Night Side vol 2
Yet
another musical event in the heart of the Czech Republic confirmed my
good opinion of the concerts organised in Prague – both the great Retro Music Hall club and the bands and people made Night Side vol. 2 happen with no trouble and in a wonderful, friendly atmosphere. There were loads of brilliant (I repeat, brilliant) looking people and fantastic music.
The bands invited presented different styles of music: from post-punk to Gothic, from electro to visual trance and the like, so diversity was ensured – both in the musical and the geographical sense (starting from Japan, though Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, to Germany:-).
Generally speaking, there was no room for monotony.
http://www,myspace.com/nightsidefestival
http://www.night-side.com/fest/
The concerts started with Japan’s The Royal Dead, who presented an image somewhat different from the romantic/palace look we’d seen in Bolków – Aci and his violin slightly in the back, as usual; Har. Bloodmore wearing a white wig and latex. They gave quite a vigorous performance, provoking part of the audience to dance.
A very good (fast but unsteady) tempo, a sharper beat from time to time, refreshing samples (for example werewolf howls), and beautiful lights – I think it was a good show combining decent music with an interesting image.
Setlist:
Heartbeater
Rebel in the dark
Common betrayal
Slave of love
Spica
Birdcage
Song of a liar
Fortune
Luna
Howling
http://magoria.net/
I happened to have seen Alvarez Perez
once before (also in Prague) and the first thing I remembered was the
charming, lively and extremely sensual singer with a warm, sensuous
voice. And now I had a chance to hear her again. Hypnotising vocals,
stylish outfits, warm and vibrant sounds, perfect (close) contact with
the audience, the play of lights on the instruments and in the
musicians’ eyes (yes, they were not afraid to come to the edge of the
stage:-), very emotional melodies – all this made the listeners seem
enthralled. It’s hard to wonder at the effect Alvarez Perez has on
people: this kind of combination of flame and magic simply can’t leave
you indifferent.
Setlist:
Inertia
Perfect Toy
Svědomí Města
Forbidden Path
The Last Time
Frozen Minds
Trojice
Blíženci
http://www.alvarezperez.com/
The festival’s greatest surprise was, in my opinion, the Czech band Tear.
Some of you may recall their gig at CP 2007 – in the light of day and
the heat... it just went unnoticed. In the club, however, their
performance swept me off my feet: smashing guitars, fabulous violin,
unbeatable interaction with the audience, electric melodies combined
with superb lighting – this is what it should always look like!
The audience: either stunned or wildly enthusiastic; the applause was visible and audible, and I believe it was fully earned.
And let the vicious insist that Tear is no more than a combination of Funker Vogt, The Crüxshadows and In Strict Confidence – we’ve no intention to believe such nonsense :P
Setlist:
Electronic Age
Dominion
Rush
Little Girl
Not Alone
Ministre
NWS
The Gem
Photographic
Desire
encore: Animal Farm
http://www.tear.eu/
I won’t tell you much about post-punk acts like Hysteric Helen,
simply because I don’t know this genre – nor do I wish to gain such
knowledge, I’m afraid. I don’t buy the image (folks made-up like
corpses, some in post-dissection style, some seriously decayed), the
constantly changing (though powerful) melodies, the
goosebumps-generating vocals, and I don’t buy it all combined. I do
admit, however, that the smoking guitars and the great contact with the
fans (like jumping onto the dance floor to dance with the people there –
who reacted very enthusiastically, shaking their bodies in groups or
alone by the stage:-) and fantastic lighting were big advantages of HH’s
performance. You can learn the rest at Independent Festival in Warsaw.
Or just by looking at the band’s website.
Setlist:
hysteric helen
blinded by light
silent voice calls out
rock and roll radio
dont smile my darling
to the cage
only myself
damned game
snuff song
glen or glenda
im deep
-------------
kiss me piss me
http://www.myspace.com/hysterichelen
The Polish representatives – Monstergod
(three of them this time – with Cute on guitar) – did really fine. So
as not to be accused of local patriotism, I’ll tell you I was not the
only one who enjoyed their show: a substantial part of the audience
danced and cheered, sometimes even waving their hands – a pleasant sight
indeed. Let me congratulate the band on this unquestionable success.:-)
Musically: the company’s good, old energetic style; strong vocals, tambourine and dynamic melodies – a cocktail with a real kick to it. And there were many willing to get intoxicated with it.
Setlist:
Intro
Composure
Fever
Devil
Gates of Hell
South of Heaven
Obsession
Smile
Carbon
Dominion/Mother Russia
http://www.monstergod.com/
The headliner was Germany’s Garden of Delight
and it was one of the last concerts on a tour that is to end the band’s
career. The atmosphere was truly gloomy: the masses of smoke, the weak,
pale, trembling lights, and the artists’ image reminded me of a dark
ritual.
Of course, apart from the mystical, moving melodies, there were also more lively tracks, so the whole gig was somewhere between hypnotic, contemplative melancholy and a mighty carnage of guitar/vocal whipping. It sounded good, on the whole, and the visual (minimal though it was) allowed you to get into GoD’s specific, slightly claustrophobic musical clime.
Setlist:
Prelude
Illuminate
Levitation
Venus Rising
The Abyss
Astral Traveller
Transmission
Runchild
Play Dead
Bleak Horizon
High Empress
Northern Skies
Necromanteion
Reign
Spirit Invocation
The Seal
http://www.garden-of-delight.com/
After the concerts, there was supposed to be an afterparty hosted by the Cz. Sanctuary team (http://www.sanctuary.cz/), but I was so exhausted I didn’t manage to stay any longer.
These things are for sure: the attendance was higher than usual, and the audience’s emphasis on their own looks took a step forward (from what I noticed); the bands offered a nice variety of music – I’m fully satisfied, with both my eyes and my ears well fed.:-)
Waiting for what happens next!
The bands invited presented different styles of music: from post-punk to Gothic, from electro to visual trance and the like, so diversity was ensured – both in the musical and the geographical sense (starting from Japan, though Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, to Germany:-).
Generally speaking, there was no room for monotony.
http://www,myspace.com/nightsidefestival
http://www.night-side.com/fest/
The concerts started with Japan’s The Royal Dead, who presented an image somewhat different from the romantic/palace look we’d seen in Bolków – Aci and his violin slightly in the back, as usual; Har. Bloodmore wearing a white wig and latex. They gave quite a vigorous performance, provoking part of the audience to dance.
A very good (fast but unsteady) tempo, a sharper beat from time to time, refreshing samples (for example werewolf howls), and beautiful lights – I think it was a good show combining decent music with an interesting image.
Setlist:
Heartbeater
Rebel in the dark
Common betrayal
Slave of love
Spica
Birdcage
Song of a liar
Fortune
Luna
Howling
http://magoria.net/
Setlist:
Inertia
Perfect Toy
Svědomí Města
Forbidden Path
The Last Time
Frozen Minds
Trojice
Blíženci
http://www.alvarezperez.com/
The audience: either stunned or wildly enthusiastic; the applause was visible and audible, and I believe it was fully earned.
And let the vicious insist that Tear is no more than a combination of Funker Vogt, The Crüxshadows and In Strict Confidence – we’ve no intention to believe such nonsense :P
Setlist:
Electronic Age
Dominion
Rush
Little Girl
Not Alone
Ministre
NWS
The Gem
Photographic
Desire
encore: Animal Farm
http://www.tear.eu/
Setlist:
hysteric helen
blinded by light
silent voice calls out
rock and roll radio
dont smile my darling
to the cage
only myself
damned game
snuff song
glen or glenda
im deep
-------------
kiss me piss me
http://www.myspace.com/hysterichelen
Musically: the company’s good, old energetic style; strong vocals, tambourine and dynamic melodies – a cocktail with a real kick to it. And there were many willing to get intoxicated with it.
Setlist:
Intro
Composure
Fever
Devil
Gates of Hell
South of Heaven
Obsession
Smile
Carbon
Dominion/Mother Russia
http://www.monstergod.com/
Of course, apart from the mystical, moving melodies, there were also more lively tracks, so the whole gig was somewhere between hypnotic, contemplative melancholy and a mighty carnage of guitar/vocal whipping. It sounded good, on the whole, and the visual (minimal though it was) allowed you to get into GoD’s specific, slightly claustrophobic musical clime.
Setlist:
Prelude
Illuminate
Levitation
Venus Rising
The Abyss
Astral Traveller
Transmission
Runchild
Play Dead
Bleak Horizon
High Empress
Northern Skies
Necromanteion
Reign
Spirit Invocation
The Seal
http://www.garden-of-delight.com/
These things are for sure: the attendance was higher than usual, and the audience’s emphasis on their own looks took a step forward (from what I noticed); the bands offered a nice variety of music – I’m fully satisfied, with both my eyes and my ears well fed.:-)
Waiting for what happens next!
