Electric Callboy Turn Düsseldorf Into a Rave-Metal Playground

Currently on their TANZNEID World Tour, Electric Callboy took their metal rave to the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf on November 16th. If anyone is familiar with this band from Germany, you will know it’s more than just a metal concert. Mixing catchy beats, crazy dance moves with a healthy amount of metal screams is the recipe for a perfect night out.

While the 13,000 capacity venue was filling up, Wargasm was first up on stage to warm up the excited crowd. The screens to the side lit up with “angry songs for sad people,” giving the crowd an idea of the music they were about to listen to. Right from the start of their set their energy was great, using the catwalk to get as close to the fans as possible. During “Small World Syndrome” they tried to get the crowd to chant along, but unfortunately they did not get the energy they deserved and it mostly stayed quiet. After introducing themselves, Matlock asked the crowd to put their hands up if they knew them, a few hands went up in the air and Matlock stated that everyone’s hands should be up since he just told them who they were. After playing a few more songs like “Spit” and “Feral,” it had come to the last song of the evening. First Matlock wanted to see some crowd surfers, asking the crowd to not let him down.They ended their set with “Do It So Good,” during which Matlock jumped down to the barricade and crowd surfed while still singing the song.

Next up were Bury Tomorrow, turning up for the bigger metalheads in the crowd. They really set their mind to getting the crowd warmed up and moving. Before “Boltcutter” vocalist Daniel Winter-Bates asked how everyone was doing, including security and stating that they were bored, with the lack of crowd surfers coming over the barrier. This then was followed up later in the set, before “Black Flame,” when Winter-Bates said he gave them a three song headstart and he only saw one crowdsurfer, he counted 11 security guards who were looking strong and ready to catch people. He stated that he needed 2000 crowd surfers over the barrier to be happy, which the crowd did not let him say twice before a wave of crowd surfers was making their way forward. “I know you are Hypa Hypa, you are ready to move and you want to Pump It, but the next four minutes are MINE” said Winter-Bates before their last song of the evening: “Abandon Us.” The crowd seemed more awake for their set, clapping and headbanging along.

At 9.15 PM the beginning notes of “TANZNEID” filled the venue, while the crowd was looking at a huge curtain hanging in the middle of the stage. The curtain fell and the first outfit of the evening was revealed, which were of course the puffer jackets from the music video. It did not take long before the first pyro and fireworks went off, with the first confetti showing up during their cover of Sum41’s “Still Waiting,” covering the crowd with the red paper. For “TEKKNO TRAIN” it was time for the first outfit change of the evening, taking off their jackets to reveal dungarees underneath it, once again just like the music video.

For the next part of the set the band came out dressed in neon outfits and some crazy wigs, starting with “Hypa Hypa.” This song of course made the crowd go wild, which is not hard to accomplish when all your songs are catchy and danceable. It’s great seeing a band play their home country, but if you don’t know the language you might be taken by surprise, for example everyone getting on to each other’s shoulders during “Neon.” Both singers, Nico Sallach and Kevin Ratajczak, walked to the front of the catwalk before ripping off their pants, revealing their gym outfits to indicate the next song: “Pump It.”

With Electric Callboy having such an extensive discography, and wanting to add as much fun as possible, the setlist also included two mash-ups. The first started with “Hurrikan,” but before the breakdown hit the robot on screen addressed the crowd: “We know you came for bass, we know you came for the drop… this is Electric Bassboy.” The venue was then taken over by Riot’s “Overkill,” followed by Blink-182’s “All The Small Things,” Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” and ending with Ray Volpe’s “Song Request.” All of these were mixed by Electric Bassboy, turning the concert into a rave party. The second mash-up of the evening was an ode to their older fans, who have known them when they were still called Eskimo Callboy and had Sebastian Biesler as singer instead, consisting of: “Monsieur Moustache vs. Clitcat,” “Muffin Purper-Gurk,” “ We Are the Mess” and “Crystals.”

While the fans were watching a drum battle between drummer Frank Zummo and the on screen robot, Sallach, Ratajczak and guitarist Daniel Haniß had made their way to the middle of the crowd with a piano. With the spotlight now on them they first asked the crowd to just enjoy the moment, instead of them having to look at thousands of phone cameras. The crowd decided to crouch down around them, giving the rest of the people on the floor also a chance to see what was going on. The first song played here was an acoustic version of “Fukboi,” which got a sea of lights from the crowd, followed by their cover of Maggie Reilly’s “Everytime We Touch.” Only the first part of the latter was played in the crowd, heading back to the stage for the breakdown.

The fans did not get one, but two encores: the first one including “RATATATA” and “Spaceman,” which of course were accompanied by outfits matching the music videos. After leaving the stage for a quick outfit change, the band came back in their “We Got The Moves” outfit, really playing the last song of the evening this time. The crowd went crazy one last time, leaving the venue feeling satisfied with the entertaining night they just experienced.