O2 Academy Islington, London

After the postponement of the last ever Gotham all-dayer; the rescheduled event had the slightly strange combination of 80’s Batcave favourites Specimen and German darkwave stars Diary of Dreams.  However the inclusion of two acts spanning the history of goth music was a fitting end to the festival, which has been a fixture on the London live scene since since 2000.

Following a lengthy intro, Diary of Dreams open their set with Giftraum and instantly have the crowd’s full attention.  Adrian Hates and Guan:A are joined on stage by two new members -  one is temporary for tonight’s show as new drummer Dejan  (joined in 2010) was held at customs.  Cold in Berlin’s stickman has stepped in, which is fortunate as a live drummer is essential for tonight’s performance.

This was my seventh Diary of Dreams gig and notable for the substantial change in format of a number of older songs.  Diary of Dreams was in the very beginning a guitar-heavy project without the usage of any synthesizers, who have evolved with each release in style both aurally and visually.  This evolution produced a synthesizer heavy sound up until the album Nekrolog 43, after which guitar started to balance out the synths and then overtook them to become more prominent in the most recent release (Ego-X).   Previously live performances of songs stayed true to the album format, however, tonight they demonstrate that that since the since the release of Ego-X they have reworked the live presentation of their back catalogue.  This shift in sound is not so out of character given that Hates' original instrument was classical guitar.  Furthermore there has always been much debate over whether they sit on the goth side of the fence or EBM (the term darkwave resolves this nicely).  If someone was hearing DoD for the first time at this gig they would assume they are solely a gothic rock outfit.

The reworking treatment results in a rocked up,three guitar version, of Chemicals from One of Eighteen Angels (An album where the synths started to become more prominent, released at the time when such sounds were more fashionable).

A surprise addition to the set is False Affection, False Creation - the first song they ever released –  and very good it sounds too.  This show is a treat for fans who wish they could have seen the early (gothic) days of DoDs career.   The goth rock reworking seems natural and is aided by the excellent sound – one reason why I like Islington Academy so much as a venue.

Wahn!sinn? comes across almost metal compared to the album but still in keeping with DoD’s dramatic style.  Amok receives the biggest reworking, the result being a lot less synth heavy and new life is breathed into a song often included in live sets.  The audience seemed a little timid to this reworking but as with the rest of the set was generally well received.

Throughout there is excellent onstage chemistry between Gaun:A and Hates, which I have seen developing over the years.  Diary of Dreams seem a lot more like a band these days, as opposed to Herr Hates plus backing musicians.

2009 single release King of Nowhere gets less of a reworking, what with it already in possession of a strong guitar sound and being from the previous album (If).  Undiviable from Ego-X is excellent live and is followed by a another reworking – a rock version of what is probably their best known (and most heard in UK clubs) song Butterfly:Dance! A song which itself was upgraded in 2003 to the more electronic sound.  After which they exit the stage and leave the room genuinely begging for an encore.  They return and give us The Curse and Kindrom to finish.  The band take a bow to rapturous applause and seem to have very much enjoyed themselves too.

Diary of Dreams were already one of the best acts on the Schwarze Scene but they continue to evolve and improve both as a live and recorded act.  This will keep me coming back for many more gigs.  Diary of Dreams are definitely one of the big players on todays scene and be welcomed back to London.

Photos by Simon Topp.  More from Diary of Dreams and other bands at Gothan can be seen HERE

The Setlist

Giftraum
The Wedding
Lebenslang
Menchfiend
Chemicals
Reign of Chaos
Eco in Me
Mein-Eid
Splinter
False Affection, False Creation
Wahn!sinn
Amok
King of Nowhere
Undividable
Butterfly: Dance
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The Curse
Kingdrom