A sunny melody can hide an uneasy thought. A distorted guitar can make it impossible to ignore. This weekend’s selection moves between those extremes, with Cléa Vincent’s openhearted French pop, Leftovers’ rougher guitar sound and Maria Arnal’s meeting of voice, electronics and traditional polyphony. Friday belongs to Kantine am Berghain, while Saturday offers a choice between Festsaal Kreuzberg and Gretchen.
Friday, October 23: Cléa Vincent at Kantine am Berghain
Where: Kantine am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin
When: 20:00
Cléa Vincent’s songs have an inviting brightness, but they are not simply background music for a carefree afternoon. The French artist writes candid pop that leaves room for reflection as well as movement. Her influences include French music of the 1980s, yet her approach feels curious rather than nostalgic: familiar colours, rearranged into something personal.
That curiosity has taken her from Parisian bars to a headline show at the Bataclan, and beyond France on tours that have fed directly into her songwriting. Her South American travels inspired the Tropi-Cléa EPs, where bossa nova and samba meet her distinctive pop sensibility. After three albums, including Ad vitam Æternamour, she introduced another side of her work with Speakeasy, an intimate piano record.
Saturday, October 24: Leftovers at Festsaal Kreuzberg
Where: Festsaal Kreuzberg, Am Flutgraben 2, 12435 Berlin
When: 19:30
Leftovers bring a different kind of release to the weekend. The Vienna band’s guitar driven sound sits on the rougher side of indie, making this the pick for listeners who want their melodies with friction rather than polish. Their autumn dates continue the Stadion Tour, with a newly released album joining them on the road.
The title might suggest an enormous production, but the Berlin stop is at Festsaal Kreuzberg. That contrast is part of the appeal: a band that recently opened for Die Toten Hosen returning to the closer quarters of its own headline shows. The setting offers a chance to experience their momentum without the distance of a stadium stage.
Saturday, October 24: Maria Arnal at Gretchen
Where: Gretchen, Obentrautstraße 19–21, 10963 Berlin
When: 20:30
Maria Arnal approaches pop from an altogether different direction. The Barcelona based singer, composer and sound researcher brings her new album AMA to Gretchen, combining electronics with traditional polyphonic music. Her work places emotional intensity alongside technological experimentation, making the human voice both the centre of the music and a starting point for exploration.
There is something compelling about that meeting of old and new. Rather than treating musical tradition as something to preserve behind glass, Arnal brings it into contact with contemporary sound. The resulting world can feel futuristic without losing its human weight, a balance that makes her an intriguing choice for anyone whose listening habits stretch beyond conventional indie arrangements.
Featured photo by Diario de Madrid / Ayuntamiento de Madrid, licensed under CC BY 4.0.