The Next Day #91: Berlin Weekend Guide
Must-see events in Berlin: March 13-16, 2025
Hi!
This week is amazing for live music lovers. The challenge is choosing where to go or lamenting the sold-out events, like Lucy Dacus' intimate show and Courtesy's new album launch at Schinkel Pavillion.
For Velvet Underground fans, John Cale presents his recent album "POPtical Illusion," showing he remains creative and current. Although I love his work, I'm trading his show for another great artist of the same generation: Suzanne Ciani. She’s playing at the Sound Metaphors anniversary party at Berghain on Friday.
Nothing is more fascinating than watching her connect and disconnect cables on her Buchla synthesizer. Her album "Seven Waves" always calms me when the world seems to be falling apart, while "Buchla Concerts 1975" is what I listen to when I need to step out of my comfort zone.
The last time I saw her live was at Volksbühne two years ago, and it was extraordinary. You know that kind of show that transports you to another dimension? It was exactly like that. I'm eager to see her play on the Berghain floor. I'll definitely be there!
I also highlight Katatonic Silencio's performance this Thursday at Studio dB. On the same date, Temple Rat performs at Säule, who also deserves special attention - she is absolutely hypnotic live.
There's no shortage of good options this weekend. I invite you to click on the links and listen to the sets and productions of the artists I select weekly here.
Spring is coming, spirits are lifting, so let's hit the streets and enjoy!
Lalai
PS: Since Wednesdays aren’t in the guide, I didn’t include it, but tonight plans to see 🎧 Lia Kohl at KM28 at 8 pm.
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🎹 CONCERTS
Dina Summer + Die Selektion + Cosey Mueller
Thursday, 13.03, 8 pm. Lido, Cuvrystrasse 7, 10997 Berlin. Tickets: €25 + €2.50 tax.
Dina Summer, the project of Kalipo and Local Suicide, returns with 🎧 ‘Girls Gang,’ an album weaving italo-disco, electroclash, and post-punk with a cinematic touch and 80s nostalgia. Die Selektion and Cosey Mueller add their synth-driven twists to the night.
Schinkel Pavillon x Against Interpretation Club: intimate yell Vinyl Release
Friday, 14.03, 7 pm - 3 am. Schinkel Pavillon, Oberwallstraße 32. Ticket: €15 (sold out / waiting list).
Courtesy presents 🎧 ‘intimate yell,’ her second studio album, with a special performance featuring a choir reinterpreting tracks in a game of layered storytelling.
John Cale – POPtical Illusion Tour 2025
Friday, 14.03, 8 pm. Columbiahalle, Columbiadamm 13-21, 10965 Berlin. Tickets: €59.80 / €73.80.
Wow! The legend John Cale, co-founder of The Velvet Underground, presents his latest album 🎧 ‘POPtical Illusion’—a mix of synths, samples, organs, and pianos. He’s still amazing.
Lucy Dacus – Acoustic Evening
Friday, 14.03, 8 pm. Säälchen, Holzmarktstr. 25, 10243 Berlin. Tickets were sold through the lottery - it’s sold out.
This is a rare chance to hear 🎧 Lucy Dacus (Boygenius) perform in an intimate setting, playing mostly new songs in a stripped-down acoustic format. If you really want to go, you’ll have to start searching.
Coco & Clair Clair – Girl Tour 2025
Friday, 14.03, 8:00 pm. Hole44, Hermannstrasse 146, 12051 Berlin. Tickets: €29.50.
Coco & Clair Clair bring their playful mix of lo-fi hip-hop, dreamy pop, and sharp humor to Berlin with their new album 🎧 Girl. Known for tracks like 🎧 Pretty, the Atlanta duo mixes ethereal vocals and laid-back beats with a cheeky, effortless charm.
Tycho + Tonic Walter – Infinite Health Tour
Friday, 14.03, 8 pm. Huxley’s Neue Welt, Hasenheide 107-113, 10967 Berlin. Tickets: €45.50.
Tycho’s signature mix of ambient and electronic textures creates a cinematic, dreamlike experience. Warm synths, atmospheric melodies, and hypnotic rhythms make this a perfect show for deep, immersive soundscape fans. Tonic Walter opens the night. 🎧 Infinite Health
Laura Cahen – Live
Saturday, 15.03, 8:30 pm. Gretchen, Obentrautstraße 19-21, 10963 Berlin. Tickets: €19.80/€25 (box office)
If you’re into intimate, poetic songwriting with touches of chanson, indie pop, and trip-hop, Laura Cahen is worth seeing live. Her new album 🎧 ‘De l'autre côté’ brings a stripped-down set with Josephine Stephenson, exploring themes of femininity, queerness, and ecology.
🎹 EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC & AMBIENT
Under My Feet. – 10 Years
Thursday, 13.03, 7:30 pm - 1 am. Studio dB, Uferstrasse 8-11. Tickets: €20.
The London-based label UMF celebrates a decade of experimental and industrial sound. 🎧 Katatonic Silentio brings her beautiful (and deep) live electronics, while Sorcery & Dan Tombs present a world-premiere A/V performance of deconstructed rhythms and noise.
180 min with Aleksi Perälä (live)
Thursday, 13.03, 7 pm - 11:59 pm. ZENNER, Alt-Treptow 15. Tickets: €10-25.
Three-hour live set from 🎧 Aleksi Perälä, weaving melodic techno and ambient textures into a hypnotic soundscape. 🎧 Margaux Gazur opens the night with her carefully crafted sonic narratives.
Siamese Twins Records Showcase
Thursday, 13.03, 10 pm. Säule/Berghain, 70 Am Wriezener Bahnhof.
Psychedelic, tribally rooted sounds from Siamese Twins Records. 🎧 Temple Rat is a must-see if you're into experimental tunes. Sunju Hargun and 🎧 Benedikt Frey complete the night with deep, immersive selections.
Vanessa Bedoret + NEXCYIA
Friday, 14.03, 8 pm. silent green, Gerichtstrasse 35, 13347 Berlin. Tickets: €19.18.
🎧 Vanessa Bedoret, a London-based French violinist, vocalist, and composer, mixes classical training with experimental production, creating cinematic and personal compositions. 🎧 NEXCYIA explores ambient and noise through layered textures and found sounds. 🎧 Laura Misch plays on Saturday at silent green and definitely deserves attention too.
🪩 PARTIES
Sound Metaphors 10th Anniversary Part I
Friday, 14.03, from 7:30 pm. Berghain & Panorama Bar. Tickets: €32 (door).
It’s a rare chance to see 🎧 Suzanne Ciani, a pioneer of electronic music and Buchla synthesis, perform live at Berghain. Ciane’s joined by Rashad Becker and Egregore for a night of experimental sound before the club opens up with DJ Stingray 313, Vlada, Palms Trax, Mad Professor, Pem & Mr. Sian, and more.
34 Years of Tresor
Fri-Sun, 14-16.03, 11 pm - 2 pm. Tresor / Globus, Köpenickerstrasse 70. Tickets: €28.25/€45.20.
A milestone for one of Berlin’s most legendary clubs. Tresor celebrates 34 years of techno and electro with a lineup featuring 🎧 Juan Atkins, 🎧 Dopplereffekt (live A/V), Blake Baxter, Skee Mask, Alienata, 🎧 Nadia Struiwigh, Maayan Nidam (The Waves), and more.
KILOWATT
Saturday, 15.03, 11 pm - 9 am. Prince Charles, Prinzenstrasse 85, 10969 Berlin. Ticket: €20.
If you're into bass-heavy club sounds, ballroom, and leftfield dance music, KILOWATT is the place to be. Leonce, 🎧 LYZZA, and softchaos bring percussive beats and futuristic rhythms to Prince Charles, keeping the dancefloor moving all night.
ISLAND UNIVERSE (Daytime Party!)
Sunday, 16.03, 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm. Kink, Schönhauser Allee 176, Berlin. Tickets: €8.
Slow and soulful Sunday grooves with Balearic beats, cosmic disco, and boogie. A daytime dance session with good vibes, and no all-nighter fatigue. 🎧 Hara Katsiki 🎧 moe
🎭 PERFORMING ARTS
Wachs oder Wirklichkeit
Thu, 13.03, 7:30 pm; Sat, 15.03, 7:30 pm + 23.03, 5 pm; 24.03 7:30 pm; 04.04; 7:30 pm; and 12.04; 7:30 pm. Volksbühne Berlin, Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, 10178 Berlin. Tickets: €13-44. In German without subtitles.
Christoph Marthaler and his ensemble explore the line between reality and fiction in a surreal stage experience. It’s a mix of theater, music, and humor, reflecting on the absurdity of today’s world.
Bucket List by Yael Ronen & Shlomi Shaban
Saturday–Wednesday, 15–19.03; 7:30 pm. Schaubühne, Kurfürstendamm 153, 10709 Berlin. Tickets: €9-54. In DE and EN with DE and EN surtitles.
A man wakes up to a world that no longer makes sense. Seeking a way out, he turns to a shady start-up promising to erase trauma. It’s a musical hallucination mixing satire, memory, and technology, with live music by Shlomi Shaban.
Ariel Efraim Ashbel and Friends – a name / שם
Saturday, 15.03, 7 pm & Sunday, 16.03, 5 pm. HAU2, Hallesches Ufer 34, 10963 Berlin. Tickets: €13-22.
A poetic and immersive performance mixing music, text, and ritual. With haunting compositions by LABOUR, words by Senthuran Varatharajah, vocals by Ravid Kahalani (Yemen Blues), and the Berlin Show Choir, it weaves tradition, mythology, and community into a unique sonic experience.
🎨 VISUAL ARTS
Maria Loboda – Lore
Opening: Thursday, 13.03, 6 - 9 pm. Galerie Thomas Schulte, Potsdamer Strasse 81B, 10785 Berlin. Free admission. Exhibition until 17.04
A journey through myth and memory, Maria Loboda’s Lore weaves cryptic objects, lost stories, and subtle transformations, where dust, insects, and symbols reveal cycles of decay and renewal.
Yalda Afsah: Barrage
Opening: Thursday, 13.03, 6 - 9 pm. Galerie Molitor, Kurfürstenstrasse 143, 10785 Berlin. Free admission. Exhibition until 19.04.
German-Iranian artist Yalda Afsah premieres her latest film in her first solo exhibition at the gallery. Her work explores how cinematic techniques shape perception, blurring the line between reality and construction.
Anti-Pop II
Opening: Friday, 14.03, 6 - 9 pm. Exhibition until 24.04. Galerie Barbara Thumm, Markgrafenstrasse 68, Berlin. Free admission.
Channeling the NO!art movement, this exhibition rejects spectacle and questions art as a commodity. Raw, disruptive works challenge beauty, success, and politics in contemporary art.
Malign Junction (Goodbye, Berlin) – Alex Baczyński-Jenkins
Friday, 14.03, 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm. Gropius Bau, Niederkirchnerstrasse 7, 10963 Berlin. Tickets: €9 / reduced €6.
A choreographic exploration of desire, alienation, and endings, set in the atrium of Gropius Bau. Inspired by Goodbye to Berlin, the performance unfolds as a slow, unspectacular grand finale, reflecting on loss, seduction, and queer histories through intimate exchanges between performers.
GlogauAIR Open Studios 2025
Friday, 14.03, 6 pm - 9 pm & Saturday, 15.03, 3 - 9 pm. GlogauAIR, Glogauer Strasse 16, Berlin.
A chance to explore works from a diverse group of artists. Meet the creators, see their latest projects, and experience a mix of disciplines.
📷 If you like photography, EMOP runs until 30.03. The festival center is at Akademie der Künste, and you can check out around 100 exhibitions in galleries, museums, and art spaces across Berlin.
🎬 CINEMA
Videoart at Midnight: Sylbee Kim
Friday, 15.03, 12:00 am - 1:46 am. Babylon Mitte Kino, Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 30, 10119 Berlin. Free admission.
A selection of video works by Sylbee Kim, exploring the intersections of spirituality, capitalism, and technology. From crypto and faith to pandemic isolation and migration, her films blend archival material, animation, and speculative narratives to question power structures and collective beliefs.
StummfilmKonzerte – The Pleasure Garden (Hitchcock Festival)
Saturday, 15.03, 12:00 pm - 1:20 pm. Salon Friedrichs, An d. Apostelkirche 3, 10783 Berlin. Tickets: €12.50 - €75.
Silent film meets live music in this screening of Hitchcock’s ‘The Pleasure Garden,’ accompanied by Stephan Graf v. Bothmer on piano. His score brings new depth to Hitchcock’s first feature, blending suspense, drama, and visual storytelling in a beautiful cinematic experience.
💫 MISCELLANEOUS
Berlin Chocolate Festival 2025
Sat-Sun, 15-16.03, 12 - 9 pm. Arena Market Berlin, Eichenstraße 4A, 12435 Berlin. Tickets: €4 (free for kids under 16).
A whole weekend dedicated to chocolate—street food, tastings, workshops, and plenty of sweet and savory treats.
Nature Breath Walk: Calm, Connect, Create
Saturday, 15.03, 11 am - 1:30 pm. Châlet Suisse, Clayallee 99, Im Jagen 5, 14195 Berlin. Ticket: €17.
A mindful walk in Grunewald to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with nature. Guided breathwork, deep attention, and storytelling make it a mix of relaxation, exploration, and a fresh perspective on daily life.
Holi in Berlin 2025 – Festival of Colors
Saturday, 15.03, 12 - 10:30 pm. B-Part Am Gleisdreieck, Luckenwalder Strasse 6b, 10963 Berlin. Tickets: Free / €13.55.
If you love India, this is your day—Bollywood music, dance, colors, street food, henna, and a Holi rave. DJs and performances all day.
📌 SAVE THE DATE
🎬 Baby (Dir. Marcelo Caetano): A drama movie about survival and desire on the streets of São Paulo. Special exhibition at Mongay, Babylon Kreuzberg. 17.03, 9:30 pm. OmU. 107 min. FSK 16. Ticket: €11.
📕 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Dream Count: Reading and talk next Wednesday, 19.03, at Humboldt Forum. Tickets: €14-€28.
🎹 I’m sad I noticed this live show with Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri at Morphine Raum too late—all three dates are sold out. But I’m on the waiting list. Days: 18-20.03.
🎚 Leifur James was a recent discovery, and I’m completely in love with his work. He’s playing on April 6th at Säälchen. Wanna join me?
🩰 Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker – Dog Without Feathers: One of my favorite Brazilian dance companies is bringing their dance Dog Without Feathers to Berlin. Sunday, 13.04, 8 pm. Admiralspalast, Friedrichstrasse 101. Tickets: €51.50 / €77.85.
🎤 Kim Deal brings your latest album “Nobody Loves You More” to Metropol on 22.06, at 7 pm. Tickets will be available soon.
🎸 Stereolab is one of my favorite bands from the ’90s. They’ll be playing at Huxley’s Neue Welt on May 29th. I won’t be in town, but if I were you, I wouldn’t miss it.
🎸 I can’t wait to see St. Vincent present her latest album, “All Born Screaming,” in Berlin! 05.07 at Tempodrom. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
Thanks for the shout!
When is that Suzanne Ciani show?