13-12-2008 Negative

Supports: Substyle; Venue: Gewerkschafthaus, Erfurt (Germany)
By: Nina Mende

After all these CD reviews I had to get back out – or into the venues, back to shows. So I was gone this weekend: Out in Eastern Germany to see two shows. First was on Saturday in Erfurt. Negative played there at the Gewerkschaftshaus, opening act was a band from Cologne.

As I went to have the interview way before the show there were already some kids waiting outside and it was around the freezing point. I wonder if they are having a cold now. Wrapped in these aluminium blankets they waited for the doors to open which was still more than three hours away. As I came back for the show some time later they first band had just begun and the venue was half filled. It would fill much more. So a half empty Gewerkschaftshaus waiting for Negative to start but also enjoyed the first band: Substyle from Cologne. According to their announcement after the second song or so, most of the people in the audience must have been to previous shows as well.

Substyle is an alternative rock band founded in 1998 with a female drummer, sometimes also an accordion. The band has gone through some line-up changes and used to have a record deal at a major company. They were support for Sub7even, Emil Bulls and such in 2002 and 2003 but I can’t remember if I had seen them opening the shows I have been to. Anyway tonight they tried to get the audience warmed up with their rock music which was good. Just somehow it was missing something catchy. Even with the accordion they couldn’t get that missing piece. The band talked a lot with the audience and the audience responded. Not many of the audience – only the front row and some in the middle cheered out loud. But all in all Substyle just made the impression of yet another opening act.

After a short break it was time for Negative. The fans were already getting giggly as they just saw the guys at the side of the stage and shouting the band’s name and screaming. Negative is a Finnish glam rock band founded at the end of 1997. Already at the early stages of its career Negative gained a reputation as an intensive live band which provides the audience with catchy melodies and guitar riffs. The band’s sound can be compared to early glam rock artists and bands like David Bowie and Queen. The band itself labels the music as “emotional rock’n roll”. Negative has become one of Finland’s most internationally popular bands in recent years.

So far they have released four studio albums and one DVD.

The stage was held in blue like the album layout, the band had smoke for the entrance combined with red-orangish light. Negative began their show with “My My, Hey Hey”. Flashes of the digital cameras were coming from everywhere in the audience and the fans cheered a lot and sang along. Not many danced though; everybody was just staring at the stage not to miss a single second of it. Some fans shouted stuff to the band that didn’t react because they couldn’t hear it with their in-ear monitors. As Jonne sang “Ornament” you could tell that this song means a lot to him, he put so much passion into it. Before Jonne began playing “Wish You Were Here” on acoustic guitar he tried “Still Alive” but he forgot some riffs and so he quit playing this song and continued with the next. The singer ran up and down the stage while performing and throwing the microphone stand down, picked it back up and so on. Sometimes he sang to people in the audience who shouted even more then. After “planet Of the Sun” they left the stage and the fans cheered out loud.

The audience demanded an encore, so Larry (guitar) and Snack (keyboard) came back out and played “Angel’s Won’t Lie” before the whole band returned on stage. After the encore they all came to the front of the stage to bow in front of the audience before they left for good.

The songs Negative played:
My My – Hey Hey
Devil On My Shoulder
In My Heaven
Lust ‘n’ Needs
Moment Of Our Love
Sealed
Givin Up
Wish You Were Here (Acoustic)
Ornament
Fading Yourself
Naïve
Frozen To Lose It All
Motherfucker
Planet of the Sun

Encore:

Angel’s Won’t Lie (Instrumental)
Misery
Until You’re Mine
Won’t Let Go

Links:
Substyle MySpace
Substyle Official
Negative MySpace
Negative Official