I know this is hard to accept, but the Berlin summer is over. Yes, we’ll still have some good weather days and the sun will probably come out on occasion, but September 21st marked the official change of the season. Now I’m gonna lay the cheese on real thick: don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. So, with that in mind, let’s look back at some of the highlights of the summer before I make myself sick.
We had some really great The Berliner events this season. It kicked off with The Berliner Live at Schokoladen with Timbeau and Objet Darling, two incredibly cool indie bands. DJ Einkaufswagen took over after the live music and played an all-vinyl DJ set until the wee hours. We’re looking forward to doing more live events this autumn and winter.
Our writer Nathaniel Flakin’s Berlin By Foot history tours were incredibly well attended in recent months, with every last spot filled. My favourite was his tour of Schöneberg’s Red Island. Exploring a different neighbourhood while learning all about its history is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and Nathaniel is so entertaining.
I was most proud of our Berlin On Film: Triple Threat series with Mobile Kino. We screened Berlin movies on three consecutive nights: The Teaches of Peaches, Berliner Ballade and Run Lola Run. Every night was packed. Mark Reeder came along and introduced Berliner Ballade on the second night. It’s the second time I have seen this film and it seems to get better with each watch. Everyone needs to see it. On the final night, we launched our September issue (our running special) and screened Run Lola Run. The event was sold out and there couldn’t have been a more fitting way to introduce the running issue to the world.
We kept this theme up for more events this summer too. We teamed up with RUN-N-RAVE for a special edition of the early morning run-workout-breakfast-dance-party. Who knew starting your day at 7am with this combination could be so much fun? Then we joined forces with Joshua Dullroy from Mobile Kino for his new concept, Run Lola’s Run. It’s a 5K fun-running tour through the city led by Josh. It stops at famous locations from Run Lola Run and other films that were shot here – a hell of a lot of fun and highly recommended.
I was finally able to see Drag Syndrome perform at Krake Festival, having missed them in 2023. I think I lucked out though – this time round they performed in the main room of Berghain. Pansy was the host for the evening, whipping up the crowd with her trademark acerbic wit and fervour. Dancing to pop bangers while watching the drag kings and queens with Down’s Syndrome perform brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. They are born for the stage and born to entertain.
Pansy’s Actual Drag Race was another drag highlight of the summer. This year, the annual event, which sees drag artists race against each other in heels, took place over the bridge at Rathaus Schöneberg station. After the delightfully chaotic race, we took to the park below where we were treated to a wonderful open-air drag show. It almost didn’t happen though – the police turned up and wanted to shut it down. Thankfully, it was able to go ahead, and we were treated to first class drag performances in a beautifully picturesque setting. The show was stolen by a really young kid getting up and joining in at the front of the crowd. They had the moves and they got the cheers. A future drag star, I reckon.
This year, Berlin Atonal scaled down from a huge multi-day affair to a, well, huge affair across slightly fewer days. Atonal is Berlin’s best boundary-pushing experimental music festival and the programming was as strong as ever. Lord Spikeheart was my standout artist. His cacophonous vocals roared over the top of the harsh electronics as he stalked the hallowed halls of Kraftwerk and scaled the sound and lighting rigs. He had a real presence and aura that melded fluently with his unconventional music. Berlin is blessed to have Atonal in its annual cultural calendar.
The setting of Kraftwerk and the adjacent venues play an important part in Atonal, and the same goes for the multimedia audiovisual art experience Organysmo at Monopol. This site-specific series of light and sound installations made excellent use of the former distillery in Reinickendorf. For the opening night, there were a number of live performances that happened in unison with the dynamic and kinetic lights. Harpists, violinists and other instrumentalists improvised while the installations moved around them. It was reminiscent of the work of the multimedia art pioneer Christopher Bauder, and when this is the level you are reaching, you know it’s good.
Speaking of Bauder, it was another great edition of Sommerlights. This year, the outdoor installation at Dark Matter was titled FLOW. As always, the live performers and DJs that get booked for the space over the summer are the real highlights. UK beatboxer Beardyman was a personal favourite of mine. Seeing him create beats and melodies on the fly, often using noises he made with his voice box, is wildly entertaining. It often seemed like everything was about to fall apart, before he miraculously got it back on track. A master at work. The Code’s Shape of Us 2.0 fashion show was another standout event. Seeing the models strut around under the lights of FLOW while sporting some of the most forward-thinking and innovative kinkwear was spectacular.
I have an affinity for kink, and I really enjoy spoken word and comedy events. These two worlds collide at Time To Shine, the theatrical event series from Terry Saunders and L’aDios. This edition featured an erotic film screening followed by an interview with the director and star, insightful storytelling from a sex worker, interactive game show interludes and more. Saunders and L’aDios are the stars of the show. Saunders’ deep dive into his complicated relationship with The Rocky Horror Picture Show was hilarious and insightful, and L’aDios closing dance and monologue performance was simultaneously tender and hard-hitting. The next Time To Shine is in November, and I highly recommend it.
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love Tempelhof. Well, after seeing Die Ärzte play there live, I love it even more. The seminal Berlin punk band played three nights in a row, right in front of the former hangars. Each night had 60,000 people, not including those who were watching from the outside. I was there for the third night, and the whole thing had a proper festival atmosphere with plenty of food trucks and bars. Before this gig, I only knew a few songs, and after it, I turned into a fully-fledged devotee and fan for life. The band is now in its fifth decade and the intergenerational crowd shows how they have made plenty of new fans over the years. The singalongs were raucous and the hits kept coming. They played for around three hours, including 45 minutes of encores. It was always entertaining and never boring, and afterwards I had so many songs stuck in my head. Listening to Die Ärzte is my new German homework and language learning is suddenly fun.
Have you ever seen someone willingly allow people to staple money to their body? If you said yes, you’ve probably been to see Enjo Flint and his Hullabaloo Cabaret. I went to his latest show, Hotel Peacock Blue in Ballhaus Wedding. Wow, what a venue. It was the ideal backdrop for the show, where Flint plays the part of a bellboy in a hotel who deals with a range of weird and wonderful guests as boho magicians, burlesque dancers and clowning acrobats. Flint is an impeccable host and compére, and every performer was on point. This was the first time the show was in Ballhaus, and I hope it comes back there again.
The next night it was time for even more cabaret, this time Cabaret Chaotik at Zirkus Mond. This show was produced by Tania G and Maia Friend, who both star. There was hair suspension, aerial hoop, contortion, clowning, hula-hooping and plenty of general tomfoolery. This was only the second edition of Cabaret Chaotik, so it was really wonderful to see the circus tent absolutely packed. Our latest cover story is on the cabaret scene in Berlin, so pick up a copy to find out more about Enjo, Tania and the rest of the cabaret crews.
Just creeping in on the last official day of summer was the launch party for Hip Hop: Conscious Unconscious at Fotografiska. The photo exhibition looks at hip hop from its earliest origins in the 1970s right up to the present day. I found it fascinating to see how the genre developed over time and how photographic techniques moved almost in tandem. Each section of the exhibition covers a different era. In the late 70s and 80s, it’s a lot of street snapshots and candid moments. These early photos feel special, like real historic moments being captured.
When it comes to the 90s, gangster rap starts to come through, and fuzzy innocence starts to be replaced by more polish and sheen. By the time it gets to our current times, it’s all studio shots and set ups. This exhibition has toured the different Fotografiska locations throughout the world, but to make the Berlin edition more unique, a section dedicated to German hip hop has been added. It’s an excellent touch that adds a regional relevance and recognition that will hopefully introduce an international audience to the wonders of Deutschrap. Whether you’d consider yourself a hip-hop fan or not, this exhibition is an exhilarating ride through a genuine cultural phenomenon.
I’m now looking forward to a culture-packed autumn. We’ve reached the time of year where it’s better to be indoors than outdoors, which is ideal for gigs, exhibitions, theatre, movie screenings and more. Summer might be over, but there’s still plenty to smile about.
