On 24th March 2018 the ninth DARK SPRING FESTIVAL took place in Berlin. Just as in the previous years the GOLDEN APES as hosts presented high-quality bands and proved that there is indeed no lack of good contemporary musicians.
The evening was opened by SWEET ERMENGARDE, the Goth Rock figureheads from the Ruhr Area. A certain kinship in sound to Fields of the Nephilim can’t be denied, but it goes a lot further than being a mere copy. The band once again delivered a great set and was an adequate start of the night.
Second band were A PROJECTION from Sweden. After a couple of changes in the band’s lineup, they seem to have found a constellation that works. They did a high-energy show and got the audience going perfectly.
Next in line were the GOLDEN APES, by now probably one of the bands I have seen the most. Once more the Berliners proved that beautiful melodies combined with a fair bit of melancholy did not only work in the 80s – and all that without sounding too nostalgic.
Fourth band were WHISPERING SONS. The five-piece from Belgium get quite a hype at the moment, but it’s one of the cases where the band earned the attention. In my opinion, they are one of the best bands at the moment. Almost half of their set were new songs, and they made curious about the upcoming album which will hopfully come in autumn.
Final band of the night were MOTORAMA. The trio from Moscow may be not as highly energetic on stage as Whispering Sons, but they still are far from boring. Nice Post Punk sound with a style that reminds me a bit of Orange Juice with several bass and guitar swaps went down well with the audience.
After the bands there followed a great club night with DJs Thomas Thyssen, Jakob, and special guest LVEX from Malta.
Conclusion: A great festival at Bi Nuu, and congratulations to the promoters for the event having been sold out for the first time. I’m already looking forward to the 10th DARK SPRING in March 2019!
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