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: