Concert memories: This is what it was like at SUBWAY TO SALLY

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Concert review Subway To Sally at Hamburg Docks on May 16, 2025
Support: Storm Seeker, Serenity

When angels hate, the devil dances: Subway to Sally live

Hamburg looked black once again. They streamed in like shadows breaking away from the daylight: dark silhouettes in heavy coats with eyes full of glitter and stories. They surged towards Spielbudenplatz, where almost 1,500 black-clad souls gathered in front of the Hamburg docks. Between anticipation, goosebumps and a hint of redemption, there was tension in the air – palpable, electrifying.

Because Subway to Sally have called. And when these veterans of the scene invite you to a concert, it’s not just an audience that turns up – it’s a committed community. For decades, they have been combining folk, metal, medieval sound art and dark poetry into something that cannot be put into words or genres. And even though their sound has evolved over the years, this passionate core has remained: unbroken, primal and full of black soul.

Today it’s all about “Post Mortem”, the latest studio album from Subway to Sally. Freshly released in the gloomy winter, it feels like a reawakening – as if the band had dug itself out of its own ashes to return blazing. This album is no mere chapter – it is a dark gospel. What once began with acoustic guitars, medieval flutes and introverted melancholy has developed over the years into a mighty thunderstorm of sound. Bombastic, dramatic, but never overloaded. Even on “Post Mortem”, Subway to Sally don’t fall into smoothly produced compromises, but carve their stories directly into the black soul of the scene. And yet: the core has remained. Earthy. Wild. Real wood instead of plastic. Every track on this album feels like an incantation – a call from the crypt, but with open arms. You can feel it immediately: these songs are promises. Promises to live on – after death, after pain, after silence. A life “post mortem”.

Sailor punk with thunder reverberation

Storm Seeker, a pirate band with a storm in their hearts and rum in their blood, kicked things off. The Düsseldorf folk pirates fired their mix of folk metal, shanty and industrial influences directly into the audience. The sound was as rough as salt-encrusted planks, the rhythms rolled forward like a marauding warship. Storm Seeker immediately swept the audience away with their latest songs from their recently released longplayer “Set the Sails”. The flute whistled like the north wind, the drums thundered like distant cannons and singer Sean Graham drove the audience like a captain driving his pack. Anyone who hadn’t heard them before quickly realized that this wasn’t some cheap sailor’s jingle, but an honest, handmade storm – you didn’t need the North Sea wind to get you going.

Bombast meets pathos

Serenity from Austria sailed in as the second support act – with a sound so big that it almost raised the roof. Epic symphonic metal with lyrics steeped in history, orchestral soundscapes and the charismatic voice of Georg Neuhauser. Their songs ignited immediately. – The sound was monumental, the choirs powerful, the guitars razor-sharp. Serenity knew how to do what many tried to do, but only a few mastered: Pathos, without kitsch. The crowd ate out of their hands – and when Georg thanked them at the end for the “sacred ground” on which they were allowed to stand today, it was clear: there was no envy here, but mutual respect.

A firestorm in 18 chapters

Then: darkness. An angel appeared on stage like a phoenix and unfurled its wings. The first notes of “Phoenix” rose up like smoke from ancient ruins. Subway to Sally entered the stage and the audience exploded. The opener was like an oath: “We’re back. Burning. And alive.” The song flew through the hall like a bird of prey – powerful, majestic, reborn. A mystical stream of dark brilliance followed with “Wunder”. Ingo’s voice cut through the arrangement like a silver knife through velvet. “Leinen los” drove up the tempo, a folk-metal thunderstorm with sailing tension. The hall went wild. “Was ihr wollt” is a fist in the face of indifference. The lyrics, sharp as daggers. The chorus? A manifesto. “Dress of Roses” sent the crowd into a romantic frenzy. Tender and cutting at the same time. Then a metal medley: “Henkersbraut” / “Knochenschiff” / “Falscher Heiland” – a triptych of rage, madness and force. Each song a clubbing blow. “Grabrede” brought back the darkness, carried, almost sacred. The crowd fell silent. Listened. Felt. And then: “Mephisto”. When the devil dances, he dances like this. A hellish ride with violin, guitars and embers. “Das Rätsel II” – sonically like a broken mirror world, reflective and abysmal. “Auf dem Hügel” created a moment of pause. Fragile. True.

With “Post Mortem”, the namesake of the album and the tour unfolded live in all its power: a dark monolith of sound, pain and renewal. This was followed by “Stahl auf Stahl” – with Georg from Serenity. An epic shoulder to shoulder. Everything was on fire here. “Eisblumen” brought a chill with a warm heart. A thousand voices sang along. And when “Veitstanz” began, the Docks was transformed into a seething cauldron. No standstill. Just movement, frenzy, life.

Encores that burned everything down

Subway to Sally returned. “Wenn Engel hassen” broke over the crowd like a thunderstorm of bitterness and anger. This was followed by the folk party medley: “Sag dem Teufel” / “Ohne Liebe” / “Sieben” / “Tanz auf dem Vulkan”. A journey through time, a round dance, a frenzy. Here, the scene danced with itself. To conclude: “Julia and the Robbers”, initially instrumental, but Eric quickly encouraged the crowd to sing along. A roaring chorus immediately rose up: everyone in the audience knew the words. Thousands of throats sang together, it echoed like an anthem through every corner of the dock. At that moment, the whole of Hamburg seemed to hold its breath, only to break out in a sweat the next moment. The band smiled at each other as the last chorus faded away. There was a brief, almost sacred silence – then the cheers broke out once more. “Julia! Julia!” – A bittersweet swan song, cynical, charming, deadly chic. Subway to Sally said goodbye, the crowd went wild, hearts beat faster. It was over. And yet something new was beginning.

If hell sounds like that, I want to live there

Subway to Sally didn’t play. They conjured. Sacrificed. Unleashed. With Storm Seeker and Serenity as perfect trailblazers, this evening became a glowing black manifesto. No masks. No marketing. Just pure scene energy. The evening echoed for days afterwards. Between ice flowers and St. Vitus’ dance, between death and rebirth. Or, as someone in the audience said with a shattered voice and shining eyes: “That wasn’t a show. That was a ritual.”

Setlist:
“Phoenix” – “Wunder” – “Leinen los” – “What you want” – “Kleid aus Rosen” – “Herz in der Rinde” – Metal medley: “Henkersbraut” / “Knochenschiff” / “Falscher Heiland” – “Grabrede” – “Mephisto” – “Das Rätsel II” – “Auf dem Hügel” – “Post Mortem” – “Stahl auf Stahl” (together with Georg von Serenity) – “Eisblumen” – “Veitstanz” — “When angels hate” – Folk party medley: “Tell the Devil” / “Without Love” / “Seven” / “Dance on the Volcano” — “Julia and the Robbers”

Text & Photos: Thomas Friedel Fuhrmann