This was the case with SOLAR FAKE

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

Hamburg, Markthalle, February 08, 2025
Support: Future Lied to Us

Solar Fake – a name that redefined synthpop! Under the direction of mastermind Sven Friedrich, the creative mastermind behind Zeraphine, Solar F ake has always produced a sound that blurs the boundaries between electronic music and emotion. As the sole songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Sven creates all the sounds in his own Rosa Falke recording studio that make Solar Fake so unmistakable – from the driving beats to the catchy melodies. With eight albums to their name, they have been delighting fans around the world since 2007, but also impress live with a stage presence that sets every room alight. Their live performance is pure electrifying ecstasy – they sweep the audience away and turn every moment into a wild frenzy of dancing, laughter, tears and, above all, pure celebration!

After the explosive release of their album “Don’t Push This Button!” in May 2024 and an equally wild tour, part II of the red-hot “Don’t Push This Button” tour 2025 is now coming up. We were there live in Hamburg’s Markthalle, which was filled to almost the last seat.

Unknown acquaintances

Future Lied to Us, the groundbreaking super project by Vasi Vallis (known from Frozen Plasma and Namnambulu), Damasius Venys (Mental Exile) and Krischan Wesenberg (Rotersand), was invited to open the festival. This extraordinary trio mixes synthpop, eighties wave and futuristic electronic sounds to create a sound universe that is both nostalgic and visionary. With rousing anthems and emotionally charged ballads, Future Lied to Us take you into a world of sound in which spherical synths, pulsating beats and striking vocals merge into a veritable firework display. Each song is an epic arrangement that captures the highs and lows of human emotion – from burning passion and deep pain to unshakeable hope for a better tomorrow.

Frontman Damasius Venys immediately knew how to captivate Hamburg’s audience with the opener “I Don’t Belong Here” from the current album “Unknown Unknowns”. With ease, he proved to be the master of the stage, skillfully playing with the crowd’s emotions and catapulting them to ecstatic heights during songs such as “None” and “Code”. His rousing performance, driven by pulsating beats, had the Hamburg crowd sweating profusely. But when it came to the absolute earworms “Blaze in the Dark” and “Falling”, there was no stopping them – every single foot was tapping, jumping and dancing to the rhythm. It was a very strong performance by a very strong band that radiated pure energy from start to finish and gripped us with every note! Future Lied to Us skillfully combined nostalgia and innovation, reflected longings in futuristic sounds and left a lasting impression that is just as powerful as our legendary new wave heroes of the eighties.

Singing, dancing, skipping, jumping

After a short changeover break, Solar Fake entered the stage and immediately set off fireworks with the opener “Hurts so Bad” (from the current album and tour namesake “Don’t Push This Button!”). Hamburg’s Markthalle literally exploded! Sven, initially still in his coat, and André on bass whirled across the stage like tornadoes and sent the audience into raptures – a frenzy of wild movements that left the crowd breathless from the very first note. One energetic hit firework after another followed! It continued with “Reset o Default” from “Reason to Kill” and “This Pretty Life” from “Enjoy Dystopia” as well as “Under Control” from the successful album “Another Manic Episode”. And by now at the latest, the whole crowd was in unrestricted dancing ecstasy. The set brought on a night of bliss, which was accompanied by another eight banging numbers from the latest album, interspersed with a mixture of well-known anthems. The Hamburg crowd were all lyric and clap-proof, and every step of this epic adventure expressed every last drop of euphoria. It continued with full force and the stage shook as driving beats in “All The Things You Say”, “I Despise Sou” and “Not What I Wanted” turned the dance floor into pulsating fireworks. Every song was an adrenaline rush that got the crowd sweating. When “Observer” played at the end, nobody wished the evening would ever end.

But Solar Fake knew exactly how to excite the audience: the Hamburgers loudly demanded an encore – and the band delivered! With the groovy numbers “At Least We’ll Forget” and “Parasites”, the feet were once again encouraged to dance wildly, before the calm anthem “Stay” provided a worthy finale. But that wasn’t the end of it: the fans wanted more. And they got it: with the classic “Papillon” and the rousing “Where Are You”, more anthems were intoned until “Lost” from the current album finally sealed the evening. The people of Hamburg were released into a sea of musical ecstasy – ready to greet the dark night with a broad smile. Solar Fake proved once again that synthpop can overshadow everything, not only musically but also emotionally. It was an evening to dance, laugh, cry and, above all, to be happy.

Text & Photos: Thomas Friedel Fuhrmann

Setlist Future Lied to Us:
“I Don’t Belong Here” – “Tellurians” – “None” – “Code” – “Blaze in the Dark” – “Embrace a World” – “Falling” – “Born in Silence” – “Culpable”

Setlist Solar Fake:
“Hurts so Bad” – “Reset to Default” – “This Pretty Life” – “Under Control” – “Not so Important” – “All the Things You Say” – “No Good Time” – “I Despise You” – “More Than This” – “Disagree” – “Invisible” – “Not What I Wanted” – “This Generation Ends” – “You Keep Breathing” – “Nothing’s Wrong” – “Sick of You” – “It’s Who You Are” – “It’s Never Been You” – “The Pain That Kills You Too” – “Observer” — “At Least We’ll Forget” – “Parasites” – “Stay” — “Papillon” (Editors cover) – “Where Are You” – “Lost”

In our March/April issue you will find a feature with Solar Fake (“Profile”) and an interview with Future Lied to Us.