überlin

[EDIT: this competition is now closed. Click here to see if we’re running any open competitions] 

By Mike T West.

Scheisse! We’ve barely had time to recover from the decadent sludge-gasm that was Desertfest before we once again don our capes for Pelagic Fest, an entire evening dedicated to pure European progessive metal.

HEADBANGERS AND MUSIC GEEKS UNITE!

On Friday May 10th, Berlin-based Pelagic Records are presenting the majority of their label roster on the same stage, banishing the clean spring air well into the night. Expect complicated riffage, virginal sacrifice and beer spilled all at the altar of Prog.

Among the acts appearing are hometown lads The Ocean, who are unleashing their fantastic shiny new sixth album Pelagial. An experimental metal album record around the layers of the sea… WAIT! Come back – this is a concept album for those who don’t like concept albums! Reminiscent of early Mastodon or Tool at their brightest, Pelagial is a strong contender for metal album of the year and a bonafide instant genre classic.

And just when you thought it was safe to go outside again, Sweden’s answer to tinnitus, Cult Of shitting Luna, are headlining in support of their new post-metal masterpiece, Vertikal. Not to be outdone by their Germanic peers, the album’s concept is heavily influenced by Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis and features themes of “machinery, repetition and clear, linear structures.” NERD ALERT!

HOW TO WIN 2 X GUESTLIST SPOTS FOR PELAGIC FEST AT C-CLUB ON 10TH MAY:

Santa Claus really has nothing on the kind gents at Pelagic who are giving away two pairs of tickets to this progmetal masterclass! To win just answer the following question:

If you could record a concept album about Berlin, what would it be called?

You have until 6pm on Saturday 4th May to enter. Good luck!

The Boring Bit (yawn, RULES):

1. You must be 18 years or older to enter.
2. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON!
3. Our favourite 2 fake concept album titles win a pair of guestlist spots. Simple as.
4. Remember to include your full (real) name or we won’t be able to put you on the guestlist!
5. We will announced the winners via our Facebook page on Sunday 5th May.

Cult Of Luna and The Ocean are joined by Koma, EF, Abraham, Kruger, Earthship and Lo! 10/05/2013 at C-Club, Columbiadammit 9-11 from 17:00hr. Tickets are available here.

EDIT: We’ve just updated our Blake Worrell profile with the video below, a portrait by eNtR Berlin. Enjoy!

Blake Worrell describes his concerts as “Mad Max meets Alice in Wonderland”, but the man himself is more like Chilly G-meets-Papa Lazarou. The Berlin-based Los Angeleno previously created, wrote and performed as the 10-piece muppet hip hop collective Puppetmastaz, and now he’s inhabiting his own cartoon character, with his second solo album The Beast Within.

The record is a wild ride between hip hop, dubstep and sub-bass funk, but it’s the live show – perfected over eight years opening for acts like Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill and MF Doom – where this dirty diamond really shines. Expect huge balloons, LED lamps and smoke projection when Worrell hits the stage at YAAM this Friday (details below) to launch the new album. You can listen to The Beast Within on Spotify, and watch the video for “Cyclone” below. UNLESS YOU’RE EPILEPTIC. :/

What’s Fred Woods looking at? Oh, the video for his stripped-back acoustic number “Schools”. Or maybe past that to an embed of his first album DOCUMENTA, released earlier this year. He looks a little annoyed, but I’m sure won’t mind if we point out that physical and digital copies can be bought from his Bandcamp, which also contains details of his upcoming Berlin tour, kicking off with a May 4th show at Gelegenheiten. And his music? Let’s just say that if haunt folk is going to become A Thing, then the Canadians are going to be kings and queens of the sub-genre, with Fred Woods first on the throne of knotted tar-coated tree branches.

Chipps holds a special place in our hearts, as the first decent brunch spot we found in Berlin, and the team (also behind Cookies club and Cookies Cream restaurant) has recently extended its daytime offerings into the evening. Chipps Deluxe is a set menu of four delicious courses, presented with optional matched wines, and with or without meat – for the veggies!  It’s tough to pick our highlights from one of the most cohesive and well-rounded menus we’ve tasted in ages, as we loved everything, from the starter of two types of cauliflower with quail’s egg, beetroot and tarragon, to the delicious dessert of rhubarb mousse with strawberry-mint ragout… and chocolate popping candy! The menu changes each month, and we’ve been a little slow getting this article up(!), so we have no idea what is in store when you visit, but our advice would be this: go hungry, because the portions are surprisingly generous. Guten Appetit!

Read all about our first visit, and see photos of Chipps’ stylish interior here.

Wish you were here? Just in case you can’t be in Berlin to enjoy the onset of summer, or indeed if you’ve never been, here – in no particular order – are some great 360° panoramas of the city that might go some way to making you feel like you’re actually here. All images courtesy of 360Cities.net.

1. The Victory Column (Siegessäule), Tiergarten

2. The View from the TV Tower (Fernsehturm)

3. The Top of Teufelsberg (Abandoned Spy Station)

4. Behind the Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery)

5. Winter at the Brandenburg Gate (Unter den Linden)

6. Inside the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

7. The Soviet War Memorial, Treptower Park

8. Ghost U-Bahn Station (Dresdener Strasse)

9. Park Sanssouci, Potsdam

10. Oberbaumbrücke by Night

Wow guys, thanks for coming out to BLOG LOVE IS CREW LOVE last Friday. Shit was Off. The. Chain.

This week I’m DJing AGAIN (sorry!), but at a very different kind of party: Feeling Gloomy Berlin,  “the club that brings a tear to your eye.” I’m going to be playing Madchester classics, from New Order to the Happy Mondays, so, to cast you into a suitable Northern gloom, here’s a minimix I made and a Joy Division video someone pieced together from vintage footage of Berlin.

Full event details here – see you on Saturday, dancing with tears in your eyes! ;_(

Joy Division – Shadowplay from Napoleon Bonaparte on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to get out of frozen Berlin and visit err, a frozen Paris! Who’d have guessed that in March, Paris would be hit by a blizzard, but looks like the whole of Europe is in a weather funk at the moment. After a couple of cancelled flights and a shut down airport (man up Paris), I made it to the City of Light. Getting there was kind of a big deal as I was shooting a piece for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia (career highlight!) so, once I actually landed, I celebrated by eating some macaroons which cost more than a month’s rent in Berlin.

The trip was made even more awesome by my sister flying over from the UK, so once the work was fini, the fun could begin! We couldn’t stop saying, “we’re in Pariiiiiissss!” and doing a little girly dance like nobhead Carrie Bradshaw when she sees the Eiffel Tower for the first time. Our highlights were wandering around Canal St-Martin, drinking the best tea I’ve ever tasted at Galleries Lafayette, seeing the Tour Eiffel’s stroke-inducing light show at night, and visiting Palais de Tokyo to see the amazing “Soleil Froid” exhibition (separate post to follow!). Here are some holiday snaps:

Like this? Then you’ll love my photos from my previous visit to Paris, and from Paris Fashion Week. Follow Zoë Noble Photography on Facebook for updates.