“When all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils,” wrote Wordsworth back in the 1800s, long before the modern trappings of amps, post (or pre) rock, and little plastic pfand tokens.
If the ironically anosmic bard were around today, he’d surely sack-off wandering lonely as a cloud in favour of seeing some of Berlin’s best indie offerings. Yes, the weather is becoming ever-more glorious, but where better to hide your reddened day-drinking face than a badly-lit live music venue? From accordion-wielding Americans on tour via South Korea, to banging nu-disco from one of Glasgow’s most famous club nights, our April gig guide has you sorted.
Shameless/Limitless: Pussy Mothers (Optimo, Glasgow) + Jack Chosef
Loophole
April 4th 20:30
Optimo first began in Glasgow back in 1997; the year that gave us Radiohead’s OK Computer, Spiritualized’s Ladies and Gentlemen and Björk’s Homogenic. Not to fall behind that golden year’s competition, the famous club night gained a fast reputation for mixing everything under the sun all with world-renowned Glaswegian charm. Optimo’s tradition of broad, eclectic beats continues with recent signing, Pussy Mothers. This Scotland-based duo will be blasting their echoey, droning disco funk and throwback hip hop rhythms at Loophole together with local Jack Chesof.
Bang On Presents: Clash Symbols #1: Snøffeltøffs, Voodoo Beach, Paper Spook
Bei Ruth
April 7th 20:00
Berlin’s female-focussed music collective, BangOn hosts its premiere showcase this month with a stupidly good lineup. Snøffeltøffs lay on their joyfully lo-fi garage-pop, while Paper Spook’s retro-inspired spook-rock numbers are enough to put a smile on John Cooper Clarke’s face. The night is rounded out by the gorgeously atmospheric Voodoo Beach, who are all rhythmic angles and slouching guitar hooks, with a little bit of Once Upon a Time in the West thrown in for good measure.
T.C. Costello
Wild At Heart
April 12th 20:00
Visiting from South Korea, T.C. Costello is touring Europe with his accordion-based numbers that should have you throwing your stein’s of beer around with pirate-like abandon. Part world music, part punk rock, Costello’s brand of witty, trad-inspired music is a great way to round off your Sunday before you go back to the sterile humdrum of Monday morning.
Ja Ja Ja Berlin presents Sandra Kolstad, Mikko Joensuu + aYia
FluxBau
April 12th 20:00
Alt-pop comes to FluxBau in the form of Norwegian Sandra Kolstad whose transcendent numbers burst with ecstatic choruses and frantic, early-‘80s Bowie-sounding piano. Support comes from Finnish singer-songwriter Mikko Joensuu and Icelandic pop outfit, aYia. If the lineup isn’t enough to tempt you, it’s worth heading down to Spree-side FluxBau for a beer al-fresco and a little wave at early-season adventurers chugging up and down on the noisy tour boats bedecked with fairy lights.
S/L & Fenster Present: Horse Lords + Cloud Becomes Your Hand
Marie Antoinette
April 14th 21:00
In the interests of full disclosure, Horse Lords are weird. Listening to their 2016 Interventions can feel a little like stumbling home backwards after an all-nighter wearing nothing but broken 3D glasses. But they are good. Math rock doesn’t quite do the band justice as the sax wails against your ear drums and the bass feels as though it’s trying to bore a hole through your lower stomach. All the way from Baltimore, they deserve a good showing from the Berlin crowd. Support comes from Brooklyn-based Cloud Becomes Your Hand, whose proggy space music is a perfect primer.
Mile Me Deaf & Jolly Goods – M:Soundtrack & Lou Fai
ACUD Macht Neu
April 19th 20:00
For some washed-out indie in the vein of Animal Collective or Temples, catch Mile Me Deaf at ACUD, Mitte. Though they’re touring their new album, Alien Age, this Viennese band have been a mainstay of European underground indie for several years now. Berlin-based, Riot Grrl-inspired Jolly Goods supports.
She Owl meets Highest Sea
Culture Container
April 21st 21:00
She Owl’s music is a wonder of sultry vocals, haunting arrangements, and rattling, shamanistic beats. There’s a confidence and a groundedness to the singer, Jolanda’s, presence that will have you forgetting that pint in your hand that grows warmer as you stare, open-mouthed, at the stage. Any fans of Bat For Lashes won’t want to miss this show. She Owl is joined by LOLA favourite Highest Sea who played a killer album release show last month in Schrippe Hawaii.
Fever Creek Festival – Intermezzo (Pacific Swell, Luckless, Calamity Sam)
IPA Bar
April 22nd 20:00
What better way to celebrate seasonally confused April than with some surf-rock from the cold North. Hailing from Denmark, Pacific Swell’s sexy, noir numbers have plenty of bass kick to have you shuffling along IPA’s backroom floor. Support comes from PJ Harvey-inspired, loop-pedalling New Zealander, Luckless, and laid-back rocker, Calamity Sam.
Glass Animals
Astra Kulturhaus
April 27th 20:00
You should have all heard 2014’s, Gooey by now, the sexy, radio-friendly hit that shot Glass Animals into the mainstream. R&B meets varsity indie with this Oxford act. Vocals sublime, tones warm, and delicious songwriting that’s both placeless and timeless, get your tickets for this show, it looks set to sell out.
