Live Music entertainment in Germany
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A
Yorckschlösschen
This knick-knack-laden watering hole has plied an all-ages, all comers crowd of jazz and blues lovers with tunes and booze for over a century. There's live music on Wednesday and weekends, pub grub till 1am, a pool table out back and a garden in summer.
reviewed
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B
White Trash Fast Food
Edgy and borderline insane, this ex-Irish pub with Chinese flourishes attracts a rock-and-roll crowd and often teems with US expats scarfing tasty burgers to stave off homesickness (and, possibly, hang-overs). DJs or live bands playing punk, rock or new wave in the bar-restaurant area can make conversation challenging. On some nights, raucous indie acts also take over the cavernous Diamond Lounge downstairs.
reviewed
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C
Kato
This former department store below the elevated U-Bahn tracks is now a rockin’ hard place for indie and alt-sounds, from noise pop to ska to mash-ups. Drinks are cheap and the crowd of scruffy party patrons, faux-hawked hipsters and skinny-jeansters keeps attitude to a minimum. Rock-It Tuesdays and Thursdays are parties with cult status.
reviewed
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D
KuZ
Dance parties, live concerts, a summer beer garden with alfresco movie screenings, a world-music summer festival, kids' theatre…the happening Kulturzentrum (cultural centre) has something for everyone. It's housed in a neat red-brick building that began life in the 19th century as a military laundry.
reviewed
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E
Magnet
Small, cheap and dingy, this indie bastion is known for bookers with an astronomer's vision to detect stars in the making. LCD Soundsystem and The Presets had early performances here. After the show, the rambling, multi-floor venue morphs into a dance club with DJs hopscotching from punk to pop to electro.
reviewed
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F
Atomic Café
This bastion of indie sounds with funky '60s décor is known for bookers with a knack for catching upwardly hopeful bands before their big break. Otherwise it's party time; long-running 'Britwoch' is the hottest Wednesday club in town. Also check out the in-house label Panatomic(www.panat omic.de).
reviewed
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G
B-Flat
Cool cats of all ages come out to this intimate venue where you'll be quite literally sitting within spitting distance of the performers. The emphasis is on acoustic music; mostly jazz, world beats, Afro-Brazilian and other soundscapes. Wednesday's free jam session often brings down the house.
reviewed
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H
Knaack
This 1952-vintage warren started out as a GDR-era youth club and is still going strong with the youngster set who come to check out up-and-coming indie, punk and rock bands (mostly from Berlin and eastern Germany) or to turn those hormones loose during the dance parties and karaoke nights.
reviewed
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I
A-Trane
Herbie Hancock and Diana Krall have anointed the stage of this intimate jazz club but mostly it's emerging talent bringing their A-game to the A-Trane. Entry is free on Monday when local boy Andreas Schmidt is playing, and after 12.30am on Saturday for the late-night jam session.
reviewed
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J
Quasimodo
Berlin’s oldest jazz club has diversified its programming and now also features blues, rock, soul, salsa and even disco acts. Its petite size puts you close to the stage, but the low ceiling, black walls and, often, capacity crowds can be just a tad too claustrophobic.
reviewed
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K
Dot Club
If you want to catch tomorrow's bands today, head to this newish club, which does triple-duty as concert hall, recording studio and restaurant. It also does party nights and jam sessions, all amid superb acoustics and decor teetering somewhere between kitsch and cult.
reviewed
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L
Junction Bar
Live gigs 365 days a year – the Junction is famed for the musical maelstrom in its basement, where you’ll find a rowdy crowd bopping their heads to such alchemies of sound as neosoul, post-trip-hop, noise-pop and gypsy-ska. Nightly DJs follow the bands.
reviewed
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M
Chinesischer Turm
This is an institution known to every Münchener from an early age. The popular watering hole derives extra atmosphere from a classic Chinese pagoda and entertainment by a good-time oompah band (in an upper floor of the tower, fenced in like the Blues Brothers).
reviewed
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N
Zap Club
In the cellar of the Schwabenzentrum (around the corner from Josef-Hirn-Platz), this sprawling disco has very modern decor and a cocktail bar. Attracts mainly a younger, 18-to-26 crowd. Over-30s get a discount on Wednesday. Hosts live music about once a week.
reviewed
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O
Cave54
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald have played the Cave, Germany's oldest student jazz club which opened in 1954. It hosts jam sessions at 8.30pm every Sunday. The DJ pumps out an eclectic mix of rock, blues and oldies until 3am on other nights of the week.
reviewed
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P
Wild at Heart
Named for a David Lynch road movie, this one-room kitsch-cool dive hammers home punk, rock, ska and rockabilly. Touring bands, including such top acts as Girlschool and Dick Dale, bring in the tattooed set several times weekly.
reviewed
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Q
Pleicher Hof
This cool cafe spreads Med-style vibes during the evening, with light meals and coffees being the favoured fare. In the cellar music bar the agenda goes for the jugular, with heavy garage, funk and amped-up student parties.
reviewed
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R
Hofbräuhaus
This is certainly the best-known and most celebrated beer hall in Bavaria, but apart from a few local yokels you'll be in the company of tourists. A live band is condemned to play Bavarian folk music most of the day.
reviewed
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S
Docks
Although it's officially now called D-Club, everyone still calls this place by its former name Docks. It has less than perfect acoustics, but an excellent roster of guitar-led bands and reasonably cheap drinks.
reviewed
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T
Heartbreak Hotel
You have to smile at a place that reserves a parking space for Elvis outside, which is just one reason why this scurrilous little live-music venue and not-just-for-old-rockers club managed to become so cool.
reviewed
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U
E-Werk
The National Theatre also performs in this former tram depot, which also has a cinema, live music, cultural events and an excellent exhibit of works by contemporary avant-garde artist Rebecca Horn.
reviewed
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Wiley Club
On a former US military base, this one-time canteen has a restaurant, cafe-bar and stage, and hosts live music and club nights. Situated 2.5km south of the Altstadt; take bus 6 to the Wiley Club.
reviewed
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V
Brauhaus Ernst August
A Hanover institution, this sprawling brewpub makes a refreshing unfiltered Pilsner called Hannöversch. A party atmosphere reigns nightly, helped along by a varied roster of live bands and DJs.
reviewed
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W
Konzerthaus Berlin
Another supreme music venue, the Schinkel-designed Konzerthaus has the Konzerthausorchester as its 'house band' but others, such as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, perform here as well.
reviewed
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X
Mau Clubrostock
Everything from indie to punk to disco attracts a wide-ranging crowd to this former storage hall. It's well known for its support of up-and-coming acts and hosts many free local band evenings.
reviewed
