a moment. an image. a thought.

19 December 2009

julian plenti (berlin, festsaal kreuzberg 2009)

everyone who has tried to disguise himself or herself knows that it is not as easy as it seems. paul banks who is known as interpol's lead singer has given it a go and released his first solo album as julian plenti. of course, it didn't take very long until the word had spread who was hidden behind that name. especially not, when you play the album and immediately recognize his striking voice. before 2009 is over, julian plenti graced berlin with one of his rare performances in europe. you can read a full review of the show here:

09.12.2009 julian plenti live in berlin (festsaal kreuzberg)

interview: beach house

in the winter time, all you want is a bit of warmth and a pleasant feeling when you listen to the records that are sitting on the shelves in your room. you start warming up with a hot cup of tea in your hand and get carried away by some tunes that promise sunshine or simply touch your heart. "beach house" from baltimore exactly do that. their dreamy, floating songs easily wrap themselves around you without you even noticing it. in the middle of february, when snowflakes are probably falling gently on your window sill, the duo will release their new album called "teen dream" and will provide the musical blanket that you have been looking for. alex and victoria recently jumped into a plane to berlin and talked about their new album with me. you can read all about it here:

interview: beach house (roteraupe.de)

phoenix (berlin, huxley's 2009)

phoenix have enjoyed a phenomenal success with their latest album "wolfgang amadeus phoenix". in terms of live shows, nothing can stop them from turning a boring venue into the biggest party you have ever seen with people shouting for more hits all the time. phoenix have proved to be a truly great live band in the past. however, they still put something on top of that every time they come back to berlin. the stage invasion by happy fans at the end of the show, the special happy birthday song for thomas or the incredible energy in the room all made the evening unforgettable. à bientôt!

click here to see more photos:

21.11.2009 phoenix live in berlin (huxley's)

full gig review:

phoenix live in berlin (gaesteliste.de)

phoenix live in berlin (roteraupe.de)

words: annett bonkowski

photos: anne bonkowski

interview: mumford & sons

how often does it happen that you listen to a new band and you immediately fall in love with their songs? probably not that often i suppose. mumford & sons have managed to sneak their way straight into the hearts of many listeners when their first single "little lion man" came out. it was the same with their debut album "sigh no more" that was released in october. quickly, their name appeared in many magazines and their songs were played on dozens of radio stations across the uk. in november, they came back to germany to play a magnificent gig in front of a sold out crowd at the magnet club in berlin. how lucky we were to be able to ask them a couple of questions before they got ready to go onstage. you can read the full interview here:

interview: mumford & sons (roteraupe.de)

interview: annett bonkowski

photos: hella wittenberg

grizzly bear (berlin, postbahnhof 2009)

some people imagine that heaven is a peaceful and quiet place where you feel safe and happy. if that is the case, i'm sure grizzly bear's music is played in every corner of it. at least, i was wondering if i was catching a short glimpse of what life in heaven will be like when grizzly bear made a stop in berlin to perform songs from their latest album "veckatimest" at postbahnhof. the lighting was beautiful, the smoke machines created some kind of heaven-like atmosphere and most of all, the songs that were performed that night could not have been more beautiful. if heaven is perfect, so are grizzly bear.

click here to see more photos:

11.11.2009 grizzly bear in berlin

full gig review:

grizzly bear live in berlin (gaesteliste.de)

the dead weather (berlin, astra 2009)

bang! the dead weather surely do not lose a second when they get onstage. they are on fire from the very first to the very last moment. jack white being behind the drums and occasionally on guitar while sharing singing duties during the show was undeniably a highlight that a sold out crowd at the astra venue was able to witness. what can this talented guy not do? it seems like there's not much he has not tried so far. he manages to successfully continue his triumphal march with each of his different bands and still does not lose his credibility at all. although alison mosshart clearly tried hard to pull off her very own show as the rock chick on lead vocals, she did not manage to steal jack white's greatness that night. not even by rolling around on the floor, licking her fingers seductively or posing continuously and with great effort throughout the show. ever felt like shaking your hair until your head hurts or being blown away by heavy and dark blues rock tunes? you should make sure to buy a ticket for a dead weather gig.

click here for more photos:

02.11.2009 the dead weather live in berlin (astra)

full live review:

the dead weather live in berlin (gaesteliste.de)

interview: the rifles

the festival season is a glorious one. the berlin festival in august offered a whole bunch of very good entertainment with electronic and indie bands as well as superb dj sets from all around the world. during a rollercoaster-like ride of fantastic performances, the rifles sat down for a quick chat with me before it was their turn to get the crowd moving.

interview: the rifles (gaesteliste.de)

interview: john vanderslice

impossible is nothing. sometimes, a few things in life do not go ahead as planned. sometimes, you ask yourself why the ideas in your head do not come out the way you wanted them to. sometimes, everything seems lost and suddenly, new opportunities pop up and everything will be okay in the end. my interview with the wonderful john vanderslice was a little journey through ups and downs, which had nothing to do with himself though. when all signs could not have looked worse and the interview was quickly running towards neverland because record companies do not seem to be very reliable, john vanderslice became the hero of the day and saved the situation. with the clock ticking until his peformance, he spontaneously took some time and agreed to do the interview. my whole conversation with him turned out to be very interesting and funny at the same time and it was nice to see with how much passion he talked about his music and answered my questions in general. you can read the full interview here:

interview: john vanderslice (gaesteliste.de)

john vanderslice (berlin, admiralspalast 2009)

"romanian names" came out in spring and followed me steadily through the summer. even now, after the album has been on heavy rotation for a while, the songs have not lost a tiny bit of their beauty. in fact, they seem to have grown into something even more precious. with the album being clearly one of my highlights this year, i had high expectations to hear the new songs live of course. the wonderful thing about a john vanderslice gig is that you will surely not be disappointed afterwards. there's no way. mr vanderslice is too much of a warm-hearted and good soul for that. someone who will not only shine with pretty and thoughtful songs, but also someone who will give you the feeling that what he is doing is very real and matters to him very much. there is no better thing than seeing an artist who is capable of leaving an impression on you with his music as well as his words. if you have not come across someone like that yet, i recommend that you catch a glimpse of him when he is in a town near you next time. his recent performance in berlin has proved that he is more than worth listening to and a very likeable chap too.

some photos from the show:

12.10.2009 john vanderslice live in berlin (admiralspalast)

my gig review on gaesteliste.de:

john vanderslice (berlin)

words: annett bonkowski

photos: anne bonkowski