On 6th May 2011 a venue called Megaclub, located in Katowice, witnessed a raid of individuals cloaked in the darkest shades of black. This group of people arrived there with solely one aim - to personally experience a range of outstanding sensations, from the borders of mysticism and transcendence, whose the mainspring was once again the music itself, in this very case characterized by a certain manifestation of divinity. I am obviously speaking about the music of Fields of the Nephilim, who visited Katowice in order to completely mesmerize their fans with that unique sound of theirs, take their souls to the world unavailable to material entities, separate the things that are eternal and real from those temporal and ephemeral.



The honorable role of supporting the legend of gothic rock was given to the following bands: Narcolipz, Cemetery of Scream and Artrosis - Polish acts, more or less related to the gothic genre and its derivatives, which managed to win the sympathy of faithful fans among the lovers of the genre. Unfortunately, due to unexpected logistic circumstances, I did not make it on time to see the performance of Narcolipz, yet while taking into account opinions of the attendees, I dare to briefly summarize, tersely sum up the first show as decent. Next in line, Kraków-based Cemetery of Scream, managed to evoke a flicker of interest amongst the audience; that rise in animation was being intensified by a peculiar behavior of Mr Vocalist, but unluckily to no use. Still, it is common knowledge that willingness is all that matters.



Another band from Kraków - Artorosis – acknowledged group of quite a repute as far as the gothic scene of Poland is concerned, successfully attracted the attention of the listeners to their earned and characteristic sound interspersed with atmospheric vocals of Magdalena Stupkiewicz-Dobosz. Even though musically the supporting bands were chosen in a rather proper way, still the role of a warm-up before Fields of the Nephilim – the music legend in the proper sense of the word – may turn out to be an ungrateful task for the level of impatience of the audience, most often exceeding the zenith of decency, found its outlet in the occasional chanting of the headliner’s name, causing feelings of abashment and discomposure of the performing musicians. Nonetheless, all bands did rise to the occasion and fulfilled their duties as supports.

The etherical spectacle, whose message was highly surpassing human abilities of perception or any capabilities of logical comprehension, commenced along with the lighting gradually toning down; billows of smoke circumvolving the scene from every side heralded the descent of a band, which indubitably reigns in the firmament of the legends of gothic music, on the earthly vale of concerts. The appearance of the musicians on stage evoked an uncontrolled, unrestrained outburst of emotions amongst the audience; the flashpoint was reached when Carl McCoy – regarded as a god, a mystical seer; a figure shrouded in mystery, elevated to a rank of absolute – emerged from the clouds of smoke, beginning the one and only Polish concert of Fields of the Nephilim with a piece named Shroud. Just after this track, the gathered were given the opportunity to follow McCoy toward the transcendental light by means of Straight To The Light. The atmosphere, dense from a wide gamut of all imaginable emotions, was additionally saturated, permeated by an array of indescribable feelings and the energy flowing from the exalted crowd of fans, thanks to next tracks: Sumerland, The Watchman, Trees Come Down or extrasensual Zoon, which closed the first part of the performance, planned in advance and fixed. After a sudden disappearance of the group from the stage, the animated fans, instantly brought back to reality, at once gave voice to their unsatisfied, incomplete feeling of musical satiety, loudly demanding another track that would fully complete that uncommon musical relish. Fields of the Nephilim did not disappoint the Polish audience, supplying them with the sound medium in form of Preacher Man or, unequaled in its exquisite artfulness, Last Exit For the Lost. Moreover, the band made quite a surprise for their fans by ending their by all means historical concert with inconceivably dynamic and devastating performance of Penetration with the guest appearance of Nergal from Behemoth, who also arrived at Megaclub to attend in that truly momentous event.



The music of Fields of the Nephilim constitutes a concentrated essence of the sound typical of the genre which this remarkable band actually represents; their tracks, which most often set an unattainable example of compositional artism, gain far clearer sonic colors, astound with their mesmerizing power and become more expressive while played live. The truth is that McCoy’s interaction with the crowd traditionally remained limited to the eye contact, yet this fact did not influence the overall reception of the concert in the negative way whatsoever. Everyone who expected mystic sensations, not lacking a certain dose of magic and exceptionality, was fully satisfied. At this very moment we have nothing left to do short of believing that Fields of the Nephilim, who are so eagerly praised by the Polish fans that have splendidly showed their full devotion to the band during the described concert, will someday grace our country with another visit in order to posses the minds of their faithful devotees.

Setlist:
Shroud
Straight To The Light
Sumerland
The Watchman
From The Fire
Psychonaut
Trees Come Down
Moonchild
Zoon
Encore 1:
Preacher Man
Last Exit For The Lost
Encore 2:
Penetration