The middle of October brings three concerts that approach indie from very different directions. Band of Horses return to a defining early album, James Blake presents atmospheric electronic pop in an intimate setting, and Fink brings his restless blend of folk, blues and electronics to Metropol.
Sunday, October 18: Band of Horses at Astra Kulturhaus
Where: Astra Kulturhaus, Revaler Straße 99, 10245 Berlin
When: October 18, 2026, 20:00
Band of Horses are returning to the album that gave them their place in modern indie rock. Released by Sub Pop in 2006, Everything All the Time introduced the group’s spacious guitars, slow-burning melodies and Ben Bridwell’s unmistakably high, weathered voice. The record’s centrepiece, “The Funeral”, became an enduring song about loss, acceptance and the difficult business of carrying on.
This Berlin show is built around the album’s 20th anniversary, so it should feel less like an ordinary tour date and more like a return to the moment when Band of Horses first found their sound. Their music has always made room for both distance and intimacy: big guitar landscapes with songs that still feel private, as if they were written during a long drive home after something has changed.
Friday, October 16: James Blake at Astra Kulturhaus
Where: Astra Kulturhaus, Revaler Straße 99, 10245 Berlin
When: October 16, 2026, 20:00
James Blake is one of the most distinctive artists to see in Berlin this weekend. The London musician has spent the last seventeen years making music that moves naturally between intimate songwriting and deep electronic production. His concerts can begin with a voice and a piano, then gradually open into heavy bass, fragmented beats and immersive layers of sound.
Blake first gained attention through experimental electronic EPs such as CMYK and Klavierwerke, then became internationally known with his self-titled 2011 debut. Since then, albums including Overgrown, The Colour in Anything, Assume Form, Friends That Break Your Heart and Playing Robots Into Heaven have shown how widely his work can move across electronic music, soul, hip hop, alternative R&B and minimalist piano ballads. His 2013 album Overgrown won the Mercury Prize.
Thursday, October 15: Fink at Metropol
Where: Metropol, Nollendorfplatz 5, 10777 Berlin
When: October 15, 2026, 19:00
Fink, the project led by British musician Fin Greenall, has spent more than two decades following instinct rather than genre rules. He began as an electronic producer and DJ on Ninja Tune, then moved toward guitar-driven songwriting and formed a trio with drummer Tim Thornton and bassist Guy Whittaker. Since then, the group has developed a sound that brings blues, folk, indie rock, dub and electronics into the same dark, patient space.
Fink’s music is often built around tension: Greenall’s weathered voice, a guitar line that starts almost quietly, then a rhythm section that slowly turns a song into something bigger and more physical. Tracks such as “Warm Shadow” and “Looking Too Closely” have travelled far beyond the indie scene through film, television and streaming, but live, the focus remains on the band’s precision and ability to create atmosphere without excess.
Featured photo by Moses Namkung via Wikimedia Commons , CC BY 2.0.