Live report LONG DISTANCE CALLING, Seats & Sounds, Kulturkirche Altona, Hamburg – 06.04.2019

German post metal instrumentalists Long Distance Calling are creative minds, no doubt. Six longplayers, full of excellent songs, speak volume and so far a lot of the creativity was channeled and transferred into great music.

After also having played many shows over the last years, the four-piece band from Münster, Germany decided to go for something more special, something that stands-out. Long Distance Calling decided to utilise the 10 years anniversary of their ‘Avoid the Light’ album to create a mini-tour that comprises of three special shows.

Under the banner of ‘Seats & Sounds’ the quartet created a live setup that was pretty much different from their usual shows. A theater and two churches are the chosen locations of this three show tour that started at Ludwigsburg and ends in Hamburg.

The Kulturkirche Altona is the Hamburg venue, a big church in the middle of Hamburgs coolest district. Already the location impresses by its dimension, form and size. Entering the building is a first wow-moment for everybody and this positive impression is multiplied the moment Long Distance Calling enters the stage. Surrounded and supported by a great light-show the visual impression is jaw-dropping. Long Distance Calling aimed for something special and the succeed for sure.

The set comprises of two parts. The first session is a kind of ‘best of…’ with a focus on the latest studio album ‘Boundless’. One thing’s for sure right away. It’s not only the scene itself that impresses, it’s the sound too. Listening to songs like ‘Into the Black Wide Open’ and ‘Like a River’ in such an environment lifts things to another dimension.

What also adds to the special character of this show are the guests that support the four-piece band. Aaron Schrade (d) adds an additional rhythm variation to the total while it’s the cello of Luca Gilles providing a new sonic colour to Long Distance Calling’s music. With having the two guys on board the band adds extra density to their music, which turns out as a great idea. Last but not least fans get an extra treat that night. Right after ‘On the Verge’, the band played a new and nameless interlude. It’s not a full song yet, but hopefully it will become one rather quickly since it sounds great. After more than an hour the first part of the show comes to an end with a great version of ‘Out There’.

After a short break, the second part of the show starts and is dedicated to the anniversary album. Songs of ‘Avoid the Light’ fill the church in chronological order, again supported by the impressive light show that gains intensity by the night that came over Hamburg. The great thing is, that all the parts fit together so well. Songs, light, sound – a real Gesamtkunstwerk.

This show, actually all three shows, is for sure a milestone in Long Distance Calling’s career and I have some good news for all of you that couldn’t join. The Hamburg show is captured in its entirety for a potential DVD release. Let’s hope that it will become reality in the not too far away future since it was certainly a night to remember.