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.