Rammstein // Stadium MK, Milton Keynes, 2019 – Jordan Baker
Have you ever left a gig thinking “Have I still got eyebrows?” I hadn’t, at least not until I survived being front row at a fire-fuelled Rammstein concert.
Barely understanding a single word of German, surrounded by flames and watching a 56-year-old Till Lindemann cover the crowds in white foam from his industrialised metal dildo was quite the outing. Imagine hell but ten times hotter, and with all the fun of pyrotechnic stunts being thrown left, right and centre. A giant pram bursts into an inferno as a doll wails inside and keyboardist Flake Lorenz is “cooked alive” by his counterpart.
The heat is otherworldly, a complete immersive dive into Neue Deutsche Härte and the uniqueness it brings. The feeling of euphoria is everywhere, a once in a lifetime experience for all. Concert doesn’t do it justice: it is a full-body encounter. The smell of smoke; the feel of flailing limbs; the sight of the stadium engulfed in flames; the roaring sound of the band and the taste of ash, all etched into the memory forever. It is like being trapped in an oven, whilst your favourite band plays on.