Mirrorplain – Heavy Metal yokels!

2020-04-18 Sandy Mahrer

This band gave concerts in the living room before they became fashionable in virtual form and a necessity! Mirrorplain prove that a band still works best when you start it with friends. The six boys from German Sauerland have been touring with Queensryche & Firewind. They do not fear getting very close to their fans and gladly give them a special experience. The band impresses not only with great music but also with their kindness – therefore we introduce those guys to you!

Hello guys, thank you for your time – can you introduce yourselves and your band first?

Hey Sandy! We have to thank you! We are pleased that you take the time for us. Who we are is actually explained pretty quickly. We are six boys from the tranquil Sauerland province in Germany who have made it our mission to show the world that six yokels can achieve something!

Where do you come from and how did the band come into being?

We come from Finnentrop, a small community in the middle of Sauerland. Basically, our story is told pretty quickly. We were 5 friends back then who just wanted to make music. Back then, nobody would have thought it possible that we would get a record deal or even go on tour. Just in time for the first club tour for our album ‘Path of Salvation’, we signed on our guitarist Jan to complete our sextet.

How would you describe your music?

The inevitable question (laughs). We have so many influences through our private musical tastes that we always try to put them into our music. We make the kind of music we like, and its direction is never entirely clear in the beginning. Whether metal or rock, we have everything in its place. That is the exciting thing about our music. Basically, you can only be sure of one thing. No matter what you hear from us, it is 100% Mirrorplain!

You come from the Sauerland, from Finnentrop, what is the sightseeing item that you should definitely have seen?

In Finnentrop you will find numerous fast food places and smaller green spots and not much else. Here you create your own entertainment. That’s why we have so many bands around here (laughs). Sauerland, on the other hand, with its large green areas, mountains and forests, is a paradise for hikers and nature lovers. Agriculture is still very important here and with ‘Winterberg’ and its region we even have a real holiday destination for ski enthusiasts. Let’s note: Sauerland is worth to visit!

You offered living room concerts via your website, everyone could bring you into their own homes as a band, cool idea, but why did you do it? And how were the gigs you had so far?

The basic idea of the living room concerts was born out of necessity. We got robbed in 2018, music equipment worth € 20,000, just gone. However, it was possible for us to avert the worst via fan donations and a large crowdfunding campaign, so that we could continue making music. In a crowdfunding campaign, you offer your supporters small services or items as a ‘thank you’ for the generous donations. At that time we had the idea of an acoustic concert for living rooms. An idea that was very well received and appealed to people. The feedback was consistently positive and our experience was wonderful. You are rarely so close to the audience these days. We have enjoyed each of those evenings so far.

What were the framework conditions for you to play in the living room of a private home?

The framework was ‘Do you have time on one of those dates? Do you have a slightly larger room available? Then we play!’ Naturally we also had to ask for a certain amount of money for us because the concerts are also work and we have running costs, but people were always very satisfied and often told us that they would have liked to pay more for the special experience.

Will you continue to have living room tours of this kind in the future?

We are not quite sure about that. Demand will show whether we should continue on this path. We are currently only planning one tour. But who knows, I don’t want to rule out anything here.

You were on a European tour with Queensryche and Firewind last year, how was this experience for you and do you already have new tour plans for this year?

The tour with Queensryche and Firewind was a dream come true for us! We have never worked before with such a competent and still relaxed team. All bands dealt with each other on an equal footing and you helped each other wherever you could. You could say it was like a school trip with great music!
For us, touring on a bus was a completely new experience, but this too went smoothly after more than 10 years of friendship. The tour brought us closer together and it is clear to us that we will be touring again! Sooner rather than later.
For this year we wanted to organize a living room tour and a club tour. It remains to be seen whether this will work out.

Do you have a special tour story to tell, one that you particularly remember?

Phew, every one of us will surely say something different. For me personally, it was meeting a fan from London, Mr. Robert Bailey. Should you read this, Robert, best regards! (laughs)
Robert was our first and only fan in the UK and was one of the first ticket buyers for the Queensryche show. He had contacted us several times on Facebook, so we knew who he was from the start. After the show, he came to our merch booth, accompanied by his son. He told us about how he became aware of us and what deep meaning the song ‘Angel Without Wings’ from the ‘Path Of Salvation’ had for him. For me as a writer it’s sort of a knighthood and a more than emotional moment. All in all, my tour moment!

You released your album “Lost in Paradise” last October, how was the feedback on the album?

Overall, the feedback has been very positive. Of course there is always one or the other who has more or less to complain about, but that’s not different with well-known bands either. We are happy with every feedback we receive, both positive and negative. Both help us in our development and we are grateful for that. But as I said earlier, we cannot complain. The reactions were very benevolent and that makes us very proud!

Do you already have plans for a new album? Are you working on it already?

Yes, there are already plans and yes, we are already working on them. In my opinion, the new material is already proof that this band is developing incredibly quickly and that our path is far from over. The way we write songs, the smooth sound and the quality are quite mature even at this early stage of the album. You can be looking forward to it!

What are your plans for 2020 if the corona virus doesn’t thwart them all?

Covid-19 also hit us very hard, the unplugged living room tour was postponed, the other upcoming concerts will be canceled or postponed and rehearsals are unfortunately not possible at the moment. However, we are currently working on new material from home, not only for the new album, but also for new singles. As soon as the situation has calmed down, the plan is to go to the studio and release a new single and a music video later this year. We continue to be supported by our sponsor, Music Talent Box, for which we are extremely grateful.

What would be your biggest dream as a band, what would you like to achieve?

Like any other band, we would of course like to write ‘THE song’. That one song that everyone wants to hear, that gives so many people courage, strength and hope that it goes around the world. The song that would make the band known and ensure that every booker would come running for us (laughs). That would be our dream. But we are also more than satisfied with our healthy growth. We will continue to make music, continue touring and above all: persevere. Then the results will come!

Photos: Silberfalke Media