Edit: Parts of this review were written shortly after the show, parts of it about 4 weeks later due to lack of time – so this is a mess. And I still haven’t finished editing my photos, so they will be added later.
Second round of this tour. I can tell straight away that this will be less of a concert review – because this time I got a photo pass (for the first time – or second, somehow, if we count that one time Self Deception just allowed me to bring a better camera) and since I was very busy moving around to take photos I didn’t take much in of the concert. A pity, but also a great opportunity.
The Venue
I’ll still start with general info. Don’t Panic is a club located right in the centre of Essen, actually almost next door to Turock (almost because there’s a tattoo studio in between). It’s not very far from the main station in Essen and I think there’s an underground station (Viehofer Platz) around the corner in short walking distance. There are also car parks around, but they’re not free. But as I said, as it’s very central in Essen, it’s easy to reach with public transport.
From the outside, I didn’t notice it at first because I was too dumb to see the club’s name in their logo. At the same time, it’s easy to find once you know it because of its outstanding balcony. Look up when it gets dark to see the bobby cars that cover the lamps on the balcony, it’s hilarious and cute at the same time.
The club is small and there’s no real entrance area. You basically walk right into the concert room. I personally wasn’t a big fan of that, I thought the club felt a little too small and too packed (the show was sold out). It was hard to move and to get anywhere, at least on the ground floor. Upstairs there was a little more room and some space to sit down. I didn’t see a coat room and it took me until the very end of the show to find out where the ladies’ restroom was located because there was no sign at the door (it’s more or less right behind the bar when you walk up the first few steps of the stairs, there’s a door on the right and to me it looked like it was some private area, like bar storage or whatever…)
The overall atmosphere of the club was good, so was the sound. Drinks were reasonably priced (0.3l of Coke for 3€, no Pfand for your cup). The stage was small and there was some funny fencing that was actually anything but stable, so you better not try to hold on to it when there’s a moshpit behind you because I have my doubts about its stability.
It’s a nice club, but as a concert venue it doesn’t enter my top 15 favourite venues (there’s no such thing as a top 15, but I guess I could start one soon).
Maelføy
Just like the last time, I liked their set a lot. Maybe I even enjoyed it a bit more because I spent even more time in advance listening to their songs after I had seen them live once. If I remember correctly, one of them was missing, though. But they really are great performers with a great stage energy and some great songs. This time we managed to snatch a setlist (at their merch, after the show), so I will attach a photo of the setlist for anyone who’s interested in the songs they played.
I still think that their live performance is a lot stronger than their album recordings and I will keep an eye on their socials to find out if and when there’ll be another chance to see them live again.
Since this show was the tour finale, there were also some fun interactions between the bands involved. In this case, they had a rapper (I didn’t get who he was, so if he’s popular and someone’s offended because I didn’t hear the name I’m sorry, enlighten me) and Timo Rotten of Oceans perform a song with them. That’s one of the main reasons why I love visiting last shows of a tour so much. You always get a little extra entertainment.
Oceans
Now Oceans were the main reason for me why I had a photo pass – first of all I wanted to take photos of them in particular and secondly they were the ones who put me on the guest list. Yay. Extra big thanks for that, Mr Rotten.
Just like in Münster, I absolutely loved Slaves to the Feed as an opener. The song has a great vibe on stage, but I also have to say that in Essen it wasn’t as impressive as in Münster, because if I remember correctly, this time Timo wasn’t alone on stage – which was one aspect that made the opener in Münster even more atmospheric.
Altogether, Timo seemed a bit less chaotic than in Münster, but the performance was still very energetic and just fun to watch. During their set, the Our Mirage guys walked on stage and attacked them with inflatable … well … clubs, you could say? It was chaotic and fun and once again: I love last shows of a tour 😂
This time, there were no technical difficulties either, so we also got to hear Home completely without any interruptions. Their setlist is a 10/10 and a photo of the setlist will be attached later.
I also have to add that they’re super kind off-stage, take the time for their fans at their merch and are fun to talk to. I can’t wait to see them live again (I’m already planning more shows lol) and I can highly recommend them to everybody else. As I already mentioned in my other review, they’re not necessarily a band I listen to that much, but each time I see them live it’s just a blast. This show was no exception.
Our Mirage
Our Mirage once again were super energetic – and so was the crowd. I’d say for the other acts, the crowd was a bit calmer (and during Oceans, I spotted an almost offensive amount of people who looked inexplicably bored to me…), but during Our Mirage people woke up and the pit went wild I’d say. I didn’t spend much time at the front because stuff quickly got a little tight (and hot) there, so I watched mostly from behind, the stairs or the upper floor. That was smart, because as I said: The pit was wild – and the room was small and very heated.
To be honest, when I see Our Mirage live I have a hard time understanding why they play in such small clubs. Their performance is absolutely amazing, they’re incredibly good musicians, their music is great and I personally think they deserve a much larger audience. They’re one of those bands I somehow expect to grow quickly in the next few years – they’d definitely deserve it.
I can’t say much more about their show in particular though because a) I was exhausted (the air was REALLY stuffy), b) I was still focusing a lot on my photos and c) I’m literally writing this part of the review about 3-4 weeks after the concert 😅
Just one thing: Go. See. Our Mirage. If you have the chance to, just go. They’re worth it.
*Photos will be added later*