by the Mistweaver
Tucked away in the alternative corner of Essen, an urban pocket defined by a modest cluster of rock pubs and the nearby Turock venue, the Nord Sommerfest Open Air serves as a vital annual lifeline for the local Ruhrpott scene. Organised directly by the legendary Café Nord, this two-day “umsonst & draußen” (free and outdoors) celebration acts as a masterclass in independent community spirit, funding its entire existence purely through the food and drinks served on-site.
We were greeted by absolutely fantastic, radiant weather. The dedicated beach area at Café Nord provided the ultimate sanctuary for people-watching and soaking in the atmosphere. Sitting back on the sand, it was the perfect vantage point to observe the gathering flock of battle vests and take in the music filtering across the square, completely free from the odd sound distortions that often plague temporary open-air stages.
Imha Tarikat: A Contrast in the Light
While the festival featured a diverse billing of heavy rock and speed metal, my ritual for the day was singularly focused on Imha Tarikat. Having witnessed their intense, ferocious performance just weeks earlier at Beyond the Gates in Bergen, watching them step onto an outdoor stage under wide, sunny skies felt like a fascinating study in psychological contradictions.
As the band hails directly from this region, the set was instantly charged with the electric, unmistakable energy of a true homecoming. That comfort level was palpable; frontman Ruhsuz Cellât and crew commanded the pavement with a fierce, ravenous joy that the local crowd completely fed upon.
However, performing extreme, blackened heavy metal under the blinding glare of the afternoon sun carries a natural compromise. Compared to the dark, cavernous, and hyper-engineered environment of the USF Verftet in Norway, the open-air city acoustics naturally bled away some of their music’s dense, suffocating atmosphere. The raw sound, given the limitations of an outdoor street setup, was expectedly less precise and powerful than their Bergen showcase. Yet, what the performance lost in pristine sonic separation, it completely conquered in pure, unfiltered spirit. It was a triumphant, sun-drenched exorcism of blackened rock ‘n’ roll swagger that proved Imha Tarikat don’t need a dark cave to set a crowd ablaze – they just need their home turf.
