The Exploited + The Casualties + N.T.Ä. at Junkyard Open Air in Dortmund, Germany on 16 August 2024.
So, on to Dortmund for the 2nd of the two outdoor shows by The Exploited with The Casualties during the week. The show is one of a series of summer events organised in the grounds of the Junkyard Club in Dortmund. So, not a festival as such, but featuring 3 bands.
First on is N.T.Ä from Saarland who I have seen a few times live before and who released a great new album a few months ago. The weather is not quite as hot and sunny as the previous day at Spirit Festival, which is a huge relief. Also, a smaller venue than the previous day, so a smaller crowd who are initially rather subdued, but who liven up as the evening proceeds.
It’s still broad daylight when N.T.Ä take the stage, and the sun comes out from time to time during their set. The band put on a great show with singer/bassist Nadine being the main focal point with her range of facial expressions and strong growling voice. 
A great opener for the evening.
Unlike the previous evening, this time I take up my “usual” position in the thick of things at the barrier in front of the stage, rather than on the side of the stage itself, like yesterday. As a result, I am able to experience the full Casualties show from the normal audience perspective. And what a great show it is.
These 2 gigs have certainly cemented my appreciation of The Casualties, a band that had previously passed me by. Their live performance has rid me of the preconceptions that I held about them based on their recorded material. Definitely a band to catch live. They will be back in Europe in 2025, so I will make sure that I see them again then.
Once again, frontman David succeeds in whipping up the crowd into a frenzied circle pit, which in turn whips up the dry sand/dirt on the ground of the outdoor venue into a choking dust cloud.
The camouflaged skeleton figure again joins the band onstage for “Unknown Soldier”, but is far less enthusiastic than the one the previous day.
Last but not least, The Exploited take the stage to close the evening. As with The Casualties, I take up my “usual” position in the thick of things at the barrier in front of the stage, rather than on stage at the side, as I did yesterday at Spirit Festival. The crowd are enthusiastic but behave themselves quite well at this gig. It’s nice to see some young “kids” in the audience alongside us old timers.
The barrier means that the audience is at a fair distance from the band, but Wattie manages to climb on to the flight cases at the front to get a bit closer. As a result, we (the audience) get the opportunity to sing along to a number of the songs into the mic from time-to-time. The barrier also means that it’s not that easy to get onto the stage, so I decide not to join in for “Sex and Violence” on this occasion. Fortunately, a couple of the aforementioned youngsters manage to cross the barrier to join in, and one young lad in particular steals the show.
As always, a great performance from Wattie and the band. My phone battery dies part way through, but I manage to get a few decent pix beforehand. The rest of the set, I sing/shout along until I lose my voice again.
Looking forward to see them again next Friday in France for more of the same.
