I loved Torstraßen Festival, every minute of it, despite the rain or crowding at some gigs. Torstraßen Festival was fun. On our way up to Northern Mitte, we stopped in Friedrichshain at Bis Aufs Messer, where I had a quick chat with XNormanX. He said that he thought festivals that span across several venues never worked. This was an interesting view because, as I have pointed out before, that is exactly my kind of favourite festival. Funny how views on these matters can differ.
To give you the quick low-down on what went on, here is what we did and saw.
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| Crime |
Unfortunately, having watched his concert last December, we missed Erfolg (Johannes von Weizsäcker of The Chap) and the women's choir but we were told that the show was absolutely amazing. Instead, we headed straight to Bassy to catch the Crime ladies do their dance music action. The performance went well and the room filled nicely during the set but we had ants in our pants and made our way over to Ackerstadt Palast to catch Black Cracker.
A word about Ackerstadt Palast: Being an avid Schokoladen fan, I was intrigued to see what Ackerstadt Palast was about, never having frequented the Palast before. I don't know about you but I expected some old, grand theater like so many venues in Berlin. Don't ask me where I thought a grand theater was sitting behind Schokoladen - I did not think it through really. Ackerstadt Palast is of course a theater but neither old nor grand. It's fairly simple and yet very charming. Most friends we met commented "I had never been here before - what a great place!". So there - a strong recommendation for you: Ackerstadt Palast.
