Down by the River Festival #13
Berlin‘s most idyllic and relaxed indie open air is returning to the wild garden of ://about blank near Ostkreuz. As usual, plenty of discoveries await: new and excellent artists from the capital, exciting and experimental music from further away (Vienna! New York City! Bremen! Dresden!). While listening to the music, you can lounge among shady trees and outdoor bathtubs and enjoy
the family vibes. All that in a central location and for a moderate ticket price which still
hasn‘t yielded to the pressure of the omnipresent crises.
Founded in 2009, Down by the River Festival is known for its eclectic and open-minded
programme. Noisy guitars are followed by fluffy beats, sing-along tunes by sound
experiments. Global pop meets singer/songwriter meets post-punk. Hip newcomers and
discoveries mingle with scene favourites and indie veterans.
This year we are happy to present:
Albertine Sarges (dreamy groove pop/Berlin)
Anna Erhard (indie pop/Berlin)
Bella and the Bizarre (60s punk‘n‘roll/Berlin)
Die Fitten Titten (electro-punk performance/Vienna)
Double Deüce (antifolk/NYC)
Emperor X (noise folktronica/Berlin)
gránátèze (post-punk pop/Dresden)
OY (afro-future pop/Berlin)
secret act (experimental bedroom pop/Bremen)
Shybits (garage new wave/Berlin)
Come to listen, dance and hang out! One of the loveliest garden parties of the summer
awaits.
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Supported by Musicboard Berlin GmbH
Presented by: taz, ByteFM, rausgegangen, Digital in Berlin, Jungle World, amSTARt &
Fourtrack on Stage
Please note:
- the premises are largely wheelchair-accessible
- free entry for children under the age of 12
- under 18‘s must be accompanied by a parent/guardian
- parents are responsible for their children
- children should wear hearing protection
- no photos/videos
- no dogs or other pets
There is no space for any kind of nationalism, racism, antisemitism. islamophobia, sexism,
ableism, homophobia or other forms of discrimination at the festival.
Is this a concert or a happening? Both, actually. Accompanied by sizzling beats and rave -synths, Die Fitten Titten (The Fit Tits) play their own games with language. They celebrate pleasure and poke fun at the art world. And since looks count, the feminist artist collective from Vienna performs in sometimes spectacular outfits and brings ornamental and scantily-clad boys on stage. Will the latter also dance at Down by the River? We don't know yet. In any case, it will be great fun, not just for the artschool crowd. More info
Die Fitten Titten
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Double Deüce
Sibling duo Double Deüce is a product of the New York antifolk scene of the early 2000s,
a gathering place for creative weirdos wrapping absurdities, profanities and uncomfortable truths in sweet tunes.
Almost two decades after their debut,
Toby Goodshank, who also plays guitar with beloved top weirdos The Moldy Peaches,
and sister Angela Carlucci are putting out their second album "Fascinating Pieces for the Musical Home" on May 31st. And
they sound as quirky, funny and achingly beautiful as back in the day. A welcome balm for the crises-shaken soul. More info
Bella Khan was born into rock‘n‘roll: Already as a little girl, the younger daughter of King
Khan and sister of Saba Lou (Down by the River 2018!) performed on stage as a back-up dancer. Nowadays, as singer and guitarist of her band Bella and the Bizarre, she dances at the front and proves to be her father‘s daugther with her penchant for dirty, surf- and soul-infused garage punk rock, funky outfits and wild live performances. And with a voice whose
raspy energy, driven by a punchy guitar-bass-drums combo, commands full attention.
Bella and the Bizarre
"World Wide We" is the title of the latest OY album. On it, singer Joy Frempong and drummer Macel Blatti aka Melodydreamer cover heavy issues like racism and exploitation. But you can feel the positive energy:
The Swiss-Ghanaian duo, based in Berlin, conjures
change and connection, while the light-footed
grooves and warm melodies of its afro beat-,
hip hop-, and jazz-infused avant pop carry you
towards the dancefloor and towards hope.
"Change – can it be a chance?" Yes, please!
OY
Since moving from Basel to Berlin, Anna Erhard, formerly in the Swiss folk band Serafyn,
has reinvented herself. Her second solo album "Campsite", once again recorded with
producer Pola Roy, pitches its tent in indie pop territory. However, it takes eventful cross-
country walks with lo-fi electronica, hip-hop grooves and rugged electric guitar, while
Erhard's vocals veer between laconic and
wistful, evoking a summer holiday which
doesn't go quite according to plan. But those holidays tend to be the ones to remember,
right? More info
Anna Erhard
Shybits
Shybits are a perfect summer festival band:
They are loud, they are upbeat, their songs
make you want to jump around and sing along at
the top of your voice. Which is not saying
that the British-Australian-South-African trio,
which got together in Berlin in 2018, always
takes the easy route. The catchy, fuzzy power pop of
its debut album "Body Lotion"
incorporates elements of 90s slacker rock and surf
as well as new wave and post punk. But
each angular guitar line is balanced by an exuberant chorus. A second Shybits album is
already in the pipeline. New songs – yeah!
„Are you ok, my dear?“, singt secret act au"Are you ok, my dear?", secret act sings on one of her tracks. Good question. The DIY
producer from Bremen has been through quite a lot in recent years. But, luckily, the music served as a life-saver. The sounds coming from the home studio of secret act are minimalistic, electro-acoustic, fragile. They expose physical and mental pain, and weave beats, dark thoughts and self-care into a warming cocoon. secret act calls her style "bubu pop". And she welcomes all hurt "bubus" for a communal therapy session in the fairy-tale garden. More info
secret act
She already performed on the Down by the
River stage as one half of Italo-disco duo Itaca
and was both stylish host and musical guest
of the virtual festival edition in the pandemic
year of 2020. This year, Albertine Sarges is
back at DBTR, live and in colour, with her band
The Sticky Fingers, bringing her caleidoscopic,
80s-infused pop full of wit, dreaminess and
irresistible grooves. Music that allows you to let
your worries slide down your hips, let them
flutter in the wind and tell yourself: “You‘re
free today!“ More info
Albertine
Sarges
Guitar, drums, two vocals – that‘s all
gránátèze from Dresden take on the road.
And that‘s all Alma and Anni need to move
from lurking unease to grungy noise. To
twirl beautiful, melancholic melodies into
even more alluring harmonies. To charge forward with a (post-)punky energy, or
bounce up and down with a garage-poppy springiness.
To sing about the "blessings“ of womanhood
or exiting the corporate ladder, using vivid imagery. In short: gránátèze don‘t require much to be absolutely grand.
gránátèze
Chad Matheny aka Emperor X has a pretty
extensive CV to show off: He has taught science,
dropped out of a physics course, played hundreds
of gigs, recorded dozens of releases,
composed ambient and soundtrack music,
founded a label – to drop just a few bullet points.
But first of all he seems to be born to perform. Emperor X shows, often only equipped with
an acoustic guitar and a mini-synth, are intense
and highly entertaining events, frequently
moving from the stage to the midst of the audience. Matheny's voice and stories cut to the
quick. And singing along is explicitly encouraged!
Emperor X
Auf dem Festival ist kein Platz für Rassismus, Antisemitismus, Islamfeindlichkeit, Nationalismus, Sexismus, Ableismus, Klassismus LGBTQ+-Feindlichkeit und jede Form von Diskriminierung!
venue address
://about blank
Markgrafendamm 24c
10245 Berlin