The members of the German band Kärbholz took the stage at Turbinenhalle 1 in Oberhausen last Saturday. Their “Sturm Zieh Auf Tour 2026” is in full swing, and the band is drawing packed houses, as was evident on Saturday.
The Turbinenhalle parking lot was completely full shortly after 7:00 p.m., and the line of people remained quite long from the 7:00 p.m. opening until around 8:00 p.m. And yet, people kept arriving. I therefore think this show was just shy of—or perhaps just barely—sold out, because the hall, with a capacity of 3,500, was packed with enthusiastic fans.
No grand fanfare
As the band takes the stage and the first notes come through the sound system, these fans are immediately in full force mode. The band is in top form as always and kicks things off with the opening track “Sturm Zieh Auf,” the title track of their latest album, and “Das Hier Ist Ewig” from the ‘Karma’ album.
The sound is great and the lighting is tasteful. No grand fanfare on stage, just tasteful staging. It’s the music that takes center stage during a Kärbholz show, not the visual spectacle.
With this band, it’s all about the energy they create together on stage and their interaction with the frenzied crowd.
intense and heavy
Until now, I’d only seen the band perform in smaller venues, but even in a larger hall like tonight’s, they really get the crowd going and stand their ground, with the audience belting out the lyrics word for word at the top of their lungs. German rock with a punk edge is clearly a hit with the crowd.
Singer Torben Höffgen is a first-class crowd-pleaser, and the rest of the band plays with incredible power. Guitarist Adrian Kühn effortlessly conjures up one riff and solo after another from his guitar, while drummer Henning Münch and bassist Stefan Wirths provide a rock-solid foundation.
Kärbholz is a band that’s running at full speed, and even during the slower songs, they manage to keep the audience’s full attention. For the song “Perfekt Unperfekt,” Torben’s daughter joins in on the vocals, and Dad beams just a little bit brighter. He proudly performs the song together with her. During the song “Voran,” guitarist Adrian takes the stage alone with an acoustic guitar and his lead vocals. Well ok, actually, the whole audience sings along. A cool highlight in the show.
However, things can also get really intense and heavy with Kärbholz, as with the song “Sonnenfinsternis.”
Encores
After 20 songs, the set is done—or so it seems—because the audience is treated to no fewer than four encore songs.
A huge party—that’s the best way to describe this amazing show. An awesome band going full throttle, enthusiastic fans singing along to many of the lyrics word for word, great sound, and a beautiful light show.
Once again, it’s clear why this band is among the best in their genre. Kärbholz rocks!!!!
Setlist:
Sturm Zieh Auf
Das Hier Ist Ewig
Unter Ferner Liefen
Wenn Ich Fall
Ewig Leben
Dämmerlicht
Messers Schneide
Perfekt Unperfekt
Gar Nichts
Kind Aus Hinterwald
Voran
Seite An Seite
Sonnenfinsternis
Kryptonit
Überdosis Leben
Niemals Fallen
Augenblick
Mutmacher
Feuerräder
Encore:
Raubtier
Vollgas
Wo Man Tanzt
Tiefflieger
Report & Images by Raymond Helebrand
