That’s how it was with STORM SEEKER

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

September 27, 2025, Hamburg, LOGO
Support: Waldkauz

Hamburg’s LOGO was already well filled on this Saturday evening (and the ventilation worked almost too well for a change) when the pagan folk quintet Waldkauz took to the stage at 8pm. The likeable band from Hildesheim, who have been making crowds dance at medieval markets all over Germany for years, had their brand new album “Königin” in their luggage. Waldkauz kicked off their entertaining set with the hypnotic title track, which consisted almost exclusively of tracks from their latest release. The formation presented itself as a solid unit that functioned like a well-oiled music box: While singer/flutist Nina Green and singer/Irish bouzouki player Niklas Agalstra increasingly attracted the audience’s attention with their passionate performance, hurdy-gurdy player/singer Alana, drummer and band leader Peter Trom and guitarist Daniel acted more in the background. The compositions of “Königin” were consistently heavier, which was certainly due in part to newcomer Daniel, who the band recently hired for guitar/bass. With “Harvest Moon”, Waldkauz once again moved into folkier realms, while songs like “Artemis” and “Inanna” sounded more metallic and dramatic from the speakers. Especially during the haunting “Inanna”, singer Nina gave her all vocally and provided goosebumps moments of an almost spiritual nature with her intense performance. As the song titles suggest, the latest Waldkauz album is in many moments a passionate ode to powerful female figures from mythology and history. The set ended with the anthemic “Vasilisa”, apparently inspired by the Russian fairy tale “The Beautiful Vasilisa”, to exuberant applause. It is to be hoped that the enchanting “Huldra” and the touching “Spaces in Between” will be added to the band’s live repertoire in the future.

At 21:00, main act Storm Seeker finally took to the stage to the lively sounds of “Set the Sails”. And what awaited the enthusiastic audience was an epic setlist of 20 (!) songs and a show that left nothing to be desired and made the pirates’ hearts glow. With the latest album of the same name and new frontman Sean Graham on board, the Düsseldorf pirate ship really picked up speed. Singer Sean, who has been making the medieval markets of the republic unsafe as part of the duo Tír Saor for some time now, not only brought the necessary stage presence with him, but also impressed with his powerful and soulful voice, which exuded Celtic flair. This was just as evident in party songs such as “Gouverneur of the Coco Island” as it was in more serious songs such as “One More Day”. Overall, the Düsseldorfers presented a harmonious mix of classics (“How to Be a Pirate”) and new material (“Into the Fray”).

The audience was on fire right from the start, clapping, singing and rowing (!) for minutes on end to the band’s obvious delight. Halfway through the show, there was a surprising break: Storm Seeker marched through the middle of the audience as a procession, tied together, to a small second stage at the other end of the venue, on which a gallows had been set up in keeping with the theme. There, the band, led by Sean Graham, performed a series of atmospheric shanties and their own compositions (“Stormiest Seas”) a cappella. This part of the performance at the latest made it unmistakably clear that Storm Seeker are not just some party pirate band, but have a good deal of talent, imagination and depth. After a crisp drum solo by founding member Marius “Olaf” Bornfleth, the band went full throttle once more and entered the finale with the epic “Pirate Squad” and the longing “The Longing”. Storm Seeker then performed the encore, which was met with thunderous applause, with the help of their friends from Waldkauz: there was no stopping them during The Proclaimers cover “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”, with the whole LOGO jumping up and down and singing along at the top of their voices. Finally, the nostalgic “Homeward Bound” ended a fantastic concert evening that was not only a lot of fun, but also provided some thought-provoking, emotional moments. Yarr!

Text: Isabell Köster
Photos: Thomas Friedel Fuhrmann

Setlist: Storm Seeker:
Set the Sails” – “Governor of the Coco Island” – “Old Maui” – “Heavaway” – “Row Row Row” – “Drag O Below” – “How to Be a Pirate” – “Don’t Break Yer Bones” – “One More Day” – “Hoist the Colors (Hans Zimmer Song)” – “Stormiest Seas” – “Bully in the Alley” – “Last Shanty (Tom Lewis Cover)” – “Lifeboat Man (The Dreadnoughts Cover)” – “Drink It Down to There (Picture This Cover)” – “Into the Fray” – “Nine Ships By Night” – “Across The Seven Seas” – “Destined Course” – “Pirate Squad” – “The Longing” — “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers Cover)” – “Miles And Miles” – “Homeward Bound”