Not every concert weekend needs a single mood. From 9 to 11 October, Berlin offers four distinct takes on indie and alternative music: BOFF bring the lived-in energy of Berlin’s German-language indie rock to an intimate club stage, Margaret Glaspy pairs close, sharply observed songwriting with expressive guitar work, Ed O’Brien builds expansive songs from alternative rock, electronics and texture, and My Ugly Clementine combine loud guitars, melodic hooks and raw emotional honesty. Together, these shows offer a weekend for anyone looking to hear different sides of independent music, from reflective and intimate to restless, atmospheric and full of release.
Saturday, October 10: BOFF at ART Stalker
Where: ART Stalker, Kaiser Friedrich Straße 67, 10627 Berlin
When: October 10, 19:30
Genre: German language indie pop / indie rock
BOFF are not a typical new band. The roots of this five piece reach back to Berlin’s early 1980s music scene, while the core members reunited in 2014 after years of different experiences and projects. That sense of history gives their current music depth without making it nostalgic: BOFF sound like musicians who have something to say and no interest in smoothing away the rough edges.
Their German language indie rock and pop sits between melancholy and movement. The songs combine memorable hooks with grit, while the lyrics deal with closeness, doubt, change, small revelations and the courage to begin again. There is seriousness in BOFF’s writing, but also humour and a willingness to look at life’s absurd moments.
Friday, October 9: Margaret Glaspy at Prachtwerk
Where: Prachtwerk, Ganghoferstraße 2, 12043 Berlin
When: October 9, 20:00
Genre: indie rock
Brooklyn based singer songwriter and guitarist Margaret Glaspy arrives at Prachtwerk with her I Am Both Tour. The Berlin concert follows her fifth album, Blurb, released in 2026. Expect a show that feels focused rather than theatrical, where individual lines and sudden changes in guitar tone can carry as much weight as a big chorus.
Glaspy’s music is built on the friction between intimacy and force. Her lyrics observe relationships, frustration and uncertainty in close detail, while her guitar playing adds a sharp, restless edge. She writes personally but avoids easy confession, making songs that can feel vulnerable one moment and defiant the next.
Saturday, October 10: Ed O’Brien at Admiralspalast
Where: Admiralspalast, Friedrichstraße 101, 10117 Berlin
When: October 10, 19:00
Genre: alternative / electronic / rock
Ed O’Brien is best known as Radiohead’s guitarist and one of the key architects of the band’s expansive, atmospheric sound. After decades spent shaping alternative rock alongside Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood and Philip Selway, he has built a solo career under his own name and, previously, the moniker EOB. His Berlin concert offers the chance to hear that individual musical world without the scale and expectations of a Radiohead show.
The tour follows O’Brien’s second solo album, Blue Morpho, released on 22 May 2026 via Transgressive Records. The seven new songs were written between 2020 and 2025, continuing the path he began with his 2020 debut Earth. That first record brought together alternative rock, Britpop and dance-oriented rhythms, with contributions from artists including Colin Greenwood, Laura Marling, Adrian Utley of Portishead and drummer Omar Hakim.
Sunday, October 11: My Ugly Clementine at Columbia Theater
Where: Columbia Theater, Columbiadamm 9 to 11, 10965 Berlin
When: October 10, 20:00
Genre: alternative / indie / rock
Vienna based trio My Ugly Clementine bring their Apply Autonomy Tour 2026 to Columbia Theater. Made up of Sophie Lindinger, Mira Lu Kovacs and Nastasja Ronck, the band combines distorted guitars, sharp pop melodies and a rough-edged grunge energy with songs that make room for vulnerability, uncertainty and care.
Their sound is loud without becoming cold. The band can move from sweetness to abrasion within the same track, combining post punk tension with melodic instinct. As Rolling Stone put it, My Ugly Clementine make “consistent post punk with a love for pop melody.” That balance has made them one of the most visible alternative groups to come out of Vienna in recent years.
Featured photo by D.BROSZEIT