A Trilogy of Festivals – The Second Encore
Three weeks after the Party.San Open Air, it’s time for the second and final encore of my summer festival season. I will be visiting a nearby festival. In fact, it is so close that I had never been before. For 19 years, it was just too close in time to another festival that I had attended regularly for almost a decade. Now, however, the time has come for me to add NOAF in Wörrstadt to my list of local festivals. I will therefore commute between my warm, dry bed at home and the festival.
Neuborn Open Air Festival – NOAF –
Sadly, I missed the warm-up party on Thursday due to another commitment. The festival opened with two cover bands: pimp blitzkid, Germany’s most popular Limp Bizkit tribute band, and local Interstellar Overdrive with their Pink Floyd Experience. Thus, the following four pics are lend from the organisers and the festival’s Facebook site and slightly re-arranged
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On Friday, shortly after noon, I make my way to the festival site. Sadly, it takes longer than expected due to roadworks around Wörrstadt. It’s still a drive of less than 45 minutes, though. Finding the site and parking the car is easy; from the car park to the infield, it takes less than half the time it takes to drink a ‘Wegbier’, so it’s not even worth opening the can. I passed the caravan parking area and reached the entrance. Incidentally, the parking and camping areas are separate, so it’s a good idea to bring a handcart for your luggage if you’re camping at the festival site.
The whole area is surrounded by trees and feels more like a cosy forest glade than a metal festival site. You can smell the grass and trees of the German countryside — it’s very picturesque! I take a look around, checking out the stalls selling merchandise, food and drink, and I bump into some familiar faces from other concerts and festivals.
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Friday’s opener: Leyka
Soon it’s time for the first band of the day: Leyka, from nearby Mainz, open with a peppery dose of Metalcore. For a Friday afternoon, the infield is already very well filled. It looks like all their local fans have come to see them perform on such a big stage.
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A Trash Legend: Traitor
After a short break, we are treated to a performance by a true German Thrash Metal legend. None other than Traitor take to the stage, firing one guitar riff after another into the audience. Those unfamiliar with the band are surprised to see that there is no frontman as lead singer. Are the vocals coming from the soundboard? No — we soon realise that Andreas, the drummer, is also the vocalist. The set is fierce, fearless and fast, and it ends too quickly for my liking. I could have listened to a few more songs.
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Gothic Eye-catcher: Lacrimas Profundere:
I’m very curious to see the next band, Lacrimas Profundere:. They’re performing at Rock & Metal Day’z 2026 too, and I’m going to see them there again. Their musical style has changed a bit over the years, from Gothic Metal to Dark Rock, but those genres are very similar anyway. Personally, I would rank them somewhere between Mono Inc. and Lord of the Lost, similar to Hell Boulevard, for example. In short, they fully met my expectations: powerful, energetic and eye-catching from the first to the last note.
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Sports Metal: April Art
The infield is tightly filled when Hessen’s metal combo sensation one April Art start a firework display of crossover alternative metal. Lisa, Julian, Chris and Ben have been rising high above the sky ever since their breakthrough song “Break Out”, which also opens their set. Lisa describes April Art’s music as ‘sports metal’, which means there’s a lot of exercise to be done on and in front of the stage: jumping, running and exercising at high speed. There’s a good reason why adrenaline and April Art both start with an ‘A’… Sadly, it heavily starts raining after a little over half of the set, so some people seek shelter under the food tent’s roof. Microphones and monitors are moved closer to the centre of the stage, and the show goes on as if nothing else matters. And it’s true — nothing else matters.
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Girlie Eye-Candy: Samurai Pizza Cats
It takes a bit longer to change over to Samurai Pizza Cats and their mix of Fun-Core, Modern Metal and Pop-Punk because everything is a bit wet and needs fixing. I was recommended the band by one of my colleagues at work. I met her and her friends recently, and we’re meeting again after the band’s performance. I am very curious about the Samurai Pizza Cats — what can I say? I can see why so many people like the band, even though they don’t match my personal musical taste for 100%. They really are a girly band and ear and eye candy for the many women in the audience with an outstanding, yet funny and enjoyable live performance.
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Motörhead rules: Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons
Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, on the other hand, are the band for the tough guys in the audience. The band is celebrating 50 years of Motörhead without making any compromises. “Iron Fist” opens the set of Motorhead anthems, and “Overkill” brings it to a close. In between, almost every famous or fan favourite song will be played, including some unexpected gems such as “Going to Brazil”. As usual, Phil leaves the spotlight to his sons and the band’s vocalist, Joel, mostly remaining in the shadows on the right-hand side of the stage.
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More than a Substitute Headliner: Dirkschneider
Tonight’s headliner and closer is a short-term substitute. As many of you will know, Saxon’s vocalist Biff is still not fully fit for exhausting live shows and travel after his cancer treatment. Consequently, they had had to cancel more than ten foreseen shows, including NOAF. As sad as this is, none other than the German metal institution Dirkschneider has stepped in. The backdrop is huge, as are the audience’s expectations. We have already seen a very good line-up. Will Dirkschneider be able to top it? In short, balls to the wall, they will! After more than 50 years, Udo Dirkschneider continues to wow audiences with his unique style — he’s as steady and solid as a rock in the storms of heavy metal.
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After the final note, there is still enough time for an encore at the beer bar before everyone disperses to visit the various campsites for more partying or to get some sleep. Thus, here are some impressions from you; the audience.
