Pop-Kultur: Beauty in the Weird and Wonderful
Marking a decade of boundary-pushing brilliance, the Pop-Kultur Festival returns to Berlin’s iconic 'Kulturbrauerei'. For 10 years, its curators have fearlessly mixed the underground with the mainstream, bringing together fresh faces and global icons from across the music world to exchange, discuss, and share visions.
What started as an experimental new format at the infamous techno club Berghain with a DJ performance by none other than Elijah Wood has now evolved into an indispensable institution in Germany’s ever-evolving pop landscape. Pop-Kultur is also a trailblazer in the realms of inclusion and diversity. Whether it’s wheelchair accessibility, sign language interpreters, or showcasing artists with disabilities, the festival is all about making space for everyone. And of course, a gender-diverse lineup is naturally given as well.
As the festival kicks off on Wednesday, the sultry heat of a Berlin summer pulses through the historic brewery in Prenzlauer Berg. This year’s focus on the African continent adds another layer of depth, as the curators push the boundaries of what "pop" can mean, daring to challenge and expand the German understanding of the genre.
Around 8:00 PM, the festival kicks off with one of the most intriguing acts of the next three days. Kabeaushé takes over the main stage Kesselhaus, drawing in a mix of dedicated fans and curious newcomers, who eagerly celebrate their pop-avant-garde performance with energy and enthusiasm. Kabeaushé is edgy, young, soft, and a little crazy, effortlessly filling the large stage with just one fellow musician on keys and a backing track. On stage, Kabeaushé transforms into their artistic persona, "the Shé," dressed in a velvet-red costume and a golden-yellow wig, dancing and spinning around with captivating energy and focus. Musically, they are hard to pin down, yet their songs are so catchy, and despite the heat, this opening act is more than worthy of the festival's start. In between songs, Kabeaushé takes a moment to thank their mentor, whom they spot in the crowd, as well as the warm audience, earning themselves euphoric applause and the love of Berlin's notoriously discerning crowd. „If you have hips and waists, try to move them now,“ smiles the artist from Kenia.
Meanwhile, a talk on the sounds of the Iranian revolution is underway on another stage, while Martina Stock performs a concert on the electroacoustic harp in another venue—just a glimpse of the festival's diverse events. After Kabeaushé, LUCIDVOX plays in the small and slightly hidden PANDA PLATFORM. The four Russian musicians, all now living in exile due to their political views, are joined by a guest vocalist friend on stage. Together, they create a rich blend of delicate yet powerful prog and psychedelic rock. Expecting softness, the audience is instead swept up by the hard-hitting guitar riffs and fierce vocals, resonating with punk, desperation, but above all, empowerment and strength. The scene is bathed in red light, with fog rolling in from the back of the intimate stage into the packed crowd. On the hazy backdrop, a piece of art emerges—hands with crying eyes, desperately reaching for the sky, where a star with a flaming tail streaks across. Don’t look away. At the merch stand, one could find hand-crafted sticker packs with dried flowers and various DIY-style shirts. Back at Kesselhaus, a completely different side of pop is explored. Priya Ragu, a Swiss-Tamil musician who moved to New York early on and has produced hits like "Chicken Lemon Rice" blends pop harmonies with danceable 90s R&B vibes and traditional Tamil elements. Wearing sunglasses and a windbreaker, she perfectly syncs with her band, encouraging the diverse crowd to move along with her.
Next up is Jamie K, known from her NTS radio show "Trip Licks," who takes the stage at Maschinenhaus. Her dynamic DJ set, interwoven with live production and ethereal, fairy-like vocals, captivates the audience. Jamie K brings a sense of calm and focus to the lineup, as part of the crowd sways gently to her music, while others sit cross-legged in front of her booth, eyes closed, fog machine on, journeying inward. It's night time by now, and the best choice on the timetable seems to be a commissioned work by Berlin-based band HOPE and British underwater filmmaker and video artist Emma Critchley at the Venue Palais. Meanwhile, over at Frannz Club, Bulgarian artist and queer activist Ivo Dimchev performs in drag, singing charitably about his desires: “I don't want to die like this / sucking a cock cock cock, or maybe I do, do I really want?” Underwater, in the immersive world of HOPE’s music and Emma Critchley’s visuals, a few audience members dance, while others seem to savor the end of the festival’s first day. The enchanting images, projected onto a specially built stage set, leave a lasting impression and mark a smooth, gentle conclusion to an impressive first day.
You can start the second day by either enjoying open-air concerts from emerging talents in the Kulturbrauerei's beer garden or, despite the sweltering heat, dive into more politically charged topics with various talks. Topics include parenthood in the music industry, menstruation at festivals, right-wing memes in pop culture, or visiting the Tiny House on the grounds for discussions on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Just across the way, there’s the tent of the awareness team, which is available throughout the festival for any support needed.
As the Scottish slowcore band Arab Strap fills Kesselhaus with their Tom Waits and Nick Cave-inspired sound, attracting a diverse crowd of long-time fans and the emo boys from Berlin’s indie scene, the Iranian artist Pari Eskandari performs a few houses down in a dark, intimate venue. Her performance is captivating and unsettling, blending tenderness with an eerie edge. The sparse lighting and deep black space enhance the immersive experience, making you momentarily forget the festival’s hustle.
Moving on to one of this year’s highlights, back at the main stage Kesselhaus, Gaye Su Akyol takes the spotlight. With a diva-like aura, she delivers Anatolian pop-folk with her band, blending traditional Turkish music with elements of psychedelic rock, post-punk, jazz, surf, and disco. Dubbed "Turkish rock music’s biggest hope," she enchants a packed Kesselhaus with her powerful voice, ethereal presence, and shimmering silver stage outfit. She talks about her sorrow for the world and how the stars serve as her comfort, "a good alternative to what’s going on down here." We feel you, girl.
In between concerts, drag queen Olympia Bukkakis hosts karaoke in the courtyard of the Kulturbrauerei. Pop hits range from off-key to sublime, echoing across the premises. While a heavily inebriated older Berliner with a long beard performs a blues number, Olympia Bukkakis sways thoughtfully in the background and checks her make-up. Berlin, we love you.
Now Yemi Alade, Nigeria’s pop icon and now a global star, takes the stage at Kesselhaus. She fills the stuffy venue with fans and delivers a first-rate Afrobeat concert, singing about emancipation, backed by a full band and background dancers. The punk icons Lambrini Girls sadly had to cancel their gig due to illness, and now Kenyan musician Blinky Bill plays a concert at Maschinenhaus. There is a free ice cream truck in the courtyard of the old brewery, and the audience is wearing shirts until nighttime. As summer peaks, the second day of this year’s Pop-Kultur Festival slowly comes to an end.
The third evening kicks off with the dark and atmospheric sounds of VV & The Void and GHOSTWOMAN, who perform almost simultaneously in different venues. Australian artist VV & The Void greets her audience in a blue satin dress adorned with a touch of gothic in the form of a leather harness, a generous dose of dry fog, and a first atmospheric coldwave rock song. “Hi, I’m VV and he is The Void,” Valentina Veil announces, pointing to her musical partner on the Korg synth, who complements her distorted guitar with expansive soundscapes.
Two doors down, GHOSTWOMAN fills Kesselhaus with fans. The Canadian duo, featuring musician Evan John Uschenko and drummer Ille van Dessel, delivers hypnotic, brooding Psychedelic Rock. Their songs are somewhat repetitive, but this draws the audience in, creating a mesmerizing atmosphere.
At prime time, Black Sherif performs in the packed Kesselhaus. The Ghanaian rap star brings an unmatched energy that sets the entire venue ablaze. He goes wild with an intensity that’s infectious. “When I wrote the next couple of songs I was losing my mind, so when the beat drops, I need you to lose your minds as well!” The crowd certainly responds. On the other side of the courtyard, Jamaican rapper Zebra Katz delivers a sexy, charged performance at a sweaty and foggy Frannz Club.
There’s also a dance battle in one of the smaller venues, and an unexpected festival highlight comes from one of the very last acts of this year’s Pop-Kultur: the Canadian singer-songwriter duo Pillow Fite from Halifax. With two acoustic guitars and two voices that intertwine and harmonize, Art Ross sings with a glass clear voice about their life as a queer person, giving head or heartbreaks, while Aaron Green brings the classic features of a picture-book songwriter: beard, soulful eyes and guitar solos. The small PANDA PLATFORM is packed as the audience listens in hushed silence, laughs, sips on their beers and sheds the occasional tear.
It’s time to fill our own Spotify Playlists with new discoveries now. Let’s take back 'New Music-Fridays' or Song-Radios and dive into Festivals like this to really discover new music by ourselves. There is beauty in the weird and wonderful and the Pop-Kultur curators seems to really live by that.
Words by Vanessa Sonnenfroh
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