Bands: Polar – Tripsitter – ELWOOD STRAY – Youth In Retrospect
Date: 11/05/19
Location: Cafe Nova
Promoter: Positive Records
The English Hardcore band Polar was on tour with their new album Nova.
Kind of funny that I visited their concert at the Cafe Nova, which shares the same name with the album.
The Cafe Nova is a small but very good location for a concert, because there’s a sidewall with a lot of windows. These were opened during every break to let in fresh and cool air, which is a massive advantage to other locations. There is also a balcony from which a lead singer can jump into the crowd. But more about that later…
The truly good warm-up was done by the two local bands Youth In Retrospect from Dorsten and ELWOOD STRAY from Essen. After that, the Austrian Melodic-Hardcore band Tripsitter followed with a really atmospheric show with only a few lights and shadows. Pretty cool when they rebuilt a bit and now played in the middle of the audience with a bedside lamp as light source.
The dancefloor awakened to life entirely when Polar entered the stage. Through melodic sing-along songs like “Blood for Blood” the vibes were heated up even more. During all the powerfull dancing I was able to watch someone’s shoe sole fall off, so he proudly held it up in the air and kept dancing. Adam Woodford (vocals) and Tom Green (guitar) let themselves be celebrated by their fans through many stagedives.
Meanwhile some fans misused the ceiling lights that were hanging on long cables and made them swing like pendulums which caused a really cool light effect.
Highlight of the evening was the moment when Adam Woodford unexpectedly climbed on the aforesaid balcony and jumped into the crowd with the words: ,,Everyone move in, I’m jumping off the ship.” While he was being transported to the stage by the fans, he launched the next song. The interaction between band and audience was great. With the last two sing-along songs “Black Days” and “Drive” the show came to an emotional end.
With words from Adam Woodford like: You’re more than a fanbase, you’re family.“ and the many heart gestures from the band to the audience which were returned by the crowd you could truly feel how much the band is attached to their fans and grateful for their support.
I see from time to time that children are taken to HC shows by their parents to bring them closer to this kind of music, so also at this concert. It’s safe to say that there will be enough offspring in the HC scene for the future.
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