Diary Of Dreams - Noyce TM

As is known DIARY OF DREAMS like to make themselves scarce. A new album, a tour to support it, a handful of festivals…maybe… and then… just deep silence follows. Basically the best policy to handle business things on the live sector. Rare tour announcements drive fans mad and fill the venues ;) If we wouldn’t have to wait for such a long time… *sighs* However, there is a new record out, finally, and DIARY OF DREAMS are back on the road to support their new masterpiece entitled Nekrolog 43. In the run-up many news and rumors were to hear and to read. For example that the band got a new stage outfit and that they have sophisticated and jazzed up their performance. OK, expectations were HIGH, as well as the anticipation ;) There have already been a couple of single shows this year, warm-up shows I guess, but for the original tour kick-off DIARY OF DREAMS has booked nothing less than the Live Music Hall in Cologne. Hmm… at the end this location wasn't filled as expected and desired. On the other hand there was a ramp into the audience and no photopit. This evening was promised to be interesting…

:: pics ::

Much on time :: NOYCE TM :: entered the stage and let it go. Hailing from Dusseldorf I met these guys musically ages ago when they had released the album The White Room (1999). I liked this record much. Afterwards it got quiet around the band, which went on a hiatus or disbanded respectively. In 2006 some life was creeping in again and NOYCE TM pulled them together. The current tour slot offer for NOYCE TM should be much convenient for them, since they have a new record up their sleeves ;) On May 30 Un:Welt will gently close in. The guys were visibly nervous and some little sound problems didn’t make the performance running perfectly. Nothing to nag about I’d say, since it was the first gig on this tour. But – and to my regret – NOYCE TM have much developed into soft electro. Nothing reminds of the old harsh EBM sounds no mores. Songs just dabbled along without leaving a bigger impression. Nice but harmless.

Also :: DIARY OF DREAMS :: weren’t left untroubled by nerviness’s and little technical deficiencies. Doesn’t matter… already the intro was breathtaking, leaving me and the other ones with open mouths! The quartet consisting of mastermind Adrian Hates, axe-man Gaun:A, drummer DNS and key-wiz Taste entered the stage singly, cloaked and deeply hooded, bathed in dark-violet lights. Haunting! Atmospheric! The intro turned led over to Nekrolog 43 - the obituary, from the homonymous brand new record. More surprises followed… ;) There was light! Really ;) Ya know DIARY OF DREAMS are shady creatures on stage, performing with less light as possible – a nightmare for photographers ;) But yeah, the gents had a nice and accentuated lightshow :) Um… surprises… second, right after the album’s title-track False Affection, False Creation from legendary and beloved debut record Cholymelan fell into line. But in a completely new sound robe. Despite of the lame feedback from the crowd (who gave out the valium?) DIARY OF DREAMS quickly warmed up and used the ramp (ok, Adrian and Gaun:A only ;)). Oh, by the way, there was also some fire onto stage. Again something new… I guess it’s clear that the crowd sang along the refrain of Traumtänzer, causing once more gooseflesh…
However, after around an hour DIARY OF DREAMS left the stage for the first time, called back for encore and appearing with acoustic guitars. The started the way they stopped before: with The Curse, this time in an acoustic version, followed by two another ones. Second break, second encore and the audience got delighted by She And Her Darkness, the final song of the evening. Later we got aware that there were two songs kept back, Retaliation and The Valley *sniff* Dunno why, but I for sure would have loved to see The Valley performed live :/
Setlist: Intro, Nekrolog 43, False Affection, False Creation, The Plague, She, Chemicals, Hypo)crypticK(al, Butterfly:Dance!, MenschFeind, UnMensch, Son Of A Thief, Traumtänzer, AmoK, UnWanted, Kindrom, The Curse // [acoustic set] The Curse, Giftraum, O’ Brother Sleep // She And Her Darkness

Yes, I have to say that was a fantastic show, a great tour kick-off with many mews and surprises :) As already mentioned, the audience was quite lame, dunno why, but it’s usual for Cologne. Never mind. But what made me really wondering was the fact that there were more songs played from a quite old album (Freak Perfume, 2002) than from the new or latter ones. It might be also mentioned that only the dancefloor-filling tracks from Nekrolog 43 found its way onto stage. In fact comprehensible; even though I find them the weaker ones on this record. To propitiate myself the merchandise was opulent and me soon a poor lady ;) Nah, not really, but I still didn’t everything I want… hehe.
Both bands appeared afterwards to talk with friends and fans and to sign things and thangs, while everybody got unfriendly swept out by the security (bad habit I’d say).
What’s left to say? DIARY OF DREAMS fans definitely shouldn’t miss one of these shows! It’s worth the distance and possible discomfort.
Unfortunately it didn’t work out for me to attend the next show in Eindhoven, Holland, but let’s what’s still possible ;)