Cast Off! STORM SEEKER in Leipzig

Zur deutschen Version geht es hier. 

If you let yourself drift a little in the vast German Metal seas, you will inevitably come across bands that approach freebooting in a musical sense. One such band is STORM SEEKER. Last Saturday, the Pirate Folk band made a stop at the Moritzbastei in Leipzig. The gig was the last stop on their Nautic Force Tour and so there were one or two pranks. Also on the line-up were (one half of) TIR SAOR and MYTHEMIA.

Many thanks again to lightinmirror.de, who once again gave her all!

TIR SAOR

The evening was launched by TIR SAOR with only half the band, but all the more fun. Manuel, who had already had a health problem the days before, didn’t let it show. With an upbeat mixture of Sea Shanties, Irish Folk and humor, the set flew by.

However, Manuel didn’t have to be completely alone on stage: A violinist, a singer and cellist Vivian from MYTHEMIA provided him with musical support. All in all, it was all about dancing and the good mood came for free!

MYTHEMIA

The second band of the evening, MYTHEMIA, were new to me. Their musical style can certainly be best described as „folkloristic mystical“. The six band members were very happy to perform on a stage that was a little too small for them. The atmosphere among them was relaxed and joyful and you could clearly feel their enthusiasm for playing. 

The audience also really enjoyed the performance. They performed songs such as Feenstaub and Nimmerland, which also made the audience eager to move.

However, the set was particularly emotional for cellist Vivian. It was her last performance with MYTHEMIA. In the future, she will devote herself fully to her work with MOLLLUST. In view of this, she certainly couldn’t have wished for a better and more committed audience than the one in Leipzig!

For me personally, MYTHEMIA wasn’t really much of a hit. I thought it was still too similar to its genre colleagues at times and I would have liked more stylistic individuality. 

STORM SEEKER

The undisputed highlight of the evening were, of course, STORM SEEKER. I’ve had my eye on them constantly since Rockharz 2022 and was very happy when the tour dates were announced. 

With their incomparably light way of celebrating their seafaring music, they played their way straight into everyone’s heart. So it was no wonder that the Moritzbastei venue was packed. As already mentioned, it was the last tour date and I was eagerly anticipating the pranks that were yet to come. 

The one and a half hour set of the pirates turned musicians began furiously and quickly and included one of my favorites: Across the Seven Seas! But singer Timo soon had to learn that peer pressure is stronger than you are yourself. As soon as his glass was filled from the well-known STORM SEEKER barrel, the audience demanded that he empty it in one go. The contents? Delicious schnapps! But there was no help and so the contents of the glass found their way down the throat of the now slightly inebriated frontman far too quickly…

Overall, I just had so much fun musically because all the songs I love so much were there! From Heathaway to Pirate Squad to Naval Hitchhike, it was just a great set that even included a song from the first EP, Jack! But it came as it had to: a buccaneer crew is not immune to being entered. Fittingly, the first notes of How to be a Pirate had just been played when all the musicians from the support acts stormed the stage in wonderful costumes.

Another highlight for me was the performance that Timo and Olaf, supported by Manuel from TIR SAOR, gave in the dark. The venue was only lit by a few lanterns and cell phone lights, creating a wonderful atmosphere very easily. But here, too, the crew allowed themselves a little joke. The mallets to Olaf’s wardrums were held back for the time being. It would have been too easy if he could have started playing straight away!

I particularly liked the transition back to faster styles, which was mainly fueled by the songs Miles and Miles and Row Row Row. 

But as nice as the evening is, the end always comes quicker than you’d like. I was lucky that The Longing was finally played in the encore!

I for one was glad we took the opportunity to experience this concert! And my advice to you out there: Go and see STORM SEEKER live! You won’t regret it!