Berlin concerts: The best live music in November 2024

There’s just something about the gloomy mornings and seemingly endless nights in early November that brings out the wilder, more boisterous side of this city. It therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise that this Autumn, too, marks the annual rebirth of the Hauptstadt’s gloriously raucous punk rock scene.

Best enjoyed with a hand-rolled cigarette in one hand and a cheap beer in the other, these rowdy concerts are the perfect opportunity to escape the constant drizzle and blow off some steam. Aussie supergroup Tropical Fuck Storm will shake up Club Gretchen, Cumgirl 8 are set to reinvent the scene with their unique cyberfeminist post punk anthems, Synästhesie Festival (sort of) returns with a special three-in-one concert event, and satirical punk rock trio Ersatzkopf are eager to offend you with their hilariously crude songwriting (our favourite song titles include I’m always farting and Vomit everywhere, among others).

Apart from that, a plethora of talented indie, jazz, pop and electronic artists will pay the city a visit this month – here’s the full rundown. Oi!

Saturday 2

Kiezsalon

Since its inception in 2015, Digital Berlin’s avant-garde concert series has become an important forum for both established names and up-and-coming talents in contemporary music. Don’t miss this year’s last Kiezsalon at Akademie der Künste, where Swedish-Ethiopian experimental vocalist Sofia Jernberg – known for exploring and pushing the sonic limits of the human voice – will be joined by Australian Cellist Judith Hamann.

Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, starts 20:00, details.

Sunday 3

Pink Mario

When Pink Mario – extraterrestrial alter ego of Berlin-based musician Lazlo Barclay – crash-landed on earth around the beginning of the pandemic, little did we know about the abundance of mesmerising dreamwave anthems the alien pop star would bless us with over the ensuing years. Barclay’s first full-length studio album M4 is brimming with nostalgic 80s synth-pads, unapologetically cheesy guitar solos and beautiful echoey vocals, making it the perfect soundtrack for a cosmic Sunday night stargazing sesh.

Urban Spree, Revaler Str. 99, doors at 20:00, details.

Nas

Among the many perks of living in a culturally vibrant metropolis like Berlin is the fact that even legendary East Coast rappers like Nas usually add a tour stop in the Hauptstadt when they make the big leap across the pond. One of the undeniable greats of the genre, the 51-year-old New Yorker is back from “the fucking dungeons of rap” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his revolutionary debut record Illmatic.

Uber Eats Music Hall, Uber Platz, doors at 18:30, details.

Mon, Nov 4

Erlend Øye & La Comitiva

If an ice-cold aperol and a generous serving of Spaghetti alle Vongole decided to form a band, their music would probably sound a lot like Erlend Øye’s most recent collaborative album La Comitiva. Having relocated from Norway to Berlin in the 2000s – before finally settling in Sicily about a decade ago – Øye’s new Mediterranean sound is a joyful, life-affirming blend of indie folk and bossa nova with a distinct Italian feel. In short: the perfect antidote to your looming winter blues.

Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, doors at 19:00, details.

Wild Rivers

There’s a persistent misconception among highbrow indie musicians that embracing a poppier sound somehow means an artist must be “selling out” to “the mainstream”. Wild Rivers’ latest double release Never Better and the accompanying Better Now are proof that such oversimplified generalisations are, well, usually bollocks. Both eight-track-albums are stacked with musically complex, yet approachable indie pop songs, whose endlessly catchy choruses you’ll inevitably find yourself humming throughout the day. Join the Ontario-based trio for an intimate show at Neukölln’s Hole44.

Hole44, Hermannstr. 146, doors at 19:00, details.

Wednesday 6

Die Nerven

Recorded in a Michelin-star restaurant on Stuttgart’s Schlossplatz, the German noise rock trio’s new album WIR WAREN HIER is an electrifying tour de force. Dark, heavily distorted verses explode into wide shoegazey choruses, all tied together by singer Julian Knoth’s manic theatrical singing (and shouting). Find out how much fuzz you can handle at Astra Kulturhaus this Wednesday.

Astra Kulturhaus, Revaler Str. 99, doors at 19:00, details.

eavesdrop Festival

This one’s for the nerds: Approaching electronic music in its broadest sense, this two-day festival shines a light on the technological marvels behind every Berliner’s favourite genre. The programme features turntablism, DIY analogue electronics, AI voice synthesis and handmade synthesisers.

silent green, Gerichtstr. 35, through Nov 7, details.

Thursday 7

Tropical Fuck Storm

There’s something almost romantic to the raw punk attitude these Melbourne-based psychedelic rockers are so insistently refusing to give up on. Formed by Aussie couple (and former members of hugely successful rock band The Drones), Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin, all four members of the supergroup have been around the block – which doesn’t mean their music has lost any of its bite. Yes, Tropical Fuck Storm’s furious anti-establishment hymns might not exactly be the pinnacle of nuanced political analysis – but they sure are damn fun to head-bang to.

Gretchen, Obentrautstr. 19-21, doors at 19:30, details.

Jimmy Eat World

In the midst of a surprising pop punk revival, it’s easy to overlook the fact that some of the genre’s founding fathers are still out there killing it. Having helped an entire generation of misfit millennials survive middle school in the 2000s (“It just takes some time, little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride”), the lovable emo daddies of Jimmy Eat World are finally back in Berlin. Get out your old checkerboard Vans and studded belt (smokey eyes are optional) and head over to Columbiahalle for a Throwback Thursday that truly lives up to its name.

Columbiahalle, Columbiadamm 13-21, doors at 18:30, details.

John Grant

After decades of writing music and an unlikely rise to fame in the 2010s, singer-songwriter John Grant has finally truly found his groove. The Coloradoan’s sixth studio album The Art of The Lie is a confident departure from his folkier early records, daring and rich in inspirations from funk to soul to moody synthwave. Lyrically, the 56-year-old isn’t afraid to speak his mind anymore either – the album title itself being a sarcastic nod to Donald Trump’s infamous business memoir The Art of the Deal.

Columbia Theater, Columbiadamm 9-11, doors at 19:00, details.

Friday 8

Pandawomen #1: Iranian Female Sounds

This weekly concert series is all about highlighting female voices and drawing attention to gender inequality in the music industry. Every Friday night until Christmas renowned female musicians from Eastern Europe and the Middle East will turn Kulturbrauerei’s courtyard into an open air concert venue. This year’s seventh edition of Pandawomen festival will be opened by a night of classical Iranian music featuring a four-piece band led by singer Samin Ghorbani.

PANDA platforma at Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, starts 20:00, details.

Saturday 9

Levin Goes Lightly

For a couple of years now, music journalists have been throwing around the term ‘Neue Neue Deutsche Welle’ to describe that distinct synth-heavy new wave sound – reminiscent of artists like Nena or Falco – emerging from the German-speaking indie scene. Stuttgart musician Levin Stadler alias Levin Goes Lightly has been a defining artist for this new era of 80s-goes-2020s synth pop. On his recent fifth longplayer Numb, Stadler continues to dazzle with his heartfelt, melancholic songwriting (“Like a tear, time melts away without you”) and beautiful synth compositions.

Monarch, Skalitzer Str. 134., starts 19:00, details.

A Night of Synästhesie

Making up for the tragic cancellation of this year’s Synästhesie Festival, this unique three-in-one concert night – hosted at Prenzlauer Berg locations 8MM Bar, WATT Bar and Roadrunners Paradise – is a much-needed remedy. The stacked lineup features both local and international acts, including Tempers, Dummy, Kumo 99, Kara Delik, Die Anstalt, The Dharma Chain, Federale and Telemat.

8MM Bar, Schönhauser Allee 177b, doors at 19:00, details.
WATT, Metzer Str. 9, doors at 19:00.
Roadrunner’s Paradise, Saabrücker Str. 24, doors at 19:00.

Tuesday 12

Jake Bugg

When then 18-year-old Jake Bugg released his self-titled debut record in 2012, we finally got the immensely satisfying answer to what it would look (and sound) like, if we genetically combined all Beatles and both Gallaghers to create the ultimate Brit Rocker. Having just released his sixth studio album A Modern Day Distraction, Bugg returns to Berlin as a household name in contemporary rock music, still synonymously used with phrases like “great songwriting” and “thick Nottingham accent”.

Lido, Cuvrystr. 7, doors at 19:00, details

Thursday 14

KOKOROKO

Founded by singer-trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey in 2014, the London-based jazz and afrobeat group continues to cook up the grooviest, most scrumptious fusion jazz on the market. Drawing on some of its members’ roots in West, East and Southern Africa, the eight piece band makes use of both Western and African musical tradition, creating an addictive and uniquely recognisable sound.

Huxley’s Neue Welt, Hasenheide 105-113, doors at 19:00, details.

Friday 15

horsegiirL

Associated with Berlin’s edgy techno collective Live From Earth, equestrian hardcore DJ horsegiirL burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere last year with her single My Barn My Rules going viral on TikTok. Considering the current zeitgeist, the huge success of the DJ’s hedonistic club tunes doesn’t really come as a surprise – she wouldn’t even be the first new hyperpop icon whose breakthrough involved dressing up as a sexy anthropomorphic farm animal (remember Doja Cat’s Bitch, I’m a cow?). Saddle up und gallop over to Kesselhaus for a truly animalistic rave this Friday.

Kesselhaus, Knaackstr. 97, doors at 19:00, details.

Saturday 16

Personal Trainer

Amsterdam-based musician Willem Smit is known for producing the kind of understated, effortlessly cool indie rock tunes most artists would shy away from these days. Smit’s latest record Still Willing is a masterclass in musical restraint, leaving just enough space over the Strokes-like instrumentals for the singer’s beautifully deadpan baritone voice to truly shine through.

Schokoladen, Ackerstr. 169, doors at 19:00, details.

Sunday 17

Floodlights

When Aussie indie rockers Floodlights begin to shred, it’s near impossible not to feel that satisfying rush of pure energy, only a really good guitar riff can evoke. What really sets the Melbourne quartet apart, however, is their deeply personal, Springsteen-esque storytelling, demonstrated again on their latest studio album Painting of My Time.

Prachtwerk, Ganghoferstr. 2, doors at 19:00, details.

Wednesday 20

Sega Bodega

Having made a name for himself as a producer for international superstars like Björk and Shygirl, Irish-Chilean artist Sega Bodega knows how to put together a convincing record. Even by producer standards, however, Bodegas latest album Dennis is an astonishingly well-mixed record, jam-packed with futuristic club beats, dark wave synth-pads and ethereal melancholic vocals, often altered using autotune or vocoders.

Hole 44, Hermannstr. 146, doors at 19:00, details.

Friday 22

Wa22ermann

Few artists combine danceable techno beats and old-school conscious rap like German-Pakistani rapper Wa22ermann. Known for her unfiltered descriptions of working class life in Kreuzberg (36 not 61, duh) and frequent collaborations with fellow Berliner Apsilon, the 25-year-old is among the most promising up-and-coming artists in German rap.

Säälchen, Holzmarktstr. 25, doors at 19:00, details.

Saturday 23

ÄTNA

When Inéz Schaefer and Demian Kappenstein alias ÄTNA first met in Dresden, they were both studying to become jazz musicians. Almost a decade and three full-length albums later, the duo have perfected their own unique style of dark, atmospheric electro pop. Their latest album Lucky Dancer is a deeply dystopian record, inspired by recent political upheavals (not only) in East Germany, swaying between escapist daydreams (‘Major Love’) and hopeful activist pleas (‘My Fist High’).

Astra Kulturhaus, Revaler Str. 99, doors at 19:00, details.

Sunday 24

Cumgirl8

Photo: IMAGO / Gonzales Photo

If Charli ‘brat summer’ XCX is the new queen of memeified cyberfeminism, Cumgirl8 are something like their four evil step-cousins. Leaning heavily into the current 2000s nostalgia craze, the New York quartet’s music videos are a beautiful dadaist fever-dream, loaded with early aughts references and seemingly filmed on a Nintendo DS. Despite their general post-modern appeal, however, Cumgirl8’s actual music feels surprisingly analogue – a deliberately chaotic blend of post punk, shoegaze and goth rock, spiced up by the occasional synth interlude.

Monarch, Skalitzer Str. 134, doors at 19:00, details.

Tuesday 26

Ersatzkopf & Local Support

The musical equivalent of a lukewarm Sterni under a highway bridge, anarchist trio Ersatzkopf make the kind of humorous leftist punk rock that is equally political as it is flat out depraved (“I am always farting!”). Naturally, the trio’s cheeky anticapitalist love poems (“From my bed straight into the excel sheet, I wanna work until I die”) are best enjoyed in an overcrowded, smoke-filled dive bar – which is why the Darmstadt rockers are headed straight to legendary Kreuzberg venue SO36 this Tuesday.

SO36, Oranienstr. 90, doors at 19:00, details.

Wednesday 27

Beak>

Surprisingly stepping back into the spotlight after a six year hiatus, the British art rock band, launched and led by Portishead-founder Geoff Barrow, just released their fourth studio album. Staying true to their genre-defying roots, Beak’s latest record is a sophisticated mix of experimental soundscapes, trip hop, mellow indie rock and psychedelic. And just a PSA: With Barrow having announced his departure from the band earlier this fall, this could be your last chance to see the Bristol trio live in concert.

Gretchen, Obentrautstr. 19-21, doors at 19:00, details.

Thursday 28

The Howl & The Hum

Sam Griffiths’ long-awaited second studio album – the singer’s first release after the disbandment of what was once a lauded four-piece indie rock group – is a brutally honest record and ultimately a break-up album. Lyrically, Griffiths switches between clever post-digital troubadourism (“But baby who gets the Netflix now?”) and straight up heart-shattering poetry (“To love you so long, it’s like holding on to water in my hands”). Musically, the singer-songwriter mostly ditches the synths and drum computers prominent on The Howl’s 2020 debut record, opting instead for a folk adjacent and mostly acoustic style.

Hole44, Hermannstr. 146, doors at 19:00, details.

Friday 29

AGGREGATE Festival

Hosted at Charlottenburg’s historic Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, this two-day festival showcases the surprising versatility of contemporary pipe organ music (you read that right). Known as ‘hyperorgan’, the emerging experimental genre mixes classical music with computer automation and electronic elements, making for especially captivating live performances.

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, Breitscheidplatz, through Nov 30, details.

Saturday 30

Schwindel

Our favourite DIY indie punk aficionados of Schwindel join forces with Local Support (the band) and Flaws for a head-banging Saturday night punk rock bash at eclectic Kreuzberg bar Wild at Heart. See y’all in the mosh pit!