Lied United am 09. Juli 2026

Between Sensuality and Emergency Lighting

Between the quarry lake and soccer, between the summer heat and the roar of air conditioners, there’s still room for a refreshing evening of live music at the charming Loreley pub. When the Lied-United crew hosts its monthly indie music series in July, the ceiling fans evoke the atmosphere of a bar in Havana, and there’s barely room for a leaf between the audience and the stage. Once again, two attractive guest acts will take the stage.

Sitara

Cologne-based singer-songwriter Sitara loves to revel in melancholy. Dreams become songs; emotions become poetry. She’s always searching for the kind of happiness that can only be found in this one moment: simply being, and not always knowing what’s right and what’s wrong. Without a mission, but with the desire to preserve music as the key to sensuality. On this evening, Sitara—who otherwise likes to incorporate electronic elements into her music—will present a stripped-down set on guitar, featuring songs from her past as well as a preview of her upcoming album, “The Dark Stage.”

Van Venlo

This time, only two-thirds of the Cologne-Bonn-Neuwied band Van Venlo will take the Lied United stage. Dirk Jansen and David Stricker play German-language songs of their own creation, accompanied by strumming electric guitar and a captivating bass line. Their influences, Wolf Maahn and Niels Frevert, send their regards from afar, with the music occasionally spiced with a dash of Americana. Spanning the spectrum from first loves and distant friends to the glimmers of hope in everyday life and final encounters, Van Venlo’s songs promise that, in the end, everything will turn out all right—maybe.

Robert Gasper

The series kicks off in July with Lied United crew member Robert Gasper, who describes his music—featuring German lyrics—as follows: Pop, punk, chamber music—raw guitar riffs and haunting piano melodies, at times indescribably sad and, for a brief moment, unsettlingly close to Schubert lieder, then again marked by smug lightness and grotesque humor.

As always, the evening will be hosted by master of ceremonies Wolfgang A. Noethen, who will once again have plenty of surprising linguistic twists up his sleeve.