VIC ANSELMO

Five years it took, of course not in silence but filled with different kind of work, till DEINE LAKAIEN came up with their eighth record Indicator. A fantastic album that easily can be labeled as the band’s most elaborated and sophisticated work so far. Much more exciting was the fact that DEINE LAKAIEN would support their newest effort with a tour right after the release. Having already experienced a solo Veljanov show I knew that I could expect a wonderful evening...

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Since the first four shows had to be cancelled due to health issues (you’ll get a new chance in early 2011) the show at FZW in Dortmund was just the second stop on the band’s itinerary. There was a heavy rush of people, long queues; the hall filled up quickly, was almost old out I’d say.

Exactly on 8pm lights turned off and the so lovely and wonderful :: VIC ANSELMO :: entered the stage in a snow-white lace dress. Without her band and without Victor, her teddy bear. With cold hands but without any announcements she started playing piano and got in with Who?, the one and only song from her debut record Trapped In A Dream (2008). All the other songs I did not know, except for Leaving Eden, an under your skin going cover version of the Antimatter song. I have not seen VIC ANSELMO playing live before, so I was downright blown away by her performance. She has such a stunning voice, yet it’s her expressiveness and intensity that sends gooseflesh all over your body. For the entire show! So intriguing, enchanting and hauntingly beautiful. It’s hardly to wrap into words, I only felt like that during a Lisa Gerrard show. That has been the most intensive 30 minutes a musician can offer to you. Thank you very much Vic! I hope to see you soon live again and to get a new album soon too.
Setlist: Who?, Open Wide, The Day, Dark Blues, Wellspring, Leaving Eden, Ashes

Just a couple of minutes later :: DEINE LAKAIEN :: were done with the change-over and kicked off with an intro and On Your Stage Again. What followed was an over 2 hours running mind-blowing show. Yes, DEINE LAKAIEN is a class of its own! Of course, Ernst Horn and Alexander Veljanov focused on the brand new album, where they played 9 of the 12 songs from. Oh, and they played Blue Heart, my favorite song from Indicator ;) But they went through the entire, now 25 years spanning history and played even a song from the self-titled debut entitled Colour-ize.
However, there was not that much told. Veljanov in fact tried it with the one or the other announcement, also chose to joke, but likewise often did not finish his phrase he started with ;) He also seemed to have some problems with his monitoring and was permanently fumbling oh his ear plugs and angrily looking towards the sound engineer.
What I found much thrilling was on one hand the way DEINE LAKAIEN arranged their songs for the live performance, and on the other the fact, how much the quality of the songs has developed and progressed, although they don’t differ that much stylistically. Tonight’s setlist proved me right when saying that Indicator is the best work so far ;) But that again made these synthetically created drums on the older tracks sounding terrible. Huh.
Generally speaking the sound was pretty good, but at best upstairs on the balcony, which was blocked for the audience. There one perfectly could hear out the violin, cello and the filigree sound collages by Ernst Horn.
However, the feedback was awesome and the audience frenetically applauding and screaming for encores, which were thankfully granted. Did I already mention what great show that was? No? ;)
Setlist: On Your Stage Again, Over And Done, Fighting The Green, Into My Arms, Who’ll Save Your World, Where You Are, Gone, Immigrant, Europe, Forest, Six O’Clock, One Night, Blue Heart, Return // Mindmachine, Overpaid // Through The Hall, Colour-ize, Reincarnation // Along Our Road

story & pics © Dajana