This month poplars and rocks welcomes at Madame Claude: three extraordinary women that give Berlin that cool feminine touch that makes this city so attractive to the world: Vera Kropf is the lead-singer of Vienna-based band Luise Pop. Vera meanwhile moved to Berlin, splitting her time between her old band, her solo appearances, as well as joining new projects, like the recent one Half Girl with members from the bands Britta and Jens Friebe. Luise Pop was started with two girls on guitar and keyboard, for some time joined by the frontman of Ja, Panik on drums, now grown to a four-piece with a new drummer and bass. Their first album The car, the ship, the train came out in 2009, now in January 2012 followed their second one: Time is a habit (Siluh records). Luise Pop lend a lot from the nineties riot girl attitude, but also recalling of the Berlin and Hamburg schools of lo-fi pop punk and their female representatives. They themselves would put their music somewhere between Patti Smith and James Dean. Vera’s singing dominates the songs, that are composed of a punkish carelessness, mixed with sensitive fragility.
Kitty Solaris is an old aquaintance. We had her many years ago the first time. One of the things that make Kitty great is just this fact, that she never yet made it the big headline, despite writing great songs, but follows impertubably her path as singer and songwriter, solo and with band, as promoter of the now sadly going to be evicted Schokoladen, and as founder of the label Solaris Empire, proving the total commitment to rock‘n'roll, by stretching her time between her own endavours and by supporting other musicians. After Future Air Hostess (2007) and My Home is My Disco (2009), produced with the help of Gordon Raphael, known for also having produced The Strokes or Regina Spektor, Kitty’s last album Golden Future Paris was released in 2011 on her label. Despite the soft voice and often very simple and poetic lyrics, that oscillate between sadness and light-heatedness, the music does not lack the pop-appeal and rock gesture. References in regard to Kitty are made to Patti Smith, again, Cat Power, or Scout Niblett. Most touching are Kitty’s songs when just played acoustic on guitar, as they evolved at home in her kitchen. Kitty offers Future Air Hostess as free download.
Sarah Maguire, originally from England, now for some time already settled in Berlin, started writing and learning her instruments at the home table too. Looking for musical support, she assembled a few musicians from bands such as The Michelles or I Am X, calling it The Golden Rule, but with members being split between projects and cities, she started playing live under her own name again, but not without partly supports: This time, as happened before here and there, Gordon Raphael will join on keys. Her first demo EP came out this January. Sarah sees her songs as sung stories, and loves to put herself between, of course again, Patti Smith and Jarvis Cocker.
Having already mentioned Gordon Raphael twice, I will not miss to mention him a third time: We had Gordon Raphael, originally from New York, but now resident of our city, the first time live in Berlin with his own musical output some years ago at Madame Claude. Meanwhile he had made a sound studio in Neukölln call his new home, travelled the world to produce more bands all over the place, and finally is back to show more of his own creative talents: We asked Gordon to play some of his favourite records, but being also involved with the visual arts, the night will also see some of Gordon’s rarely shown projections and films.
The rest on decks is covered by poplars and rocks as rad spin rotate club to cover everything left between philosophy pop and anti-matter frequencies.
MADAME CLAUDE, Friday, February 3rd, 9pm, Berlin, Lübbener Strasse 19. Admission: friendly donation.
