Stuff worth visiting in the next couple of days (let's call it a micro preview, alright?)...

There's some cool stuff going on during the upcoming week, here's a small list of things to do with no intend to be exhaustive:

• Tues, Nov 25th: Sir Richard Bishop at Alter Löwe Rein: Weird and experimental Folk from Sir Richard Bishop, whom you may know as guitarist of the Sun City Girls. 

• Thu, Nov 27th: Mdou Moctar & Band at Monarch: I don't really know who decided that it's a good idea to put Mdou Moctar on at Monarch after his last show at West Germany was completely sold out. But nonetheless, here's a second chance to see this very interesting guitarist from Niger playing his unconventional psychedelic mix of Krautrock and African influences.

• Sat, Nov 29th: Nicoffeine + Amigo Tropical + Captain Popatain at Kastanienkeller: This is probably going to be a very nice noisy evening at the cozy Kastanienkeller. Nicoffeine and their heavy chaotic noise rock left quite a positive impression on Norman, read about that here. We also mentioned Berlin based Amigo Tropical here before, they're a heavy noise bass + drums duo and are definitely worth seeing live. The bill will be completed by Captain Popatain who play slow motion sludge/doom hardcore.

No preview but the three T's

So we didn't do a preview this month, the busiest month of the year. Whatever came over us? Lethargy? Self-pity? Depression? Rebellion? Nope, just lack of time and - why lie to you? - lack of motivation. We are feeling a sense of responsibility towards our readers but we are also not feeling the love anymore. At this moment in time we are unsure where it's going to take The Craze. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, let me tell you about the three T's this month.

On Thursday, I went to see Ty Segall at Astra. I know, Astra. Astra full of the same students I eat lunch at the university cantine with. But hey, to their credit, everybody danced and had a good time. And Ty Segall and his motivator merch guy really rocked out hard and got everybody going, including a beer cup throwing competition for some extra humour. It was a great show. My favourite: Mikal Cronin on bass. Man, I love Mikal Cronin anyway, but who knew he played the bass like such a badass? Fantastic!

My second T this month is of course tUnE-yArDs, who I will be going to see tomorrow and, oh boy, I am excited! Do a search on this blog to find all my posts in which I tirelessly praise her sampling and singing magic. There is no other artist like it out there. She is the one!  CANCELLED



The third T is of course Trans Am, who have been firm favourites of mine since the mid-90s. No kidding. I went to see them in 1998 in Hamburg at Marx and it was great albeit lonely. Few people had shown up. That is going to be very different at Kantine next week. If you like in-your-face-weirdness, this is for you. Each record is different but always great and slightly offensive. Love these guys so much! Meet me next Wednesday and let's Party!

Check out the calendar, which we have been keeping pretty up-to-date despite our laziness to post anything on the blog. There is so much goodness in the calendar this month, you may as well go out every other night really.

See you around town. Love you all. c*

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.

Preview addition: Civil Civic

Dear friends of The Craze. If you are a regular follower, you will know my undying love for Civil Civic. Well, I found out yesterday (!) that they are playing Urban Spree this Thursday (!!). Read my review from last time they hit Berlin at Kantine and meet me at Urban Spree on Thursday. Bring your best friend and your best dance moves!

Preview: the month ahead (September)

With the rather slow August finally over, September is here to bring us some pretty awesome bands. We’re going to upload a few more additions in a couple of days, until then check out what’s going on and as usual be sure to check our calendar below.

Sat, Sep 6th: The Nightingales + AUF at West Germany: The Nightingales have been on and off around since 1979 and according to Wikipedia they "played more sessions on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show than any other band excluding The Fall". They don’t sound unlike the Fall, early and raw post-punk is probably the best reference for what they still mostly sound like. Support will be Berlin based AUF, a guitar and drum duo, playing something that reminds me of noisy Hamburger Schule.

Sun, Sep 7th: Audacity + Häxxan at bei Ruth: Raw and in your face Garage Punk with a huge melodic hint is your thing? Well what are you waiting for? This sounds ecstatic and wild and will definitely be the right soundtrack for a nice end of the weekend dance at bei Ruth!

Mon, Sep 8th: Chad VanGaalen + Cousins at Kantine: Chad VanGaalen from Alberta Canada plays beatiful yet somehow broken singer songwriter music. He very nicely combines folk elements and melodies with fragile vocals and some noisy and electronic parts. His lyrics are somewhere between disturbing and uplifting and if you've got a thing for beautifully designed record covers and music videos, Chad VanGallen is your type of guy.

Thu, Sep 11th: Alte Sau + Johnny Kurt vs. Hank the Tank at bei Ruth: Alte Sau is another new band featuring Jens Rachut (ex-Oma Hans, Kommando Sonne-nmilch, Dackelblut, Angeschissen etc.), Rebecca Oehms (from Amtrak and die Charts) and Raoul Doré (whom you probably know from Jeniger or Amtrak and also as the guy who does the amazing visuals for Digger Barnes' Diamond Road Show!). They just released their debut record and it’s absolutely great. It’s musically quite minimalistic, just straight drums, an organ, sometimes a ‘choir’ plus Rachuts cryptic lyrics and nagging vocals.

Sat, Sep 13th: Aaron Dilloway + Evol + Naturkunde Museum Ostbayern + DJ MFK at NK: Aaron Dilloway might be best known for being a founding member of Wolf Eyes. Still he also released a shitload of solo records and side projects. Expect something loud and noisy from him, probably involving tape loops and weird analog electronic instruments. Naturkunde Museum Ostbayern (also known as N.M.O.) are a great addition to this, read our review about one of their shows here. All in all, if you are remotely into experimental noise music, there’s no way around paying NK another visit.

Mon, Sep 15th: Hammerhead (US) + Antihairball at bei Ruth: Wow, this came unexpected. Hammerhead from the US, not to be confused with the German Hardcore band, haven’t really been together since they originally broke up in the late 90s. They went on to form the also great Vaz and sort of reunited in 2010 but somehow still went under the radar. So the announcement of a European tour including a Berlin show not only came a bit surprising but also left me rather excited. Hammerhead play edgy noise rock including hectic, yet melodic drumming and heavy guitars and bass. If 90s sound à la Melvins is your thing, you should absolutely not miss this opportunity. Support will be Antihairball from Berlin who play a sort of nervous Lightning Bolt, Melt Banana and Action Beat influenced noise rock. 

Mon, Sep 15th: Helmet at SO36: Two 'old guys playing heavy music' shows on the same night may not be a rarity. But one of them being Helmet might make this a bit more interesting. If you sort of grew up listening to bands like this, Helmet performing their whole record Betty may be reason enough to lure you to SO36 this night.

Wed, Sep 17th: Blonde Redhead at Frannz: Blonde Redhead just released a new record and are on tout to promote it. They seemingly don’t play in Europe very often so we’re pretty excited about this one! They play beautiful and intriguing indie music without ever sounding too catchy or pleasing - there’s always this rest of experiment and edge in their sound and that’s probably what keeps them interesting even on their ninth studio record. 

Thu, Sep 18th: Datashock + Pretty Lightning + Sun Worship + Bird People at bei Ruth: This is like a family meeting and it’s certainly getting a cozy one! Datashock, a “grusel” psychedelic kraut collective and Pretty Lightning, a duo playing psychedelic raw blues are on tour again and pay bei Ruth another visit. This time, Sun Worship and Bird People will complete the bill. So prepare for a night somewhere between “Black Metal”, ambient drone noise and experimental Krautrock inspired acts. Sounds about right.

Mon, Sep 22nd: Helm + Bill Kouligas + Puce Mary at NK: Another interesting experimental NK night. Helm is a project of Luke Younger, he plays ambient drone music somewhere between musique concrete and industrial music. Also playing will be Bill Kouligas (who runs the great PAN label) who will present a new electronic live set. Finally, Puce Mary will complete the line up. She’s on Posh Isolation records and plays deep and intense industrial influenced electronica. Check her out, this is really great stuff!

small preview addition: Dead Western

If you're still free tomorrow you might consider visiting Klunkerkranich for a treat. Klunkerkranich is a sort of open-air bar location on top of the Neukölln Arcaden parking deck and to my knowledge they don't often organize live shows there. Yet, this Thursday (tomorrow), Dead Western is going to play there. He play's an intriguing style of dark singer songwriter folk, characterized by his mesmerizing and unique voice. If you haven't seen him before, don't miss this great opportunity to catch him in an unusual location.

Here's the facebook event for more info.

Preview: the month ahead (August)

Usually, August is a dead month for live music in Berlin, but you know, we are making the best of it. Schokoladen is showing a nice “don’t care if anybody else is on holiday, we are having a great time” attitude and is putting on quite a few nice gigs this month. Be aware though, any Schokoladen gigs start strictly at 8 pm, so be there for 7 pm and have a cold drink with us in one of Berlin’s most cosy venues. Other than that, see you around town, on a bike, in the middle of the night, in short sleeves, loving it. Heat - may you stay forever!

Tue, Aug 5th: Perfect Pussy + Business Lunch + PISS at Kantine am Berghain: Vocalist Meredith Graves is getting a lot of media attention these days. And people are begrudging her the way they used to begrudge Kathleen Hannah or Beth Ditto. Well screw them. Nobody ever begrudged Stephen Malkmus or Josh Homme for being in the limelight. But women, they better not hog it. Whatever. Another anecdote I can mention in connection with Perfect Pussy is a line written about them on Wikipedia: “The band is known for its "frenetic brand of punk and raucous live shows"and has been described as "the most important punk band to come out of Syracuse since Earth Crisis." This is so funny, it actually brings tears to my eyes. My sense of humour. Anyhoo, about Perfect Pussy, really: They’re pretty awesome. You like Dag Nasty and Bikini Kill? Swing on by! Added bonus: our favourites PISS as support!

Thu, Aug 7th: Sabar - A night of West African Drumming at Arena Badeschiff: This is the second West African Drumming event curated by Colin Hacklander. He invites friends to play drums with him, making this “a spontaneous gathering with drum kits, Sabar drums and talking drum”. Definitely a show worth visiting, especially in such an interesting location.

Fri, Aug 8th: Schrein + City Hands  + Hexeneich + Arvind Ganga at Bei Ruth: Another night of weird, noisy and experimental music. Schrein is a side project of people involved in Datashock and Sun Worship and although they’re regular guests at bei Ruth, their shows are definitely well worth a visit. This night promises tapes, effects, voice and electro-acoustics, drones and experiments on the tension between structure and chaos.

Sat, Aug 9th: Cranky Fest IV at Antje Öklesund: Cranky Booking, a Berlin institution and ⅓ of the fantastic Späti Palace Label, is putting on a great night of live music and freshly served crêpes. I mean, you are not seriously going to say no to fresh crêpes, are you?

Tue, Aug 12th: Big Ups + Creams at bei Ruth: After the cancelled Big Ups show in May they now return to play at bei Ruth. They play melodic and noisy punk with a hint of Shellac. Probably a pretty good way of spending a Tuesday night.

Thu, Aug 14th: EA80 at SO36: EA80 are celebrating their 35th year as a band. They’ve been an important constant in the German punk scene and their music is still as intense and melancholic as it was in their beginnings. They don’t play live very often so don’t miss this.

Fri, Aug 15th: The Lo-Fi Punk Rock Motherfuckers at Schokoladen: Eddie Argos of Art Brut fame and his lo-fi punk rock motherfuckers were Gary and my wedding band (see video below). A fine job they did. You can now also enjoy their British sense of humour and swing your punk rock legs this Friday at Schokoladen. Recommended! Incidentally, you have another chance to see them at Torstraßen Festival (see below).

Sun, Aug 17th: Thurston Moore at Lido: What is there to say? It’s Thurston Moore so it can only be grand. Also, there are rumours spreading about a very special band line-up on tour with Mr. Moore. See us there!

Wed, Aug 27th: Thee Oh Sees at Berghain: Gig of the month, the year, all time. Whether you would listen to Thee Oh Sees on record or not, it’s hard to argue against this band being one of the best live bands to have ever graced this planet. I mean, at the last two Berlin gigs, the ceiling came down both times. Both times! They are splitting up for good and this is your last chance to party like there is no tomorrow with the best garage punk live act there is. We have our tickets. Watch out for our very special competition later this month. Boy oh boy, are we excited!

Sat, Aug 30th: Torstraßen Festival: This was so much fun last year, Gary and I are still raving on about it. Join us this year for a day filled of fun and music. Hooray, a great final to a fine August.

Preview: the month ahead (July)

School’s out for summer! Summer? What summer? This rings true on two levels: The weather, duh! And there is a lot going on gig-wise, which is of course unusual for July in Berlin.

Wed, July 2nd: Neurosis at Astra: Credited as one of the most influential originators of today’s drone/doom bands Neurosis is still very active in releasing new records and playing live. In contrary to most followers they are more interested in progressing their music rather than image and artwork style. Past tours also featured visual art artists. There seem to be tickets still and it is decent priced.

Thu, July 3rd: Les Rhinoceros and Sferics at bei Ruth: Les Rhinoceros are a Washington DC based “Jazzcore” band on Tzadik Records, the label of John Zorn. That reference alone probably hints at what kind of music they might be playing. And indeed they fit the Tzadik catalogue quite well. Their music relies on the combination of different genres and styles, they merge jazz with “world music”, Klezmer influences, ambient sounds and heavy rock. Support will be Sferics, solo project of Sun Worship’s and Pete The Pirate Squid’s guitar player. He plays solo electric guitar and accompanying devices, creating improvised shreds and alluring ambient textures.

Mon, July 7th: Arto Lindsay at Volksbühne: Arto Lindsay, the No-Wave mastermind behind DNA and later on bands like The Lounge Lizards and Ambitious Lovers, is still an innovative force in contemporary experimental music. His solo shows mostly consist of experimental guitar noises and almost catchy soft voiced songs. Watch a video of him playing at West Germany a while ago before marking this date in your calendar with a big red pen.

Thu, July 10th: The Pharmacy and Display at Schokoladen: If, like me, you spent your early teen years as an indie kid in a tartan shirt and Dr Marten shoes, listening to The Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam, you will appreciate this more modern version of your northern West Coast indie rock. The Pharmacy also display considerably more humour than afore-mentioned groups.

Wed, July 16th: Mdou Moctar at West Germany: Mdou Moctar is a guitarist from Niger who plays interesting and unconventional music based on repetitive almost psychedelic patterns and simple drum beats. It’s like Krautrock mixed together with African influences. His bandcamp page puts it quite well and describes his music as “electrifying, distorted and blown out guitar balances with sweet melodies of Saharan folk. Check out the video below, this is going to be one dancy West Germany evening!

Wed, July 16th: Parquet Courts at Cassiopeia: I thoroughly enjoyed Parquet Courts at the last Berlin appearance, so you might, too. The hype is justified.

Thu, July 17th: Guardian Alien at bei Ruth: If you’re into Liturgy, who interestingly enough just announced their ‘reunion’, you also know their amazing drummer Greg Fox. After Liturgy ‘broke up’ he started Guardian Alien with a more or less fluid line-up of other musicians. Their music ranges somewhere between experimental electro/synth music and free jazzy elements. They released a second record not long ago and are now on tour presenting newer material, this time stopping by at bei Ruth.

Fri, July 18th: Sun, July 20th: Schokoladen Hoffest: A wonderful Berlin summer get together every year, we had to fear for its existence during Schokoladen’s struggle against Mitte’s property sharks. This year, rest assured that it’s not the last. A definite must in the Berlin music calendar - check out the Schokoladen website for details.

Tue, July 22nd: Andrew W.K. at Magnet: Despite all controversy, I have a soft spot for the man, right or wrong. His village voice blog is fantastic and few people can make yoga look so wrong and great at the same time. More than anything, he knows how to rock out just for the heck of it and we all need that every now and so often. Count Gary and myself in!

Sat, July 26th: Down By The River Festival: Another annual summer get together with an eclectic line-up. May as well.

Mon, July 28th: Quintron and Miss Pussycat at West Germany: Oh the love I have for these two! Read my review, put your soul dancing dress on and let’s go crazy wild!

Thu, July 31st: Trust at Kantine: Trust at Kantine has happened before and this is what we had to say about it: “Of course we are not talking about the French metal band. This Trust is essentially techno, though they draw from a lot of genres to make their music interesting. Originally, Trust featured one of the core members of Austra, giving you an idea of musical direction. Kantine is certainly a small venue to play for this much hyped project. If you like your techno rave or just want a really good dance this Saturday, head to Kantine early.”

Thu, July 31st: Frank Fairfield at Monarch: This is much anticipated and a performance you should not miss. Mr. Fairfield writes on his website “Frank Fairfield plays down-home, old time folk music. He plays fiddle, guitar, banjo and he sings. Born in Fresno, California, he now lives in Los Angeles with his wife.” and that sums it up nicely. Down to earth, quirky, folk music. We love.

Preview addition I: Lower + UV Glaze

A quick treat for you: This Thursday, Monarch is turning into a punk den with Danish quartet Lower gracing Berlin with its presence. These guys are punk, but you know, accessible. Think late 70s, early 80s punk à la Joy Division. Intense stuff. They are signed to prestigious indie label Matador, which has proven good taste and taken a chance on punk and HC music for a while now. UV Glaze supporting and these regulars seldomly disappoint. An all-round promising night at Monarch and the perfect opportunity to avoid the football madness. See you there!

Preview: the month ahead (June)

Bonjour sun worshippers. It's the start of the month and that means time for our first monthly preview. Enjoy and meet you around town.

• Mon Jun 2nd: Wolf Eyes + Bill Kouligas at Urban Spree: We pre- and reviewed Wolf Eyes before when they played at Festsaal Kreuzberg last year and they’re well worth mentioning again. If you’re into industrial drone harsh ambient noise music, Wolf Eyes will probably ring a bell for you anyways. Add Bill Kouligas, known for his solo project Family Battle Snake (read a review here) and his label PAN, to the bill as supporting DJ and this makes for a nice start in the new month.

• Mon Jun 2nd: Merchandise at Berghain: Very en vogue at the moment, Merchandise do a danceable wave thing and remind me of poppier New Order meets The Smith, but then again, what do I know. 
• Tue Jun 3rd: Shonen Knife at Roter Salon: Japanese punk band that rocks hard. 
• Thu Jun 5th: Condominium + V at bei Ruth: Bizarre Hardcore Punk on Sub Pop meets Dark Wave from Berlin. Sounds like a neat combination. V used to play in Batalj, if you haven’t seen her solo project yet, this is a good opportunity of doing so.
• Fri Jun 6th: Tara Jane O'Neil + Yohuna + Lugene Verna at West Germany: Tara Jane O'Neil is very slow, very intense music that is a pleasure to listen to when you really want to get back down to earth. This lady has got me through some difficult times with her guitar and mellow voice. A treat.
• Sun Jun 8th: Daniel Bachman at Monarch: Daniel Bachman is an acoustic guitar player who mainly draws from folk and country influences. He's amazing to watch live and we're excited to see him again. Read a review about a former show of him here.
• Tue Jun 10th: Pink Mountaintops at Privatclub: Yes, they are a bit hippie-ish but that's also what we like them for. And they rock hard. This show is going to be rather special in such a small space. Pink Mountaintops are going places, you know. Looking forward.

• Tue Jun 10th: Quicksand at SO36: Another reunion from a band that many of us know from our early punk/hardcore days. Quicksand, featuring Walter Schreifels of Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools, had their peak time between 1990 and 1995. They released two records that are still fun to listen to nowadays. Like always, I have no idea if this is going to be either brillant and nostalgic or a total letdown. 
• Fri Jun 13th: Jeffrey Lewis & The Jrams at Kantine: C* & Gary have their tickets and are super extra excited. The man sticks out from the mass that is singer-songwriter music. 
• Fri Jun 13th: Las Kellies + DJ Marcelle at bei Ruth: This is a promising night at bei Ruth. Las Kellies play minimalistic post punk influenced dancy music, think of a mix between ESG, Delta 5 and the Slits. Afterwards DJ Marcelle, by now bei Ruth’s resident DJane, will play. She’s amazing live! So if you’re in a dancy mood, head over to Neukölln on this Friday the 13th

• Wed Jun 18th: Chain & The Gang at Privatclub: Ian Svenonius, one of our all time darlings, returns to Berlin with his gang, playing 60s/70s influenced garage punk that’ll make your booties shake.
• Wed Jun 18th: Tragedy + Mülltüte + Piss at SO36: Tragedy, Portland based crust-punk/d-beat veterans don’t tour Europe that often. If they do so, their shows are usually packed and loaded and this one won’t be an exception. Tragedy continued what they started with His Hero Is Gone. Their members are or were also involved in other notable projects like Union of Uranus and From Ashes Rise. Musically, Tragedy play thick sounding dark in-your-face hardcore punk with political and critical lyrics. Support will be locals Mülltüte and Piss.
• Sat Jun 28th: Ratttengold at SO36: Ratttengold is sort of a ‘best of’ project of Jens Rachut, who’s going to present songs from his former and recent bands Oma Hans, Dackelblut, Angeschissen, Blumen am Arsch der Hölle and Kommando Sonne-nmilch. All of these bands played music in the vein of Wipers influenced Deutschpunk without being dull or blunt. Instead they always had a humorous and ambitious approach. Definitely worth a visit if you’re interested in finding out where all these newish ‘Deutschpunk’ bands got their influences from.

Preview (for the rest of May)

You probably have noticed that we had to make some changes to be able to keep this little blog thing going (if not read about it here). So the next 'regular' preview will appear at the beginning of June. We'll try to cover everything we find worth mentioning for the whole month. For everything we missed in these previews we'll probably throw some short additions in every once in a while.

Now there still are a few shows until the end of the month that are important to mention, so think of this as preview attempt for the rest of May. There are lot's of other great shows going on, have a look at our calendar on the bottom of our main page to find out about them!

• Sun, May 25th, Family Fodder at Roter Salon: This band from the late 70s have their place in the artsy post-punk movement of that time. They sound like it, they look like it but strangely they never really got the attention they probably deserved. Except for sporadic break ups they still exist and recently even their records got reissued. Now they're playing some live shows, one of them taking place at Roter Salon this Sunday. This is for everyone who thinks a mixture of This Heat, the Slits and Talking Heads doesn't sound like a bad thing.
• Sun, May 25th, Owen Pallet + Xiu Xiu at Volksbühne: I loved Owen Pallet's Final Fantasy records and although I didn't really follow his output since then, he still remains a likeable and respectable musician and artist to me. Putting Xiu Xiu on the bill with him for a gig at Volksbühne makes so much sense. They may be musically quite diverse but what they have in common is the ability of creating pop songs that are somehow 'broken' and not only smooth and compliant. Xiu Xiu's live performances always are a bit of a surprise, you never really know if you should expect a more electronica oriented dancy show or an experimental set consisting of mainly noises (or a mixture of both). Which is why they never disappointed me since the first time I saw them live in 2004.

• Mon, May 26th, Sun Araw + Laraaji at Urban Spree: Sun Araw is known for his modern and creative take on dub and psychedelic post-punk like music. His sound relies on deep bass lines and repetitive rhythms. It's quite experimental but not difficult to access and it combines danceable and ambient moods perfectly. He will play a solo show but also a joined live set with Laraaji, who's been around since the 1970s and plays 'improvising trance-inducing jams on a modified autoharp processed through various electronic effects'. See the CTM event page for more info and videos.
• Mon, May 26th, R. Stevie Moore + Brabrabra at Marie Antoinette: R. Stevie Moore is a weird and odd fellow. He's an american singer songwriter and is known for his enormous output of over 400 releases in his now nearly 50 year career. He's mixes (anti-)folk and pop elements with experimental influences and his live performances are as well funny and eccentric. Support will be Berlin based Brabrabra.

• Tue, May 27th, Pharmakon + Ketev + Shaddah Tuum at Berghain Kantine: After Pharmakon's last appearance at Berghain itself, they now play at the smaller Berghain Kantine. If you're into noisy and industrial music in the vein of Throbbing Gristle combined with a modern touch and beautiful female vocals, Pharmakon might be right down your alley. See the facebook event page for more info on the support bands etc.
• Thu, May 29th, Hildegard von Binge Drinking + Erfolg at bei Ruth: Besides of getting 10/10 points for that punny band name, HVBD is an interesting band in many aspects. Consisting of ex-Shokei members, they formed this new project to merge hiphop, electro-synth music and post-punk. Combined with a great live performance, dressed up as two nuns, they break with the seriousness of many bands without being a joke/"fun"-band themselves. Erfolg is the successfully successful project of Johannes v. Weizsäcker, who's also singer and guitarist for the Chap. 

Where is the Preview??

Dear regular Craze readers,

This past weekend, I finally took the step to take the decision that I cannot under any circumstances go on with the Craze as it has been running. With no time on my hands, the pressure of having to post a preview every weekend has taken all the fun out of this hobby. Working in front of a computer all week, I have absolutely no motivation to spend another few hours every weekend. For what? The whole blog idea had sort of died on me.

Seeing J.' disappointed face after my announcement to him last night, and not being one to throw in the towel all that quickly, a great idea popped into my head today that changed all. A commuter train phone call to J. and the decision was taken:

From now on, The Craze will post monthly previews instead of weekly ones. It makes so much more sense, it really does. I will endeavour to put up a little interim preview for the next couple of weeks tomorrow night, too. Just so there is no gap.

I am sure a few other changes will come about here and there while we try and make this platform more workable again for us. And more fun. Most importantly: more fun.

On that note: We are desperately seeking reviewers. You need to be a little nerdy, okayish in English (I can edit your posts) and a fun person to hang out with. All we can offer is press list spaces - where we get them - and being part of a fun group and Berlin music culture.

May the future begin now.

Preview: the week ahead (12th May to 18th May)

Wow, what a busy week. There are seemingly more interesting shows taking place in the upcoming seven days than during most of the winter altogether. This makes the choice of where to go not really easy. To help you with that here's a preview of what we think might be worth visiting.

Monday

• Tim Kasher + Al Burian at Schokoladen: Tim Kasher is probably better known for his bands Cursive and The Good Life. If you’re a fan of those, you’ll probably want to visit Schokoladen this Monday. Quite a nice opener for the week! Support will be Al Burian (ex-Milemarker) who will do a solo performance.

Tuesday

• Powder Blue at Roter Salon: Canadian ladies are rocking Berlin this week, with Powder Blue and their poppy psychedelic post rock at Roter Salon tonight, followed by White Lung at Magnet tomorrow. Good.

Wednesday

• Pleasure Leftists + Totenwald at bei Ruth: Pleasure Leftists play nice 80s influenced wave punk. They sound like a modern and more melodic version of bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees or even Malaria. Support will be Totenwald from Berlin who basically take a similar line, they sound like early raw the Cure. A pretty nice line-up for all you 80s punks.

• White Lung at Magnet: White Lung still get lots of media attention and rightly so. They’re an energetic and wild punk/hardcore band consisting mostly of women and their last show at bei Ruth was fantastic! I wonder if Magnet is the right place for a snotty punk show like this but White Lung seem to have gotten used to bigger stages and audiences in the recent past.
• tUnE-yArDs + Sylvan Esso at Berghain: Read about C*’s undying love for tUnE-yArDs here and go to this.
• The London Dirthole Company at Monarch: Rock’n’roll, raw, garagey and wonderful, will make Monarch feel very hot this Wednesday. Mid-week treat.

Thursday

• Stadtfischflex Orchestra + Psykisk Tortur + DJs at bei Ruth: Uwe Bastiansen, former guitar player for Abwärts, founded his project Stadtfischflex somewhen in the early 90s. He invites guest musicians to play live with him, for this show at bei Ruth those are (ex-) members of various noteable bands. The whole list reads like a collection of early experimental and Krautrock bands: Uwe Bastiansen (ex-Abwärts), N.U. Unruh (Einstürzende Neubauten), Zappi Diermaier (Faust), Kakawaka, Hoshiko Yamane (Tangerine Dream), Luca Andrioli (Ulan Bator) and Kim Kiesling form the Stadtfischflex Orchestra. Also playing will be Psykisk Tortur, a Norwegian experimental duo that’s also been around since quite some time now. Could become a memorable night.
• Sean Nicholas Savage at Privatclub: Canadians in da house this week. Sean Nicholas Savage quirky numbers are very en-vogue just now. Deservedly so.

Saturday

• Bohren & der Club of Gore at HO Berlin: Bohren return to Berlin earlier than expected, their last show took place only a couple of months ago (read our review here). By now you probably all know them anyway so we won’t introduce our favorite dark/drone/ambient jazz band any further. If you’re in for a musically melancholic but at the same time entertaining evening, there’s no way around this.

Sunday

• Sleaford Mods + Ill Till at bei Ruth: I’ve been very much looking forward to this, especially since I missed Sleaford Mods last Berlin visit at West Germany. They just released their second record and everybody’s going wild about it. They play minimalistic music, a simple bass line combined with a drum-machine beat, completed by snotty spoken word rants is all it takes to create a driving feeling with hints to the Fall and other early post-punk bands. It sounds somehow hip hop related without being hip hop, at the same time it’s punk without being punk and this refusal of being categorized or even categorizable just makes them more relevant. They’re definitely one of the most interesting new bands from the last years and bei Ruth is probably going to be packed, so make sure to be there early enough. Here’s a nice article about the band from the Jungle World and if you haven’t yet done so, check out the video for one of their new songs below.

• The Julie Ruin + Hospitality at Bi Nuu: Kathleen Hannah and Kathy Wilcox back together in one band? A wet dream come true for Bikini Kill fans. Hospitality are a very fun opener of the Merge Records family. C* and Gary have their tickets at the ready. Oh yes. We’ll head to Bei Ruth afterwards for some Sleaford Mods action. See y’all around town this Sunday.
• Big Up’s + Superspaceproject at West Germany: Read more about this great show and win tickets for it in our competition. If you’re into melodic and noisy punk with a hint of Shellac, this might be right down your alley!

Preview: the week ahead (5th May to 11th May)

A rather shortish preview this week, for some more cool events as usual check our calendar at the bottom of this page! There are some really great experimental shows taking place and I've been looking forward to some of them for quite some time now. See you around!

Wednesday

• Deux Boules Vanille + Amigo Tropical at bei Ruth: J.’s gig of the week (read a review of a previous DBV Berlin show here)! Deux Boules Vanille are a french drum duo. They play facing each other and trigger their drumsets through self-built analog synthesizers. This way they create music that relies on hectic rhythms and interesting melodies. Live it sounds like a musical journey from frantic Lightning Bolt influenced blasts to rhythmic and dancy music. We already mentioned Amigo Tropical in last week’s preview and they’re still worth watching live. They’re a Berlin drum+bass duo that plays heavy noise rock and does so in a very impressive and powerful fashion. Highly recommended.

• Zachary Cale at Monarch: Zachary Cale is a singer songwriter from Louisiana and if you are anyhow into acoustic ballads and finger picking guitar play, you shouldn’t miss this. It’s another ‘Since the Devil is Gone I Mostly Feel Lonely’ event, which evolved into a guarantee for interesting and non-conventional folk music over the time of their existence.

Friday

• Carla Bozulich + Sturle Dagsland at West-Germany: You probably know Carla Bozulich from her other bands Evangelista and The Geraldine Fibbers as well as from collaborations with Xiu Xiu, Lydia Lunch, Thurston Moore, Aidan Baker and Marc Ribot amongst many others. She and her live support by John Eichenseer and Andrea Belfi are on tour right now, presenting her new solo record Boy. If you are into Evangelista and into dark, intense and cranky ‘art punk’, your evening plans should definitely include a West Germany visit this Friday.

• Astronautalis at Schwuz: On tour right now with a full band, Astronautalis stops by in Berlin and plays at Schwuz. He’s an alternative hip hop/rap artist who’s known for his intense and rousing live performances. In his music he blends influences from punk and indie-rock with hip hop elements and political ambitions. For fans of Busdriver, P.O.S. and Anticon label based experimental hip hop: this is definitely for you.

Saturday

• Dracula Lewis + Sewn Leather at West Germany: A night of industrial and weird music at West Germany. Sewn Leather is shows a very frontal and in-your-face live performance, playing noisy tape loops while singing to them. His music sounds like early Throbbing Gristle and similar experimental bands with a hint to electronic dance music. Dracula Lewis plays more synth and bass driven stuff.

Preview: the week ahead (28th Apr to 4th May)

This seems to be a rather "rocky" week and we've got lot's of heavy bands featured in the preview. In fact one band is so heavy, their bass player has to wear a helmet during live shows. See you around!

Tuesday

• Die Die Die at PrivatClub in Kreuzberg. Die Die Die have been described as a punk-pop band from New Zealand but when it comes to live performances they’re more punk than pop. Their gigs have been described as electric, stellar, unpredictably short, sharp shocks. And it’s all true. These guys are totally worth seeing if you like an energetic performance or if you’re a fan of bands like Fugazi, Wire or Shellac (in fact, Steve Albini of Shellac liked them so much he produced their first album after they wrote to him). Lead singer Andrew Wilson throws himself around as if he were a one man mosh pit and the rest of the sweaty trio don’t do too badly either. The group are originally from Dunedin, the home of many of the legendary label Flying Nun’s groups that have such a big following with connoisseurs of 80s post punk and shoe gaze sounds (if you haven’t heard of them, do yourself a favour and check out a recent re-issue by Captured Tracks here) and they wear those influences well.
• Whitehorse + Tooth Decay at West-Germany: Although West-Germany isn't the usual place for this kind of music, they will bring you something pretty heavy this Tuesday. Whitehorse are from Melbourne, Australia and play 'crushingly heavy, sludge-metal layered with electronics'. Support will be Berlin based Tooth Decay's first live show.

Thursday

• Valina + Amigo Tropical at Schokoladen: This is a pretty nice opportunity to spend a Thursday night with two interesting noise rock acts. Valina from Austria have been around for some time now, they play Shellac influenced forward music with a melodic touch. Amigo Tropical is a Berlin based jazzy drums + noisy bass duo. They are great and you should check them out if you haven't seen them before!

Friday

• Toys That Kill + Human Abfall at Schokoladen: Toys That Kill play energetic and catchy punk rock that quite nicely combines snotty vocals with edgy and driven instrumentation. Highly recommended if you grew up listening to 90s punk music. Support will be Human Abfall, who deliver an adequate answer to the legitimate question if there is such a thing as punk in Stuttgart.
• The Body at Jägerklause: Since we officially have a thing for bands consisting of only two people, this is a must feature. The Body play dark and sinister heavy music. Influenced by sludge and doom metal, they throw in some harsh noise aspects and weird samples and sounds. What comes out is something so nasty and dismal that I'm still not sure whether it's a good idea to start the weekend with this.

Saturday

• Melt Banana at Bi Nuu: We're pretty sure you know what Melt Banana is about. They're a Japanese band that plays edgy and fast no-wave noise rock. If you are into bands like Erase Errata or Ex-Models but a tad more offensive and heavy, this is your place to be. This stuff is so weird, I bet it could melt a banana.
• Jackie-O Motherfucker + Von Tesla + Ruins of Krüger at West Germany: Saturday is day 2 of the so called "Occulto Fest" which is happening at West Germany. I'm not sure what 'occult' is supposed to mean in this context but I was positively surprised to read that Jackie-O-Motherfucker are playing there. They are sort of a collective and play experimental folk-influenced music. Since their live appearance seem to be quite rare this is a great opportunity to see them in a nice location. Also playing will be Von Tesla and Ruins of Krüger plus there will be some visual screening and experimental music DJing. Sounds nice!

Preview: the week ahead (21st to 27th Apr)

Hope you all enjoyed the (still ongoing) long weekend and the nice spring weather. Here's another preview full of noteworthy live music shows that could help to kill some time during the upcoming week. As usual check the calendar for more dates and see you around!

Monday

• Cian Nugent & The Cosmos at Monarch: Another Since The Devil Is Gone I Mostly Feel Lonely evening at Monarch, this time Cian Nugent will play with his band the Cosmos. They play folky indie rock that sounds strongly post-rock influenced. Definitely the right soundtrack for a Monday night.

• Current 93 at Volksbühne: David Tibet's music project Current 93 reaches back as early as 1983. Since then he collaborated with numerous musicians and released an amount of records that's quite impressive. Stylistically Current 93 lived through many changes and transformations. Since they recently released a new record (prominent guests on this one are John Zorn, Nick Cave and Antony Hegarty) you can probably expect lots of the new material which sounds quite minimalistic and mostly driven only by piano and Tibet's voice. Imagining the great setting of the Volksbühne, this is probably going to be an intense and memorable show.

Thursday

• Shearwater at Privatclub: Although I don't know if Privatclub is that great of a choice for this show, Shearwater may still be worth a visit. That is if you are into catchy indie pop with a big hint to singer songwriter music.

Friday

• Kontra Kontra II at Sowieso: Sowieso is a place dedicated to Berlin's Echtzeitmusik scene, they're hosting improv/experimental/free-jazz shows on a regular basis. This Friday, they present an interesting line up, consisting of Frank Gratkowski and Chris Heenan who will both play contrabass clarinet plus Mike Majkowski and Clayton Thomas (who we mentioned here a couple of times mainly for his collaborations with Chris Corsano), both on double bass. Be sure to check out Sowieso's website for an overview of their impressive program and more infos on the shows.
• Four ever blank part 1: Concert Night w/ Masha Qrella + Fenster + The Chap + *U*N*S + Will Samson at about//blank: About//Blank is celebrating it's 4th birthday and they're throwing a huge party. This is part 1 and features live music by some nice bands and a mixture of different styles and genres. Part 2+3 are starting on Saturday, for more info on that check out the facebook event.

Saturday

• 15years of YoYo Records w/ Iron Chic + Deny Everything + Caves + The Dauntless Elite + Down & Outs + Underparts at bei Ruth: Another birthday party this weekend, YoYo Records is hitting puberty in it's now 15th year of activity, they released over 70 records from over 40 bands. The line-up features a nice blend of pop punk, punk, hardcore, post-hardcore and the like.

Preview: the week ahead (14th to 20th Apr)

This is going to be one busy week. One of these weeks with more shows happening that are worth attending than me having the time to do so. With the Excepter and the Datashock show, there are two more experimental evenings coming up that I've been looking forward to. But there's more cool stuff going on as well, as usual check our calendar below for some more concerts than the ones we feature in the preview.


Tuesday

• Excepter + Black to Comm at Berghain Kantine: I’m so looking forward to seeing Excepter again and this time they also have a more than worthy support. Excepter are an improvisatory experimental band that been around for quite some time. Their sound is varying from weird electronic music to more dub oriented experimental stuff. You could loosely compare them to other New Weird America bands of that time like Animal Collective or Sunburned Hand of the Man but they always kept a quite unique style over the years. Black to Comm is the musical project of the Dekorder label founder Marc Richter. Having released loads of interesting and noteworthy music (one of which is Datashock, see this Friday) he himself plays music that combines influences from classic film scores, noise and experimental music. It floats between drony ambient parts and loose beats. Check it out, it’s beautiful!

• Father Murphy + OAXACA at Urban Spree: Father Murphy are a band that is as weird as it is great. Often labelled as part of an “Italian Occult Psychedelia” surrounding, their sound is dark, heavy, industrial and sacral. OAXACA, also from Italy, play free-jazz. They abstain from fix structures and songs and rely solely on improvisation. This is a great and interesting line-up and makes me wish I could split myself in two this Tuesday.

Thursday

• André Foisy + Nada at West-Germany: André Foisy, founding member of the Relapse band Locrian visits Berlin with his solo project. Expect experimental guitar, tapes & vocals strongly in the spirit of the works Locrian. A must see if you’re into ambient, drone and wide soundscapes. Nada is a side project of two Sun Worship members, playing music that’s also in the vein of repetitive heavy guitar riffs.
• Monochrome + Bathtub Theory at Antje Öklesund: Monochrome are still around after 18 years of being a band and even just released a new record. Having emerged from the hardcore band Dawnbreed, they turned to a more poppy approach on music but without denying their punk/hardcore roots. Bathtub Theory are a relatively fresh Berlin band that sounds like a poppy take on Le Tigre and Sleater Kinney.

Friday

• Datashock + Pretty Lightning at bei Ruth: Datashock haven’t paid Berlin a visit in some time but now they’re back with a new record on it’s way. They are a collective of varying size and line up and play experimental free form music that’s highly influenced by early Krautrock and psychedelic electronica. Pretty Lightning is a duo consisting of two Datashock members, they play more song oriented heavy psychedelic music with an obvious delta blues impact. If you need a soundtrack for a mysterious shamanic desert ritual with just the right amount of ironic and humorous sense of itself, this is the place to be!

Saturday

• Morne + Trainwreck + Jungbluth + Anchor + Oaken at Tiefgrund: A pretty packed evening of intense hardcore and punk. Be sure to be early, this is definitely going to be fully packed and sweaty!

Preview: the week ahead (7th to 13th Apr)

I have just had the shittiest week, I mean really, the full monty. Pall Jenkins made it all better last night (review coming up). The power of music. Here is how you can feel better or even better:

Monday

• Laibach at Volksbühne: Wikipedia says “Laibach is a Slovenian and former Yugoslav avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles.” That’s weird and not for everybody. But there is a whole cult following to Laibach and their odd dance music. Curiosity alone should drag you out on a Monday night to witness this most unusual group and their surpringly catchy tunes. 

Tuesday

• Teen Daze + Magic Island + Pony at Naherholung Sternchen: I don’t know about you, but to me Teen Daze sounds like a punk band. But they are not. Instead, they lull you in with ambient dance tunes and soft vocals. Sounds about right on a Tuesday night. This is one of your very last chances to party at Naherholung Sternchen, which will close its doors at the end of April and will be sadly missed in our gig calendar.

Wednesday

• King Krule at Heimathafen: Looking at the musician, the music is kind of hard to believe. A skinny ginger teenager from the UK who sounds a little bit like Billy Bragg (actually a lot like Billy Bragg - and besides, Bragg is a fan) and has been compared to everyone from Leonard Cohen to Gil Scott-Heron to Johnny Marr. Yep, really. This gig is sold out but if the hype is to be believed - and there’s been a lot of it, King Krule, real name Archy Marshall, has been groomed for indie stardom for years now - it may be worth one’s while to stand outside and see if you can nab a spare ticket. 

Thursday

• Total Heels + Solemn League at Schokoladen: Firm Craze favourites Total Heels are delighting us with an early evening at Schokoladen (doors at 7). Let your hair down or grease it up, don your best dance shoes. Be there or be square, this is our gig of the week.

Preview: the week ahead (31st Mar to 6 Apr)

Summertime! Oh wait, it's not. But it sure looks it peaking out the window. And we came back from the Broken Bells gig without jackets on last night. So there! A lame-ish preview this week but, you know, there is still enough going to to keep us busy.

Wednesday

• Cults at Lido: I like duos, it’s been documented before. This one is interesting as Cults really did start out as lovers but while they are no longer a couple, their artistic relationship has survived. They essentially present pop music, like it or leave it. What I find interesting and intriguing about Cults is the various influences they incorporate into their sound and maybe the twee element of singer Madeline Follin’s voice. It’s not spinning on my turntable but I reckon it’s going to be a nice gig to hang out at with your mate on a mid-week evening.

Thursday

• *U*N*S + The Antikaroshi at Schokoladen: Thirsty and Miserable celebrate their fifth birthday and invited a muesli of punkish bands to celebrate with them for two nights in a row. First day features some wave-punk tunes from *U*N*S and some more post-punk stuff by The Antikaroshi.

Friday

• Mette Rasmussen & Stine Janvin Motland & Chris Corsano at Sowieso Neukölln: Chris Corsano, whom we mentioned here several times before, is a highly prolific and active experimental drummer and percussionist. He collaborated with loads of notable artists and bands, from Björk to Thurston Moore, Sunburned Hand of the Man and Kim Gordon. He’s a regular Berlin guest and delighted us with his performances in various settings and locations. This time he plays together with Mette Rasmussen and Stine Janvin Motland at Sowieso Neukölln, a rather small and cozy location and another nice chance to see Corsano again.
• Auxes + Gorgonoisid + Buman at Schokoladen: Second part of the 5 years of Thirsty and Miserable fest. Auxes play Schokoladen again, they seem to really like it there! Comprised of members of Milemarker, they still share some aspects of their sound and energy with that band and play and very direct and forward take on noisy punk rock. Supporting them will be Gorgonoisid who play something more in the vein of sludge and noise and Buman who probably are more your thing if you’re into SST-style punk.

Saturday

• Skiing + Classic Muscle at Marie-Antoinette: Record release party for this first split release by local indie label Späti Palace. C*’s gig of the week, hands down. Both bands rock and deserve your attention for actually being good local bands. Meet us there!

Sunday

• Kurt Vile + Pall Jenkins at HAU1: I have recently been having a total Black Heart Procession. They have been one of my favourites from day 1 and have been with me through thick and thin. But recently, I have really been rediscovering their first record all over again. So imagine my happiness to read that Pall Jenkins, forming member of Black Heart Procession, is going to play on one bill with Kurt Vile of all people. Kurt Vile’s latest record was a 2013 highlight for many - nicely crafted. This is definitely gig of the year material, oh baby. Heart.

• Dial + Trouble at Altes Finanzamt: This is something very interesting by Sam Hillmer, saxophone player for Zs and one of the people being responsible for the "You Are Here Aka The Maze" festival that took place at West Germany a while ago. There will be a one-day art exhibition and some live music. For more detailled info on what to expect have a look at the facebook event page.

Preview: the week ahead (24th Mar - 30th Mar)

Sorry for being late yet again. Hopefully you figured out a Tuxedomoon show would be worth attending without us having to tell you so...

Monday

• Tuxdomoon at K17: Art rock survivors Tuxedomoon first started playing in 1977 and have gone through a wide swathe of experimental and musical styles since then. Their second awesome and upbeat single, No Tears, is a post-punk classic that’s recently been revived by the youth of today. But it would be extremely unwise to expect a whole evening of that kind of thing. These days you’re more likely to hear violins with guitars, strange and distinctive noises from the post-punk 80s, oblique references to art and culture and literature, plus a bit of performance artiness. Some of it might make you want to move, other bits will make you want to stroke your beard contemplatively. It’s going to be a fine and interesting night.

Tuesday

• Wye Oak at Privatclub: Interesting folk-popsters at Private Club, Kreuzberg. Having not seen them live before it’s hard to judge but other reviewers say that this talented duo make a lot more noise than one might expect from two folks. Judging by their album, Civilian, this is certainly a possibility as it is far more interesting compositionally than your average “dream-pop”; they’ve been compared to fellow Baltimore band, Beach House, before as well as Neil Young and Yo La Tengo. They’ve also supported the Dirty Projectors who, although pretty different musically, have a similar vibe. During most recent gigs, Wye Oak have apparently been getting way more synth and bass in on their act, and there’s a new synth-poppy direction for the new album, Shriek, due out late April. Even if you don’t get to the gig – maybe you’re going to see Joan As A Policewoman instead – make sure you listen to the last album, Civilian, during a mellow Sunday evening just as the sun’s going down. 

Wednesday

• The Warlocks at Bassy: If you like the Dandy Warhols, Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Black Angels, Spacemen 3 and yeah, etcetera etcetera etcetera, you should definitely catch these guys. They’ve been around for about the same amount of time of many of the above and come from the same school of garage-rocking-psych. They tend to jam out a little more than the likes of BJM – in fact, they’re probably closer to the Black Angels. If you like psych rockers that move between garage and psychedelic melt downs, you’re pretty much guaranteed a fuzzed out, smog-infested, guitar-lashed good time at the perfect-size-for-this-band-venue, Bassy, on Wednesday night.

• Staer + Batalj + Horacio Pollard at bei Ruth: This package seems like the perfect way to turn your dull Wednesday evening into an intense noise rock experience. We previewed all of these bands before but we never get enough of Batalj, who are again playing with a newish line-up. Staer are also no uncommon visitors to Berlin, they also played bei Ruth before and if you are remotely into Skingraft records influenced noise rock, you should absolutely not miss this. Horacio Pollard plays music that’s a tad more on the experimental side, ranging from harsh noise to more ambient sounds.
• Capsula at Urban Spree: Capsula play music that’s heavily influenced by 70s psychedelic rock but without sounding only “retro”. They combine garage sounds with modern noisy rock elements, creating something that sounds like a mix between Sonic Youth and the White Stripes. This will be their first Berlin show ever!

Saturday

• Angel Olsen + Allie at HAU: Angel Olsen is coming to Berlin to present her second record Burn Your Fire For No Witness. She’s a versatile artist and sometimes sounds like a very fragile and intimate folk singer while other songs have a quirky indie rock touch. Her newest record was released on Jagjaguwar and fits perfectly in their eccentric rooster of striking melodic and lo-fi tunes.
• Michael Gira at Kantine am Berghain: Swans singer Michael Gira stops by and plays an acoustic show. While this naturally doesn’t sound as noisy as Swans do, it’s still intense and profound.