Whatever your musical genre of choice, Berlin has a venue and live act to match. Whether you’re looking for some rough-around-the-edges indie or heart-thumping heavy metal, trying to catch the smoothest jazz or find the best hidden club to catch some experimental electronic beats, we’ve curated a list of some of the best upcoming acts to catch in the city.
We order our listings with what’s coming up next at the top. That way, you’ll never miss out.
AUG 31
Eartheater
Touring her brand new album If I’m the Bottle You’re the Message, Eartheater the singer, songwriter and producer, is bringing her experience of pregnancy and new motherhood to her music. This latest album is the sixth full studio album in an impressive run of releases and features some of her most grounded and direct work to date.
- Theater des Westens, 20:00, details
SEP 01
Musikfest Berlin
Celebrating its 75th year in Berlin, the Musikfest Berlin organized by the Berlin Festival in cooperation with the Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker will bring over 60 works by around 40 composers to Philharmonie Berlin, Konzerthaus Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin and others.
- Various locations (through to Sep 23) details
SEP 02
Midori Hirano
As part of the Heronies of Sounds Editons series, Japanese composer and pianist will be returning to silent green, this time performing a live soundtrack to the arthouse film The Juniper Tree, a fairytale set in Iceland and starring a young Björk. Hirano will delicately compose and combine electronic soundscapes and piano to bring the film to life.
- silent green, doors 19:00, details
SEP 03
Kurt Vile
Slacker-rocks poster boy returns to Berlin in support of his recent album Philadelphia’s been good to me. Expect low-fi ethos and songs you’ll be humming all the way home.
- Huxley’s Neue Welt, 19:00, details
Paul Banks DJ Set
Lead singer of 00s indie icons Interpol, Paul Banks is spinning his favourite tunes at Neuköllns Rough Trade to celebrate the release of the band’s new album This Mirror Weighs A Ton, released via Partisan Records. Read our full feature with Paul Banks in the music section.
- Rough Trade Berlin. Starts 20:00, details
SEP 04
Tocotronic
The pioneering German indie rock band from Hamburg, known for its witty lyrics and distinctive sound have been gigging since 1993. Their latest album Golden Years was released in 2025.
- Waschhaus Potsdam, 18:00, details
SEP 05
Ikkimel and Friends Open Air
Back for a second time and bigger than ever, German rapper and Tempelhof native, Ikkimel is bringing her live show to the IFA Sommergarten. Currently touring her brand new album POPPSTAR, released in May and promising to bring some collaborators along with her, this rendition of Ikkimel and friends will go down as legendary.
- IFA Sommergarten. Starts 15:00, details
Drangsal
Is it the devil? No, it’s Drangsal. Fronted by Max Gruber, Drangsal is a German music project that blends 1980s new wave, post-punk and indie pop into a distinctive sound.
- Heimathafen Neukölln, 20:00, details
SEP 06
Foy Vance
Signed to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread Man record label, this Irish musician and songwriter will release his eagerly awaited eighth studio album IF in 2027. Catch him with this initimate show before he blows up.
- Heimathafen Neukölln, 20:00, details
SEP 09
Tara Clerkin Trio
Taking influence from the likes of Portishead and Massive Attack, the Bristolian electronic, jazz, and trip-hop holy trinity, Tara Clerkin Trio, have created an inventive and thoughtful sound with their deep approach to acoustics. The band will be playing songs from their excellent new album Somewhere Good at Neue Zukunft. Currently on many critics’ one-to-watch lists, this is a unique opportunity to watch a band at the height of their craft, as they combine sublime electronics and jazzy rhythmic prowess.
- Neue Zukunft, 20:00, details
SEP 10-12
Berlin Swamp Fest
A full weekend of decadent sludge rock, doom and stoner metal awaits those who dare. With over 25 bands across three stages, Swamp Fest brings the very best in ear-bleeding noise to the deepest, darkest corner of Friedrichshain. With confirmed headliners French post-metal icon Psychonaut, along with a whole bunch of internationally renowned doom, desert and swamp rock titans, Neue Zukunft promises to be a quagmire of sludge and destitution for the long weekend. So grab your ear protection, cut some holes in your jeans and wash your hair (if you still have any), for this is going to be one long, soul-affirming noise festival.
- Neue Zukunft, through Sep 12, details
SEP 11
John Moods
John Moods bridges the gap between easy listening, indie rock and feel good pop. If you’ve never seen him live, it’s a luscious mix of melodies and fuzzy guitars.
- Cassiopeia, doors 19:00, details
Kiezsalon with Harry Gorski-Brown
Best known for his innovative, experimental work, award-winning Scottish electroacoustic composer Harry Gorski Brown will bring his bagpipes and all to the 100-year-old Gothic Church of the Holy Spirit in Moabit. As part of the annual Kiezsalon program, the Scotsman’s innovative take on traditional Gaelic music will be played out alongside London-based string duo Balladeste and New York composer and synthesis specialist Tristan Perich.
- Heilige-Geist-Kirche, doors 19:00, details
Marlo Grosshardt
Bringing nostalgic melodies, powerful pop hooks and provocative lyrics to Huxleys, Grosshardt is a native Hamburger touring his new album Bildet Benden. Expect a live show of epic proportions.
- Huxleys. Starts 19:00, details
Soft Power Festival
As a part of Berlin Art Week, this three day festival brings together exhibitions, performances, concerts, DJ sets, conversations and shared meals into one open Gesamtkunstwerk. The title refers to the ability to exert influence through culture, values and persuasion, rather than through coercion or economic pressure. This year there will also be a 72-hour radio programme to further push their message.
- Haus der Visionaire, (through to Sep 13), details
SEP 12
Odd Beholder
Created by Swiss musician, producer, and activist Daniela Weinmann, Odd Beholder are an electro-wave meets indie pop that blends the darker elements of trippy frequencies and hypnotic vocals.
- Kantine am Berghain, doors 19:00, details
SEP 14
Ty Segall
With his latest release Chrome, Ty Segall gets back to basics: loud, raw and backed by his full band. Expect fuzzy guitars, heavy riffs, driving rhythms and psychedelic detours, all wrapped up in an uncompromising blast of high-energy rock’n’roll.
- Festsaal Kreuzberg, doors 19:00, details
SEP 15
Jazz Sabbath
Jazz and heavy metal might sound like strange bedfellows, but Jazz Sabbath are here to prove otherwise. Led by Grammy-winning pianist Adam Wakeman, who has played keyboards for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne since 2004, the UK trio reimagines Sabbath classics like “Paranoid”, “War Pigs” and “Black Sabbath” as jazz compositions. Their tongue-in-cheek backstory claims they actually wrote the songs first in 1968, before Black Sabbath made them famous. Believe it or not, with three albums hitting the Billboard Jazz Charts and sold-out shows worldwide, they’re clearly doing something right.
- Zig Zag Jazz Club, doors 18:00, details
SEP 16
Concrete Vehicles
Concrete Vehicles (formerly Computer) began as a project between lifelong friends Hudson Schelesny and Ben Lock in Vancouver. Now a fully-fledged seven-piece, the group brings saxophones, synths and percussion into the mix, turning their intricate recordings into something altogether bigger and louder.
- Schokoladen, doors 19:00, details
SEP 18
Black Market Kharma
Black Market Karma is the neo-psychedelic project of London-based multi-instrumentalist Stanley Belton, whose hazy sound blends ’60s guitar pop, ’90s psychedelia, lo-fi electronica and hip-hop beats. A prolific DIY musician who writes, records and produces everything himself, Belton has released over a dozen albums, using vintage gear to create his signature sound.
- Neue Zukunft, doors 20:00, details
SEP 19
Consisting of three childhood friends who prefer to remain anonymous and play by their own rules, the trio blend French Touch with Italian influences and rock’n’roll to create high-energy house-pop. Their live shows promise euphoric, sweat-soaked celebrations built for movement and losing yourself in the moment.
- Gretchen, doors 19:30, details
Broken Social Scene
It’s one big Canadian party! Three of the country’s biggest indie bands have assembled a gigantic tour combo to play throughout Europe. Alongside Broken Social Scene, who haven’t performed in Berlin in almost a decade, are the indie-electro act Metric and folk band Stars. With interchangeable band members and a shared history, expect a lot of guest appearances, collaborations and on-stage shenanigans. Broken Social Scene will also be celebrating the release of their new album Remember the Humans, their first since 2017’s Hug of Thunder.
- Columbiahalle, doors 19:00, details
SEP 20-21
Sigur Rós – The Orchestral Tour
Accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra and a choir, the Icelandic post-rock band will realise the true epic nature of their music on this outing. Bringing their latest album ÁTTA to life, the band has assembled some of the best classical musicians from their island to accompany them on one of their most ambitious tours to date. From sweeping overtures to epic melodies to cinematic scoring motifs and brutally epic riffs, the legendary band will express their dynamism and affinity for the grandiose in one of their biggest and boldest productions ever.
- Uber Eats Music Hall, doors 19:00, details
SEP 24
WU LYF
The acronym stands for “World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation”, or simply WU LYF. This Manchester based rock band formed in 2008 and have gained somewhat of a cult like status. They self-released their acclaimed debut album, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain, in 2011 before breaking up in 2012, later returning with new music.
- Lido, doors 19:00, details
SEP 25
Blockhead
Regarded as one of the modern masters of instrumental hip-hop, Blockhead is set to present a dynamic live performance accompanied by immersive visuals, spanning his 25-year musical legacy.
- Kantine am Berghain, doors 19:00, details
SEP 27
Sound of Courage
Bringing Women’s voices to the forefront of their mini-festival. Sound of Courage is all about equality, and exploring the role music plays in Northern countries. This concert is an extension of the exhibition and includes performances from Sara Parkman, Vilma Jää and Lindy Fay.
- Kesselhaus in der Kulturbrauerei, doors 18:00, details
SEP 29
Theo Croker
It’s time to Feel Kinda’ Blue and celebrate 100 years of Miles Davis’ music, as Grammy Award-nominated jazz trumpeter Theo Croker honours the legendary musician by performing some of his greatest hits at the Berlin Philharmonic. Backed by his own quartet, along with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, Croker will reinterpret Davis’ works, performing them in his trademark deep, soulful style. This will be a night of impeccable jazz that covering the gamut of Davis’ progressive and genre-defying work, celebrating what would have been his 100th birthday.
- Berlin Philharmonic, doors 19:00, details
