The 26th Wave Gotik Treffen is behind us, and it was exhausting but exciting! No matter how much you try though, you can’t possibly make it to all the events that you’d like to visit.
My biggest problem was that I wanted to see the main acts on the main stage, but also some lesser known future-pop and synth-pop bands, that were playing on a completely opposite side of the city.
As for the music part of the program, I managed to see five concerts, which I think is pretty decent. The main stage, Agra, was about 20 minutes away from the city center (where I stayed) so in this scenario - if you want to go home and change, you’ve already lost a lot of time.
Not everyone at Wave Gotik Treffen was there for the concerts, so the main venue was big enough to fit everyone, and was never too crowded. Lots of people complained that it was too hot inside though. Considering that the rain ruined pretty much the whole three days of the festival, it was pretty humid and uncomfortable. But never mind the weather - the music is what it's all about!
Rotersand
The first act I saw was Rotersand, a German electronic act with catchy melodies and brilliant lyrics. They were probably the most positive surprise of the festival, maybe because I didn’t know what to expect - the show just blew me away. The vocalist really gave his best on the stage, and at one moment even jumped into the audience and started throwing around something that looked like money (note that their last album is called Capitalism TM).
VNV Nation
The next show we saw was one of the highlights of the festival – the futurepop pioneers with trance beats and emotional lyrics - VNV Nation. Ronan sang all the good old hits we know and love, but unfortunately, the security almost ruined the experience for me. Let’s just say that the staff wasn’t the friendliest to the press! But despite grumpy security staff who took their job waaay too seriously - the show itself was still fantastic!
The 69 Eyes
On the 3rd day, we saw also one of the main acts – The 69 Eyes, old school gothic romantics with a Rock’n’Roll flare from Finland, or as they call themselves – Helsinki vampires. I loved the show, as the singer Jyrki is one of the rare true modern rock stars, he’s got great style and charisma, so it was my favorite show to photograph!
Funker Vogt
Last day was mostly about industrial EBM, so I saw Funker Vogt, electronic music veterans from Germany. The singer has great energy and stage presence, and as the band is known for their militant style and lyrics; the scenography was decorated as a bunker, with weapons and cannons that even shot band T-shirts at some point!
Suicide Commando
The closing act was the legendary Suicide Commando, which I already wrote about in my Schattenwelt Festival article, so I knew what I could expect - a great show and amazing energy. The performance was also followed by controversial video projections of death, poverty and suicide. Let's just say that Suicide Commando clearly aimed to strike a chord and send a message!
All in all WGT 2017 was a resounding success in my eyes. To me, music is all what it comes down to, so despite the rain and exhaustion (or even grumpy security staff) once the music starts, you forget about everything else and it’s all worth it!
Have you been to the Wave Gotik Treffen? Who was your favorite act?
