Day 13: Berlin
Welcome
Yesterday we played a headline show in Berlin.
Our venue in Berlin had a parking restriction which meant we had to arrive before midday. This meant a 7.30am departure from Nortorf so at 7am we were all down in the restaurant to enjoy the very generous breakfast spread put on by Landhotel: Möllhagen. I enjoyed a buttered brown bread roll with an assortment of toppings: cucumber, tomato with mozzarella, boiled egg, cheeses, and a mystery yellow substance. I also had a small slice of buttered pumpernickel.
Behind the wheel of our Mercedes Benz Sprinter Tourer on this pleasant, summery morning was Mathias, a friendly and easy-going man who is joining us as driver and merch seller for our European dates. He likes to wear black clothing, the same as his van. Mathias had driven throughout the previous day, coming all the way from Brussels, bringing our rented backline, and of course our shiny black vehicle.
Right on schedule we left Nortorf heading south, skirting around Hamburg until we reached Bundesautobahn 24, which carried us southeast towards Berlin. The drive took us a little over four hours and we reached our destination right on schedule, rolling through the gates of Kulturbraueri just before the Sunday market kicked into gear. We were playing at Frannz-Club, a venue that is part of an arts complex set in the historical Schultheiss Brewery, a collection of buildings that are a very fine example of Berlin’s late 19th century industrial architecture. The cobbled courtyard of the brewery was filled with food stalls, and as the afternoon elapsed there was a busy trade happening from the many locals out enjoying the good weather.
A shabby but stout-looking white van was already parked outside the venue when we arrived, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that it contained several familiar faces, none other than Harriet, Vicki, and Ruby, from the band Na Noise. This impressively punctual musical group hail from our hometown of Tāmaki Makaurau and are currently in the middle of an extended European tour. When we realised that our dates lined with theirs, we had to have them on the bill for a few shows. We all had a good catchup and then once the venue was opened for us, we set about loading in; a process for which we were grateful to have the helping hands of these three individuals who have already been out on the road for five weeks and therefore possessed a great deal of tour strength.
The afternoon was filled with a number of different tasks, all essential to keeping our operation running smoothly and efficiently. The merch was unboxed and counted, and the numbers were inputted into the spreadsheet, which if you had seen you would know is a thing of great beauty. Tristan had to set up and tune the drum set, a three-piece made by C&C and finished in a dazzling tangerine sparkle. Two guitar amps had to be tested. You might notice in the below photograph that we have two different guitar amps. Jon has switched to a hand-wired Vox AC30, and Liz is playing through a very cute Roland Jazz Chorus - 40. My bass amp, a Fender Bassman 500 was already broken when we tried to power it on, taking the tour total of amp casualties up to five, in under two weeks. Luckily, we had a backup, so I am currently playing through an Ampeq SVT III Pro. We had to perform a safety test with Bird, our inflatable fish, to see if they could inflate to full height without touching the ceiling, or any overhanging lights.
Supplies of clean socks, underwear, shirts, and even pants in some cases, were in short supply for members of The Beths so Jon and I visited a nearby laundromat to rectify this issue. The 15kg front loader was more than up to the task, fitting all our combined loads, and running a speedy forty-minute cycle.
The show began early, to accommodate our three-band bill. At 7pm Na Noise kicked things off with a set of songs that showcased the talents of this strong, four-piece line-up. They sounded road hot. A rhythmic and sonic treat. Harriet’s basslines anchor the groove and provide a platform for harmonic and textural explorations by guitarist, Vicki. Chris plays organ and switches to drum kit when it is needed, augmenting the drum machine and giving the band extra propulsion, and a big, energetic lift. Ruby completes the sound with rock-steady percussion playing, and their tambourine and egg shaker playing is hypnotising to watch. The vocal harmonies were rich and precise, providing another layer of flavouring to this already complex sound.
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By Ben Sinclair | 5th June 2023
Lande Hekt were on next, having crossed the channel to join us for these European dates. They played the same excellent set we have enjoyed many times, and the Berlin crowd were highly appreciative.
Our show had sold out at the last minute, and we were happy to be playing to a full room. It was a special evening as we had a lot of friends attending the show. Not only those who live in Berlin, but friends who are out in the world traveling, and made the effort to cross paths with us on the other side of the globe. We went out after the show to properly catch up in a nicely lit bar furnished with comfortable armchairs.
Here is the rundown from Tristan, who has been hard at work documenting the day’s events.