Friday 3 October 2014

Preview: the month ahead (October)

Golden October. As I sit at our dining room table, I wonder where the year has gone. This is definitely the fastest passing year I have yet experienced. Every time I have an idea, two months seem to have passed at the blink of an eye before I can revisit said idea. It’s odd to say the least. And so it goes with The Craze. Those reviews, ideas, visions - they are there but time seems to go at fast forward these days. How to stop this train? Only time will tell.

Sun, Oct 5th: The New Flesh at bei Ruth: Nice dark, gothy wave music from sunny California. Perfect autumn music. Recommended!

Wed, Oct 8th: Molly Nilsson + Donna Regina at Ausland: Molly Nilsson, a firm favourite of The Craze, is offering some jigging tunes for those who haven’t got tickets for the much hyped must-see Angel Olsen performance at Bi Nuu. We love us some Molly Nilsson!

Thu, Oct 9th: Hornet Leg at Schokoladen: Lo-fi post punk on K Records, like we religiously listened to in our teenage years. A very exciting opportunity to rock out to these guys at an early night Schokoladen gig. Support comes from the fun Berliner expat group Business Lunch. Join us!


Mon, Oct 13th: Liars at Lido: If it isn’t sold out yet, this is your chance to watch Liars perform their new album tunes live, which we appreciate. The Craze hearts Liars.

Tue, Oct 14th: Jozef van Wissem at Grüner Salon: Mr. van Wissem is one of those geniuses you want to be able to teach your children about to bring them up right. A close ally of Jim Jarmusch, this is a wonderful chance to watch Jozef van Wissem’s musical experimental and ambient music in an appropriately theatrical setting.

Wed, Oct 15th: Sean Nicholas Savage + Normal Echo at Urban Spree: Extrovert soul pop crooner goes Urban Spree - an interesting idea. Get your best swaying moves on. For fans of Mac DeMarco.

Thu, Oct 16th: Dead Western + Lukas Foehres at Antje Öklesund: Why listen to stadium folk rubbish when you can listen to the real beautiful thing at Antje Öklesund this Thursday? Dead Western is quirky and incredibly beautiful and not to be missed. Fans of Beirut will appreciate this.


Tue, Oct 21st: Swans + Pharmakon at Berghain: Post industrialists Swans on tour with favourite label (Sacred Bones) protegées Pharmakon? This can only be awesome. I wish for you to still get a ticket, which is likely because due to demand they have added a second show on Wed, Oct 22nd. May as well.


Thu, Oct 23rd: Total Heels + Zelf at Schokoladen: Total Heels = super punk band you must always go see because they make you dance and rock like no other, except for Thee Oh Sees maybe. Supported by local heroes. See you there, bright and early, say 7:30 pm. Yeah!

Mon, Oct 27th: The War On Drugs + Steve Gunn at Heimathafen: There is nothing wrong with really good folky and romantic pop music. We need those Sunday mornings when only that will do. The War On Drugs perfect the genre. So darn pretty. Singer-songwriter legend Steve Gunn is just the perfect addition to this bill. Heimathafen = perfect venue for this gig. Yummy.

Tue, Oct 28th: La Luz at Kantine: Easily C*’s gig of the month, even though C* won’t be around to attend La Luz playing her melancholic, surfy tunes live, she recommends this gig as her must-go-to event for you because she loves you. This is special. There!


Wed, Oct 29th: Acid Baby Jesus at Monarch: We have not featured any garage rock this month yet, so here goes. This is a quirky, dark, Cramps influenced version and you will love.

Thu, Oct 30th: The Diamond Road Show, a.k.a Digger Barnes + Pencil Quincy at SO36: Look, we have previewed and reviewed Digger Barnes often enough on The Craze, ok? We love this show, we just love it dearly. This time, he has got a new album in tow. Oh yes! I am a little upset about SO36 at choice of venue for this but let’s go with the flow here. The Digger never disappoints.