Friday.

Hildesheim gave us a rainy welcome.

No concerts took place on Friday. Which does not mean whatsoever that nothing was going on. In the pagan village somebody was giving performances nearly all the time, while at hangar, starting from 20.30, German writers – Markus Heitz, Christian von Aster and Christoph Hardebush, were reading their stories. After the papers, the crew got round to clearing the hangar in a deft manner and prepared it for a club party.

Saturday.

Winterspring and Ostfront manager to prezent themselves on stage, yet, to my point of view, Sunday, as well as the whole festiwal, started with a pleasant surprise, that is Omnia’s koncert. An outstandingly nice band, which gave a fully energetic show. It was pagan, witchy and acoustic. There also occurred anathematizing – in order for everyone present at the concert to avoid any sort of problems, the curse was cast on the European Union.

Setlisting:

1. Alive!
2. I don't speak human
3. Toys in the attic
4. Auta luonto
5. Wytches brew
6. Saltatio Vita
7. Dance untill we die
8. En avant blonde/Etrezomp ni Kelted





In the long run, I can say that it was one of the Best performances of this year’s edition of the festiwal.
I familiarized myself with the whole discography of the band after having returned and their live shows turn out a lot better.
After a short interval, Qntal appeared on stage, having similar characteristics to Omnia – they give a way better live performances than their studio album sound.

Setlisting:

1. Palestinalied
2. Glacies
3. Entre Moi
4. Flamma
5. Ecce Gratum
6. Veni
7. Ad Mortem



Afte Qntal, the time came for a visit nearby the stage at the hangar. At the time Fetisch:Mensch was performing. The only thing that was really attention-worthy was the signature on a T-shirt of the band’s vocalist, saying: "Thank God I'm a V.I.P.".

Having nothing engaging to do, I got back to the main stage area. Leaves’ Eyes were playing. After their two pieces, I decided to return to the Hangar. Julien-K, a band giving its show at the time, did not impress me, either. Hence, I found an amount of time to visit the stores. And there was indeed loads of stuff to please your eyes with or/and purchase for the most important stores and record labels were presenting their goods there.

I managed to pay at least a Little attention to All of the stall when Mesh was performing on the main stage, being supported by Vic Anselmo.

After this show, I quickly headed towards the small stage, where Nachtmahr was about to Begin his performance. So great was the interest that the concert evoked that there was little room left for some people at the hangar. I got stuck in the line leading to the main entry as the safety guards were dividing people into small groups to let them in. Thomas Rainer proved that he has every reason to be called the Tanzdiktator. ¾ of the hangar was dancing wildly to the music flowing from the scene. A range of well-known and liked pieces were played, as well as three new tracks. To top it off, the whole was ended with Katharsis, which works just perfectly as a concert-ending anthem.

Setlisting:

1. Wir schreiben Geschichte
2. Tanzdiktator
3. Verräter an Gott
4. Feuer Frei
5. Weil ich's kann
6. Can you feel the beat?
7. BoomBoomBoom
8. Mädchen in Uniform
9. Katharsis



After Nachtmahr we were still dealing with similar musical atmosphere. Funker Vogt appeared on sthe small stage. Some people left the hangar, yet the crowd was still of a decent quantity and was having just as much fun as during the previous show.

Setlisting:

1. Arising Hero Intro
2. Arising Hero
3. White Trash
4. Fallen Hero
5. Date of Expiration
6. Fire & Forget
7. Maschine Zeit
8. Genozid
9. The State within
10. 2nd Unit
11. Krieger
12. Gunman
13. Tragic Hero



While awaiting Apocalyptika’s show, I Got to see the very last 15 minutes of the koncert of Blutengel. There was fire, there was blood. Whereas Apocalyptica itself commenced with Master of Puppets, after which they played their own pieces sang by Tipe Johnson, only to interrupt again with another cover of Metallica – this time with a mellow Nothing Else Matters. Then a short interval occurred, during which Perttu Kivilaakso introduced the band and announced ‘The wicked part’. He did not speak idly for the second part of their show was one hell of a madness, consisting mainly of their versions of Metallica’s hits. At the end, the gents treated the audience to IX Symphony of Beethoven, which they skillfully mingled into their own interpretation of "I Dovregubbens hall".





The thing no one managed to experience in Bolków, I did manage to savoir in Hildesfeim. Frankly, I am glad that Atari teenage Riot did not perform on the main stage. The acoustics of that closed area worked to the band’s advantage. One can fell every beat and sound with the whole body. In addition to this comes the music (noise?), deafening and full of screams and the pure energy, which Alec Empire, Nic Endo and MC CX Kidtronik were emanating with, plus vividly flashing stroboscopes.

Setlisting:

1. Activate
2. The Only Slight Glimmer of Hope
3. Black Flags
4. Shadow Identity
5. Into The Death
6. Too Dead For Me
7. Atari Teenage Riot
8. Sick To Death
9. Rearrange Your Synapses
10. Is This Hyperreal?
11. Codebreaker
12. Blood In My Eyes
13. Speed
14. Start The Riot
15. Collapse of History
16. Revolution Action



I consider the concert of Atari Teenage Riot one of the Best of this year’s M’era Luna. I I got round after half an hour after the show. While walking back from the hangar to the press center, completely deafened, with a full moon hovering above me, I could clearly discern how huge the premises of the festival was.

I was sitting on the tarace at the Press center, Chile the koncert of ASP was coming to an end. In rather an impressive manner as their very last song was "ich will brennen". Apart from flame throwers, bursting with flames every now and then, the band had also two fire balls to show off with.

"All right, I thought, let's see what the Saturday headliner of the hangar, Patrick Wolf, can do". I was not familiar with this act. Hence once again I went through the whole festival area and settled down inside the hangar. "Let's see what You got, Patrick..."

... One has to admit that the technicians quickly handled with the whole act of settuping up the stage for Within Temptation, whose scenogrpahy was of the gratest grandeur. While most of the bands resorted to having merely flags or/and banners, Within Temptation brought along their very own, two-level stage, EKRAN, and an annex hanging above it, plus a curtain. How was their performance? It surely appealed to the fans of the group.

Sunday:

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Sunday turned out to be true. It started to rain with all might.

The Saturday concerts were commenced by the former members of And One, that is Berlin-based Pakt. It was their stage debut. The stage was taken over by the band, accomapnied by a group of ladies, carrying black flags. They played as many tracks as they simply managed to, that is:

1. Intro
2. Freiheit
3. Lichterloh
4. Angriff



Wanting to get slightly drier, I hid in the hangar. I was not the one who came up with such a bright idea - there was already quite a crowd gathered inside. The stage was occupied by Formalin. Yet at last I had to leave one of the few dry places on the festival premises and head towards the main stage, where the gents from Beauty of Gemina were preparing themselves for a performance. A 140BPM party was still clearly audible from the hangar. However, the rain outdid the mentioned party - the pace of falling raindrops was surely about 500 BPM per square meter.

Such was a scenery which The Swiss of The Beauty of Gemina were forced to perform in. The group plays a blend of gothic rock and subtle elements of electronica. In front of the stage, there was a forest of umbrellas, carried by people who were not afraid of the rain.

Setlisting:

1. Sacrificed to the Gods
2. The lonesome Death of a Goth DJ
3. Shadow Dancer
4. This time
5. Suicide Landscape
6. Dark Rain
7. Rumours


And once again the time came to hide from the rain in the hangar. I caught the show of Mirrors, whose music is often described as Pop-noir. Electronica that is pleasant to listen to.

It was half past midnight. As you might have guessed, it did not stop raining. When I thought that there would not be anything interesting going on, the weather did manage to find a loophole in otherwise almost perfect German organization. The case was that the water started to gather on the roof of the main stage, subsequently flowing to the middle of it, where over some time a bulge was created. At some point, the roofing failed to resist the weight of the rain water and was simply torn apart, which resulted in a bit of a waterfall. All photographers present at the press center rushed towards the windows in order to take photos of that highlight.

It was something past one. It slowly stoped raining, Coppelius was laying out its equipement on stage. The band I had never heard of before. The play instrumental rock, being stylized in the manner of the end of XIX century, still not steampunkish. Clarnets, cellos.

Then Teufel played at the hangar and Mono Inc. was occupying the main stage and Tyske Ludder presenting its musical skill on the small stage.

I attended the Tyske Ludder's concert out of sheer curiosity. I had heard about them a couple of times, but I did not have time to spare to aqcuaint myself with the band's work. And here occured a chance to make up for it.

The show did not dissapoint me. It was comparable with the performances of Nachtmahr and Funker Vogt the day before. The style was also similar to a certain extent, yet they were musically closer to Funker Vogt rather than to Nachtmahr.



Setlisting:

1. EUGENIX
2. Tempelberg
3. Wie der Stahl gehärtet wurde
4. Androgyner Held
5. Bastard
6. Wallfahrt
7. Canossa
8. Shokkz
9. Panzer
10. Merciless

The audience was having a bit of fun bouncing a bomb-shaped ballon that was thrown into the crowd.

After Tyske Ludder I quickly rushed to stand in the line of people waiting for autographs of VNV Nation. At the same time End of Green was occupying the main stage. I did not pay much attention to them, listening and watching their show only partially. Had they captivated me somehow, I would have turned my head to watch and listen in the proper sense of the word.

While awaiting Project Pitchfork, I got to see the performance of Gothminister, which was honestly a good one. I was leaving the hangar with a sort of sorrow, but I decided that I would give one more chance to Project Pitchfork, after their not-so-outstandingly-good concert at the Castle Party festival in Bolków. Perhaps they turn out slightly better playing for their audience on the homeland.

Maybe it would have been better, if I had stayed at the Gothminister's concert.

The gents from Project Pitchfork started off in a calm manner, commencing with an intro and Continuum, only to better the performance with Timekiller. In the middle of the first verse, Steve Naghavi of And One ran onto the stage to sing the song along with Peter. A great beginning to a concert of a gradually deteriorating quality. They played a mixture of well-known and liked pieces and a couple of new tracks, still the show lacked that specific vibe.

Setlisting:

1. Intro
2. Continuum
3. Timekiller
4. Souls
5. Beholder
6. Mine
7. Steelrose
8. Conjure
9. Endless Infinitiy
10. I Am
11. Fire & Ice
12. Existence
13. Lament

What a pity.



Acoording to a schedule, the gents from VNV Nation were to perform after Project Pitchfork. In my opinion, VNV Nation gave the best show of M'era Luna 2011. Very charismatic and filled with ever-lasting energy Ronan Harris along with Mark Kackson got the audience carried away and made them have blissful fun to their hit songs, as well as new pieces ffrom the latest record.



We are slowly approaching the end of this year's edition of M'era Luna. Tiamat and My Dying Bride were topping off a series onf concerts held at the hangar, whereas Hurts, the headliner of the festival, was setting up on the main stage. Hurts being Hurts - played nearly every track off their only record. Very professional performance, which was very ear-pleasing at the same time. When they disappeared from the stage, the audience started to demand encores and I myself felt the lack of a certain hit song. First, their dancers came back, after which Theo and Adam once more entered the stage to play the very last track of both their performance and the festival, that is to say - Better than Love.



The gents of Hurts came off the stage and that is how M'era Luna 2011 actually came to an end. The crew began to clear up the area, while the attendees headed towards the camp site to engage themselves in partying. The night cleared up so it was possible to admire the beauty of the full moon, especially when the sky was being brightened up by the fireworks every now and then.

All setlists were published by kind courtesy of the bands, which I am very grateful and thankful for.