Review: Battles

This was the first gig I went to without a jacket on this year. And I saw a fox cross the street on my way to the venue. Kids, spring is here. 

I arrived a little late for the gig and missed Oval (which played first, to my surprise). Because of the mild weather, the courtyard of Festsaal was so crowded I could hardly get into the venue. To my surprise it didn't feel nearly as crowded inside when the band played. It was pretty easy to get to a good viewing position, so I situated myself in front of the stage, and the speakers. The latter had a serious effect on my gig experience because the sound was very deep and drony and my body vibrated from the bass.

"You know when you watched Star Wars as a kid and thought that the band playing those weird sounds was absolutely preposterous? That's kind of what Battles do." 

My friend is clever. Even Zitty failed to describe Battles' sound and my friend hit the nail on the head when he drew that comparison. While Battles' music is still pretty suitable for the masses, it's also such a mix of styles and ideas that it's challenging the listener to think outside of his known categories. And although the first few recordings were very experimental, they have by now evolved into a dance music band. It's as if you mixed early !!! tunes with the drums of Shellac and threw in some world music. Then, on the newest record, they've added different guest vocalists, thus giving each song its own character through that, too.

Live, the band performed as the three-piece as we expected (having recently parted ways with their fourth member): A bass player, a legendary drummer and an IT-freak who uses his laptop as an effect machine on various pieces of electronic equipment as well as his guitar. Just watching the band play is amazing because it's so unconventional. Because they currently don't have a set singer, they used video panels which showed films of the guest vocalists singing. And that made me realise that the songs are not nearly as spontaneous and improvised as they appear, or the filmed vocals wouldn't fit the songs so well that you could imagine they were sung live. For a short period of the set, a singer did actually appear on stage but I wasn't too impressed. He somehow seemed out of place.
 
The set was fairly short and only featured new songs. They played none of the old hits, possibly because of the departure of the singer of those, and in my eyes that was a shame. The new songs lack some of the energy and weirdness of previous recordings, but I did enjoy myself and I danced. And although in my eyes, this gig wasn't nearly as good as the one at Berghain, I'm still glad I went. And who knows, once they find a new singer, this trio might take their music to yet another level and we might all flock out to see them again next time and be amazed. It may just be possible when the three geniuses that are Battles do their magic.

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

This might turn out as the busiest week of your life. If you are into live music that is. c* will be off on a plane to LA while Berlin is partying every night.

Monday

Dum Dum Girls at Festsaal Kreuzberg: The week commences with Dee Dee Dum Dum and the girls playing girl-band inspired rock music that's poppy and dancy, too. Girls, guitars, black tights. What else do you need? Spot the craze girl in the crowd.

Kolter and Gunzard at Madame Claude: Kolter for a second time. If you missed him the day before because of the Battles/Oval show, go visit him at Madame Claude. He opens for Gunzard from Italy who play harsh drone noise and there will be some fancy DJ afterwards.

Tuesday

Dustin Wong and The Urpf Lanze and Edgar Wappenthaler at Madame Claude: I know Dustin Wong for being the guitar player in Ponytail and everybody who ever saw Ponytail live may want to check out if his solo project is as great as they are. He plays experimental guitar stuff with lots of loops and effects. Check out the video below, I think you'll get the idea. The Urpf Lanze plays something between Cam Deas and Dead Western. Detuned free folk music with indefinable deep moans and growls. Edgar Wappelthaler is more likely known for being a part of Silvester Anfang, he plays lo fi and slow folky music. All in all great package and I'm sure Madame Claude is going to be packed.

Wednesday

No Age at Berghain: Oh boy. I know some don't get the hype around No Age but as I pointed out in my review in November it's the unprentiousness of this duo that's the appeal. That, and the wonderful indie punk classics that they write. And all that at Berghain? Come on!

The Ex and Axel Dörner at Marie Antoinette: The Ex play edgy noise rock, think of a great mix between Shellac and Sonic Youth. Axel Dörner is an experimental trumpet player and composer. This could be a great mix and this is certainly a must see if you're not going to the No Age show.

Thursday

Last minute update: Oxes and Heatsick are playing at Raum20. If you got something better to do on friday, here's your second chance to see Oxes.

Friday

Oxes at West-Germany: I saw the mighty Oxes some years ago and still have them in vivid memory. If you are into The Ex or Shellac and are looking for something crazy and fun, go see them!

Sissters at Antje Öklesund: I've pre and reviewed this band before, so I won't say too much about it but this duo of Berlin natives is up there with the current great waft of dark psych bands. Go and be amazed.

The Dalaï Lama Rama Fa Fa Fa at Schokoladen: Psycho pop from France as mentioned in my year preview. I am actually really sad I'm missing this. You should go and dance to their wonderful music and fancy the cute French boys in the band.

Saturday

Baths and ampl:tude at Watergate: Baths are on Anticon and play weird hip hop with great odd experimental beats and nice vocals. They somehow remind me of a mixture between catchy Autechre and TV on the Radio. I'm sure you know ampl:tude from Berlin. Analog synthies, teddy bears and stupid jokes, they're fun to watch and fit in well.

Bonaparte at Columbiahalle: OK, so I usually don't preview gigs at Columbiahalle. But I make an exception for Monsieur Bonaparte and his crew of nutcases. I'm a fan. Not so much because of the music, that's alright, but because of the whole concept, the lyrics, the circus, the persona. If you can get in, you should seriously do so. It's like going to a big performance art show, but with guitars. Shame about the venue but this band might just pull it off.

Review: The Kills

Let's start this review with some honesty: I am bias. Jamie and Alison of The Kills belonged to my close circle of friends when I lived in London and we all lived on toast with Marmite and nut roast back then. And even though we lead very different lives these days, I do share memories of birthdays, gigs, barbeques, scrabble and pub nights with table football and darts with this duo.


Despite this, I am a fan of The Kills as the band that they are. I would be a fan if I didn't know them personally. Two-pieces often convey a special energy and The Kills are the epitome of a duo which feeds on that energy. While their music is minimalist at times, it is also very powerful yet personal. And when performed live, the audience is mesmerised by the energy and connection between Alison and Jamie.


The Kills had been idle as a band for a couple of years, with Alison being part of Jack White's project The Dead Weather, and this was the first time that they performed in Berlin since that break. Has much changed?


I arrived at the venue at 7pm and was taken aback by the crowd waiting to get in. Gigs in Berlin never start before 9pm. As it turned out, these were die-hard fans, waiting to get an autograph and to reserve their spaces in front of the stage. A quick scan of the kids in line lead me to believe that hardly anyone waiting was over 20 years old. And this was a surprise. When The Kills performed at Postbahnhof two years ago, the audience was rather mature. 


Thanks to my Access All Areas pass, I could watch the performance from a balcony at the back of Huxley's. Huxley's is a large venue and I'm a small person, so I was grateful that I was able to see from high up. A side note on the pictures I take: I try to take pictures that convey the feeling of my particular position during the show. Most of the time this means that the pictures aren't particularly artistic or necessarily clear but that you get a rough idea of where I was and what it looked like from the position I was in. At this gig, I realised for the first time that my concept is not working. I had a very good view from where I was watching but the picture looks as if I couldn't see a thing unless I had a lorgnette or some binoculars.


The performance itself was very professional, as you would expect from an experienced band like The Kills. They played the songs from the new album "Blood Pressures", which are a bit more bluesy yet poppy than older numbers, as well as some of the popular hits from the previous album. Where I was standing the sound didn't impress, with most special effects like an additional keyboard or distorted vocals not transporting at all. However, later quizzing others, I was told that if you stood in the main crowd the sound was fine. The interaction between Jamie and Alison was intense as always but came across a little more studied than on previous occasions when I had seen them and I guess you could expect that after all these years.


I don't think there is such a thing as a bad Kills concert and if you haven't seen them before, I recommend that you do. But I also didn't feel quite the magic I felt a few years ago. I cannot tell whether this is because I have seen them many times and it's not a suprise to me personally anymore or whether it's something else. But I guess, everyone in the audience loved The Kills as much as they had always done, and I was happy to hang out afterwards at a small Neukölln bar with a group of friends that I don't see often. But only once we had made it past another group of teenagers waiting to get autographs at 1am...

John Maus tonight

Somehow, don't ask me how, the John Maus gig was listed in our calendar as being on the 8th April. I only just realised now that it's actually tonight and that if you feel you missed out last night, as I kind of do, you can still go and see Mr Maus at HAU tonight. BTW, it doesn't start until 11pm. Enjoy!

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

April is here - with a bang. What a week ahead: temperatures over 20° outside and near boiling point inside, looking at the line up for the next seven days. See you around for sure!

Monday

Make Out! and Easter at M.I.K.Z: It's "Easter Special" with two live acts and a photo exhibition (starting at 6pm). If you are into weird punky no wave and like Erase Errata and Mika Miko, you probably should go see Make Out! They were great the last time they were in Berlin!
Sightings at West Germany: Having been around since 1997, this experimental noise outfit on Load is not as known as some of their counterparts. But it's a must for any fans of the genre. Bring earplugs.

Wednesday

Belle and Sebastian at Astra: I wrote about this gig in my year preview from January, so there isn't that much more to say about this. Stuart Murdoch will charm everyone, the amazing band will play amazing songs and everyone will hate the venue, once again. If you haven't seen them live before - go! That is, if you can get a ticket.

Friday
The Kills at Huxley's: Many people dismiss The Kills because of the amount of press they receive for reasons other than being in The Kills. Don't. This duo is as talented as it gets and perform their slightly gloomy yet dancy songs with an energy that's rare in a two-piece. I wish I could see them in a small venue for once since they always play large concert halls. In fact, the first time I saw them was their second gig ever and this was at the mighty Astoria in London. I don't think they ever played small venues. It's a tough choice whether I go to The Kills or John Maus tomorrow because I missed John Maus due to capacity issues at West Germany last time he was over. But I think given the choice, The Kills would win every time. (c*)

Saturday
John Maus at HAU2: The wonderful Mr Maus will bring his wonderful dreamy songs to HAU and thus allow more people to witness the beauty of his music live.

Bodybuilding + Kid Ikarus at Schokoladen: "Thirsty & Miserable" are celebrating their second birthday with well known crazy Kid Ikarus, this time on stage with two supporters. There's also a new band in town. Bodybuilding are going to play their first show on this evening, consisting of members of Fuck U Is My Name, Vom Segeln and PLOKK this could be a promising mix.

Sunday

Battles + Oval + Midnight Operator at Festsaal Kreuzberg: c*'s got her ticket ready and her dancing shoes are coming back from the cobbler on Thursday. All set. Let's dance and shout and dance some more. Cannot wait!!
Kolter and It's a Boy's Club at bei Roy: Probably perfect ending for the week, Kolter plays experimental ambient noise and is quite good in doing so, check out the video below. It's a Boy's Club plays noisy stuff with typewriters, tapes and voice. There'll most likely be some visuals to make this as artsy fartsy as it gets, so don't miss it, I'm being serious here! Also a good chance to visit bei Roy, if you haven't been there yet (or even more if you already have).

abe abe abe vigoda

Abe Vigoda are coming back to Berlin in May and I cannot wait!! Here is my favourite video of theirs, directed by the wonderful Vice Cooler <3.