Deutsches Theater with surtitles

We went to the performance of Woyzeck at Deutsches Theater last night. They offer certain performances with English surtitles and I can recommend taking advantage of this. The translations are not the best but they are good enough to help non-German speakers follow the storyline. The upcoming performances with English surtitles are Dirty Hands by Sartre, Children Of The Sun by Gorki, and Capitalista, Baby!, based on the novel by Ayn Rand.

In the case of Woyzeck, the music was written by Tom Waits and the production was using the original English songs. Tom Waits' music fit the story and mood so well; I was very impressed. I'm not a Tom Waits fan per se but the Eastern European influence in the songs gave you an instant feel for the mood and setting of the play. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Review: Earth

Let me tell you a little story first: I once fell asleep during a Mount Eerie performance. Of course this wasn't Mount Eerie's fault. I had been driving all day from LA to San Diego (which should take less than three hours in good traffic), it was a hot evening and Che Café was just cosy that night, with everyone seated on the floor to watch the performance. But it's still a good story to tell when people rave on about their love for Mount Eerie, justifiably so, and then I can just say I fell asleep when I saw them. I love watching their jaws drop...

This time round, I didn't even get the chance to fall asleep. Because when we arrived at 9:20 pm (let's just say that's early for us), we had not only missed Ô Paon but also Mount Eerie. I still haven't quite figured out how this happened. Did each band only play for 20 minutes or did the concert start even earlier than its scheduled time of 8 pm? Either way, we entered the room when Earth were playing their first song.

And we were immediately taken in. It felt as if we were entering another world, somewhere in the woods, and unknown creatures would turn around a corner any minute. We made ourselves comfortable, but our luck was poor as there were some drunks next to us, making a right racket. Interestingly enough, several audience members asked them kindly to be quiet, and it sort of half-worked. 

Earth don't do anything that you haven't heard before as such. But they've done it for a long time and they are really good at it. Their songs and soundscapes build over prolonged periods of time (maybe an average of 10 minutes per song) and really draw you in. It's like diving into the music, like becoming part of it. I had been looking forward to this gig, but I was also worried I might get bored. My attention span isn't always the greatest. But instead, I was challenged in the most interesting way to soak in what was presented to me. 

The regular performance took just under an hour and a half. And that was perfect for me - given that the music challenged you and actually required a lot of your engergy, without that you moved an inch. Unnecessarily in my eyes, they came back for an encore of two songs. People had been demanding it. This was a little overkill for me, and arguably not their best songs either. I spoke to others afterwards who felt the same.

Just the same, I was ever so glad we had forked out the cash to be part of the Earth magic for once in our lives. I cannot guarantee I will do it too many times, but I seriously enjoyed the experience.

Review: Jacuzzi Boys

This gig had been entered into my calendar for a long time but I had sort of forgotten about it until yesterday morning, when I uploaded the preview. Listening to a few of their songs online I really got into it again and although I already had a theatre date with my man, we headed straight from the theatre over to Comet to watch Jacuzzi Boys play and, as a bonus, listen to Simon Wojan's fantastic DJing skills.

My friend was probably not the only one hungover from a long Easter weekend of partying. Therefore, I was rather surprised when Comet was nicely filled and quite a few familiar faces and local rock'n'roll celebrities had showed up. The atmosphere was lively and inviting. 

Jacuzzi Boys are from Florida and they don't try to hide it. Not only are several of their songs about the very fact, they also look the part and have made their own stage backdrop from cloth with a palm trees print. Now that's style! 

Having just set up the stage minutes before, they went straight into their set and got people moving from minute one. The set progressed to become faster and more rocking with each song it seemed and there wasn't just dancing, there was jumping and pogoing (no joke) and all sorts. People actually had fun, which is something I haven't really seen in Berlin this year yet. Maybe it's Spring, maybe it was the party weekend mood, but most likely, it was Jacuzzi Boys' energy. This three-piece just gets you moving.

Musically, they sound indie rock on record, but live, it's pure punk rock - another surprise. With echo effects on the vocals and sped up versions of most of their hits, it's a raw and fast affair. However, what makes this band stick out is the rhythm section. These two are professionals: fine drumming and a superb bass sound. I could have just had the bass lines and been happy just the same. I recommend this band to you. They may go far.

There is something to be said for those early shows at Comet. Even with hanging around for a while after the gig, we were home early enough to watch some old episodes of Password.

Preview: the week ahead (9th - 15th Apr)

Boah! Whoa! What a week ahead. You try and choose, we are struggling. See you around town and when you bump into c* be sure to buy her a coke, it's her birthday on Sunday.

Monday

Arabrot and Russian Circles at Festsaal Kreuzberg: Norwegian metal noise with crossover elements. Clever. If that's your thing...

Jacuzzi Boys at Comet Club: C* is excited about this one. This Florida trio definitely appeals to fans of No Age and other bands emulating the sound of 90s indie punk à la Dinosaur Jr. C* likes this stuff. And she is up for some Jacuzzi boys action.

Tuesday

Om and Nadja at Berghain: Experimental legends doing it at Berghain. This is sure to be a spectacular evening. Exciting stuff!

Hard Skin at KvU: Oi legends that never set out to be oi legends. This one is going to sell out for sure. Show up early.

Wednesday:

Xiu Xiu and Au at Festsaal Kreuzberg: I don't think we need to say much about Xiu Xiu. They're on tour presenting their latest record "Always" but I'm sure they're also going to play some older songs. I've seen several Xiu Xiu shows until now and none of them was bad. So this is kind of a sure thing.

Banque Allemande, Aimée Argote (Des Ark) and Mika Risiko at Knochenbox: Oh wow, this is where C* will spend her Wednesday evening. You should join us. Banque Allemande play 70/80s type German punk wave. High quality stuff. In addition, you get to see Aimée Argote and local girlfriend Mika Risiko (look at previous previews for links) as support. A night of party and dancing. That's for sure. BTW: check out BA's very fun video on YouTube.

Friday:

Carla Bozulich's Bloody Claws (with Okkyung Lee and Morten J. Olsen) and Kim Doo Soo at Ausland: Carla Bozulich may be better known under her stage name Evangelista. She plays dark experimental music often with ambient soundscape elements. For this concert she collaborates with Okkyung Lee and other guests. Sounds like a very promising mix!

Strange Boys, Jimmy Trash And The Gunpowder Temple Of Heaven, Zhod and Delta Love at White Trash: Strange Boys and Jimmy Trash did more or less the same thing a year and a half ago and it was a wild night of partying and possibly the best gig of 2010 (see review). They've toned down their songs as witnessed by C* in LA, but nevertheless she has high hopes for this gig. May we repeat what cannot be repeated!

Saturday:

Michael Hurley and Josephine Foster at Ausland: Folk legends giving it their finest. High quality. Very good.

Female Drum Fest with STLS and Dark Times at bei Roy: This sounds promising! STLS are on KillRockStars records and are a two piece drum only band. So somehow this is like... drumcore? Dark Times are a Norwegian punk band. Also expect some cool DJing and partying later on.

Sunday:

The Samuel Jackson 5 and Petrels at Schokoladen: It seems to be a week of Norwegian music in Berlin. Here is our last northern offering of the week: instrumental rock. Have a cup of tea and a piece of cake, then head over to Schokoladen in the late afternoon for this matinée that starts at 6pm.

Modern Pets and the About Blanks at bei Roy: in the mood for some '77 garage punk? Gimme gimme gimme.
Dan Sartain at Roadrunners: For C* it's a tough choice between TV Buddhas and Dan Sartain. But it's her birthday and she needs to rock out hard on her birthday. Mr Sartain, being a suave man with a rhythmic rock guitar, might just do that for her. Roadrunners Paradise is an odd choice of venue, but what do we care. We can have a dance wherever, right?

(TV Buddhas unfortunately had to cancel their tour.)

Review: Prinzhorn Dance School

I hadn't heard of this band until a couple of months ago when my man had J. and I listen to this, recommending we'd go to the upcoming show. I obliged and was not disappointed.

Minimalism can be interpreted in many ways and more often than not it's with an electronic element. Prinzhorn Dance School give the word a new meaning. Minimalism here means bass lines, with just the smallest amount of a melody played on guitar and a steady drum beat that, in theory, could be played with one drum stick. Basically, you get the least and the most out of your instrument at the same time. It's intelligent music, one that challenges you, but at the same time it's highly accessible and simple.

Live, this makes for a great performance. They are not your crazy dancing, engaging band. It wouldn't suit them or their music. But you want to be their friend. They have obviously listened to a lot of Crass over the years and turned this into something more pop and wavey. But the look (all black), the lyrics, the spoken word elements - it all reminded me so much of Crass and other politically active groups of the late 70s and early 80s. And I like that style. A lot. The highly rhythmic element to their music won't let you stand still either. I like even more. A lot.

Given they haven't really made a name for themselves in Germany yet and given that it was a Sunday night, the gig not only had to be moved from Festsaal to Berghain Kantine, but it was far from full, maybe a third filled. Somehow it didn't matter - because people that are into this band, are really into this band. The audience was into it. The atomsphere was good. And I am guessing the merch sales were satisfactory, too, because we queued unusually long to purchase a vinyl version of the record, which came with a free CD. 

I braved illness to go see this and I am ever so glad I did. Sure, they will come back. And sure, they should have played at West Germany in the first place, to a packed room. But what a great band to see, what a great thing to do on a Sunday night. May they return soon!

Preview: the week ahead (2nd - 8th Apr)

First I thought - what a drab week. Preview done, I cannot believe our luck. There are some real highlights in there.

Monday

Bitchin Bajas at Madame Claude: Electronic soundscapes. Absolutely amazing. First gig this week to get me excited. Go see!

Tuesday

Neptune and Novo Line at Marie-Antoinette: Customised instruments. Industrial sound. Math. Noise. This is high-energy intelligent-core. You will love this if you like either Primus or experimental noise, or both, and you should not miss this.

Thursday

Shokei and Pete the Pirate Squid at Schokoladen: Some comic punk fun experience. We have been to dance with Shokei at Schokoladen before. We have fond memories. They make us laugh and dance at the same time. Oh sure, I'm sure they are serious about their art, but whatever. Laugh and dance we say! Update: see J.'s comment below! Aimée Argote + Mika Risiko are now playing instead of Shokei.

Friday

Klink and Batalj at bei Roy: Tis is the one that really gets me excited this week! KLINK is a dutch/german jazz improvisation trio and J. says I need to see this as my personal challenge. BATALJ just get me excited. Noisy noise with the right elements of everything. I am a fan. But that's probably no news to you. 

Sunday

Sankt Otten and Bersarin Quartett matinee at Schokoladen: Classical instruments will no doubt appear on stage for this rare performance of German institution Sankt Otten. Be super early! Not only does the gig start at 6pm sharpe, but it is likely to be busy, too.