WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN – the triumph of subculture. (about the festival)

From the 5th to the 9th of June, 2003 one of the biggest German cities Leipzig became the world capital of the Gothic subculture. This city hosted the 12th “Wave Gotik Treffen” festival which has probably no equal round the whole world according to the number of participants and events, and the dimensions of organization.

Vilnius is 1275 kilometers away from Leipzig, so we drove in the Northern part of Leipzig at 5AM, after a 24-hour long journey by car. In order to get to the organizational seat that was located in the exhibition complex of German agricultural achievements' called “Agra” we passed the whole city to its’ Southern part. We got amazed by powerful and modern structure of the city, and this impression was even intensified by “Agra” complex that is nearly 10 times bigger that “Litexpo” center in Vilnius, and is located in a huge fenced park. At 6AM Goths started clustering around “Agra”, but the exhaustion after the journey opiated our impressions and forced us to demand quite audaciously of the guards to let us into the territory so that we could build our tents and have some rest.

Registration started the other day. At a press center established in one of “Agra” complexes we received our accreditations, permits to stay in a camp that was set up in “Agra” complex, and to use transport in Leipzig for free. By the way, such permits are not a prerogative of the representatives of mass media, and they were issued to all quests of the festival that had purchased a special ticket. At the press center, we also got a program of events in German and a map that had all “what, where, when” listed very clearly in a table. Having received all the information you start realizing the grand extents of “Wave Gotik Treffen” festival. Various cultural events: fairs, concerts, exhibitions, performances, movies, meetings with world famous performers, fashion shows, discotheques, press conferences, and other events associated with the Gothic subculture are scheduled for four days non-stop in 20 different places of Leipzig: in cinemas, theaters, clubs, concert halls, factories, exhibition complexes, even in a medieval village built for that special purpose. I was surprised that so many world-famous artists not belonging to pop culture were invited to the festival. But when the first day of the festival in the territory of “Agra” I saw an ocean of Goths dressed in impressive black clothes, and I could compare the number of people only to an army of orks and goblins in the movie “Lord of the Rings” (according to announcements at the press club 20 000 tickets were already sold the first day), I realized that it’s wrong to call the Gothic movement in Germany subculture. It is an utterly independent culture with its members that are absolutely able to pay. One could draw such conclusion from the fact that those 20 000 Goths were not trying to avoid paying about 95€ for a ticket to all events. It's interesting that the whole informational material was printed in German. Later on I heard at the press center that 90 percent of the audience of the festival were Germans, and the major part of the foreigners comprised mass media forces. By the way, a little less than one thousand of journalists, photographers and cameramen representing German TV channels were watching the festival and gathering information. The majority of journalists represented magazines of Gothic trend, and their quality proved once more that Gothic movement in Germany has become a significant part of culture long time ago. My doubts about that were completely dispelled the first day of the festival after visiting a fair in the biggest building of “Agra” complex. In an enormous hangar, the size of which could compare with Vilnius “Zalgiris” stadium, big companies were selling various products. The assortment of goods was very wide, but the greatest part of it consisted of Gothic clothes, accessories, Gothic (and favoured by the Gothic culture) music production. It was possible to obtain various clothes: from those made of black fabric to luxurious leather or even latex clothes. The majority of them were black, and various metal accessories that were also very many and very different suited particularly well to that colour. One could obtain a simple lavalier or handcuffs, and for a larger sum Goths could adorn themselves with a luxurious sadomasochistic suite. Unforgettable were the Goths that wore mantles made of particularly hi-tech material reminding of a diver's suite and bound with various iron decoration. When I saw them, I looked around if any UFO (unidentified flying object) had landed into the building of the fair, but I only noticed a black luxurious “Mercedes B” funeral catafalque in the center of the hall. It’s also impressive that industry has created different perfumes especially for Goths. While walking round the fair my nose was being tinkled time and again by unusual yet pleasant scent of mould or anise and various other smells impossible to associate with anything. To summarize the Gothic fashion, I can only assure with astonishment that I have never seen expressions of greater fantasy before. All four days of the festival I felt like in macabre worlds or other civilizations. These impressions couldn't fade also because during the festival Goths were not only in the place associated with the festival but also in all Leipzig: in trains, usual shops, petrol stations. During the days of the festival whole Leipzig was crammed with Goths. It’s quite strange, but copious security forces hired to keep order were bored. During all the time I saw no violence neither pogroms. The festival was exceptionally peaceful, and the participants were feeling safe not only in the places of the concerts but in the city as well. One interesting remark – the clothes of the guards bore an inscription that all security men are against racism but during the whole festival, after visiting a lot of events I saw a single black Goth- transvestite. All other guests of the festival were representatives of the European race, and the causes of this phenomenon remained a mystery for me. Maybe Gothic culture is based entirely on European medieval mythology and is totally unacceptable to the representatives of other cultures..? True, it was possible to meet representatives of other races in plentiful places selling food. Kurds were selling fruits, Asian people – stew, Arabs presented masterpieces of their kitchen, and Germans were traditionally selling roasted sausages and meat, beer and mead. The price of one portion of food seldom exceeded 5 €. I was particularly impressed by the absinth club “Sixtina” that is founded in the centre of the city and that became a part of the festival. Gourmands could not only listen to Gothic electronic music, but they could also taste 70 sorts of absinth produced in different countries of the world. Goths haven’t forgotten that the most famous decadence poets of the world were taking this drink. So it is quite popular. It was really nice to visit the absinth club where not only weirdly greenish drawings of the goddess of absinth and old-fashioned interior, but also a medieval-looking stone yard attracted the eye. But the principal entertainment of “Wave Gotik Treffen” is undoubtfully music. It was given major attention at the festival. As I have mentioned, the organizers managed to summon the world famous music elite that plays the most different music styles except “pop”. Surely, in Germany, with its second biggest music market in the world, the concept of “pop” is quite relative. Music styles that are unpopular and unknown in other places of the world prosper here and constitute a substantial commercial object. More than one hundred bands played at the festival, beginning with such notabilities as DAF or Laibach, whose contribution to the world music culture and popularity could be equalled to “Pink Floyd” or “Metallica”, and finishing with the bands familiar only to German audience that are even singing in German and can easily live on the records sold only in Germany. It's difficult even to enumerate all music styles that I've heard. Some of them are not popular at all among Goths – such as “industrial” or “power electronics” – but the organizers proportioned them perfectly defining a separate place for every style according to the spirit of music. So the guests really had wide choice. In general one could feel that the Gothic culture as the most developed and having its powerful structure carries great authority over the development of other posterior subcultures. For example, “neofolk” music sounded all the days at Leipzig culture center. A huge factory room was dedicated to “CMI” performers that don't avoid the most extreme “power electronics” or “industrial”, and at the theatre one could hear “ethereal” musical style, the essence of which is the synthesis of classics and electronics. I was greatly impressed by the music created by the Scandinavians united under the label of “CMI” release company. It is characterized by particularly massive, cold and slow electronic music sound, and exceptional visual material that the Scandinavians used to express their main creative idea – “nature is the highest civilization”. The most outstanding among them was Lina Baby Doll who has been running “Deutsch Nepal” project for 14 years and still hasn’t lost his relevance until now. He is one of the few world favourites of  “ambient-industrial” music, able to create exceptional melancholic, hypnotic trance atmosphere deepened by unconventional video projections and absolute sincerity of the artist on the stage.

One more thing worth emphasizing is the professionalism of the organizers of the festival in installing sound equipment in the halls. I managed to visit just 20 percent of all events, but the sound quality at the concerts was stunningly professional in all the halls. Precise German quality was present everywhere. I was impressed by the sound quality in the main hall of “Agra” complex. The sound was equally clear and intense by the speakers, as well as one kilometer away from the hall. It was amazing that in the evening you could as well listen to the concert being in the camping quite far away from the hall. And there was no tingle in the ears after a concert. There were no hall, the sound quality in which would leave me bad impression, and I can only regret that I still haven't seen, heard and perceived with other senses so professionally organized event in Lithuania. The four days of the festival passed very quickly. Leipzig has lifted very high the bar of my understanding about the quality of an event. The impressions are indelible, and I can only hope that the 13th “Wave Gotik Treffen” the next year will not concede to the 12th festival concerning the quality of organization.

Written by Lashisha, translated by Alwyda, 2003-06-26