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.

Competition: Orchestra of Spheres + High Wolf

Another week, another competition. Don't you love it?!

This time, we give you the chance to take yourself and a friend to the sought after experimental electronica gig by Orchestra of Spheres and High Wolf at Urban Spree this Thursday, giving your autumn bones some booty shaking.

Tell us by email to win at thecraze dot de by 9 am Thursday, 7 November 2013, a song or band you like that has got wolves, hounds, or dogs in it. There must be a million out there!

Then, dance the night away to this:

Preview: the week ahead (4th Nov - 10th Nov)

Whoa!! It is November, it is busy in our calendar. Get the party clothes on, it’s going to be a wild week. 

Tuesday

• Body/Head at Bi Nuu: XNormanX was a little disgruntled after their last show in Berlin. But we are convinced: it’s Kim Gordon with a guitar and it can only be good. See a legend do experimental guitar music.

Wednesday

• Holograms at Monarch: Holograms delivered one of the best albums of 2012, in C*’s view, and they played one of Berlin’s worst gigs of 2012, in C*’s view. Smaller venue, same great songs - this could be great if they try harder this time.
• Warpaint at Heimathafen Neukölln: C* has got her ticket at the ready. A special treat that gets her tingling. Meet her indie dancing at Heimathafen this Wednesday.
• Molly Nilsson and Beaver Sheppard at SHIFT: C*’s firm favourite giving one of her legendary Berlin performances. You really should not miss out.

Thursday

• Cassie Ramone & O.J. Xray Eyeballs at Grüner Salon: A Vivian Girl on a solo tour, O.J. of Xray Eyeballs in tow. I bet this is going to be special. Cannot wait!!
• Orchestra of Spheres and High Wolf at Urban Spree: We have praised both experimental electronic dance outfits on this blog before. This is going to be a high quality evening of mind-blowness. Play along.

Friday

• Baths + Dam Mantle + Freddy Knop at about blank: Baths plays very nice experimental beat based indie hip hop and recently released his second record on Anticon records. His music is the perfect combination of weirdness and pop and his live performances are supposedly spectacular. Support will be Dam Mantle, playing poppy electronic music and Berlin based Freddy Knop who used to play under his moniker pOnk before.
• Scout Niblett at Privatclub: Many indie fans will have waited for this for a long time. Scout Niblett in a venue the size of my living room. What a treat for fans of the singer’s wonderful tunes. 

Saturday

• Gary War and Purple Pilgrims at Team Titanic: Gary War makes an appearance in Berlin once a year and it’s always a nice rencontre. Read our review from the time when he supported John Maus.

Sunday

• Dent May at Monarch (Matinée show): If you gladly miss out on Hurts and Glasvegas at Velodrom (and we gladly do), then a sweet dance afternoon at Monarch must be your dream (it is ours). Dent May may have shed his Ukulele but he still sings a sweet tune. Read our last review of Dent May at Monarch and join us for afternoon tea this Sunday at 4 pm.