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Offbeat #13 – Craving The Real

A concert is one of the last truly tangible experiences left. This autumn, I'm going back to feel it.

Offbeat #13 – Craving The Real
Concerts are a visceral experience: Jesus Piece, 2019. Credit: Evelyn Kutschera
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As you’re reading this newsletter, I’m already heading to my second and last proper open-air this year. And by proper, I mean sleeping badly in a tent, smelling badly in a camping chair. That sort of jazz… I‘m not there on official Negative White business but will probably share some impressions over on our Discord server. Join here to not miss out.

While the festival season waves goodbye, the concert autumn rapidly approaches.

In recent years, I’ve retreated more and more from attending live shows. It used to be quite different: in 2013, for example, I saw 77 artists in 35 days. But I can’t quite say what changed.
Maybe age’s toll on surviving with little sleep or increased responsibilities. Or just exhaustion from writing hundreds of concert reviews. The journalistic privilege of free concerts comes at the cost of pure enjoyment. I’m always thinking about what to write; there’s less of that “being in the moment”.

However, for this autumn, I made the conscious decision to attend more shows again. Also, to write about them. And honestly, the motivation is simple: I’m craving real stuff. Even if music is inherently ethereal, a concert has this tangible, physical, human quality that’s ever less prevalent.

So, here are some of the gigs I’m excited about in the coming months:

(And yes, this list originally had five bands in it. But while writing, I learned that the SPRINTS gig sadly has been cancelled. I really hope all the others will remain on the agenda…)

Aside from Lone Assembly—who I’ve already seen tear up a Zurich stage—none of these bands has crossed my path live yet. Only through speakers, playlists and album reviews. But that's exactly the point. And in the best-case scenario, these shows will also light the spark for writing concert reviews once again.

P.S. It's Bandcamp Friday, so all your money goes directly to the artists. Check our collection to get inspired.

Janosch Tröhler-Nordström

Janosch Tröhler-Nordström

Founder & Editor of Negative White

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