Yummy Crime

Mika Risiko (Sissters) has got a new two-piece project Crime. They are currently on tour with E.D. Sedgwick, stopping by Berlin's Marie-Antoinette on the 23rd of this month. Get yourself in the mood by watching the new video, which they premiered at Berlin's porn festival last month. No kiddin'!

Big shot Ty Segall

Remember the fun Ty Segall show at West Germany in 2010, or the amazing one at Festsaal Kreuzberg this year? Well, he has now taken David Letterman's show apart in the same fashion. Rock'n'Roll.

Review: Death Grips

I went to see Death Grips play their first Berlin show ever a few days ago and it turned out to be a more than worthy introduction!

Festsaal Kreuzberg's show starting times seem to be a bit random lately. Some shows I visited recently started pretty early and on time. So when I went to Festsaal last Thursday, the doors weren't even open. Having to kill some time, I went to nearby West Germany first where some semi-interesting art exhibition opening took place. Death Grips' stage time was supposed to be 11.30pm so I had some time until the show eventually started. When I went back and hung around inside, two DJs were spinning some records and Festsaal filled more quickly than ever. There was a constant stream of audience coming in and the atmosphere swiftly got more and more excited and anticipating of what was supposed to happen.

Now Death Grips are at the moment not only hyped and featured throughout almost the whole music press, but they're also taking a huge part of their own to feed this hype. I don't mean that in a strictly negative sense at all. They are a band that speaks out about unacceptable conditions between record labels and artists. They also deal very openly on Facebook and Twitter with the conflict between themselves and their (now ex-) record label Epic, which drew the not so surprising consequence of dropping them from the label just at the day of this Berlin show. Apparently Epic didn't want to keep a band under contract that decided to leak their latest record for free on the internet without even letting them know in the first place and that published internal emails on Facebook. So Epic published a statement (read more about it on Pitchfork) in which they said "when marketing and publicity stunts trump the actual music, we must remind ourselves of our core values. To that end, effective immediately, we are working to dissolve our relationship with Death Grips."

Preview: the week ahead (5th - 11th Nov)

We are taking it relatively easy this week. Except for Saturday, when C* is going to lose it when Moon Duo and Camera will transform HAU into music heaven. Thursday and Sunday are worth your attention too. Check it out.

Tuesday
Acid Mother Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. and Idklang at Marie-Antoinette: Japanese experimental psychedelic guitar noise. Might blow some minds but you need to be into that kind of thing - it's going to be intense.

Wednesday
Geoff Farina at a random house somewhere in Berlin: This is actually sold out but you can try and get on a waiting list on Facebook. Karate's Mr. Farina performing with his beautiful folk guitar solo project.

Thursday
Godspeed You! Black Emperor at SO36: Two nights of post-rock magic at SO36. Though it is an odd choice of venue - last time I saw them, in 1999, they played in a church and I would have expected a similar setting this time - it will allow for intimacy. If you have never seen Godspeed, make sure that you do. There is not anything like it, with the band consisting of 8 people and an array of instrumentation, as well as a ninth member dedicated to visuals only, they are bound to give you a feast for the ears and eyes. If you can't make it on Thursday, they are playing again on Friday.
Grand Predateur, The Songs and Piss at Tiefgrund: Grand Predateur play rhythmic noise with metally kind of guitars. Good stuff and a treat for noise and garage fans. Rocking. Also check out Piss, some Berlin locals play pissed (who would've thought that?) punk.
Apparat at Berghain: Speaking of visual sound treats, Apparat also uses unsual and varied instrumentation, as well as electronics, for his ambient soundscapes and beautiful melancholic pop songs. A treat indeed.



Saturday
Beach House and Holy Other at Astra: Dream pop duo Beach House take it to the relatively big stage with a headline gig at Astra. Of course it's sold out, so you may have to resort to Kleinanzeigen if you still want to go and haven't got a ticket yet. 
Man Meets Bear and Crystal Shipsss at Antje Öklesund: We have previewed Man Meets Bear before of course, an dream sound project to relax to. Crystal Shipsss, however, have not made it on to our blog before. Musically not far off Man Meets Bear, the high-pitched vocals and fuzzy guitar riffs let this one man project stand out. A nice evening for a quiet night out.
Oiro at about:blank: this is for you if you're into Hamburg style Deutschpunk in the vein of Dackelblut and Oma Hans.
Moon Duo and Camera at HAU1: C*'s gig of the week, if not month. My favourites are returning to town, playing at the newly refurbished Hebbel Am Ufer, with local-stars-taking-the-world Camera in tow. The new Moon Duo album is my album of the year, hands down. Read my praise for Moon Duo's Festsaal show last year and a review of their Lisbon performance to know more about this group. 



 
Sunday
Volcano The Bear and Church Car at Monarch: Minimalistic experimental night at Monarch. The setting seems perfect - this could turn out good for those open to quirky sounds and arhythmic drumming.
Ringo Deathstarr at Comet: Indie schmindie alternative fuzzy guitar rock in the style of our favourite 90s grunge and indie bands. Very accessible but all the better for it. Nice. Also, you could just walk across the street from Bi Nuu if you didn't make it into DIIV but needed your guitar fix. Ringo Deathstarr tour cancelled (see comment below). 
DIIV and Parakeet at Bi Nuu: If indeed there is a grunge revival, then DIIV must be the band for it, albeit a little clean. Read my review from their amazing Monarch gig a couple of months back. Support from Yuck side project Parakeet. Let's see whether people will queue down the street again for this. Highly recommended but you may have to fight for your ticket.

Cat Power may cancel tour :(

Cat Power hast released a statement that indicates she may cancel her forthcoming tour, including the Berlin gig at Huxley's on 29 November:

"I may have to cancel my European tour due to bankruptcy and my health struggle with angioedema. I have not thrown in any towel, I am trying to figure out what best I can do. Heart broken. Worked so hard. Got sick day after 'Sun' came out and been struggling to keep all points of me in equilibrium: mind, spirit, body healthy centered and grounded. I am doing the best I can. I fucking love this planet. I refuse to give up. Though I may need to restratagize for my security and health"

Until then, here is a beautiful video from the latest album:
 

Review: Villagers

On occasion, it can pay off to be ambitious. When I decided I was first going to watch Villagers play at Astra Kulturhaus in Friedrichshain, before heading over to the deepest Neukölln to celebrate Doomsday Student at bei Roy, I was not fully convinced myself that this plan was achievable. But all worked out and all for the better.

Conor O'Brien, aka Villagers, has been on my live music wish list for some time. Regrettably, I was not able to attend his last Berlin performance at Festsaal Kreuzberg. With the new album coming out in the new year, determination to see him with the current set raged in me. Which is how I ended up going to a sold out Grizzly Bear gig and not hear a single song of Grizzly Bear.