After the Finns of I WALK THE LINE released their new album “Language of the Lost“ via Rookie Records on February 26, 2010, they are heading out on a short tour in Germany with their label mates GENEPOOL in April.
The second stop was on April 17, 2010 at Schokoladen in Berlin-Mitte. For years threatened with eviction, Schokoladen stands as the only unsanitary building for miles, defying the beautiful facades of the expensive renovated and rent-free houses.
When we arrived, there were already some people in front of the club. Inside, there were already a few people, but still quite few. This allowed for a relaxed first beer of the evening. Gradually, more and more people came into the small club.
When GENEPOOL started, there were maybe 150 people in Schokoladen filling the place well. The audience was a mix of (would-be) alternative Mitte people and thirty-somethings who looked like what one imagines a post-hardcore family man to be. There were also a few real alternatives present. The post-hardcore family men seemed to enjoy GENEPOOL quite a bit. Personally, I found little to appreciate in the sound and the singing, which resembled more of a shouting out of world-weariness. So we enjoyed the cool evening air and waited for the guys to finish so we could see I WALK THE LINE.
The minutes passed slowly, but eventually, the moment arrived. The mob came out, we went in, and waited patiently for the Finns to take the stage.
Now there were even more people inside than during GENEPOOL, as still a few more visitors were arriving, making it warm and cramped.
I WALK THE LINE started off rather subdued. They looked a bit tired. The band needed a few songs to get into it. However, they then picked up the pace. They mainly played songs from the current album like “Surrender“, “Sleepwalking (to the end of the world)“, and “Kill your friends“, as well as tracks from the standout album “Black Wave Rising“.
Lead singer Ville mentioned that they have a substitute keyboardist since the regular keyboardist couldn't join due to pregnancy. He jokingly noted that the merchandiser was to blame for the pregnancy.
Although applause was given dutifully, the atmosphere didn’t really lift. This might have been due to the cramped space, or perhaps because the people who were there for GENEPOOL remained quiet. Until now, I WALK THE LINE had always played at Wild at Heart, and I think that is a better location for the band.
The melodic and dark wave-punk of the Finns didn’t quite manage to lose itself in the atmosphere this time.
Overall, it was a good and solid show by I WALK THE LINE, but far from their best performance.