Review: Femminielli Noir + Jaako Eino Kalevi + Touchy Mob (5 Years Shameless/Limitless)

The 5th anniversary of Shameless/Limitless, which was also their last event before the winter hiatus, attracted a considerable amount of people at Urban Spree the weekend before.

The celebrations began with the performance of Femminielli Noir, a collaborative project of Jesse Osborne-Lanthier and Bernardino Femminielli. As the name could suggest, the whole thing is pretty dark, indeed. Heavy techno beats, some ambient sounds, distortions, on top of which resonate Femminielli's demonic screams/whispers and melo-recitations in Italian. He looks kind of Lucifer-ish too, so along with the beat-synchronised strobelights it was quite a show. A disco inferno, if you will.

Jaakko Eino Kalevi played the second gig of the evening and what an excellent gig that was. Somehow I haven't listened to this really talented and prolific Finnish guy before, so I was happy to discover his music from a fresh perspective. I even moved really close to the stage where it seemed that the fun was in full mode for everyone, the 'randoms' included: there was a group of people in the first row who clearly got there by accident (or maybe not, who knows these days) and one of the guys was using the music as a background he could rap to (really loud and in German), which sounded kind of interesting in an absurd, what-the-hell is happening way. However, that was just a temporary distraction, Kalevi's dreamy, chilled out sounds from another dimension as well as John Maus-resembling vocals quickly guided me back into the blissful mood.

Touchy Mob played last and it was quite late in the night, so I was probably already too tired to appreciate it. But people seemed to love it, the crowd was even denser than before and everyone was moving along to the beats.

Between the gigs you could go downstairs and dance to some tunes dj'ed by Molly Nilsson, among others. The room where it was happening was smaller than most of the living rooms you can find in Berlin and the songs that they were playing were a peculiar mixture of classic, cheesy and weird. All in all, super-fun houseparty vibes for everyone to enjoy and dance that Friday night away.

Late review: No Joy + Doom Squad + Secret Secret Girl

At the end of November there was a chance to check out a small showcase of bands hailing from the land of maple syrup and moose (all of the bands being based or having some connection to Montreal, to be precise), presented by Shameless/Limitless.

Doom Squad were first on the line-up. This band formed by three siblings proved that witch house did not end with Salem's last release and might still serve as an aesthetic foothold for those whose interests lay in the occult as well as electronic music. Compared to the crowd of copycats that emerged from this micro-genre, these guys seem to stand out. Instead of looking jaded or too-cool-for-this on stage, they genuinely seemed to be having fun right then and there, engaging in some kind of a personal ritual. The girls were dressed up in long, black dresses, yet somehow they looked more cute than goth, doing synchronised dances when they weren't busy playing different kinds of electronic and accoustic instruments. The parts most to my taste where when the guy got to sing and make sounds with his guitar, it added some reverb-y, post-punk feel to the tribal repetetiveness.

Next, there was Secret Secret Girl, which turned out to be two guys, both in disguise. One masked individual was operating the electronics while the frontman singed his heart out from behind a piece of cloth which covered his face. Motioning on stage like a true diva, he incited some dancing and a lot of curiosity in the audience. 

Just as the venue got a bit more crowded, No Joy started their set with a blast, creating a wall of sound like proper shoegazers should. It was super-loud and noisy which always creates a challenge for the PA, but it didn't sound painful, so I can't complain. If you had a chance to see My Bloody Valentine this summer, you know how vocals purposefully melt into the background and sometimes become even barely hearable when this type of music is performed live. Here, they became even more of a ghostly presence than on the records, harmonizing somewhere in the effects and feedback-heavy complexity of the work done by the guitars. Along with the punk-y sounding rhythm section, the whole band managed to create a coherent, organic whole from the set which incorporated different songs from its timeline. They rocked quite hard and it was fun to see those 2 girls being pros at what they do. 

Review: Man Or Astroman?

My top of the year list is pretty much drawn up. But oh, shock horror, two of the concerts featured never got a review. Guess it's time to get off my lazy (busy) bum and on to it. In this case, I had sort of written the whole review in my head while at the show but then never wrote it down. A Craze classic.

In the 1990s, most independent music bands had "a thing". It could be something subtle like putting on a fake voice (Calvin Johnson and his Dub Narcotic Sound System) or playing a saw in darkened rooms (The Black Heart Procession). Or it could be in-your-face weirdness like pretending you are agents (Frodus), insects (The Locust), or gospel preachers (The Make-Up). Man Or Astroman? managed to top everybody by saying they were from Outer Space and creating a whole story and imagery around it. At some point, they even planned to have several bands tour the planet simultaneously as Man Or Astroman?, though that never materialised as far as I am aware. Incidentally, they also had a side-project called Servotron, in which all band members dressed up as robots.

As silly, and maybe slightly outdated, the whole idea of bands assuming fake identities and making up stories seems, there is something admirable and fun about the effort that went into these assumed personas. You identified each band with a distinct image, you had expectations and live shows could exhale the atmosphere of a circus show. Luckily for 1990s independent music, being a little silly did not take away anything from good music. Really good music.

I do not tend towards nostalgia. The new excites me. The here and now, or better, the future is where I like to be. Every now and so often though, you hear a name or a song and you remember the emotions you felt when you used to hear it. Man Or Astroman? are one of those bands that do that for me. So the minute I read the show announcement by Eine Welt Aus Hack, I was on to buying my ticket. It was only afterwards that I realised that a lot of folks in my surroundings had never heard of this band before. It may be that several of my friends are younger than me. Or it may be that I was just into weirdo stuff back then. Gary and I, and our friend Steffen, got more excited as the day drew near, while everybody else was like "I need to have a listen first". Yeah, you do that. And you'll love. Don't miss!

Preview: the week ahead (16th - 22nd Dec)

One week until Crimbo. A last week of mayhem - let off some stress steam in the evenings at one of these events.
Btw, there will be no preview next weekend. Our calendar is empty except for some forlorn tumbleweed and the howling sound of desert wind. Do look out for some late reviews and, of course, staff top lists of 2013!

Monday

• Joan of Arc and mOck at Schokoladen: Read my love note to JoA and know that they are worth it. Be there for 7ish and enjoy.

Tuesday

• Föllakzoid at Kantine: C*’s gig of the week. Föllakzoid probably share more with Moon Duo than just the label, Sacred Bones. With their looped sounds, I would think that fans of MD would also be into this group from Chile. Though Föllakzoid do not add vocals, they sport a distinct electronic sound to their music, which, at times, reminds me of Goa trance music, too. It might sound odd, but their spacey, trancy, psych music, is super wavey and dancy and just the right thing for losing yourself in music this Tuesday.

Wednesday

• Mother Of Unicorn at Monarch: Mother of Unicorn are a four-piece band from Berlin and play a nice mix of indie pop and singer songwriter elements. For fans of Holy Sons, Rocky Votolato, The One AM Radio and the like.

Thursday

• John Smith and Luke Leighfield at Schokoladen: Some cosy, beardy country music (John Smith) and some poppy British singer-songwriter tunes (Luke Leighfield) in the early evening at Schokoladen this Thursday? Don’t mind if we do, with a drink in hand.
• Fred & Toody Cole at Supamolly: There must be a fair share of Dead Moon fans out there in cold Berlin. Fred and Toody Cole of Portland rock band Dead Moon are giving a rare appearance this pre-Christmas Thursday at Supamolly and we reckon you may just enjoy that. “Stay off the internet and learn how to play an instrument!”

Friday

• Groupshow, Alessandro Bosetti, and Sebastian Roux at N.K.: NK is hosting another very interesting experimental night with music and lectures. Groupshow might be the most well-known of the performing artists, the band consists of Jan Jelinek, Hanno Leichtmann and Andrew Pekler. They play improvised experimental music with Fluxus and Krautrock influences. Read more about the lectures and other music acts on NK’s website.
• Peter & The Test Tube Babies at Lido: Once a year, Peter & The Test Tube Babies play at Lido. And every time, I feature them, but just so that I can share one of my top favourite songs of all time with you: 

Review: Esmerine

Until this show got announced, I've never listened to a single Esmerine song, nor was I even aware of their existence. Nonetheless this show was a pretty positive surprise!

In contrast to every show I saw at Urban Spree till now, this one started pretty early and actually took place in the (not so warm) gallery rather than in the main concert room. The setting was cozy, there was no stage and they had put up benches to sit on - something I strongly support, especially considering the music that was about to happen.

Esmerine are a Canadian band from the Godspeed You! Black Emperor/A Silver Mt. Zion surrounding. Because I like both of these bands, I was curious about how Esmerine would turn out to be live. Their style is often described as modern chamber music and when I took a look at the stage the first thing I noticed was the lack of guitars and the presence of some "unusual" instruments: a large stage xylophone, some oriental looking string-instruments, several percussion instruments and a small horn. The concert began with a brief introduction and started out very post rock sounding with the xylophone player stroking the bars with a bow and the cellist and contrabass player joining in. In the beginning this sounded not too different to other post-rock bands. There were spheric sounds and song structures that built up on another, letting everything sound very melodic.

Yet that changed significantly when more percussive elements joined in. Esmerine were on tour with a guest musician with whom they also wrote and recorded their last record Dalmak together in Istanbul. That setting obviously had a great impact on their music. The additional member played a variety of traditional turkish percussion instruments and his style of playing strongly influenced the mood and feel of the whole music. While there still were obvious aspects of "Western" classical and chamber music (also represented by what instruments they used) and while you could not deny the post-rock background of at least some of the band's members, their songs now got way more rhythmic and Oriental sounding. They mostly played songs from that last record and I really liked how these worked live. The mixture of these different sound elements and unusual instruments and the blending of "Western" and "Eastern" influences created a very special mood and feeling that made this band stand out from any of their probably better-known earlier bands. 

Towards the end of the set, Esmerine threw in a couple of older songs, mostly performed without the additional percussions. They announced a last song after which the audience applauded wildly, making the band come back twice to play an encore. The show ended with a song on a more or less out-of-tune piano and although I wasn't that thrilled anymore by the older songs, this was a pretty nice live experience.

Review: Nohome

Seeing bands or musicians that you have loved since forever and then getting disappointed is a pretty tricky thing. Like all new Sonic Youth solo projects - Chelsea Light Moving, Body/Head, or Lee Ranaldo's new band. It almost seems like they want to destroy their own legacy.

Anyway, I wannt to tell you about Caspar Brötzmann's latest band project Nohome. They played last Friday at Volksbühne. They formed as a improvisational trio for last year's A L'Arme Festival and played a mindblowing set. A couple of month later all three and FM Einheit (of Einstürzende Neubauten fame) recorded a live-album at Radialsystem - if you listen carefully can hear me going mental on that record. Together with drummer Michael Wertmüller and bass player Marino Piakas, Nohome is a heavy (sic!) more-Free Jazz-than-Rock (sicsic!) explosion. 

So, seeing them twice before, I was psyched when I heard they will play again. I got my ticket quickly to avoid standing on the wrong side of a sold-out show. Hmm, but when I arrived Friday evening at Rosa-Luxenburg-Platz and heard only 100 tickets were sold I was really surprised. Strange, I thought, more people are interested in this band and opening act Robert Lippok. Seems like I'm always wrong with prognoses.

Robert Lippok, who founded electronic post rock trio To Rococo Rot in the early 90s in Berlin, played a solo set as opener. His set-up with a strangely installed bass looked very promising. Bouncing beats combined with dark electronic sounds could be good, but maybe I wasn't in the right mood or it wasn't that good. Can't decide. Don't get me wrong his 45 minutes set was probably a good opener and didn't hurt at all.

But I was there because of Caspar Brötzmann. His Caspar Brötzmann Massaker was the soundtrack of my rebellious adolescence. I hadn't heard such a unique guitar sound anywhere else. I'm a fan! He plays more with feedbacks than actual chords and creates thereby a haunting, loud and confusing sound. 

Competition: Damo Suzuki with Sound Carriers

Damo Suzuki is probably best known for being the singer/vocalist for Can, one of the Krautrock pioneer bands and still a strong influence for many contemporary bands and artists. He still performs live, often inviting local guest musicians - the then so called "Sound Carriers"- to accompany him. For this show next Saturday (Dec 14th) at Urban Spree, members of Kadavar, In Zaire and Dead Skeletons will play with Suzuki and the coolest thing about it:

We are giving away two +1 guest list spots for this show! All you have to do to win is send us an e-mail to win@thecraze.de until Friday (Dec 13th) 6pm and tell us: What's your favorite canned food?

Have a look at the Urban Spree website for more info and details about the show and if you're in the mood and have an hour to spare, there's a link to a documentary film about Damo Suzuki below!

Späti Palace video preview

As I mentioned in the preview, people of Julie Tippex, Cranky and other local music booking folk are starting a label to showcase bands and artists of Berlin's music scene. Berlin needs something like this and so I am ever so supportive of this great project. Here is a little preview video they made, introducing the bands which will be on their first record, a compilation.

PS: Please note that Classic Muscle will not perform on 14 December but have been replaced by Skiing. This is due to illness in the Classic Muscle camp. Get well soon!

Preview: the week ahead (9th - 15th Dec)

December, typically a month where the party scene revs up but the live music scene slowly goes to sleep. This year is different and even though we are only two weeks away from Christmas, the calendar is still full to the brim with wonderful evening entertainment. It’s a good distraction from all that is unlikable during this season. 

Monday

• Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds at Monarch: Read Gary’s review and realise that you need to see the man Congo at least once in your life, if you love garage rock at all that is.
• Kurt Vile & the Violators and True Widow at Lido: Admittedly, I have my ups and downs with Kurt Vile. I absolutely adore the songwriting and voice. However, I find that sometimes the execution lacks a little special something. Having said that, the new album is unbeatably beautiful and I am truly looking forward to this gig.

Wednesday

• Selvhenter at Kantine: Danish experimental jazz group Selvhenter will serve a rare treat to fans of the genre in Berlin. In their own words: “Exploring the field between repetitive drone-like compositions, strong beats and free improvisation. Sounds & noise – sometimes acoustic sometimes amplified.”
• Esmerine at Urban Spree: If you saw our competition you already know about Esmerine. They’re a modern chamber music band with members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and A Silver Mt. Zion and on their current tour they are playing with an extended line-up which includes Turkish strings and percussion. We’re looking forward to this one!

Thursday

• Zola Jesus, Sqürl, White Hills, + Yasmine Hamdan, and Jozef Van Wissem at Tresor (plus film screening at Kino International): You probably know the ATP - All Tomorrow’s Parties series of small and well curated festivals that mostly take place in the UK. Now they do something special in Cologne and Berlin and host a live show of bands that contributed music to the soundtrack of Only Lovers Left Alive, the new Jim Jarmusch movie. There will be a screening of the movie at Kino International first and the bands will play at Tresor afterwards. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Check the website for more info.
• Patrick Wolf at Babylon Mitte: I have previewed Patrick Wolf and his quirky 80s inspired electro power pop before, of course I have. Babylon Mitte should provide a nice setting for this, as long as they remove the seats and provide the dancefloor that will be needed for a Patrick Wolf dance extravaganza. Enjoy!

Friday

• Touchy Mob, Jaakko Eino Kalevi, and Femminielli Noir at Urban Spree: What a party the Shameless / Limitless crew have planned for us! They are turning 5 years old and have managed to secure an über-lineup for their celebration. New Beggars Banquet signed Wunderkind Jaakko Eino Kalevi is a “don’t miss” in his own right. Fans of Touchy Mob will be pleased to finally see him perform again, as will be admirers of Mr. Femminielli, whose project convinced me when he performed with Dirty Beaches earlier this year. And those, like myself, who adore Molly Nilsson and Junior Boys get DJ sets by those artists, among others. I, for one, will be there, dancing the night away. Join me?!
• Yuro Chain at Loophole: Yuro Chain plays interesting electronic ambient music with a strong dark wave influence. If you’re a fan of 80’s experimental synth-bands you should check this out.
• Jack Name aka Fictional Boys at West Germany: Jack Name is mostly known for his guitaring powers in White Fence, who we have reviewed before . This, his solo project, is pretty much in the same vein of 60s rock’n’roll à la Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who. Super looking forward to this cosy night at West Germany.

Saturday

• Total Heels at Schokoladen: Total Heels convinced J. at bei Ruth’s Halloween Party last month, and let’s just say J. is really not your typical garage punk rock music fan. This is how good this group is. Dance Party Saturday Night alright, at Schokoladen for 8pm sharp!
• Damo Suzuki with Sound Carriers at Urban Spree: The ex-Can vocalist performing live with members of Kadavar, In Zaire and Dead Skeletons. Sounds good, doesn't it? We're going to post a competiton for this show tomorrow and you can see a recent video of Suzuki performing with local musicians of Oslo below.

• Skiing, Slow Steve, and Yule FM at Antje Öklesund: Some local music scene stars have started a new label called “Späti Palace”. Their first record is going to be a compilation showcasing Berlin’s eclectic independent music scene. This is the release party and a great one it is going to be. Though Classic Muscle had to pull out for health reasons, the organisers have found a great replacement in Skiing. Slow Steve is a regular on The Craze and you will have heard of Yule FM by now, too. Party party.
• The Young Gods at Bi Nuu: Even though only one founding member remains, Swiss legends The Young Gods have been doing their post-industrial, sometimes folky, sometimes grand with orchestra, sometimes spooky, dark music since 1985. That’s some time. It holds up though, it truly does. Recommended.

Three points review: FIFTH FLOOR III

1) The secret warehouse event ended up being not-so-secret when, on the day, the organisers decided to publish the location and release on-the-door tickets. Whether Urban Spree qualifies as a warehouse location or not is up for debate.

2) Musically, psychedelic rock, wave, and My Bloody Valentine fans got what they needed, with high quality performances of the rock genre on stage. It was a rock affair with a lot of long hair, beards, and velvet coats in the audience. We rather enjoyed the fashion aspect of last night.

3) Because the event started an hour late and featured a line-up of six (!) bands, it went well past our bedtime and we ended up with cocktails in a bar nearby, where a birthday was spontaneously celebrated and shots with pickles were being given. That was cosy, even if it was not a secret warehouse gig. We are not so sure we are made for presenting events, but we sure know we like a good hangout.

Three points review: Wooden Shjips + Orchestra of Spheres

2013 is almost over and I am introducing a new category: the "three points review". As we are repeating our reviews, i.e. reviewing the same bands over and over, three poignant notes should suffice to give you the quick gist on the gig. Here goes my first one.

1) Packed gig with a lot of beardy middle agers mixed into the hip Berghain gig crowd. Good sound.

2) Orchestra of Spheres were stars and met all expectations and more. Fantastic. Read Kinga's review for details of their last Berlin gig.

3) Wooden Shjips' new songs are great and of the same concept as all albums before - great voice, wonderful bass, doodly guitars. Love.

Competition: Esmerine

Guess what, we have another competition for you. This time we're giving away a guest list spot +1 for the Esmerine show at Urban Spree next Wednesday (Dec 11th).

Esmerine are a modern chamber music band from Canada, consisting of members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Silver Mt. Zion and Unicorns/Islands. They already released four records, the last two of them on Constellation Records and they play very cinematic instrumental music that's probably best described as post-rock with experimental oriental sounds. On their recently released album Dalmak they invited an impressive list of guest instrumentalists, ranging from Colin Stetson to musicians from Arcade Fire. For this tour they will perform with an extended line-up which includes Turkish strings and percussion, making this show even more exciting!

If you want to win the guest list spot, just send us an e-mail to win@thecraze.de (closing date Tue Dec 10th, 6pm) and tell us who's your favorite band from Canada.

Here's the facebook event for more info and links.

Ticket Giveaway: Fifth Floor Warehouse Party

By now you should have heard about the Fifth Floor Warehouse Party on Saturday (Dec 7th) that we are presenting. If you are also excited about the line-up and haven't bought your tickets yet, here's your chance to win a guest list-spot +1! 

All you have to do is send an e-mail with your name in it to door@5thfloor.info and hope you win.

Have a look at the facebook event page for all the details about line-up and bands.

Preview: the week ahead (2nd - 8th Dec)

Another pretty packed week full of concerts worth attending. Furthermore we co-present an event for the very first time: The Fifth Floor III Warehouse Party on Saturday. Read all about it below and be sure to check out all the other cool stuff that's going on as well!

Monday

• Hailu Mergia at Monarch: I told you about the Awesome Tapes From Africa DJ set and how wonderful that was (here). Well, one of the artists he played was Hailu Mergia and we are lucky little things, with Mr. Mergia coming to Monarch this cold Monday night. You cannot miss.

Tuesday

• Digger Barnes' Diamond Road Show at SO36: By now, Digger Barnes, Pencil Quincy and their Diamond Road Show are regular features on our blog and we’re not getting tired to stress how good this is live. The Diamond Road Show is a mixed media performance that features folky acoustic guitar songs and live visuals, made with a self built and real-time altered miniature trick film thing. It looks amazing and it sounds so as well. Don’t miss this!
• The Belle Game at Antje Öklesund: Orchestral dark pop, if you can grasp that. We are currently running a competition for this, if you feel like going to these popular Canadians’ gig this Tuesday. Hurry, competition ends Monday night.
• Wooden Shjips and Orchestra of Spheres at Berghain: Wooden Shjips do not need an introduction from The Craze. Wooden Shjips are musical heroes who will never disappoint nor ever surprise either. They do what they do and they do it amazingly. Read my review from the last time that happened in Berlin and watch this more than awesome video that was made on local turf, too. That should have won the video competition, every video competition!

Wednesday

• Dead Skeletons at SO36: This is sort of like The Craze’s Christmas party. We will all be here and we will all dance. It’s just going to be great. If you want to know more about Dead Skeletons and why this was my gig of 2012, read this elaborate review of hers. Though I worry a little that SO36 is just a tad too big and impersonal for DS, I would not want to miss this gig for the world. Enter our competition if you want to go for free. 
• Xenia Rubinos at Monarch: This is probably one you may not have on your radar but it should also be one you should look out for. The name suggests some latino music but don’t be fooled so easily, fool. Though performing in Spanish, Xenia Rubinos hits you with hip weirdness and fans of tUnE-yArDs (the similarities are astonishing!), The Monorchid, Finally Punk or other spazzy, punky outfits should listen up. Highly recommended. 

Thursday

• Destroyer (solo) and Richard Buckner at HAU1: “This is basically Washed Out pre Washed Out” is what my husband says. Hits the nail on the head really. Destroyer does dream pop, but with added phoney bits. You like 80s George Michael? You like Beach House? Destroyer lies somewhere in between.

Friday

• Nohome and Robert Lippok at Volksbühne: Nohome is a band project featuring Caspar Brötzmann, Marino Pliakas and Michael Wertmüller. Now this seems familiar, because Pliakas on bass and Wertmüller on drums also play in another band that includes a Brötzmann, namely Peter Brötzmann (read our review about their show at Festsaal Kreuzberg here). So they basically just swapped father for son and thus saxophone for electric guitar. Still they play music that ranges from jazz to experimental noise, Caspar Brötzmann’s heavily distorted and feedbacking guitar playing a central role. For this show, Nohome will also feature FM Einheit as a special guest musician, which makes the line up even more interesting. Support act will be Robert Lippok, whom you also may know from his project To Rococo Rot.

Saturday

• Fifth Floor III Warehouse Party with The Blue Angel Lounge + The Third Sound + Ascetic + Two Step Horror + The Sun and the Wolf + Brace/Choir : The Craze present a live show for the first time. The Fifth Floor Warehouse Party is a live event concept that already took place several times in Australia. Now they visit Berlin and throw a huge concert in a secret warehouse location. Headliners of the evening will be The Blue Angel Lounge who play dark wave music that is strongly influenced by early goth-punk and 80s bands. Think of a mix of Bauhaus and The Chameleons. For more info on all the other bands and what’s going on this evening, have a look at the facebook event page.

• The Pharmacy at White Trash: After they had to cancel their last trip to Europe, The Pharmacy will now play at White Trash. Prepare for a sweaty and dancy garage punk show with melodic songs and tunes.
• Chokebore at Privatclub: Since their reunion in 2009, Chokebore are pretty active touring around and they also have been regular Berlin visitors in the last time. On their current tour they'll play at Privatclub, so consider this a good chance to see them in a rather cozy setting.

Sunday

• Susie Asado at Pink Melon (see calendar for address details): Sweetest singer-songwriter music, very minimal, very folky and super cute and fun. You will love on a Sunday. I also adore the visuals in the following video:

Competition: Xenia Rubinos

Xenia Rubinos is finally making it to Berlin, playing at Monarch this coming Wednesday. Truly for fans of tUnE-yArDs and other spazzy rhythmic vocal live sampled music. A treat, just trust me. You don't want to miss this.

We are super excited to be giving away a ticket for a lucky winner and their chosen friend. Just send us an email to win at thecraze dot de by Wednesday morning, 11 am, and tell us a song you love that is about New York, New York.

Competition: Dead Skeletons

Gig of the year alert anyone?! Dead Skeletons easily won my "Gig of the year" award for 2012 and you should read my review and feel you cannot miss this for the world. The Craze team is making this their team party and we would love to welcome one of you and your mate to join us to this epic event.

To win a ticket for you and a friend, send us what you deem the most creepy song or video to win at thecraze dot de by 8 pm Tuesday, 3 December 2013. Make sure you label your email in a way that we see which competition you are entering.

See you on Wednesday, yeah yeah!

Competition: The Bell Game

Next week is going to be another busy week and we have a few competitions lined up. Watch out for our preview and competitions this weekend.

This first one is a sticky-sweet treat for you. Wikipedia calls The Belle Game "orchestral dark pop" and though this genre is news to me, it pretty much hits the nail on the head. You know what you are getting.

In order to win a ticket for you and one for your friend, the band have set the following task for you: They would like to know your opinion about their latest music video:

Let us know your opinions by email to win at thecraze dot de by 11 am Monday, 2 December 2013. The winner is drawn by pot luck out of a hat or similar and not chosen by the content of the entry. Make sure to clearly mark The Belle Game in the subject of your mail.

Camera competition results: a video extravaganza

The Camera competition has by far been our most fun competition to date. We received so many fantastic entries. Here is a selection (!) to sweeten your day the way ours were while the competition ran.

We received the same video for two separate entries, which have showed me a side of Beach House of which I was not really aware.

Here are a couple of entries that both feel very summery and made me want to get on a plane this instance.

The right tone for this autumn weather:

But the winner was this number that made us smile so hard and the song is amazing. A clear winner indeed:

This was just a selection. Like I said, we had plenty of submissions and a great time watching them. Finally, if I had been able to enter, this is the video I would have chosen. I love everything about this:

Review: Crystal Stilts + Vex Ruffin

A Gretchen virgin, I was very impressed with the surroundings I encountered. Vaulted brick ceilings, old ornamented warehouse pillars, cloth panes for coziness. It can't have been easy to decorate this place to become a trendy club and the designers did well. It is still a difficult set-up sound-wise though, but more about that later.

Vex Ruffin, the first group, is a bit of a hit-or-miss kinda thing. The electro-clash beat-heavy music is great throughout; they are obviously good composers. The vocals are distorted and low-key and as such not original - this has been done too much lately. Overall, it was a nice, dancable act, with less hip hop elements than I was expecting but some lovely tunes. But they played way too long and we were not the only ones remarking on this. Not all songs were hits and over an hour is just too long for the opening band in my eyes.

Crystal Stilts, on the other hand, kept it to a tight 45 minutes. They convey a better energy on a small stage - compared to my last CS experience at Festsaal - and they seemed really happy to be playing, even smiled once or twice. If you know Crystal Stilts and know how introvert they are as performers, then you appreciate this especially. Musically, they were great and the new material very promising; the sound left some depth to be desired though. Not that the dedicated audience at the front would have noticed. The gig was far from sold out but these guys just went crazy wild despite the missing rapport from the band with the crowd. Fun times.

I was a little worried this gig might disappoint the way it did last time. But I needn't have worried. A cosy evening with the Stilts.

The Craze presents: FIFTH FLOOR III - BERLIN

Pssst. The established secret location warehouse party event is finally coming to Berlin. Not only that but it is being co-presented by The Craze. Pre-sale tickets are now on sale. All information can be found on the event page.

100 ticket holders will be the only ones to know the location of this gig with its fabulous line-up:

The Blue Angel Lounge

The Third Sound

ASCETIC

Two Step Horror

The Sun And The Wolf

Brace/Choir

Visuals by Astral Projection Artwork

We are super excited, are you?

Competition: Lovers + Levitations

Lovers just recently played in Berlin at the start of their current tour. Now they play their last Euro-show on Saturday (Nov 30th) before returning to the US and we've got the opportunity to give away a guest list spot +1! Support for this show at About Blank will be the lovely Levitations, who just released their first 7".

So if you are in the mood for a great live package with music somewhere between the Organ, Team Dresch and Bikini Kill, you shouldn't miss this one!

To be on the guest list just send us an E-mail to win@thecraze.de until Friday 6pm and tell us: What's your favorite song about love?

For more info about the show, here's the facebook event page.

Preview: the week ahead (25th Nov - 1st Dec)

I don’t know about you but when the nights draw in towards the end of the year and Xmas feels nigh, I start wondering whether I have experienced enough this year. I start urging for some last minute action. Even more so this year as I read recently that the more “first experiences” you have the slower time seems to lapse. A good incentive to go out on the town this week. Here is an extensive selection with not one, but five, videos to waste some time on.

Monday

• Dump and Masha Qrella at Monarch: James McNew, bassist of Yo La Tengo, has this cutesy little solo project called Dump. Lo-fi indie pop with self-drawn record covers. Really sweet. Masha Qrella is a good match in the same vein. Monarch = perfect venue for this.

Tuesday

• Tempers and Jessy Lanza at Kantine: Wave-infused electronic music is not typically my thing and, frankly, I have not decided yet whether I love or loath Tempers. However, I do feel that what they do is interesting and intriguing and Kantine might just be the perfect place to check this out.
• Jacco Gardner at Privatclub: You know I love Mr. Gardner’s 60s-infused pop music. I featured him before, including this video favourite. Who cares, it’s perfect for a cold autumn weekend.

Wednesday

• Blouse at Auster Club: Another week, another Captured Tracks’ band? Sure, why not. I love all the dream pop and shoegaze projects the hip of-the-moment label is churning out. Hell, I’m a CT fan, ok?! On that note, Blouse are exactly what you would expect from CT and très cool at that. A clear recommendation.

Thursday

• Erfolg and Seftel at Schokoladen: Erfolg, i.e. Johannes of The Chap, and his women’s choir were the clear winners of Torstrassen Festival. Catch them again at a Torstrassen venue. Early - it’s Schokoladen!
• No Joy, Doom Squad and Secret Secret Girl at Urban Spree: The highly-awaited triple bill Canadian night is finally here. Fuzzy guitars, shoegazy indie tunes, some rock’n’roll. No doubt a great night out. Also, we are running a competition for this, you might want to check out.

Friday

• Villagers at Frannz: You know my love for Villagers by now, I have reviewed them often enough. Head to Frannz on Friday if your love is matching mine.
• Za! and SchnAAk and the Rundu Choir at NK: J. is a big SchnAAk fan and has given them sterling reviews before, so they along would be worth the trip to NK this Friday. Catalans Za! are the stars of the week, playing again this Sunday. We like their spazzy electro-rock fuse music and feel you will appreciate them, too. This is going to be a great night, promise.

Saturday

• Lovers and Levitations at about:blank: A good, good night at about blank. Lovers were great last time, and so were Levitations. A nice ladies’ night you might not want to miss I say.
• Mother of the Unicorn, The Still and Kenny Lump at Antje Öklesund: A mellow evening of folky and smoky tunes. For those who want to chill with beautiful music, this is our recommendation.
• Hanni El Khatib at Magnet: Ok, I shall be honest with you. I don’t really know all that much about Los Angeles dude Hanni El Khatib. But I do love this video so and that’s worth sharing, even if I will most likely not make it to the gig (I mean, look at this chocker full preview!). A nice tune and fantastic visuals on this grey weekend day for you:

 

Sunday

• The Pyramids and Za! Workshop Orchestra at NK: There are several groups called The Pyramids, so it’s hard to research tonight’s act. The Facebook event page give you a nice little bio though. We have previewed this particular The Pyramids before, so you might be familiar with the name. Hailing from the 70s and billed as “cosmic jazz”, they appeal to those who love afro-jazz and psychedelic music as much as to fans of free jazz. I am personally reminded of Haitian voodoo music when I hear this band perform. A treat. Za! again (see Friday!), too.

 

Review: Daughn Gibson

Unfortunately gigs at Comet Club tend to start super-early, so I wasn't able to make it on time to see Brokeback, the side project of Tortoise's bassist Doug McCombs. It's a shame, as the elusive, cinematic post-rock landscapes performed live by a new version of the band must have been a real treat.

Nevertheless, I managed to enter the venue just as Daughn Gibson was starting his set.

Combining country music with techno might seem as an absurd and kind of cringe-worthy thing to do, but this man somehow makes it work. And it's addictive. For example, "Looking back on 99" from his debut album "All Hell" is a song that you just can't get enough listens of.

This is some (post)modern-day Americana at it's best. Powered by technology and haunted by the past which evokes nostalgia and anxiety at the same time. The stories in the songs position themselves well in the Southern Gothic tradition and prove that the man has been around. One of the odd jobs that he had was working as a truck driver, which makes total sense. The open road, middle-of-nowhere vibe is all there. It is also a bit gloomy and sinister, at times disturbing, but in a way that has something positive to it, just like finding beauty in dirt.

The sound of his voice is a one that we've heard so many times before. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Scott Walker, Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, all of the deep baritones may come to mind when you listen to this guy sing. Familiar, yet defamiliarized by the background of Ableton-composed loops, samples and sounds inspired by the likes of Demdike Stare and Burial.

He sometimes sounds a little over-the-top with the drawl, but I think it's all part of the performance along with the flannel shirts and rough looks. He just plays around with what he's got, creating an aethetics that may or may not be tongue-in-cheek.

On stage, as well as o n the new record (a Sub Pop release "Me Moan"), he was accompanied by a drummer and a guitarist. They put on a great show, and finished with a long encore. Before leaving the venue I over-heard a girl saying that it was really weird and she didn't know what to think about it, which I bet the man behind the Daughn Gibson alias would consider a mission accomplished.

Competition: No Joy + Doom Squad + Secret Secret Girl

An exciting little gig is happening at Urban Spree this coming Thursday, 28 Nov.: A Canadian triple bill extravanganza.

If you want to go to the fuzzy indie guitar starlets' gig at Urban Spree, send us your suggestions for the most miserable song to win at thecraze dot de. Do this by 6pm Wednesday, 27 November and you plus your chosen loved one can just say "guest list please". If you need more info on the wonderful No Joy, watch out for our preview later this weekend.

Quick, late review: Orchestra of Spheres

It didn't take long for the Orchestra of Spheres to turn Urban Spree into a trippy, tribal, space-rock discotheque.
It is always nice to see a band putting an effort and making something a little bit more spectacular out of a live performance. Here, the music seemed to be as important as the visual aspect. All of the members of the New Zealand ensemble were dressed up in wacky, futuristic costumes (my favourite item was a hat made entirely out of cassette tapes).
I guess Sun Ra would have approved.

You will have a chance to see them again soon as they will be supporting Wooden Shjips at Panorama Bar on the 3rd of December.

Preview: the week ahead (18th - 24th Nov)

Brrrr. Long underwear at the ready. Also this week: some real gems in our preview.

Monday

• Linda Perhacs at Berghain Kantine: Linda Perhacs is an American folk singer songwriter. She released Parallelograms, her only record, in 1970 without many people taking notice of it. It was later “rediscovered” and highly influential for people involved in the the New Weird America movement. She didn’t play a single concert for nearly 40 years and now plays in Germany for the first time ever. This Berlin show also is the only Germany show on her current tour.

Wednesday

• Crystal Stilts and Vex Ruffin at Gretchen: When Crystal Stilts released their debut album in 2008, the music press hyped them like nothing else. Unlike so often, the hype was well-deserved in the case of CS. The record is a timeless piece of music that I can listen to over an over. Their dark and hip energy was something new on the scene. CS grew bored of it, it seemed, and bands doing the same thing sprung up all over New York and the rest of the world. The idea was no longer novel when I went to see them a few years back at Festsaal and little had remained of the old magic. Now, Crystal Stilts have switched labels - the almighty Sacred Bones is the new home! - and the new material is very promising. I have been looking forward to this for a long while, I am sure this is going to be so great, so meet me there. Exciting support, too - check it out!
• Glenn Jones at Monarch: By now you’re certainly familiar with the ‘Since The Devil Is Gone I Mostly Feel Lonely’ series at Monarch. This week Glenn Jones will play; he’s an acoustic guitar player and released some music on Thrill Jockey records. He used to play in Cul de Sac and collaborated with John Fahey and the former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki.

 
Thursday

• Camera at SO36: We have written about Camera lots of times before on this blog and this time you get the chance to see them in a special setting. They’ll play at SO36 on a small riser in the middle of the audience, so this is a nice attempt at combining their spontaneous U-Bahnhof and open air gigs with a more “professional” setting. In case you haven’t noticed yet, we’ve got a little competition going on for this show.

Friday

• Don Vito, Jealousy Mountain Duo and Grow Grow at Kastanienkeller: With all the singer songwriter music that’s been going on this week, here’s a little variety. Don Vito are great and they are an incredibly fun band to watch live. They play weird and heavy noise rock with influences ranging from jazz to mathrock, think of Erase Errata and Aids Wolf. I went to see them before and I was in awe. Jealousy Mountain Duo sound more no wave and jazz influenced and Grow Grow play groovy noise-rock somewhere between Shellac and Ten Volt Shock. Very cool line-up and definitely worth the visit!

 

Sunday

• Paper Beat Scissors and Michael Feuerstack at Monarch: Another singer songwriter based evening at Monarch. This time Paper Beat Scissors and Michael Feuerstack, whom you may know for playing in Snailhouse, will present their beautiful and emotional songs live.

Competition: Camera at SO36

Do you wanna see Camera at SO36 next Thursday (Nov 21st)? Well then here's your chance to win a guestlist spot +1! 

Camera will play in a very special setting this time, they're not going to be on stage but on a riser in the middle of the audience. So if you're in for a unique contemporary Krautrock experience, just send us a mail to win@thecraze.de until Wednesday (20th) 6pm and tell us what your favorite music video is!

More info:

Here's the Facebook event for this show.

http://www.bureau-b.com/camera.php

https://www.facebook.com/wearecamera

Review: Om + Pole

Finally, Om paid Berlin another visit. I missed their last show at Berghain but luckily this show took place at Volksbühne, another location I really like, so I was quite looking forward to this event.

We were a little early since we weren't exactly sure when the show would start and didn't want to be late, but hanging around a bit in the comfy Volksbühne foyer only helped to build up our excitement. When the doors opened we grabbed a seat in one of the front rows. The room filled quickly and it didn't take Pole that long to come on stage and start playing. I wasn't really familiar with his music and to be honest I also didn't care much before the concert because I just really really wanted to see Om. 

Pole began to play and I have to say that it did not take long for his music to really get to me. It was bass-line driven and experimental electronic music with very strong dub influences. So even though it was something completely different in it's form, the music itself wasn't that far away from what Om do. Additionally I found the combination of these artists really interesting. Letting an electro-musician play before a band with a doom metal/stoner background might be challenging for some, and quite a few people in fact left the room during Pole's set, but it's definitely way more interesting than just add another "heavy" or "rock" act to the line-up. Pole's set was very diversified and I have to say that in total it was a very positive surprise and positive experience for me. Musically it was a great mixture of minimalistic and repetitive dub-bass lines with ambient sounds and elements of electro-acoustic experimental music. The sound was really great and intense, you could hear every small click and crack and the deep bass sounded pretty massive and good. Pole played for around an hour I guess and the only annoying thing during his set were the few people in front of us chatting loudly, not even stopping when they were asked to. So even though Pole wasn't that interesting to watch - I mean he was a guy behind a laptop and mixer - he was even more exciting to listen to.

Review: Jacuzzi Boys + Jackson Scott

Last Monday all of those indie-rockers out there could satisfy their late night lo-fi cravings at Privatclub.

For starters, we got Jackson Scott. With influences ranging from Syd Barrett's psychedelic endeavours to early Weezer's alt-rock, this quirky kid manages to create a sound that is truly his own. And when it comes to the stage presence, he's a natural too. He engaged with the audience after almost every song with funny, personal comments. All in all, it felt as though the audience were just some of his friends he invited over for a gig in his living room to check out some new songs that he had written. He even didn't have a problem with leaving the stage for a second during one of the songs (a cover of "Interstellar Overdrive" by Pink Floyd) to go to the bathroom and take a quick pee. So effortless!

The eerie moments and the voice pitch-shifting which are present on the record got somehow lost in the fuzz of the live performance, but maybe it was for the best, as I think that it is much more interesting for the live performance to be its own entity along with its own energy rather than a faithful rendition of the recorded stuff. Here, the bass player and the drummer were crucial in achieving a grunge-y vibe, mixed up with some shoegazy undertones and even a pinch of krautrock.

I'm really looking forward to see what this young fellow and his bandmates are gonna come up with next.

The main course of the evening was served by Jacuzzi Boys. You can read a review of their previous gig in Berlin here.

Whatever you might have expected from this garage-rocking trio, you got it. The club wasn't full, which in this case might be seen as an advantage - there was so much more space to get your groove on and dance like nobody's watching. The sped-up versions of their bittersweet anthems about having crushes under Floridian sun were impossible to resist, people were dancing and singing along. They played a lot of the songs from their new record too, which sounded much more raw live.

If only every Monday evening could look like this. Fresh, energizing, a perfect way to prolong the weekend or pump yourself up for the upcoming week.

Review: Destruction Unit

The contrast couldn't have been more stark: one minute we were on Privatclub's cosy sofa, listening to the innocent songs of Waxahatchee, the next, we were at West Germany with a room full of snotty punks, rocking out to Destruction Unit. The nights out that we have in this town.

What were all the punk rockers doing there anyway? When we climbed the stairs to the second floor, I was transported back into my teenage years and the HC punk shows that I went to on any given night of the week. Punks were lingering on the steps to West Germany, smoking and drinking; the room was filled with leather jackets and extrovert haircuts. Visually, I was loving this, however, it did make me wonder whether I had got Destruction Unit all wrong. Though Spotify lists Ty Segall and Japanther as "related artists" and there is a distinct punk rock element to their sound, DU add clear wave and psychedelic elements to their songs that I would have not thought would appeal to this particular crowd. There is as much prog rock in there as there is a rebellious energy.

True enough, once the band were starting to drag out their songs with long guitar loop parts, the crowd got restless. We were positioned near the back of the room and people were just walking in and out as if they all had ADS and were on speed. The distraction could not stop me loving this band. DU rocked so hard, the sound was good and helped the band to blast their crushing dark numbers at us. With every song, we were getting more into it.

The music stood out. This group puts no effort in focussing on the individuals behind the songs. You are being encompassed in their well-crafted noise, you can practically close your eyes while you dance away. I could not even tell you what the band looked like, right after the gig, I could not tell you.

What a great show. It's a shame the audience could maybe not quite enjoy it for what it was, desperate to make this a punk show with all the trimmings, but no matter. Destruction Unit are back in Berlin on Saturday, 16 November at Auster Club. I for one will be there. Count me in!

Late summer reviews: Otto von Schirach + DAT Politics, King Khan & BBQ, Berlin Festival

Church of Phonk @ Berlin Festival

Summer came and went at the blink of an eye. And we were busy. C* and Gary got hitched in Vegas (no kiddin'), J. and C* got stuck into their new jobs, the weather was so great that most afternoons were spent by one of Berlin's beautiful lakes. When autumn came with full force last month, I really started fretting. Would I be able to handle another Berlin winter after the last one snowed its way into April? Now that relatives are calling about Christmas plans and the buttons need to be fastened again on my winter coats, the prospect of the impending cold does not seem quite as scary anymore. But it does let me dwell on great a summer we have had.

MBV @ Berlin Festival

This leads me to admit that most of summer I slacked terribly with my reviews. On one of our tea afternoons the other day, J. and I wondered whether it was still worth doing those old reviews and came to the conclusion that it was probably too late and it was best to leave it be. Who wants to live in the past, right? The future is now!

As a mark of respect to the many great performers I saw over the summer and to make sure I have links for my Top of the Year list next month, I am giving three past events a quick mention here, with a couple of photos to lighten the autumn blues. A hommage to summer.

PS: Also watch out for my Destruction Unit review and my second LA report later this week. And some point, there will also be an account of what happened when Iceage played West Germany.

December cannot come early enough

Wooden Shjips have just released this amazing video. Not only is it filmed by a Berlin based film crew and features many local friends, it is also a superb film - yet again. Cannot wait until 3 December, when Wooden Shjips will perform at Berghain, the most suitable of venues.

Preview addition: Greg Fox & G Lucas Crane, Sat 16th

This came in just today and is definitely worth mentioning: 

Greg Fox (ex-Liturgy, now Guardian Alien) will be playing at West Germany on Saturday 16th together with G. Lucas Crane. If you missed Greg's last solo drum performance at bei Ruth earlier this year you might want to take this chance because that last show was really really great. This time he will be collaborating with mentioned Lucas Crane who you might know from his other projects Nonhorse and Time Life and also as the guy who does the crazy tape loop noises on the last Woods records. Watch a video of the both playing together below. In addition, Rinus van Alebeek will also be playing the tapedecks.

Rocking out in my living room to this.

When searching for Metz videos for our preview, I came across this classic. There are a lot of various associations you hear about Nirvana. I suppose "fantastic performers" is a seldom one. Yet when watching this, one is reminded of their live power and maybe also of the less comfortable fact that Dave Grohl has always been a rockstar kinda drummer. I have a soft spot for rockstars.

Competition: John Wizards

Still need a gig to go to this week? Can't make up your mind? We may as well take the choice off your hands by giving you free tickets to John Wizards at Kantine this Thursday (see preview!).

The usual gist: Email us to win at the craze dot de by 9 am this Wednesday, 13 October, and tell us a band that reminds you of wizards or related magic themes. The winner gets to take a friend and do some minimalist analogue dancing like this:

Preview: the week ahead (11th - 17th Nov)

November in full swing. Don't you love it?! Well, make sure to deny the fact that supermarkets are selling Christmas chocolates already and head to one of 4 (!) very promising shows tonight and a host of good gigs the rest of the week.

Monday

• Cheap Time and Canoyn Spree at bei Ruth: This is your last chance to visit a show at bei Ruth before they are taking a winter break. If you’re in the mood for snotty garage punk this might be worth your attention.
• Metz and Chetahs at Bi Nuu: The hip noise rockers of Metz are returning to Berlin again. For fans of Shellac and the like and for C*. Wichita protegée Cheatahs are a worthy support.

• Jacuzzi Boys and Jackson Scott at Privatclub: Read C*’s enthusiastic review from last time and make sure you bring your punk dance spirits with you! Great support from the new kid on the scene, Jackson Scott, who has recently been signed to Fat Possum Records and, I predict, has a shining career ahead of him.
• Bill Orcutt at Monarch: Another “Since The Devil Is Gone I Mostly Feel Lonely” - event, which means freaky and weird folk tunes are waiting for you. This time featuring Bill Orcutt who used to play in Harry Pussy.

Tuesday

• Lee Ranaldo & the Dust and Magik Markers at Lido: For fans of Sonic Youth this is probably a must-see show but Lee Ranaldo is not only worth mentioning for his work with Sonic Youth. This time he’s being supported by Magik Markers, whose now-wave inspired noise rock sounds a bit like a mix between Sonic Youth and Deerhoof.

Wednesday

• DEATH at C-Club (moved from Bi Nuu): DEATH (the metal band, not the proto-punk band) formed in 1983 and their take on Death Metal inspired countless bands after them. They departed after the death (no pun intended) of their founding member, singer and guitarist Chuck Schuldiner in 2001 and reunited with their former band members. Word on the street is that this is an amazing live experience. (PS: I really wanted to give you a video and a band link for this but you try and internet search Death...)

Thursday

• OM and Pole at Volksbühne: After their last show at Berghain, OM return to another nice Berlin venue and play Volksbühne this time. They started as a “side project” to Sleep and combine heavy and distorted bass lines with rhythmic drumming and elements of drone and ambient, making their music meditative and heavy at the same time. J’s gig of the week!
• John Wizards at Kantine: Though the name sounds like something from the 70s with long beards, this group actually plays analogue minimalist dance music. Watch out for a competition later on today!

Friday

• Felix Kubin at West Germany: We announced one of Kubin’s last Berlin shows as follows and we still mean it: Felix Kubin has been around for like 20 years and by now he could easily be seen as one of Germany’s most well-known artists in several fields of electronic music, theater, performances and radio plays. He combines intelligent content with moments of dadaistic humour and his live shows usually turn out to be amazing parties. This time he plays as part of a two-day (actually three but the third one not in Berlin) event on Friday AND Saturday. Have a look at the facebook event page here, there are lots of other nice bands playing (Les Trucs, Gelbart) plus some lectures and performances going on.

Saturday

• Destruction Unit at Auster Club: Destruction unit really convinced C* and Gary at West Germany the other week. So it is neat that their European tour includes a second Berlin stop. Highly recommended. The review from the other week will follow before this Saturday, to help you make up your mind. Promise!
• Weekend at Monarch: C* is reportedly a fan of these shoegaze rockers (and not the German wanna-be-rapper). Read her review from the time they played Comet to an empty room or the time they supported The Kills to 1,500 people.