Droneburg 2019

What's that, another of these one-day festivals involving things like doom, drone, and post-metal, but right in our own backyard? Yes please!

What's that, a posted I passed a few times outside Sternschanze station about how there will also be an art exhibition and market as part of it this year? Yes! Pre-party time, featuring my favourite drink

Gratuitous bottom half of my outfit pic because Hannes hates these shoes and, oh noo, the cheap comfortable new cotton workout leggings I bought scrunch up just enough to show my ankles, which I can't get in trouble for at gyms here because they're staffed by normal people with normal expectations and life experiences.. DARN

So, first thing's first: checking in and getting our wristbands at Künstlerhaus Faktor, which is next door to, across from, and around the corner from the venues involved. This black and white photography is by Susanne Schneider.

This is Abest, a German post metal / hardcore band that I quickly hustled over to see at Bar 227. 

Bar 227 and Astra Stube are too small for this event. Like, way too small. I could barely shove my way into this place, and almost fell on the little stairs to the open bar and stage area because I couldn't see that there were any; people were smushed in there all the way out the door and onto the sidewalk. Luckily, the crowd was so fucking dense and packed-in like the absolute fire hazard it was, that it was impossible to fall when I did stumble. It was like commuting to work in Nishishinjuku on the Oedo Line in the morning. That's not a good thing.

Anyway, that's why photos were impossible lol

This was apparently this band's last show together, which is too bad, because I would have liked to see them again sometime. Aside from the shitty venue planning, I was pleased with that I was hearing so far.

This is Fundbureau, the one around the corner from the open plan art gallery and workshop space. We'll get to it later..

Next up on my list (which was not the same as Hannes' list) was Black Vulpine, a female-fronted stoner doom/sludge band that I also liked.

Because this one is at Astra Stube, which often has good shows but is even worse than Bar 227 in terms of how small, awkward, and generally shitty as a venue it is - for example, every time I've ordered some simple basic drink directly from their small menu board, they've been out of it, and in at least one case were even out of Astra beer, their namesake - I was like, right in these peoples' faces, even moreso than these photos can communicate. 

That's the best thing about this place: managing to stand in the front row literally 6 centimetres from the instruments.

Black Vulpine is also German, has been together for about 15 years, and has opened for bands like Kylesa. Nice.

Finally, Hannes and I both made it over to Fundbureau, what I would call a medium-sized venue and the only one big and appropriate enough for this event. 

Ooh, spacy

Ooh, swings!

We were at Fundbureau first for Telepathy, a British instrumental post metal band that describes themselves as "cinematic sludge", which is of course perfect. I didn't do my homework and did not realise beforehand that this was a strictly instrumental band, and couldn't help but feeling at the time that they were absolutely excellent, but that the missing vocals were just a bit conspicuous.

I like this one in particular

This one, too, even if I did have that guy's hair in like every single shot 

Standing directly in front of someone this photogenic doesn't hurt, either -shrug-

Later I sent these pics to them and ended up chatting very briefly with their drummer, and he seems like a great guy. Sharp, interesting, and nice. I would love to see this band again, and Hannes has brought up using some kind of smaller festival like this or Soulcrusher or Antifest as an excuse to visit the UK. Seeing Telepathy in their native Colchester, Essex, for example, would be pretty great.

Finally, last but not least as Phantom Winter once again, who I really really like but who do perform literally the exact same set each time, so neither of us is keen to see it a.. 4th time? I think it would be? 5th maybe?

This band is also German, from a town in Bavaria.

They're also very aesthetic-oriented and, as Telepathy's drummer Albert echoed, are pretty much a stage performance photographer's dream. The lighting, placement, and movement are all very predictable, and that's why I have good shots of them.

e m o t i o n

This one is probably my favourite of the bunch. This guy, the second vocalist, Christian, is also a professional illustrator and a big fan of comics. He's really cool.

And now he's getting sucked into the Poltergeist-y drumkit 

Second favourite

Alas, it was an unusual marathon format, but it felt like it all ended quite soon. Actually.. the marathon aspect was not very cool. Nine bands with their set times staggered only just enough to catch four properly? Mmm. I have real issues with the organisation and logistics with Droneburg. 

Overall, though, it was good, and I would go again next year.. if the times were actually staggered enough to allow for drunk people to get across the street instead of overlapping, and if bigger, better venues could be found. 

I understand that the proximity is important here and remember Kappunk in Tokyo all too well, for example; how hard it is to run two or three blocks, drink sloshing in hand, to some little basement place you had never even noticed before much less been to until today to see the next band you marked on the schedule, but still. If the venue is literally so small that half the people are standing outside and starting to impede traffic (Astra Stube, that's you) then you need to figure something else out.

I also hope that Eyedrone II is much bigger and better. I told Traum Artwork about it at OEF and hope to see her here next year. You know what would also be badass? Tattooing. Get some blackworkers up in there, Christian Doneburg guy! Have them run some kind of flash sheet special in exchange for the huge amount of exposure!

Anyway, let's see what my next post about this looks like next spring!