This was the case with SOLAR FAKE

September 05, 2025, Krefeld, Kulturfabrik

It was a pleasantly balmy late summer evening in Krefeld – and everything pointed to a special concert experience in the wonderful KuFa. Time and again, Solar Fake receive countless song requests, many of them genuine rarities that are otherwise rarely heard live. So they turned the tables: for Krefeld and the following concert in Mannheim, the band called on their fans to vote for their personal top three from an exclusive list. The six songs with the most votes would eventually find their way into the setlist – a promise that created a special tension in advance. But a little patience was still required, because first Alienare opened an evening that exuded pure feel-good energy.

The value of proximity

Right on time at 20:00, it was time to clear the stage for the northern lights of Alienare. Even before the first sounds rang out, it became clear once again why the band is considered to be so close to the audience: singer Tim Green was still standing at the merchandise stand, chatting with the visitors and giving the fans the feeling of being part of the Alienare family. This closeness has long since earned the band a loyal following – and it was impossible to miss on this evening. Glow sticks sparkled amidst the crowd, while neon green ties, the band’s trademark, stood out. The play of colors also continued on stage: the drum set and keyboard stand were bathed in green light, and the band logo was emblazoned on pedestals at the edge of the stage.

A charismatic start

The opening with “Perception” initially brought a small moment of shock when Tim could not be heard for a short time. But the problem was quickly solved. Tim presented himself in top form – vital, charismatic and visibly fit – full of energy and with a presence that was immediately infectious. He whirled around the stage in a good mood, while Timo bounced happily on the spot behind his keys. “Did you bring a good mood with you?” – with a wink, Tim Green broke the ice and explained charmingly: “Support act – you have to get through it somehow. But it’s more fun if you just join in. For example, when the singer says: ‘All hands up! Well, he didn’t say anything about putting them down.” The crowd laughingly followed his request and the first notes of “Diamonds” rang out, setting the mood with sparkling synth-pop and a driving beat. Tim repeatedly leaned down to the fans in the front rows, seeking closeness and direct contact. Standing on a pedestal, he finally disappeared into a swirling column of mist – a small effect that added an extra dimension to the performance.

Between light and darkness

The Sea”, carried by a dark sound and a darker vocal color, was followed by “The Colour of My Soul”, during which the crowd’s arms swung around to the beat. “This is Krefeld!” shouted Tim, visibly happy, and drew even more energy from the audience. With a wink, he recalled Solar Fake‘s “mission” to really warm up the fans – and led the way to the collective movement game. During “Green Light”, the crowd moved step by step from left to right, led by the radiant Northern Lights themselves. When “Lighthouse” plunged the stage into darkness, the neon green accents glowed even more intensely – a driving club track, with Tobi on drums and Timo on keys providing additional heat from the podiums. With “Wrong”, the atmosphere picked up further: red clouds of fog, loud shouts from the audience and rhythmic bobbing along. With “#Neon”, a real dance atmosphere arose – with technoid sequences and cheeky tempo changes, accompanied by Tim’s relaxed manner and his joy in getting the audience going.

A sparkling finale

“It was really nice for us. It’s always a bit difficult after a break. We couldn’t have received a better reception.” Tim introduced the finale with these words. The band announced a new EP for early 2026 and said goodbye with “Emerald”, whose glittering synths were accompanied by outstretched, wiggling fingers. Thunderous applause and shouts for an encore visibly impressed the trio – but the strict schedule did not allow for an extension. After around 30 minutes, Alienare ‘s performance ended with a loud “Thank you!” from the audience.

The double lotto?

The hard-working hands of the stage technicians paved the way for Solar Fake after a changeover break of just twenty minutes – time for the evening’s headliner. As part of their “DON’T Push This Button!” tour, the band dispensed with their recent elaborate stage construction, in which lighting played a key role. Instead, they presented newly created visuals on a large video screen, which immersed the evening in a different, intense atmosphere. With “Hurts So Bad” – the introductory song from the current album – the performance got off to a flying start. Jens was enthroned on his drums, ready to lay the foundations, while André Feller picked up the black bass, its neon green strings already flaring up in the semi-darkness. Just in time for the first vocal entry, Sven Friedrich stormed in wearing a neat short coat. Beaming, he kept changing positions with André and soaked up the dynamics of the moment. And the audience? The spark was lit from the very first bars: Around 500 people had gathered in the KuFa, but their energy that evening would easily have been enough for twice that number. You could almost have thought the fans had cloned each other – they were so loud and euphoric.

Inner glow

Sven couldn’t stay in his woolen coat for long. After the opener, he took it off – and let loose. The joy was written all over his face; every laugh made his eyes light up. While “This Pretty Life” swept through the room with its bittersweet melody and driving pulse, it was followed by “Under Control”, a club-ready track full of energy that was picked up and carried along by the crowd. For “Not So Important”, the singer encouraged his audience to pick up the melody – and an enthusiastic “Döp döp doo döp…” promptly rang out from all throats. Sven grinned radiantly into the audience and was in complete agreement with his fans. “Here comes an older song – gee, it’s already ten years old,” he said in amazement, before “All the Things You Say” was played – a song that brought the band’s history to life with its anthemic synths and gripping chorus.

In a sea of flames

It became even more intense with “I Despise You”: An entire city was on fire on the screen, a lonely figure in front of the ruins – an image that perfectly reflected the song’s inner turmoil and anger. When Sven briefly missed the cue, he took it with a laugh and a sense of humor – a true professional who scored sympathy points even with a minor mishap. This was followed by “Disagree” – a successful mixture of melancholy and a hint of rebellion that got to the heart of the feeling of alienation and the conflict with social norms.

A look back

“We did a song request campaign. We start by playing the song that got the most votes by far. It’s a really old song. From the first album: ‘Here I Stand'”, announced Sven. The track dates back to 2008, the early days of Solar Fake. How touching it was to finally hear the lines live again: “Here I stand in this cold room, with your hand so pale and lifeless / Here I stand, I’m waiting for a further proof of your will.” This song is about loss and the painful emptiness that remains when a loved one leaves. Musically, cool, dark synth pads are combined with haunting vocals that fluctuate between tenderness and despair – a piece that still fully unfolds its emotional power today.

Truthfulness

And thanks to “Invisible”, it remained intense: the track is about self-doubt and the longing to be truly seen and understood. Despite inner turmoil, it contains a deep desire for connection – carried by melancholy, dark verses and an anthemic chorus that radiated far out into the audience. Sven lived this song to the full during the performance, suffered along and underlined his words with expressive gestures. It is precisely this truthfulness that makes Solar Fake so unique: they win people over by touching their souls. “I see many familiar and unfamiliar faces. It’s so nice to be here with you! And we’ve never been to Krefeld before, unbelievable!” enthused Sven. The energy was unleashed further with “The Pain That Kills You Too” and “Not What I Wanted”. The crowd joined in euphorically: “This is nightmare, but it’s my life.” A singalong almost became a singalong – and the crowd sounded as if the hall was full to bursting.

Contrasts

“You guys are unbelievable! The next track is a bit fresher again,” announced Sven – and “This Generation Ends” began. A lively track that oscillated between explosive heaviness and enraptured lightness and in which Sven’s voice was particularly enchanting. The sudden break was all the more impressive when he shouted out with full force: “I just can’t unfuck my life at all!” – a moment of raw anger. In contrast, the chorus floated almost weightlessly: “I’m flying, you’re screaming / Trying to stem the bleeding / Just further, without comments / And this generation ends.” It was as if the chorus carried you away from the heaviness of everyday life – for a moment, the crowd seemed to float inwardly.

Escalation ahead

“Can you still do it? I want to see that!” With “Sick of You”, Solar Fake ignited the next stage of escalation – powerful, driving, full of energy. Sven then announced with a grin: “Now comes one of our quieter songs. We haven’t played this one for a long time. We’re coming back to the wishes: ‘A Bullet Left for You’.” Welcome back, you could say: the lyrics still sat like a charm with the fans, and together they let the words echo through the KuFa. It was pure fun for everyone – while Sven spun completely freely and lived out the joy palpably. André kept disappearing into the backstage area for a moment between songs, which visibly irritated Sven. André admitted with a laugh that he usually loses his plectrum all the time and therefore prefers to leave it there for a moment – no wonder, as he whirled around wildly and unrestrainedly when he played the keys.

The outbreak

“It’s Never Been You” lowered the mood into melancholy, and the audience visibly suffered with them. Countless candles lit up on the screen for the ballad “Where Are You” – a visual image that made the song even more haunting. Sven admitted, a little dazed, that a few more requested songs were planned as encores, which he hadn’t considered when compiling the setlist – “totally stupid”. This made the following “Observer” all the more liberating – a powerful plank during which he literally unloaded himself and swept the crowd away. When the audience sang along loudly to the lines “Escaped before I fell apart / Why the fuck you broke my heart / Another end, another start”, the KuFa finally boiled over. The trio finally left the stage for a short time to shouts of joy. “Thank you and hopefully see you soon.”

Between killers and notches

After a short break, the show continued: the first encore started with “At Least We’ll Forget” – with a new intro that made the song barely recognizable at first. But when the penny dropped, the crowd jumped up enthusiastically and bounced along euphorically. “We have two blocks of encores today. There are a few cover versions, this is one of them. From the Killers. I can’t really take any more! Never mind.” With a wink, Sven moved on to “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers, a particularly fast number that demanded a lot from him – but he put up a brave fight. “Now comes a sad song,” Sven then announced. This was followed by “Lost”, a moving anthem about failure. André also visibly lived the song: During the quieter passages, he stretched up on his toes, stretched his arms towards the ceiling, only to lapse powerfully into headbanging during the harder parts. Once again, the trio said goodbye – and Sven didn’t miss the opportunity to let his gaze wander into the crowd for a long time, as if he wanted to anchor this moment.

A touch of immortality

Time for the grand finale: After the Archive cover“Fuck U”, there was brief confusion: Jens seemed to have a different version of the setlist in front of him than Sven. He asked mischievously: “Have I got the wrong setlist again? I’ve done something wrong. It’s always my fault. It is what it is, isn’t it? Anyway, we’ll get it right.” – And of course they got it right: With “I Hate You More Than My Life”, the trio went one better, André also sought proximity to the edge of the stage, and together they activated further reserves of energy. A real surprise followed when Sven suddenly announced “Join Me in Death” out of nowhere. Solar Fake hadn’t played their own version of the HIM classic for a while, but at a special request, the frontman gently gave in – and won the hearts of the entire crowd. In his own guise, Sven lent the song an electronic density that did not diminish the beguiling melancholy, but rather allowed it to shine in new splendor. Accompanied by omnipresent sighs, the track developed into a moment of pure rapture. Will Sven really be able to cross it off the list again so quickly? Doubtful.

The most beautiful farewell

At the end, Solar Fake gave their audience pure emotion once again – and a palpable lump in the throat. “Stay” made the fans pause collectively; an audible murmur went through the room with the very first notes. “Is it already time to say a last goodbye.” – a single line was enough to intensify the mood between pain and goosebumps. The ballad encapsulated the fear of saying goodbye and the loss of a loved one, while Sven filled every syllable with palpable devotion. It was in this moment that suffering took on a poignant beauty. After a good two hours and fifteen minutes, it was finally and well-deservedly over. Overjoyed, Sven, Jes and André embraced each other and bid their audience a fitting farewell.

As you left the large hall, you were greeted by a Zeraphine song in the smaller area – the perfect transition to the after-show party. All the doors of the venue were wide open, letting in the mild late summer air. The music was also clearly audible outside, accompanied by colorful fairy lights and numerous seating areas that transformed the outdoor area into an inviting oasis. With an excellent selection of drinks at fair prices, it was hard to tear yourself away from this wonderful night at KuFa.

Setlist ALIENARE:

“Perception” – “Diamonds” – “The Sea” – “The Color of My Soul” – “Green Light” – “Lighthouse” – “Wrong” – “#Neon” – “Emerald”

Setlist SOLAR FAKE:

“Hurts so Bad” – “This Pretty Life” – “Under Control” – “Not So Important” – “All the Things You Say” – “No Good Time” – “I Despise You” – “Disagree” – “Here I Stand” – “Invisible” – “The Pain That Kills You Too” – “Not What I Wanted” – “This Generation Ends” – “You Keep Breathing” – “Sick of You” – “A Bullet Left for You” – “It’s Who You Are” – “It’s Never Been You” – “Where Are You” – “Observer”
— “At Least We’ll Forget” – “Somebody Told Me” (The Killers cover) – “Lost” — “Fuck U” (Archive cover) – “I Hate You More Than My Life” – “Join Me in Death” (HIM cover) – “Stay”

Text: Nadine Kloppert
Photos: Marcus Nathofer

Solar Fake – Tourdates:
November 2025 GR-Athina, Death Disco
November 2025 CZ-Liberec
January 30, 2026 DE-Berlin, Darknights Festival
January 31, 2026 DE-Brunswick, Westand
April 03-05, 2026 UK-Sheffield, Resistanz Festival
June 26-27, 2026 DE-Kranichfeld, Black Lower Castle
11. July 2026 DE-Querfurt, Project Pitchfork & Friends
July 25-26, 2026 DE-Cologne, Amphi Festival

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Listen to Solar Fake in our “Black Scene” playlist on Spotify: