[dropcap]Gothic Pogo Festival[/dropcap] (Also known as Gothic Pogo Party), is one of my favorite oldschool Post-Punk/Deathrock events of all time. Back in 2003 I began to see what the underground music scene could offer through helping Polina Y (NYDecay) found the Drop Dead Festival in New York, and right around that same time I made my first trip to Long Beach California to Release the Bats. Both had been the most oldschool Batcave-esque events I had ever seen, until I went to London to participate in the 25th anniversary of The Batcave itself.
But while The Batcave, Drop Dead, and Release the Bats are all legendary and unique events that hold a special place in my heart, Leipzig’s Gothic Pogo Festival is imbued with an international spirit that in my opinion exceeds all three of them. It is one of the best events of it’s kind in the world.
So yes, I highly recommend going this year, the festivals 10th anniversary. Most people during their Wave Gotik Treffen experience, at the very least, stop by Gothic Pogo at the Thursday Night warmup (Okay—that’s an understatement, if you like Post-Punk/Deathrock, and you are already in town for WGT—then you automatically end up Gothic Pogo on Thursday night…it just happens)
This year the festival takes place at the much larger Werk II in the Connewitz area in Leipzig, and has some unmissable events you should consider clearing your schedule for:
A Screening of B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989, a must see for Einsturzende Neubauten, Malaria, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fans. (Friday May 22nd)
As part of a Drop Dead Festival Reunion night, showcased is the first ever German performance by Factory Records (Benelux) and Martin Hannett produced legends Minny Pops! (Saturday May 23rd)
and also featured are French Cold-Wave legends KAS Product (Sunday May 24th)
In addition to the above, bands like , 1919, Nine Circles, 13th Moon (from Japan), and Murder at the Registry are playing, as well as an international selection of DJs.
See the full schedule below:
Thursday – May 21st
-Halle D -> WarmUp
MadLyn (Vanity Noire / ExResident GPP / Leipzig )
Schlampi ( ExResident GPP / Leipzig )
Un5ound ( The Dividing Lines / Leipzig )
Siousie ( Leipzig )
Schlö ( Katacombe / Jena )
Friday – May 22nd
-Halle A-
~live on stage~
The Creeping Terrors (UK)
BA 13 (FR)
Murder at the Registry (GER)
Los Carniceros del Norte (ESP)
1919 (UK)
~Aftershow~
Mike (Weird Science / Frankfurt)
BatCat (Ratz / Darkroom / Stockholm)
Jan Endzeit ( Crimson Night / Münster)
Trish Trash ( Grauzone Festival / Amsterdam)
-Halle D ->Young and Cold – GermanWaveEdition
Dj Neon Force ( Young & Cold, In Ultra Violet)
Dj Bat ( Young & Cold )
Dj Mannequin ( Young & Cold )
Only German Wave, Kassettentäter, Underground 80s, Neue Deutsche Welle, Avantgarde, Punk, Synthpop
Special: Super 8 Films, Mixtapetower
Give a tribute to the forgotten musicians and come with your own “Mixtape” on your neck!
Special:
Film Screening: Joy Division (2007) & B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989 (2015)
@UT Connewitz, Start: 8pm
Saturday – May 23rd
-Halle A -> Drop Dead Reunion
~live on stage~
Group A (JPN)
Løwentsåhn Hølunder (GER)
13th Moon (JPN)
Minny Pops (NL)
~Aftershow~
Polina Y ( Drop Dead Festival )
Tony X ( Deadcadence / LA )
Cavey Nik (Dead and Buried / London)
Whydie? (Rare / Prague)
-Halle D -> Benelux Area
CCCP ( Onderstroom / Amsterdam )
Mat Zwart ( WaveTeef / Antwerp )
Reverend Esser ( Manifest / Utrecht )
Maria K ( Heroin / Brugge )
Sunday – May 24th
-Halle A -> Shock Wave <-
~live on stage~
Peine Perdue (GER / FR)
Pure Ground (USA)
Nine Circles (NL)
Kas Product (FRA)
~ Aftershow ~
M ( ShockWave/ GER )
The Ringo ( ShockWave / Vanity Noire / GER )
Andre ( Angstpop /Berlin )
-Halle D- 11pm
Schatten Voraus (Trash Me / Berlin)
Aurelia Dinamita (Trash Me / Berlin)
Woodraf ( Return to the Batcave / Wroclaw )
Swango Fandango ( Tanz Fatale / Berlin )
DJ Skull ( Decadence / Milan)
Monday – May 25th
-Halle D- 10pm
Valentine ( Decadence / Bologna )
Ben Bloodygrave (Berlin)
ZeitUngeist ( Gothic Pogo / Leipzig )
It-Sicko ( Gothic Pogo / Leipzig )
Maria Bischof ( Gothic Pogo / Berlin )
Get your Festival Ticket here
https://www.tixforgigs.com/site/Pages/Shop/ShowEvent.aspx?ID12131
http://www.adticket.de/Gothic-Pogo-Festival.html
www.gothicpogo.com
www.werk-2.de
Pictures from the first Gothic Pogo Festival from 2005
