Diary of Dreams and In Strict Confidence

When a band performs live there is a very, very fine line between intense and ridiculous. Of course, which side a band comes down on is dependent on a lot of things outside the bands jurisdiction, like how many people are at the gig itself, whether there are any technical difficulties, whether the crowd are on the bands side or not. It gets even more out of the bands control at festivals, where even something as simple as playing in daylight can kneecap a bands power before the second song of the set. However, the German Darkwave band Diary Of Dreams are a perfect example of how sheer, ironclad commitment and passion is all that a band really needs to be taken seriously as a magnificent live act. It’s in every baritone howl of lead singer Adrian Hates and the malevolent, almost threatening thrash that’s in every song that the band plays together, whether it’s their more industrial leaning early material or their dance inflected later material. It’s the kind of sight that one could see in every context and still take it just as seriously as the band takes it, which is something that very, very few bands ever achieve. Of course, it would all mean nothing if the band weren’t great musicians with tangible chemistry with each other but the band has technical ability in spades, an almost telepathic link with each other and the end result is a must see for those with a love for the dark side of rock and roll.