Future Palace at Helios37

I just recently learned about post-hardcore trio Future Palace from Berlin and immediately fell for their sound. What a pleasant suprise that they would not play one, but two live shows in Cologne in December. Unfortunately, both shows had long been sold out, but one lucky small ads deal later, I had my ticket for the gig today.

This concert was an event of firsts for me; it was my first time

• at Helios37 (Solid venue.)
• alone at a concert (That would have been an absolute no-go for me a while back, but I’ve come to enjoy these little field trips on my own.)
• being among the oldest on the scene (So weird.)

Support band was ENV¥¥OU from Sweden who were a bit cringe to look at, at times. (Mainly because of there over-the-top teenage attitude and expressiveness, which was both adorable and irritating.) They got the crowd geared up for the main act, though, and presented an interesting take on modern alternative pop/rock.

Then it was time for Manuel Kohlert on the guitar, Johannes Frenzel on the drums, and the wonderful Maria Lessing on the mic. They left nothing to be desired, although it was the last show of the tour and Maria’s voice was noticeably messed up. The sound was vibrant; the guitar riffs and drums were diverse and in-your-face; and Maria is a massively talented addition to the genre. How she switches from screams to clean singing and back is breath-taking.

I bought both of their LPs on vinyl and went home with a smile on my face and their music on my headphones. It was snowing.