Metal, Beer and Inclusion – Rockharz 2024 Day 2

Zur deutschen Version geht es hier. 

Find the report on Rockharz Day 1 here.

This could be the beginning of a creative article, but since I don’t want to be financed by advertising blocks, you’ll have to make do with this! 

Jokes aside: Are you up for Rockharz day 2? Regardless of your answer, you’ll get the daily report on Rockharz Thursday. That also corresponds to the time schedule. 

Look forward to an insight into the work of the inclusion team and a festival day on which I saw relatively few bands… (It’s already off to a good start!)

Many thanks again to lightinmirror.de for the brilliant pictures! May all the Galaxy Taco Cat sweaters in the world be yours!

Thanks again to Björn Schulz, who told me a lot of exciting things about inclusion! If you’re thinking about attending Rockharz and aren’t sure whether it’s right for you and your needs, please get in touch at inklusion@rockharz.de! And don’t forget to support the crowdfunding (see below) at the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/kultur-fur-alle

Inclusion? Of course! 

Like last year, it is once again important to me to show what Rockharz does for inclusion. 

If you remember my daily report from Rockharz Thursday 2023, then you know that there is now a separate inclusion camp where visitors can be looked after by a care service. This was the case again this year. Lebenshilfe Braunschweig was on site again this year with all kinds of helping hands, 35 people to be precise. The fact that so many different care needs can be covered has obviously got around, because this year there was not only a larger area for the inclusion camp, but there were also more visitors who took advantage of this unique offer. The Werner & Habermalz medical supply store was also on site again for repairs and similar needs.

The focus of inclusion this year was on various visual impairments. Cooperation with the DBSV (German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired) is also being promoted here. The existing structures, such as raised viewing posts, paths made of non-slip hard rubber or barrier-free flushing toilets, could be used and expanded to meet corresponding needs. Covering the scaffolding parts on the paths and barriers with contrasting strips is particularly simple, but just as efficient. While this measure costs next to nothing, it can make all the difference for many people! I don’t know if you feel the same way, but for me it was both impressive and frightening to realize how easy it is to cover such needs. It really makes you wonder why this isn’t standard everywhere! 

Speaking of standard: Also new this year is a care container with a shower couch, which makes it possible to guarantee people with a higher degree of care a pleasant shower or wash. Anyone who has ever been to a festival knows how unpleasant sweat and dirt can be on the skin. How bad must it be if you can’t wash yourself and can’t meet your need for cleanliness without such facilities? 

From my conversation with Björn, one key insight emerged for me: Inclusion is not a question of ability, but of willingness. Anyone who creates opportunities for people who would otherwise be unable to participate in society due to circumstances beyond their control will have no problem whatsoever with these opportunities not being taken up. However, it is also true that all of this has to be financed. Although a portion can be covered by (statutory) participation benefits, urgently needed infrastructure elements, such as the shower container, are purely the festival’s own contribution. To promote inclusion at Rockharz, the “Culture for All” project was founded back in the Covid times. You may have seen the neon green shirts with the QR code on the back on the infield. The code leads to a crowdfunding campaign that aims to solve precisely these financial problems. The establishment of a non-profit limited company is also under discussion. If you also want to support the project, why not contribute to the crowdfunding? Who knows? Maybe next year “Metal, Beer and Best Friends” will really be possible for everyone!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/kultur-fur-alle

100% streaky

Guys, I’ll be honest: the line-up on Thursday left a lot to be desired for me. That’s why I only arrived shortly before the HELDMASCHINE gig, and only because I had an interview. I’ve just had enough of all these NDH bands. That’s nothing against HELDMASCHINE in particular, but rather my weariness of always listening to the same kind of music. 

I was then really into VARG again, whose last album made me approach their music again. I was enormously surprised at how well they are doing on stage now. Freki’s brute voice in combination with Fylgja’s almost ethereal vocals, underlined by the brilliant guitars, was simply different! There are few good German-speaking metal bands that play this kind of metal and VARG have definitely stood out as one of the great bands here. 

Highlight No.1 of the day for me were definitely DYNAZTY. The group around Nils Molin is simply an absolute earworm guarantee! From the second they took to the stage, the mood barometer was set to “party”. I was absolutely thrilled by their show and could easily have listened to it for another two hours! I was particularly pleased that they played Heartless Madness. This song is an absolute ear candy and my favorite from their discography!

DYNAZTY were followed by PAIN. A band that I know musically from Shut Your Mouth. From my point of view, that’s almost everything worth saying. They performed the song really well, but I didn’t get much more out of it. It just wasn’t my kind of music…

Highlight no. 2 of the day was THE HALO EFFECT. Although I now have the impression that you only have to think about wanting to form a band in Gothenburg to cause a spontaneous appearance by Mikael Stanne, the man is simply a gifted singer! Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong with Swedish Melodic Death anyway. The gig was absolutely amazing, especially because THE HALO EFFECT make good music without much frills! Stanne’s change from growling to clean vocals in combination with the hard beats and the melodic guitar parts is simply melting! 

My day ended with HAMMERFALL. This Swedish band is always up for a good party. With songs like We Make Sweden Rock, you simply can’t stand still. I wouldn’t necessarily buy a ticket to their concerts now, but they are an absolute guarantee for a good atmosphere at every festival and therefore belong on every festival must-see list.

And yes, you read that right: I voluntarily skipped KREATOR, D’ARTAGNAN and DOMINUM This was partly due to my tiredness and partly due to my migraine. Especially as it simply remained cold and uncomfortable after the rain showers… But don’t worry, Friday was all the more brilliant for it!