M’era Luna is considered to be one of the biggest Goth festivals in the world. It’s held annually by mid of August every year, in Hildesheim, Germany.
The location has a historical value since it was a British Airbase. It is always great to transform war-related monuments into musical gathering points, maybe as a message to all that we can live in peace and fraternity.
M’era Luna has two stages, a camping area, Gothic fashion shows, walking acts, and a big market for shops where the most talented artists sell their goth art and handmade stuff, and too many other activities.
Around 25,000 people attend the festival every year. Tickets were sold out for the last few years. Some people plan yearly trips from their countries to the festival! I’ve even heard about a group called “Goths on a Bus”. What they do is that they offer to people a journey from London to M’era Luna on a bus. Definitely all on board will be wearing awesome Gothic outfits and playing great music all the way.
The lineup included so many bands I haven’t seen before like “Saltatio Mortis”, “Spielbann”, “Unzucht”, “Merciful Nuns”, etc., which is always a good opportunity to discover new bands with new music. Another great thing about the festival is that you can enjoy a perfect view of the stage from all angles, and it’s also surrounded by a seated area.
The headliners were Rob Zombie and Nightwish. What’s better than that?
The Finnish Symphonic Metal band “Nightwish” delivered an awesome show. At first, I stood in the front lines, then I went to the back to enjoy a full view. They delivered a great show! They played some new material, as well as some great old songs like I Want My Tears Back, She Is My Sin, Last Ride of the Day, etc.
Rob Zombie‘s performance was nothing less than awesome, kicking off his show with his usual scary metal riffs. The master of Horror Metal performed a wide range of songs including Superbeast and Living Dead Girl. He also performed songs from the White Zombie era like More Human Than Human and Super-Charger Heaven. His show also included covers of The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop”, Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”, and James Brown’s “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine”. The stage scene was a collection of photos of classical horror movies.
Saltatio Mortis is a very energetic band on stage. It was the first time I get introduced to them and I really liked them. Their set was short and their spot in the festival wasn’t the best, but still, they managed to give an incredible show. Saltatio Mortis is a Medieval Metal band and their name means Dance Of Death. The band started in the year 2000 and has 10 albums. Their latest album “Zirkus Zeitgeist” was released on August 14th, 2015, of which they performed a few songs.
Spielbann is a Gothic Rock/Metal band with electronic/industrial influences. The show was great; it encountered some sound difficulties, but I was able to enjoy every bit of it and was glad for this discovery. The band managed to gather quite an impressive crowd.
Unzucht is a Dark Rock band from Germany. The band apparently has a lot of followers and fans. Everyone was singing along and clapping except for me! But I was really amused by their show; another great band to add to my playlist. The crowd was very responsive as the vocalist did a great interaction with the fans. Some crowd surfing also happened during the show, which was cool. I highly recommend you guys check them out.
Merciful Nuns started their show with a countdown screen with “WARNING” written on it, before proceeding with their single “Speed Of Light”. The band put up a steady and firm show. The guitarist and bassist were walking around the stage, while the vocalist was pretty much immobile, which gave me the feeling that I am watching a band in a small pub. Nonetheless, the music was very appealing and the ambiance was great. The vocalist’s ability to sing clean and growl in a very strange way fascinated me.
The whole atmosphere of the festival is so unique and enjoyable. Some areas were decorated in a steampunk style. The markets were designed in a traditional medieval way. And at every corner, you’ll find a group of people doing their own dance.
Even though the music does not meet everyone’s taste, the dark atmosphere of the festival and the awesome outfits make it very special.
WATCH THE AFTERMOVIE BELOW
Leave a Comment