This weekend Berlin shows two sides of its indie scene: on Friday, Detroit post-punk band Protomartyr present their new album "Hotel Usona" in a listening event with Q&A, and on Saturday, Lido turns into the big German indie pop party Wilde Herzen.
Friday, September 25: Protomartyr - Hotel Usona Listening Event + Q&A + DJ Set + Signing
Where: Rough Trade Berlin, Karl-Marx-Straße 101, Neukölln
When: 20:00
Genre: post-punk
Detroit quartet Protomartyr release their seventh album "Hotel Usona" on September 25, produced by Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, MGMT, Nick Cave). At Rough Trade Berlin, there is a special listening event: you hear the new LP in context, followed by a Q&A, DJ set and signing session.
Joe Casey describes the album as an "old hotel", where each guest embodies a separate anxiety of modern life, from scrolling overload to political cynicism. Three pre-release singles "Sounds We Cannot Hear", "Feed The Sewer" and "Exalted Eagles" set the tone: a dense, sometimes uneasy sound with lyrics about media, power and exhaustion.
Why you should go:
- Unique format: listening to the full album before its release
- Chance to ask the band questions during the Q&A
- DJ set in the context of Protomartyr's sound plus a signing session
Saturday, September 26: Wilde Herzen - Die Indie Pop Party
Where: Lido, Cuvrystraße 7, Kreuzberg
When: 23:59–05:00
Genre: German indie pop
Wilde Herzen is a curated indie pop party where German acts such as Kraftklub, Provinz, Nina Chuba, Edwin Rosen, Paula Hartmann, Kasi, Zartmann and others are mixed in one continuous DJ set. The event is built around the aesthetic of a "shared" playlist: songs you sing along to with friends, between Kraftklub anthems and new German indie tracks.
Why you should go:
- The best hits of German indie pop in one night
- Atmosphere of big communal singing and dancing
- Convenient location in the heart of Kreuzberg's club scene