I slept worse than the night before, but took it easy and relaxed until the performances began. First up was Roller Derby, who I’d seen a few years ago at Synästhesie. I decided to give them another shot, but basically had the same feeling as last time. I liked the hints of dream pop and Cocteau Twins guitar, but they were too light and breezy for me to really dig into. The official schedule listed a surprise for the next slot, which turned out to be Laura Lee & The Jettes. They had a pretty generic sound and I didn’t stick around for more than a few minutes.
I came back for Mary in the Junkyard, whose self-description as an “angry weepy chaos rok trio” was rather exaggerated. (Well, they are a trio.) I didn’t find them chaotic or angry at all. There were a few hints of drama but they were mostly chill. Perhaps too chill. A few too many songs lacked percussion and just featured guitar or bass and violin. I saw a lot of opportunity, and they were a good band to listen to while lazily lying on a blanket, but I guess I craved a bit of the advertised chaos.
They were followed by Drangsal, who I knew only as the main project of Max Gruber, whose side project Die Mausis is a collaboration with Stella Sommer of Die Heiterkeit. With seven synthesizers and six musicians on stage, of which four occupied space somewhere in the mid-range, they summoned a thick, heavy wall of sound. The individual instruments were rather indistinct while Gruber’s melodramatic voice was foregrounded. They initially played a dark sort of post-punk that was right on the line for me, and then they switched to a more standard pop-rock style and totally lost me. I left.
I came back for Mary in the Junkyard, whose self-description as an “angry weepy chaos rok trio” was rather exaggerated. (Well, they are a trio.) I didn’t find them chaotic or angry at all. There were a few hints of drama but they were mostly chill. Perhaps too chill. A few too many songs lacked percussion and just featured guitar or bass and violin. I saw a lot of opportunity, and they were a good band to listen to while lazily lying on a blanket, but I guess I craved a bit of the advertised chaos.
They were followed by Drangsal, who I knew only as the main project of Max Gruber, whose side project Die Mausis is a collaboration with Stella Sommer of Die Heiterkeit. With seven synthesizers and six musicians on stage, of which four occupied space somewhere in the mid-range, they summoned a thick, heavy wall of sound. The individual instruments were rather indistinct while Gruber’s melodramatic voice was foregrounded. They initially played a dark sort of post-punk that was right on the line for me, and then they switched to a more standard pop-rock style and totally lost me. I left.
[Drangsal.]
After another break, I came back for Erobique. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a solo musician known best as a soundtrack producer, DJ, and remixer. He appeared behind an array of keyboards, accompanied only by a drummer. I was skeptical, but he won me over immediately. He had a casual, laid-back demeanor but played exceptionally well. He built up layers of beats and synths and maintained a fun, chill, groovy vibe the whole time. The live drummer really helped. The highlights were whenever he grabbed a melodica, came out from behind his rig, and played the instrument better than I’ve ever seen it done while dancing around the stage. This was a performer who was clearly optimized for the festival atmosphere. Some songs’ themes, like “Urlaub in Italien” (“Holiday in Italy”), were maybe just a bit cringe, but it didn’t bother me. I was wholly taken in.
[Erobique. Look, I was too busy grooving in the back where there was space to move freely to be bothered to take a better picture.]
After that came Isolation Berlin. They started with an unexpectedly heavy, dark, angry energy, which was a bit intense and almost too much for me. But after a few songs, they suddenly shifted into their more typical new wave indie rock sound, which I found much more charming and sweet. They played most of their classics, as well as some newer songs that were just as good, like “Verliebt in dieses Lied”. Their trademark seems to be somewhat depressing lyrics over good guitar music with a little synth, buoyed by the expressiveness and curious charm of their vocalist. “Alles grau” was great, but it was a little weird that someone crowdsurfed to it. Not much later, two people with signs asking the band to show solidarity with Palestine were escorted out after they shouted something I couldn’t discern between songs. That wasn’t a great look. Other than that and the few bits of unbridled anger, they were very much up my alley.
I was starting to lose energy, and I wasn’t expecting that I would be into Nilüfer Yanya, but she came with a full band, good grooves, and a little more edge than I had anticipated. I’d put her last record somewhere on the more accessible side of the pop spectrum, but her live set seemed like something else. I couldn’t keep up and headed back to the tent, although I continued to like what I could hear while I was brushing my teeth.
And that was that. The next morning I packed up and came back to Berlin. Not a bad experience for my first European outdoor festival! I had a great time, even if I still struggle to deal with people that don’t seem to know how to share space respectfully. I liked that the festival was on the relatively smaller size (I believe around 5000 people), that all the food was vegetarian and every vendor had vegan options, and that prices were reasonable. It shows that it’s organized by an e.V., a nonprofit association.
Scores:
Roller Derby: C+
Mary in the Junkyard: B-
Drangsal: C
Erobique: A-
Isolation Berlin: B+
Thanks to my fellow festival crew!
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