everybody had a good time, and we will certainly
do the same thing again next year. So it was time to start the party, we walked over to Darkflower. We have always had a great love for
Darkflower, the venue is great and the music is normally guaranteed to be great, and this year was no exception with Tom Gold (from
the Castle USA) DJing. When we walked in I ran in to Mick (Midnight), a really nice guy from Florida, anyway we got chatting and he took
me over to meet Tom Gold the DJ and it was nice to meet you both, thanks. With great music and beer we found a place to sit and
proceeded to get a little more merry.
If you know the New Darkflower then you will know from previous years that the place is quite small, with a tiny dancefloor. Well since
last year the floor downstairs has been cut into two, there are now two rooms with two tiny dancefloors. We spent some time in the new
area listening to the Trad music before moving back to the bounce.I think I even danced a bit, even though it was very busy. Anyway it
had been a really long day, and such a good start to the festival, I was really looking forward to seeing some bands and hitting the
shopping Halle so we headed off back to the hotel at about 3am completely exhausted.
Day 2 - Friday 9th May 2008
As per normal I didn't make breakfast, sleep was more important. I think I managed to sleep till about 11am before waking up, that gave
us loads of time as we were not meeting up till 1pm for lunch. Looking at the itinerary for the day it was apparent that we would be
spending the day down at the Agra after a brief spell at Werk I. To be honest I was very much happier this year with the program. Last
year the program had very little occurring on the Friday, and only one band at the Agra. I would hazard a guess that the light show at the
Volkerschlachtdenkmal (that was the main event of last year) was a drain on the money of the festival and that the bands were reduced
to account for this. Anyway we jumped on tram and headed to Werk II.
The Queue at Werk II was quite small so we had no trouble getting in, although Security were doing their job rather well and checking
everything in everybody's bag. When we got in we could hear the start of the first band 'Beati Mortui' so I headed straight into the Halle A
to see them. I did have the option of going down to the front to take photos and to make use of my photo-pass, however the band were
not on my highlight list so I thought I would just watch the band from the back.
A Press-pass is a wonder opportunity to go down the front in to the press pit and take photos, its absolutely great to get close to the
band and to be able to move freely (well at some bands) and take photos from various angles. However its not all roses. For one thing
photographers have no etiquette, they push and shove to get into the press pit first and wont move for anything or anybody, its also
rather hard work, staying sober enough to operate an expensive camera can be quite a task, and having to find your friends after the
three songs (that you are allowed to take photos) can be almost impossible sometimes. It does take some of the fun out of the festival,
however it adds to the experience and allows me keep this site going. So after last years WGT I made a promise to myself that I would
only go down to the front to take photos of bands that I wanted pictures off (or at the very least that close friends wanted pictures of).
So back to Beati Mortui, before WGT I had listed every band, went to their website or Myspace page to hear a clip of their music, and
then wrote a few words to help me to make a decision about what bands I would go and see, and what bands I would take photos of.
For Beati Mortui I had wrote 'Strong Electro with distorted female vocals', based on their Myspace sound clips. The music did sound
quite good, but when the lead singer started to sing it was quickly apparent that she couldn't sing live, in fact it was quite painful to hear,
I think we all made about a song and a half before having to leave, terrible one to avoid at all costs. So we headed back out to the very
pleasant outside area of Werk II to order drink and wurst.
Ashbury Heights were on my list as a must see band, their album is great although to be honest I wasn't expecting that much as I don't
think they have been around for too long. So 15 minutes before the band were due on I left my friends and headed down to the front with
my camera. There was already a queue of photographers and I met Daniela from Reflections of Darkness (such a top website, and one
that I had aspired to join, but couldn't really meet the level of professionalism that they have, I'm not sure I could take photos, write a
review, dance and drink). Anyway it was good to meet you;Ashbury Heights started and us photographers were allowed into the Press
pit, and to be honest the performance by the band was very good, they could both sing, the music (apart from the technical problems
that dogged so many bands this year) was great, it was hard not to dance, but I was here to take photos, although maybe I should have
familiarised myself with my camera again before leaving Blighty. Anyway I took my photos, the three first songs came to an end and
then it was time to find my friends. The set was tremendous, the band got better and better and they really got the crowd going, I must
say I was very impressed, especially as I had not expected them to be that good. Cant wait to see them again at Amphi Festival in July.
The next band on were not on my hit list, so I tried to get some more food and drink and headed down to the front half a song too late to
get into the press pit, Mr Security man informed me that I couldn't go in until somebody came out as it was too crowded (I'm not sure
what his problem was as there was loads of room, but I wasn't going to argue)l. Anyway although I had listened to some sound clips I
had missed completely that Santa Hates You was a side project of Peter Spilles from Project Pitchfork. It was halfway through the first
song and one of the photographers left the photo pit, so I managed to get in (much to the disgruntlement of the security guy). The band
were well into their music, I have always liked Project Pitchfork and travelled over to the Dark Storm Festival in Berlin between
Christmas and New Year to see Pitchfork play (as I have always managed to miss them). Santa Hates You are not too far away from
what Peter does with Pitchfork live, sounding quite hard and not refined, they didn't really do it for me, the songs sounded a little bland
(probably because I didn't know them) even though they both put a load of energy into the performance, so after my two and half songs
down the front it was time for another drink and a sit down with friends.
The next band were also new to me, although I did know that they were fronted by the excellent Dreadful Shadows and even better
Zeraphine front man Sven Friedrich. I have previously seen Zeraphine at WGT a few years ago and thought that they put on an excellent
(and very busy) performance, so I was really looking forward to Solar Fake. So expecting it to be very busy so I headed down to the front
in good time (and found a phalanx of photographers already waiting). So right on time the music started, we piled into the front area and
Sven started to sing, and I must say that I absolutely love his voice, tremendous vocals and once again I started to snap away dancing
at the same time. The first few songs were slowish but none the less excellent, when the up tempo third song began I was once again
torn between dancing and taking more photos. The set was once again plagued with a few technical hitches which were quickly
resolved. Then it was time to leave the press pit, so I quickly found a place to stand in the now very packed Werk II. I was really getting
into the music, and now added the new Solar Fake album to my list of CDs to buy.
With just two people on stage it can be rather difficult to make any performance exciting or to keep audience attention however with
Solar Fake we were treated with an extremely well timed back projection, and for several songs words appeared on the screen as Sven
sang them. The highlight of this was for the song 'I keep my eyes shut', for this song was sung by some form of alien on the screen in
some sort of distorted metallic voice with Sven off stage, then running back on stage joining in for the harsher chorus, excellent
performance. The highlight of the show for me was probably the cover of Radioheads 'Creep'. An overall wonderful performance I look
forward to seeing them again in the future.
So once Solar Fake had finished it was time for me to find my friends (who had left part the way through the set to see Das Ich at the
Agra. I grabbed a quick coke and headed out to find a tram. So entering the Agra for the first time is always a great experience as it sort
of means that the festival has really started for me. The weather was still excellent so I grabbed a slice of pizza and then headed in to
the Halle 2 to find my friends. When you are part of a group of people finding them again can always be difficult, however for every venue
we have a set meeting place (or place that we stand to watch a band), in this way we alway meet up. So Das Ich had finished, which
was a shame as they always put on a good show (although weirdly I don't really like them on CD). Sigue Sigue Sputnik were the next
band on stage and for me the absolute rock bottom of the festival. I had read on various forums that people were looking forward to
seeing them, and very excited, and this isn't even the first time that they have played the festival. I'm sure that the mainly German crowd
just do not get the joke with the band, they were formed to take the piss out of the music business and prove that any old crap will sell if
you market it correctly, well done to them for that, but their music is atrocious, and it was annoying the first time around.
Anyway to see Unheilig the next band, required being here early so I prepared for an hour of pain with more beer. I really could not be
arsed to take photos of them, so I stood and watched from the back as they came on to raptures of applause and shouting. They can at
least play now, when they were first in the charts they admitted that session players played all the music, however the songs still
seemed very poor. Martin Degville once again strutted around like a chicken on acid, one day he will probably realise that having a
ripped fishnet stocking over your head just looks like you need some tuition in bank robbing. I could go on about lack of stage presence
but I think you get the picture, I didn't like them in the 80s, and I certainly don't like them now.
So after an hour or so it was time to get excited again, the highlight band of the festival was about to come on stage. Unheilig are
excellent, I have just about everything they have produced and really enjoyed the show when they played at Mera Luna a couple of years
ago. I also owed myself, as last time Unheilig played they were at Parkbuhne and it was raining so I had missed them as I didn't want
to get wet (although the rain stopped for them), I had kicked myself for missing them then, and it was time to set the record straight.
Getting myself down to the press waiting area at the Agra is always an exciting moment, you can normally see the band behind the
stage from this vantage point so waiting is always a little better here. Anyway the band started and we poured into the Press Pit, security
is always a little tougher here, anyway as I made my way around to the stage a security guy shouted something at me and pointed at my
camera, I didn't understand, he repeated and I caught 'No Flash', so feeling a little annoyed I made my way along to the end of the stage.
Having a press-pass obviously means different things to different people, there are people down the front with simple small cameras,
and those with a top of the range camera with lenses so big you could take a picture of somebody standing on the moon, however
there is one thing that we all have in common, wanting to take a good picture. The most difficult photo to take is of something that is
moving fast, that maybe obscured by dry ice and in dim light. Although modern cameras are good, they still struggle to process images
in these harsh conditions, using a flash allows you to capture the moment. I spent £150 on an expensive flash gun that sits on top of a
grands worth of camera, expensive yes, but compared to those around me, this is at the bottom end of the camera spectrum. With a
high-end flash gun you can diffuse the flash, so those in front of you are not blinded, and I think that just about everybody has these
diffusers, if not then photographers normally point them upwards. So with no flash the photos would this year be quite poor, which was
a real bugger as I was going to be at the Agra for the next few days too.
I removed my flash gun, noting that some of my fellow photographers had also done the same, although a few had not. Anyway I did
really know why there was a rule this year against the use of flash (I really will have to learn more German). Back to the gig, the stage
was set for Unheilig, the customary candles and then the band are coming on stage, and by now the Agra is rammed, Der Graf runs on
stage and starts to sing. Having read the press over the pass few days there was much speculation about Der Grafs vocals, apparently
he had some sort of virus that had meant that doctors said he may never sing again unless he gave his voice complete rest. Prior to
WGT Unheilig had cancelled a few shows and according to the press Der Graf had not said a word for 18 days to allow his voice to
repair in time for WGT. So when he started to sing there is a huge roar from the crowd as we are all relieved that he is OK. I must say
that I think Der Grafs voice is excellent, full of emotion and passion, the band were happy to be on stage.
Now I know I cant use my flash gun, its in my bag, however a few of my fellow photographers are using their flashes (that are built into
their cameras), so I chance my luck and pop mine up, take two shots and receive a rather vicious jab in the back from security and a
firm telling off. So its back to taking photos hoping to use the flash of the mass of people standing two meters behind me (who are
using cameras and flash). I'm not the only one, security here are really tight and the security guy moves up and down in front of the
stage warning photographers not to use flash. Its rather a weird situation as a photographer with a normal small camera (and probably
a flash they cant turn off) also gets told off when just behind the barrier the crowd are free to flash away. So enough of me moaning.
Unheilig put on a wonderful show, the crowd are going mad for them and to be honest I am happy to leave the press-pit after my three
songs and to watch the rest of the set. On leaving the press pit I realise its going to be quite difficult to get back to my friends, the place
is really busy (I have seem it busier, but its still going to be difficult to get to the other side of the Halle). So I head to the back of the Agra
and finally make my way to my friends after a couple of songs. Unheilig get better and better as they range across their back catalogue
of songs. The highlight is when from the very front something is thrown into the crowd, at first I cant make out what it is, thinking some
idiot has thrown something, however it is quickly followed by tens of similar objects, then hundreds of objects until there must be a few
thousand blue glowsticks being held by members of the crowd. At Mera Luna they had handed out sparklers to the crowd (but I would
imagine they are less safe), so Der Graf lays on the emotion and everybody is waving blue glowsticks. Its really special when a band
interact with the crowd, and by simply handing out a few thousand glowsticks Unheilig have interacted in a way that other bands just
don't do, excellent (and I still have my glowsticks). I was sorry to see Unheilig leave the stage after such a good set, however I was really
looking forward to the next band Blutengel.
I have seen Blutengel a number of times and they don't disappoint, putting on a great stage show normal with dancers and people in
masks whilst acting out various scenarios. The last time Blutengel played they also played at Parkbuhne, a great show so I was really
looking forward to seeing them again. Again I got myself down to the front in good time and waited with the other photographers, it
seemed to take some time for the band to get sorted and Chris Pohl and Co seemed to spend quite a bit of time at the side trying to set
up their equipment. So after some time the music starts and we once again pile into the Press-Pit.
The girls come on stage first dressed in white with white masks, lots of dry ice and then Chris is walking on stage, and from the very
beginning there are technical hitches, the band are singing yet we cant hear anything. Still its sorted quite quickly, but probably not quick
enough for the band. Its also obvious that something else is missing, the spark that used to exist between Chris and Constance is
missing, there used to be some sort of passion between them, now it looks like they are just doing their jobs. Is this the end of
Blutengel? There are a few more technical hitches and Chris has to play with the laptop. One thing I did notice from the front was that
Chris actually looks like he is reading his lyrics from the very large tomb in front of him, I could see his eyes moving across the page as
he was singing, if it works it works for him. Still the dancers are going for it, there are the normal fireworks and the songs get better and
better as they dip into their older (and in my opinion better) songs. So I have finished snapping away and head towards the back of the
Agra to find my friends once again, however this time there is no bother, many people have left and there are large gaps and it takes
half a song to transverse to the other side. All in all this is probably the worst that I have seen Blutengel, maybe they were pissed at the
technical problems at what should really have been the highlight of their career (headlining the Agra). 'Could do better' has to be my
conclusion for the gig.
With the gigs for the day now over it was time to think about ditching my rucksack getting changed and then going out to party. Back at
the Seaside Park we changed and then headed down to Darkflower again. Tonight at Darkflower was labelled as Elektro - Industrial
evening, so we went down expecting to party. Again we managed to grab some seats adjacent to the dancefloor (which in the past has
always been quite difficult). The music was great and even though are little party was quite small we enjoyed ourselves (although a few
people did get a little too drunk and found it hard to stand after one too many cocktails) and I spent quite some time on the dancefloor.
Unfortunately my eyes started to hurt from wearing contact lenses all day so had I found that by 5am I needed to go back to the hotel
and sleep to rest my eyes.
Day 3 - Saturday 10th May 2008
The next morning I awoke with very sore eyes, vastly bloodshot and feeling very dry. I had some Golden eye drops that helped, but I had
realised that it was time to take it easy today. So with bloodshot eyes and Treffen Foot we wandered over to the Tram stop and headed
down to the Agra for some serious shopping.
At the Agra I found a few things that I wanted, and even purchases some new tops (something that I have not done for the past few
years), and feeling rather happy with myself I headed to Halle 2 to see Reaper. When we entered the Halle we caught the last few
songs of Cyborg Attack, not a band I know and I must say they didn't appeal to me, another Suicide Commando type of band, but lacking
class or presence. Not my bag, but the crowd there seem to like them and they got a fair amount of applause when they left the stage.
The next band on were Reaper, I have seen them a number of times, and Vasi Vallis always puts on a good show (it was a shame that
Frozen Plasma were not playing also this year). So I was down the front camera in hand waiting to get into the press pit quite early.
There was a slight delay to the band coming on, we had been allowed into the press pit but the intro music had stopped, another
technical hitch. The Reaper set looked great and within a minute or two the band were on stage and Vasi was storming about the
stage. The last time I had seen Reaper the keyboard players were dressed in Reaper (Death) style cloaks and looked very fitting,
however probably due to the heat the guys came on stage looking like they had been rolling in dirt, good, but I really did like the Reaper
outfits. Vasi had dispensed with the metal Reaper mask too, again a shame, however with more vocals now I am guessing that singing
with a metal mask on is not the most practical of things to wear. So the three songs were over very quickly and then it was time to meet
up again. The crowd was quite large (considering the time of day) and enjoying the gig. Vasi and Co put on a good show, I really like
Reaper and look forward to the next album.
Next up were Spectra Paris the new group of Elena Alice Fossi the singer from the excellent Kirlian Camera. The crowd had thinned a
bit after Reaper however there were plenty of red blooded males standing around waiting for Elena to come on stage. It has to be said
that she is rather sexy (and she must be 40+) and normally dressed very provocatively (although with a touch of class). As the band start
we enter the press pit once again, the band are on stage and everybody is waiting, what will she be wearing. And then Elena is on
stage dressed in black PVC thigh high boots, and a black PVC dress that just about covers everything. Now I didn't know the music of
Spectra Paris (apart from the Myspace songs) so was hoping that they would be just as good as Kirlian Camera. Elena didn't disappoint
, she was cavorting around the stage and strutting in her heels much to the pleasure of the crowd. The songs are solid and well put
together, although some of the mysticism of KC is lost, however that said I enjoyed the set and performance.
However halfway through the set my camera reported that it was out of memory, which was weird as this was only day two of the festival
and I had not really taken that many pictures the day before. I checked my camera only to find that the 4gig memory card was indeed
full. The last time I used the camera I must have put the settings to high, so all the images I had taken on day one were huge.
Unfortunately this meant that I had so spend the rest of the set sat down deleting images that were blurred or not very good so that it
would free up space on the memory card. A sad situation and one that I hope not to repeat next year. After half an hour of deleting
pictures and resetting the memory size of each shot to a lower setting I was happy that if I was careful that I could get all the pictures
that I wanted to take on to the memory card, however next year I will purchase a spare (just in case I get trigger happy again).
The last two groups to play were Hocico and Covenant, and knowing it would be really busy for both I decided to stay for the next group
even though I knew nothing about them. Signal Aout 42 came on stage to much applause and shouting, looking militaristic and wearing
jophers the lead singer looked like he was trying to emulate a bygone era of German history (even though they are from Belgium). That
said the music was pumping and sounding really good, very bouncy, until the singer started to sing. In my opinion if the music is
bouncy the singing should be up-tempo and bouncy too, however he sings slowly in a rather uninteresting manner, lots of repeating of
the same word or line and over all very poor. All this against a really good backing sound that made me want to dance, a real pity as I
had added them to my list of CDs to buy before I had heard the singer. I really wasn't that interested in taking many pictures so left the
pit after two songs to find some food in the corner of the Halle 2. Very disappointed.
After Currywurst and a beer it was time to head down to the front again. The next band on were Hocico, before seeing them I had heard
a number of songs and never really got them. With bands like Hocico and Suicide Commando I find it rather annoying that I cant hear
what they are singing, partly due to the fact that I can then not sing along when in the car. So I was not really looking forward to seeing
Hocico, another band before the main act Covenant. And boy was I wrong to under estimate them. Down by the press pit you can
generally see band members back stage, either milling around or getting ready to come on, however before Hocico come on I spotted
what can only be called the biggest Mohican that I have ever seen, its dark, but it looks about 4-5 ft high.
The Agra by now is very full, the crowd are very excited about what is about to happen. As the music starts we pour into the pit and get
ready to start snapping. However what we see on stage is not what I was expecting. Sat in the middle of the stage, only partially lit is
what can only be described as a native Indian looking person in full tribal dress. As we watch two more Indians appear on stage
dressed with huge elaborate headdresses (the Mohican I had seen) now in the light I can see that the head dresses are made up from
animal parts, there are huge feathers adoring the top, a foxes head sits perched on top together with various other furs and animal
parts. From my place at the front it is quite possible to smell them, they stand stock still, then the first Indian on starts to bang his drum
and the other two on opposite sides of the stage start a very elaborate Indian dance. I think the entire crowd were completely
mesmerised by the performance, the deep booming drum the way the two Indians dance along with their costumes is absolutely
amazing. After several minutes the dance comes to an end and a rather plain guy appears and stands at the back at the keyboard, then
without further hesitation the Indian music is consumed by the start of the Hocico set.
By this time I am completely swept up in the performance, the two dancers are at either side of the stage whilst Erk Aicrag (vocals)
stomps around the stage. The sound is great the performance is beyond anything I have witnessed for a long time and the crowd are
going for it. I only know a few songs by Hocico but within a song I have already promised myself their entire back catalogue, the energy
of Erk is tremendous the way he moves across the stage in that Stomping way that other singers use (but this guy has the energy to do
it for song after song). As the three first songs stop its impossible to get out of the press pit, the photographers just are not moving even
though security are pushing us to leave. I was at the far end of the pit and had no chance of getting out until most of the others had got
out. So I get to see most of the fourth song from the front, aware that I should not take photos, but enjoying the show non the same. After
getting out its time to head around to the other side of the Halle. The Agra is absolutely rammed, people are dancing everywhere and its
going to be difficult to get anywhere. I managed to make it to the back of the Halle and exited to the toilets. And its only now that I realise
that you can now exit via these doors and re-entry further along back in through the doors where you previously exited the Halle (and
could not return). This new area is fenced in with a primary use of smoking area, however its a godsend as it allows you to get around
the mass of the crowd at the back of the Agra. On entering the Halle It becomes obvious that I am not going anywhere, all the corners of
the Halle are full, there are no spaces and the heat from the crowd is immense. So I stand near the rear and watch the rest of the show.
The performance only seems to get better and better, a Great performance, and as the band finish it is obvious that we have witnessed
something extra special.
Once Hocico had finished its time to meet up with friends that had become dispersed across the Agra Halle, and the general
impression is that everybody really enjoyed them. Covenant are the next band on, however by this time my feet are absolutely hurting,
Treffen foot is really painful. There is nowhere to sit, in fact if I want to see Covenant then I would have to go down the front soon,
however the prospect of standing for two more hours is not appealing. Its either stay here and ignore my feet or leave now and rest. To
be honest I would have really liked to have stayed for Covenant, but my feet were painful and I have seen Covenant many times, so we
headed back to the hotel via a taxi. Shame as I was really looking forward to seeing them again.
When we get back to the hotel we dump our stuff and head down to the Moritzbastei, its the first time we have been there this year and I
for one and really looking forward to wandering around the many rooms and corridors. Upon entering its obvious that its really quite
busy all ready even though its only midnight, we wind our way through the masses to try to find a seat, however its very busy, we quickly
check to see if the hidden upstairs is open and find that it has only just been opened, so we head upstairs and take our pick of seats. I
then go and grab some drinks and some of the excellent food (chilli) from downstairs.
The Moritzbastei is a great place to people watch, we have great food, drink is on hand and the music is wonderful. After a while we are
joined by quite a large number of friends and the night quickly passes. A great night, with some of the best music being played, its a
shame that I was really too knackered to dance. We end up spending about three hours here before heading back to the hotel and a
much needed bed.
Summary of Bands seen this year
Day 1 - Thursday 8th May 2008
After many months of planning and waiting the time to go to WGT 2007 finally arrived. This year we decided that we would travel on the
Thursday rather than the Wednesday (as we had done for the past two years). Hotel costs and the exchange rate meant that this year
the cost of WGT would be approximately 12% higher than the year before, so I think everybody was trying to reduce the cost. This also
meant not staying in the Renaissance Hotel as we had done for the past four years, mainly due to the very high rate, so this year we
decided to stay back in the Seaside Park Hotel (we stayed here for the first few years that we attended WGT). Our flight details had also
changed from the past few years when we had flown from Stanstead to Leipzig / Halle with Air Berlin, this year we would fly from
Gatwick to Berlin Schonefeld and take the ICE down to Leipzig.
The trip up to Gatwick was uneventful due to the early start (06:30) and we all parked at my works that is 5 minutes in a taxi from the
Airport Terminal (and so saved us a load of money in car park fees). We made it to the Airport in good time and headed to the Easy Jet
check in, I had previously checked us in online to get the queue jump privilege when you board the aircraft. With Check-in complete we
headed to passport control and scanners, it was the normal routine of taking off our big boots and all metal and walking through with no
problems (there is always a little light humour from security staff, and they always take more time with my bag as it normally contains a
load of electrical and camera gear). Once through we headed upstairs for breakfast and for some of us the first drink of the trip. After
scoffing some food we waited for the gate to be announced, and as usual it was as far from the terminal as you could get (still walking
across the sky bridge is always good being so high and seeing aircraft travel underneath). When we got to the gate it was time to board,
and being Easyjet we scrambled aboard the aircraft and grabbed a row of seats. The flight was uneventful and we landed in Berlin
Schonefeld in good time and with slightly cooler weather.
After heading through passport control it was simply a case of waiting for the suitcases (which in the normal tradition are always last to
appear on the belt) and heading outside. We had pre-booked our ICE train from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Leipzig, so didn't have any time
to hang around, we knew we could get the train, but didn't really know how long it would take, so not wishing to gamble and miss our
train we jumped in an 8 seater taxi. The taxi trip is probably quite a good way to view Berlin, we ended up driving along the longest
section of the Berlin Wall that still remains and down Under Der Liden past the Reichstag. We arrived at Berlin Hauptbahnhof in good
time, checked the boards at the front of the station and headed down to Platform 4 (NOTE: The toilets are on the front Ground Level,
there seems to be no others on other levels). There was a little complication here as we checked the Wagenstandanzeiger (an
information board on every platform that informs you of your train length and where your carriage will arrive in relation to the lettering on
the platform). Anyway we got ourselves to the correct location only to find that when the train actually arrived that the train was being split
in to two, and that the information was wrong. So we quickly ran up the platform to our coach to find the inevitable crowd of people trying
to get on with loads of luggage. We clambered on, only to find that the train was rammed with people trying to find their seats with
suitcases, unfortunately we had got on to the carriage at the wrong end, so needed to travel down it (when everybody else had seated
themselves). Finally people settled down, we left our most of our luggage by the doors where we got on, and headed for our seats.
Unfortunately somebody was in them, a bunch of UK Goths had sat down in our seats, they hadn't pre-booked so we unfortunately had
to show them our tickets to show that the seats were ours. They moved and we apologised for the inconvenience, I am pretty sure they
would not have found seats anywhere else as the train was very busy. We alway advise pre-booking your train tickets, its the only way to
ensure that you get your seats.
The trip was quite uneventful, I think I managed to grab half an hours sleep and we arrived in Leipzig in good spirits. By now the weather
had warmed up, I was wearing a leather jacket and my leather jeans along with high New Rocks, as I had tried to keep my luggage
allowance down (as Easyjet always charge for overweight luggage, as it was my suitcase was 21kg, lucky that others had not used all
of their allowance). So we quickly exited the station and walked across the road and square to the Seaside Park Hotel.
The Seaside Park is a lovely hotel, although it does lend itself to the community spirit in the same way that the Renaissance does,
however the rooms are much better and cheaper (and breakfast was included). After quickly checking in we headed upstairs to a nice
quite room at the back of the hotel. One thing I was very happy to note was the inclusion of Air Con in all the rooms, the lack of Air Con
was the reason we had left the Seaside many years ago when WGT had coincided with a heat wave (that made sleeping extremely
hard). The rooms are well equipped, the beds are huge and very comfy, my only complaint about the room (and hotels in Germany in
general) is the lack of coffee and tea making facilities. By the time we arrived at the hotel it was about 3pm.
Within an hour we had unpacked and were sitting downstairs outside the hotel having a drink. Feeling a little hungry we headed back
over to the station to pick up some food (curry) before heading back to the hotel to eat. After eating we went back out, and headed
around to the Gotik Store ('Gotik and Schach'). The store has moved from its old location and is now situated 20m away at the end of a
small arcade. To be honest the shop seems to have lost something, the clothing looked very much the same as last years and nothing
inspired us to part with any cash. From Gotik and Schach we headed to Hautnah, I knew exactly what I wanted so head to the fetish
section at the back and purchased a new set of wonderful (if expensive) well made bondage wrist cuffs. For some reason I feel
undressed without them, after twenty years of clubbing wearing them I suppose one gets into a habit, and my old pair were looking a bit
weathered. Once we had finished we headed down to XtraX, the shop still does not inspire me to part with cash, the menswear seems
to be quite boring, all canvas, with straps and buckles (that tend to break easy), that and the rails have so much on them that looking at
items is almost impossible. Anyway enough moaning by me, by the time we had finished shopping it had gone 5pm, we had tickets to
get so we headed back to the hotel to deposit our purchases before heading over to the tram station.
As it was Thursday we purchased Tram day tickets from the machine (€5.60) and headed over to the stop for Tram 11. I once again I did
not need a ticket for WGT as I had a Press-pass, however my friends all needed tickets. One of the group had ordered the tickets
several weeks before the festival, however they had not arrived in the post, so with some nervousness we headed down to the Agra to
try to sort the problem out. The 11 tram was quite empty so we all managed to get seats, and within half an hour we was standing
outside the Agra Messepark Ticket office. On production of an email confirmation the rest of the group managed to get their tickets
(being informed that there had been a postal strike, and that they had not been posted out). As for me, I had a mild panic attack, I had an
email that detailed my Press-pass accreditation, unfortunately for me I had left it back at the hotel, doh! Feeling rather pissed off I
thought I would have to go right back into town only to come all the way back. However chancing my luck I went to the Press-pass
window of the ticket office to explain my situation, and after a few questions I was granted the Press-pass wrist band. Wonderful, thanks
guys you saved my day. When everybody had exchanged their tickets for wristbands we jumped back on the 11 Tram.
For the past six years we had always spent our Thursday late afternoons in Sued Brause that is located just outside Werk II, however
this year with the new Pre-WGT Meeting at the Bayerischer Bahnhof we had a new place to check out. Once again I was being plagued
with forgetfulness and had forgotten the map that I had made to help people get to the meeting. Lucky I have a good sense of direction, I
judged that if we got off the tram a stop before the Moritzbastei that we could then simply just walk to the location by walking East. I knew
what the area looked like from above (from Google Maps) so had no trouble finding the bar.
The Bayerischer Bahnhof looks a little deceptive from the outside, it certainly does not look as big as it is. There is a large outside area
with many tables, and when we arrived we noticed a few people dressed in black sitting at various tables. The Pre-WGT meeting time
was set at 7pm, so we was half an hour early, with this in mind we headed inside to try to find the area that had been set aside for the
meeting. The inside of the bar is wonderful, everything being constructed from a rich coloured wood. Seeing that the place was huge I
asked about our the Meeting area, and was quickly shown to a large room. We sat down and English menus appeared and drinks were
ordered. Even though we was early it felt a little disconcerting to see that nobody else was around. Anyway I ordered a large Gose, I
have always wondered what the beer tasted like, and to be honest I was quite disappointed. The beer tasted rather mild, with quite a
distinctive twang and after taste, not something I could drink a lot of, so it was on to the Schwarzbier afterwards (also brewed by the
brewery here, as was the Weissbeir). The menu looked very good so food was ordered, and to be honest it was great, highly
recommended. Just before the food arrived Eva turned up, she had done most of the work in organising the event (as she lives in
Leipzig), and to her credit she did a great job. So we sat there and chatted for quite some time before anybody else arrived, and it wasn't
until about 8:30 that really the main bulk of people arrived (apparently many had been sitting outside in the garden, and to be honest I
couldn't blame them as the weather was tremendous).
Anyway the Pre-WGT Meeting was a great success, a load of people turned up, and it was great to meet so many old and new friends. I
took the opportunity to hand out a load of gig guides so I hope they were useful (from the feedback already I believe they went down well
again). It was about 10 o'clock when we left and people were still arriving, I hope that everybody had a good time, and we will certainly
do the same thing again next year. So it was time to start the party, we walked over to Darkflower. We have always had a great love for
Darkflower, the venue is great and the music is normally guaranteed to be great, and this year was no exception with Tom Gold (from
the Castle USA) DJing. When we walked in I ran in to Mick (Midnight), a really nice guy from Florida, anyway we got chatting and he took
me over to meet Tom Gold the DJ and it was nice to meet you both, thanks. With great music and beer we found a place to sit and
proceeded to get a little more merry.
If you know the New Darkflower then you will know from previous years that the place is quite small, with a tiny dancefloor. Well since
last year the floor downstairs has been cut into two, there are now two rooms with two tiny dancefloors. We spent some time in the new
area listening to the Trad music before moving back to the bounce.I think I even danced a bit, even though it was very busy. Anyway it
had been a really long day, and such a good start to the festival, I was really looking forward to seeing some bands and hitting the
shopping Halle so we headed off back to the hotel at about 3am completely exhausted.
Day 2 - Friday 9th May 2008
As per normal I didn't make breakfast, sleep was more important. I think I managed to sleep till about 11am before waking up, that gave
us loads of time as we were not meeting up till 1pm for lunch. Looking at the itinerary for the day it was apparent that we would be
spending the day down at the Agra after a brief spell at Werk I. To be honest I was very much happier this year with the program. Last
year the program had very little occurring on the Friday, and only one band at the Agra. I would hazard a guess that the light show at the
Volkerschlachtdenkmal (that was the main event of last year) was a drain on the money of the festival and that the bands were reduced
to account for this. Anyway we jumped on tram and headed to Werk II.
The Queue at Werk II was quite small so we had no trouble getting in, although Security were doing their job rather well and checking
everything in everybody's bag. When we got in we could hear the start of the first band 'Beati Mortui' so I headed straight into the Halle A
to see them. I did have the option of going down to the front to take photos and to make use of my photo-pass, however the band were
not on my highlight list so I thought I would just watch the band from the back.
A Press-pass is a wonder opportunity to go down the front in to the press pit and take photos, its absolutely great to get close to the
band and to be able to move freely (well at some bands) and take photos from various angles. However its not all roses. For one thing
photographers have no etiquette, they push and shove to get into the press pit first and wont move for anything or anybody, its also
rather hard work, staying sober enough to operate an expensive camera can be quite a task, and having to find your friends after the
three songs (that you are allowed to take photos) can be almost impossible sometimes. It does take some of the fun out of the festival,
however it adds to the experience and allows me keep this site going. So after last years WGT I made a promise to myself that I would
only go down to the front to take photos of bands that I wanted pictures off (or at the very least that close friends wanted pictures of).
So back to Beati Mortui, before WGT I had listed every band, went to their website or Myspace page to hear a clip of their music, and
then wrote a few words to help me to make a decision about what bands I would go and see, and what bands I would take photos of.
For Beati Mortui I had wrote 'Strong Electro with distorted female vocals', based on their Myspace sound clips. The music did sound
quite good, but when the lead singer started to sing it was quickly apparent that she couldn't sing live, in fact it was quite painful to hear,
I think we all made about a song and a half before having to leave, terrible one to avoid at all costs. So we headed back out to the very
pleasant outside area of Werk II to order drink and wurst.
Ashbury Heights were on my list as a must see band, their album is great although to be honest I wasn't expecting that much as I don't
think they have been around for too long. So 15 minutes before the band were due on I left my friends and headed down to the front with
my camera. There was already a queue of photographers and I met Daniela from Reflections of Darkness (such a top website, and one
that I had aspired to join, but couldn't really meet the level of professionalism that they have, I'm not sure I could take photos, write a
review, dance and drink). Anyway it was good to meet you;Ashbury Heights started and us photographers were allowed into the Press
pit, and to be honest the performance by the band was very good, they could both sing, the music (apart from the technical problems
that dogged so many bands this year) was great, it was hard not to dance, but I was here to take photos, although maybe I should have
familiarised myself with my camera again before leaving Blighty. Anyway I took my photos, the three first songs came to an end and
then it was time to find my friends. The set was tremendous, the band got better and better and they really got the crowd going, I must
say I was very impressed, especially as I had not expected them to be that good. Cant wait to see them again at Amphi Festival in July.
The next band on were not on my hit list, so I tried to get some more food and drink and headed down to the front half a song too late to
get into the press pit, Mr Security man informed me that I couldn't go in until somebody came out as it was too crowded (I'm not sure
what his problem was as there was loads of room, but I wasn't going to argue)l. Anyway although I had listened to some sound clips I
had missed completely that Santa Hates You was a side project of Peter Spilles from Project Pitchfork. It was halfway through the first
song and one of the photographers left the photo pit, so I managed to get in (much to the disgruntlement of the security guy). The band
were well into their music, I have always liked Project Pitchfork and travelled over to the Dark Storm Festival in Berlin between
Christmas and New Year to see Pitchfork play (as I have always managed to miss them). Santa Hates You are not too far away from
what Peter does with Pitchfork live, sounding quite hard and not refined, they didn't really do it for me, the songs sounded a little bland
(probably because I didn't know them) even though they both put a load of energy into the performance, so after my two and half songs
down the front it was time for another drink and a sit down with friends.
The next band were also new to me, although I did know that they were fronted by the excellent Dreadful Shadows and even better
Zeraphine front man Sven Friedrich. I have previously seen Zeraphine at WGT a few years ago and thought that they put on an excellent
(and very busy) performance, so I was really looking forward to Solar Fake. So expecting it to be very busy so I headed down to the front
in good time (and found a phalanx of photographers already waiting). So right on time the music started, we piled into the front area and
Sven started to sing, and I must say that I absolutely love his voice, tremendous vocals and once again I started to snap away dancing
at the same time. The first few songs were slowish but none the less excellent, when the up tempo third song began I was once again
torn between dancing and taking more photos. The set was once again plagued with a few technical hitches which were quickly
resolved. Then it was time to leave the press pit, so I quickly found a place to stand in the now very packed Werk II. I was really getting
into the music, and now added the new Solar Fake album to my list of CDs to buy.
With just two people on stage it can be rather difficult to make any performance exciting or to keep audience attention however with
Solar Fake we were treated with an extremely well timed back projection, and for several songs words appeared on the screen as Sven
sang them. The highlight of this was for the song 'I keep my eyes shut', for this song was sung by some form of alien on the screen in
some sort of distorted metallic voice with Sven off stage, then running back on stage joining in for the harsher chorus, excellent
performance. The highlight of the show for me was probably the cover of Radioheads 'Creep'. An overall wonderful performance I look
forward to seeing them again in the future.
So once Solar Fake had finished it was time for me to find my friends (who had left part the way through the set to see Das Ich at the
Agra. I grabbed a quick coke and headed out to find a tram. So entering the Agra for the first time is always a great experience as it sort
of means that the festival has really started for me. The weather was still excellent so I grabbed a slice of pizza and then headed in to
the Halle 2 to find my friends. When you are part of a group of people finding them again can always be difficult, however for every venue
we have a set meeting place (or place that we stand to watch a band), in this way we alway meet up. So Das Ich had finished, which
was a shame as they always put on a good show (although weirdly I don't really like them on CD). Sigue Sigue Sputnik were the next
band on stage and for me the absolute rock bottom of the festival. I had read on various forums that people were looking forward to
seeing them, and very excited, and this isn't even the first time that they have played the festival. I'm sure that the mainly German crowd
just do not get the joke with the band, they were formed to take the piss out of the music business and prove that any old crap will sell if
you market it correctly, well done to them for that, but their music is atrocious, and it was annoying the first time around.
Anyway to see Unheilig the next band, required being here early so I prepared for an hour of pain with more beer. I really could not be
arsed to take photos of them, so I stood and watched from the back as they came on to raptures of applause and shouting. They can at
least play now, when they were first in the charts they admitted that session players played all the music, however the songs still
seemed very poor. Martin Degville once again strutted around like a chicken on acid, one day he will probably realise that having a
ripped fishnet stocking over your head just looks like you need some tuition in bank robbing. I could go on about lack of stage presence
but I think you get the picture, I didn't like them in the 80s, and I certainly don't like them now.
So after an hour or so it was time to get excited again, the highlight band of the festival was about to come on stage. Unheilig are
excellent, I have just about everything they have produced and really enjoyed the show when they played at Mera Luna a couple of years
ago. I also owed myself, as last time Unheilig played they were at Parkbuhne and it was raining so I had missed them as I didn't want
to get wet (although the rain stopped for them), I had kicked myself for missing them then, and it was time to set the record straight.
Getting myself down to the press waiting area at the Agra is always an exciting moment, you can normally see the band behind the
stage from this vantage point so waiting is always a little better here. Anyway the band started and we poured into the Press Pit, security
is always a little tougher here, anyway as I made my way around to the stage a security guy shouted something at me and pointed at my
camera, I didn't understand, he repeated and I caught 'No Flash', so feeling a little annoyed I made my way along to the end of the stage.
Having a press-pass obviously means different things to different people, there are people down the front with simple small cameras,
and those with a top of the range camera with lenses so big you could take a picture of somebody standing on the moon, however
there is one thing that we all have in common, wanting to take a good picture. The most difficult photo to take is of something that is
moving fast, that maybe obscured by dry ice and in dim light. Although modern cameras are good, they still struggle to process images
in these harsh conditions, using a flash allows you to capture the moment. I spent £150 on an expensive flash gun that sits on top of a
grands worth of camera, expensive yes, but compared to those around me, this is at the bottom end of the camera spectrum. With a
high-end flash gun you can diffuse the flash, so those in front of you are not blinded, and I think that just about everybody has these
diffusers, if not then photographers normally point them upwards. So with no flash the photos would this year be quite poor, which was
a real bugger as I was going to be at the Agra for the next few days too.
I removed my flash gun, noting that some of my fellow photographers had also done the same, although a few had not. Anyway I did
really know why there was a rule this year against the use of flash (I really will have to learn more German). Back to the gig, the stage
was set for Unheilig, the customary candles and then the band are coming on stage, and by now the Agra is rammed, Der Graf runs on
stage and starts to sing. Having read the press over the pass few days there was much speculation about Der Grafs vocals, apparently
he had some sort of virus that had meant that doctors said he may never sing again unless he gave his voice complete rest. Prior to
WGT Unheilig had cancelled a few shows and according to the press Der Graf had not said a word for 18 days to allow his voice to
repair in time for WGT. So when he started to sing there is a huge roar from the crowd as we are all relieved that he is OK. I must say
that I think Der Grafs voice is excellent, full of emotion and passion, the band were happy to be on stage.
Now I know I cant use my flash gun, its in my bag, however a few of my fellow photographers are using their flashes (that are built into
their cameras), so I chance my luck and pop mine up, take two shots and receive a rather vicious jab in the back from security and a
firm telling off. So its back to taking photos hoping to use the flash of the mass of people standing two meters behind me (who are
using cameras and flash). I'm not the only one, security here are really tight and the security guy moves up and down in front of the
stage warning photographers not to use flash. Its rather a weird situation as a photographer with a normal small camera (and probably
a flash they cant turn off) also gets told off when just behind the barrier the crowd are free to flash away. So enough of me moaning.
Unheilig put on a wonderful show, the crowd are going mad for them and to be honest I am happy to leave the press-pit after my three
songs and to watch the rest of the set. On leaving the press pit I realise its going to be quite difficult to get back to my friends, the place
is really busy (I have seem it busier, but its still going to be difficult to get to the other side of the Halle). So I head to the back of the Agra
and finally make my way to my friends after a couple of songs. Unheilig get better and better as they range across their back catalogue
of songs. The highlight is when from the very front something is thrown into the crowd, at first I cant make out what it is, thinking some
idiot has thrown something, however it is quickly followed by tens of similar objects, then hundreds of objects until there must be a few
thousand blue glowsticks being held by members of the crowd. At Mera Luna they had handed out sparklers to the crowd (but I would
imagine they are less safe), so Der Graf lays on the emotion and everybody is waving blue glowsticks. Its really special when a band
interact with the crowd, and by simply handing out a few thousand glowsticks Unheilig have interacted in a way that other bands just
don't do, excellent (and I still have my glowsticks). I was sorry to see Unheilig leave the stage after such a good set, however I was really
looking forward to the next band Blutengel.
I have seen Blutengel a number of times and they don't disappoint, putting on a great stage show normal with dancers and people in
masks whilst acting out various scenarios. The last time Blutengel played they also played at Parkbuhne, a great show so I was really
looking forward to seeing them again. Again I got myself down to the front in good time and waited with the other photographers, it
seemed to take some time for the band to get sorted and Chris Pohl and Co seemed to spend quite a bit of time at the side trying to set
up their equipment. So after some time the music starts and we once again pile into the Press-Pit.
The girls come on stage first dressed in white with white masks, lots of dry ice and then Chris is walking on stage, and from the very
beginning there are technical hitches, the band are singing yet we cant hear anything. Still its sorted quite quickly, but probably not quick
enough for the band. Its also obvious that something else is missing, the spark that used to exist between Chris and Constance is
missing, there used to be some sort of passion between them, now it looks like they are just doing their jobs. Is this the end of
Blutengel? There are a few more technical hitches and Chris has to play with the laptop. One thing I did notice from the front was that
Chris actually looks like he is reading his lyrics from the very large tomb in front of him, I could see his eyes moving across the page as
he was singing, if it works it works for him. Still the dancers are going for it, there are the normal fireworks and the songs get better and
better as they dip into their older (and in my opinion better) songs. So I have finished snapping away and head towards the back of the
Agra to find my friends once again, however this time there is no bother, many people have left and there are large gaps and it takes
half a song to transverse to the other side. All in all this is probably the worst that I have seen Blutengel, maybe they were pissed at the
technical problems at what should really have been the highlight of their career (headlining the Agra). 'Could do better' has to be my
conclusion for the gig.
With the gigs for the day now over it was time to think about ditching my rucksack getting changed and then going out to party. Back at
the Seaside Park we changed and then headed down to Darkflower again. Tonight at Darkflower was labelled as Elektro - Industrial
evening, so we went down expecting to party. Again we managed to grab some seats adjacent to the dancefloor (which in the past has
always been quite difficult). The music was great and even though are little party was quite small we enjoyed ourselves (although a few
people did get a little too drunk and found it hard to stand after one too many cocktails) and I spent quite some time on the dancefloor.
Unfortunately my eyes started to hurt from wearing contact lenses all day so had I found that by 5am I needed to go back to the hotel
and sleep to rest my eyes.
Day 3 - Saturday 10th May 2008
The next morning I awoke with very sore eyes, vastly bloodshot and feeling very dry. I had some Golden eye drops that helped, but I had
realised that it was time to take it easy today. So with bloodshot eyes and Treffen Foot we wandered over to the Tram stop and headed
down to the Agra for some serious shopping.
At the Agra I found a few things that I wanted, and even purchases some new tops (something that I have not done for the past few
years), and feeling rather happy with myself I headed to Halle 2 to see Reaper. When we entered the Halle we caught the last few
songs of Cyborg Attack, not a band I know and I must say they didn't appeal to me, another Suicide Commando type of band, but lacking
class or presence. Not my bag, but the crowd there seem to like them and they got a fair amount of applause when they left the stage.
The next band on were Reaper, I have seen them a number of times, and Vasi Vallis always puts on a good show (it was a shame that
Frozen Plasma were not playing also this year). So I was down the front camera in hand waiting to get into the press pit quite early.
There was a slight delay to the band coming on, we had been allowed into the press pit but the intro music had stopped, another
technical hitch. The Reaper set looked great and within a minute or two the band were on stage and Vasi was storming about the
stage. The last time I had seen Reaper the keyboard players were dressed in Reaper (Death) style cloaks and looked very fitting,
however probably due to the heat the guys came on stage looking like they had been rolling in dirt, good, but I really did like the Reaper
outfits. Vasi had dispensed with the metal Reaper mask too, again a shame, however with more vocals now I am guessing that singing
with a metal mask on is not the most practical of things to wear. So the three songs were over very quickly and then it was time to meet
up again. The crowd was quite large (considering the time of day) and enjoying the gig. Vasi and Co put on a good show, I really like
Reaper and look forward to the next album.
Next up were Spectra Paris the new group of Elena Alice Fossi the singer from the excellent Kirlian Camera. The crowd had thinned a
bit after Reaper however there were plenty of red blooded males standing around waiting for Elena to come on stage. It has to be said
that she is rather sexy (and she must be 40+) and normally dressed very provocatively (although with a touch of class). As the band start
we enter the press pit once again, the band are on stage and everybody is waiting, what will she be wearing. And then Elena is on
stage dressed in black PVC thigh high boots, and a black PVC dress that just about covers everything. Now I didn't know the music of
Spectra Paris (apart from the Myspace songs) so was hoping that they would be just as good as Kirlian Camera. Elena didn't disappoint
, she was cavorting around the stage and strutting in her heels much to the pleasure of the crowd. The songs are solid and well put
together, although some of the mysticism of KC is lost, however that said I enjoyed the set and performance.
However halfway through the set my camera reported that it was out of memory, which was weird as this was only day two of the festival
and I had not really taken that many pictures the day before. I checked my camera only to find that the 4gig memory card was indeed
full. The last time I used the camera I must have put the settings to high, so all the images I had taken on day one were huge.
Unfortunately this meant that I had so spend the rest of the set sat down deleting images that were blurred or not very good so that it
would free up space on the memory card. A sad situation and one that I hope not to repeat next year. After half an hour of deleting
pictures and resetting the memory size of each shot to a lower setting I was happy that if I was careful that I could get all the pictures
that I wanted to take on to the memory card, however next year I will purchase a spare (just in case I get trigger happy again).
The last two groups to play were Hocico and Covenant, and knowing it would be really busy for both I decided to stay for the next group
even though I knew nothing about them. Signal Aout 42 came on stage to much applause and shouting, looking militaristic and wearing
jophers the lead singer looked like he was trying to emulate a bygone era of German history (even though they are from Belgium). That
said the music was pumping and sounding really good, very bouncy, until the singer started to sing. In my opinion if the music is
bouncy the singing should be up-tempo and bouncy too, however he sings slowly in a rather uninteresting manner, lots of repeating of
the same word or line and over all very poor. All this against a really good backing sound that made me want to dance, a real pity as I
had added them to my list of CDs to buy before I had heard the singer. I really wasn't that interested in taking many pictures so left the
pit after two songs to find some food in the corner of the Halle 2. Very disappointed.
After Currywurst and a beer it was time to head down to the front again. The next band on were Hocico, before seeing them I had heard
a number of songs and never really got them. With bands like Hocico and Suicide Commando I find it rather annoying that I cant hear
what they are singing, partly due to the fact that I can then not sing along when in the car. So I was not really looking forward to seeing
Hocico, another band before the main act Covenant. And boy was I wrong to under estimate them. Down by the press pit you can
generally see band members back stage, either milling around or getting ready to come on, however before Hocico come on I spotted
what can only be called the biggest Mohican that I have ever seen, its dark, but it looks about 4-5 ft high.
The Agra by now is very full, the crowd are very excited about what is about to happen. As the music starts we pour into the pit and get
ready to start snapping. However what we see on stage is not what I was expecting. Sat in the middle of the stage, only partially lit is
what can only be described as a native Indian looking person in full tribal dress. As we watch two more Indians appear on stage
dressed with huge elaborate headdresses (the Mohican I had seen) now in the light I can see that the head dresses are made up from
animal parts, there are huge feathers adoring the top, a foxes head sits perched on top together with various other furs and animal
parts. From my place at the front it is quite possible to smell them, they stand stock still, then the first Indian on starts to bang his drum
and the other two on opposite sides of the stage start a very elaborate Indian dance. I think the entire crowd were completely
mesmerised by the performance, the deep booming drum the way the two Indians dance along with their costumes is absolutely
amazing. After several minutes the dance comes to an end and a rather plain guy appears and stands at the back at the keyboard, then
without further hesitation the Indian music is consumed by the start of the Hocico set.
By this time I am completely swept up in the performance, the two dancers are at either side of the stage whilst Erk Aicrag (vocals)
stomps around the stage. The sound is great the performance is beyond anything I have witnessed for a long time and the crowd are
going for it. I only know a few songs by Hocico but within a song I have already promised myself their entire back catalogue, the energy
of Erk is tremendous the way he moves across the stage in that Stomping way that other singers use (but this guy has the energy to do
it for song after song). As the three first songs stop its impossible to get out of the press pit, the photographers just are not moving even
though security are pushing us to leave. I was at the far end of the pit and had no chance of getting out until most of the others had got
out. So I get to see most of the fourth song from the front, aware that I should not take photos, but enjoying the show non the same. After
getting out its time to head around to the other side of the Halle. The Agra is absolutely rammed, people are dancing everywhere and its
going to be difficult to get anywhere. I managed to make it to the back of the Halle and exited to the toilets. And its only now that I realise
that you can now exit via these doors and re-entry further along back in through the doors where you previously exited the Halle (and
could not return). This new area is fenced in with a primary use of smoking area, however its a godsend as it allows you to get around
the mass of the crowd at the back of the Agra. On entering the Halle It becomes obvious that I am not going anywhere, all the corners of
the Halle are full, there are no spaces and the heat from the crowd is immense. So I stand near the rear and watch the rest of the show.
The performance only seems to get better and better, a Great performance, and as the band finish it is obvious that we have witnessed
something extra special.
Once Hocico had finished its time to meet up with friends that had become dispersed across the Agra Halle, and the general
impression is that everybody really enjoyed them. Covenant are the next band on, however by this time my feet are absolutely hurting,
Treffen foot is really painful. There is nowhere to sit, in fact if I want to see Covenant then I would have to go down the front soon,
however the prospect of standing for two more hours is not appealing. Its either stay here and ignore my feet or leave now and rest. To
be honest I would have really liked to have stayed for Covenant, but my feet were painful and I have seen Covenant many times, so we
headed back to the hotel via a taxi. Shame as I was really looking forward to seeing them again.
When we get back to the hotel we dump our stuff and head down to the Moritzbastei, its the first time we have been there this year and I
for one and really looking forward to wandering around the many rooms and corridors. Upon entering its obvious that its really quite
busy all ready even though its only midnight, we wind our way through the masses to try to find a seat, however its very busy, we quickly
check to see if the hidden upstairs is open and find that it has only just been opened, so we head upstairs and take our pick of seats. I
then go and grab some drinks and some of the excellent food (chilli) from downstairs.
The Moritzbastei is a great place to people watch, we have great food, drink is on hand and the music is wonderful. After a while we are
joined by quite a large number of friends and the night quickly passes. A great night, with some of the best music being played, its a
shame that I was really too knackered to dance. We end up spending about three hours here before heading back to the hotel and a
much needed bed.
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