27th - 31st October 2016
Yello - the first live experiences from the pioneers of avant-garde sound, music and word scape's. We travel to Berlin to enjoy the last of the four historic concerts
Yello, YELLO, Yello... the first band that made me stop and listen. The band that taught me that music has the power to take you to other places. The band that never followed fashion, the band that have always been beyond categorisation. At the heart of Yello are Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. Boris builds a forest of sound and Dieter takes a walk, he introduces words, stories and character. Dieter also paints with images, he is responsible for the creation of the bands highly artistic archive of video and moving image. The duo work with fine musicians, percussionists and guest vocalists to bring colour and diversity to their projects. Toy, the bands 13th studio album was released in September 2016 and received much praise from fans and press. It is classic Yello... classy, clever and sometimes bonkers.
Yello announced that they were to perform in Berlin back in the summer of 2016. They used Face book to connect with their loyal fan base. Two dates were released, they sold out in hours. Two more dates were added. I purchased a pair of tickets for the show on Sunday the 29th of October 2016. Kraftwerk, a re-imagined industrial space in Berlin was chosen to be the home of the live experiences. It was the perfect space... atmospheric, grand in scale and dramatic to the eye. A cavernous concrete Cathedral, simply perfect for Yello to play in. The concert was everything that I had imagined it to be... and MORE! Amazing visuals, excellent sound and a quirky, engaging performance from Dieter and Boris. Curation of the set list was eclectic, new and classic tracks sitting perfectly together.
Yello set list - October 29th 2016 - Kraftwerk, Berlin.
Intro 1. Do it 2. The Evening's young 3. Limbo 4. Bostich 5. Electrified (with Malia) 6. Cold flame (with Malia) 7. 30'000 days 8. Time Tunnel 9.Kiss the cloud (with Fifi Rong) 10. Lost in motion (with Fifi Rong) 11. Tied up 12. Liquid lies 13. Starlight scene (with Malia) 14. Tool of love 15. Oh Yeah 16. Blue biscuit 17. Si Senor the hairy grill. Encore: 18. Yellofier improvisation 19. The Race (with Malia and Fifi Rong)
This is how the rest of our visit to Berlin shaped up:
We travelled to London on Wednesday 26th Oct and stayed in Greenwich to ensure that a fog bound Isle of Wight would not delay our travel plans.Thursday 27th - We fly from London City Airport to Tegal in Berlin. The morning fog has lifted and our flight is only slightly delayed. It's a smooth cruise over Europe to Berlin. We are met by Mark and Chris at Tegal, we get the bus and train into the City. Once at the apartment we relax and catch up over a few glasses before heading out to a local Neukölln restaurant for noodles. We now head out for a few drinks in one of the more colourful districts of Berlin. Motzstraße in Schöneberg is a gay friendly area of the city. We see the site where the Eldorado club was situated. This location was infamous and home to creatives and the bourgeois party people of the 1930's. Marlene Dietrich, Claire Waldoff and the Weintraub Syncopators entertained the crowds here... Later, in 1932 the SS turned the Eldorado into their new local headquarters... We head back to the apartment after a fab night out.
The festival of light in Oranienburg
Friday 28th - A grey but pleasant day in the City. We are all up and out by midday for a late brunch before heading north on the train to Oranienburg. This eve we are meeting up with two new friends of Chris and Marks. The boys met Crystal and Tanya at the Schlarger Olympics that took place during the summer. Before meeting with the girls, Dave and I head out to the Sachenhausen concentration camp. Our visit is gruelling. As you would imagine, the terror of this place is too much to take in... we are happy to walk away and await the arrival of the chaps. Later we meet up with the girls and enjoy the festival of light, a lovely event in the centre of town. We round the eve off with a meal and a few glasses of warm glühwein. An hour long train ride back to Berlin and we are back at the apartment. What a day, good night!
The Autumn colours in the grounds of Charlottenburg Palace
Saturday 29th - We awake to a sunny morn. Our wonderful hosts have left the apartment to catch their early flight back to Manchester. Dave and I head out to explore the City. We enjoy a low-key day, taking in the sights and relaxing. A walk around the beautiful grounds of the Charlottenburg Palace, the largest surviving Royal Palace in Berlin brings colour to our cheeks. The Autumn shades and falling leaves are breath taking. After a few hours we head back to the apartment with snacks and enjoy a night in...
Sunday 30th - Another bright chilly day, perfect conditions to explore the City. We are taking it easy today because it's the Yello gig tonight, we want to be on form! We take a walk to Kraftwerk. This re-imagined industrial power station is vast, the surrounding district is lively and exciting. We pass squats and organic cafes to get to the iconic venue. Now off to Museum Island to explore the National Art collection at the Alte Nationalgalerie. A fascinating and very rewarding way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We head back to the apartment for some food before heading back to Kraftwerk to enjoy Yello LIVE... The wait has been worth it! Another wonderful visit to Berlin... we will be back!
10 out of 10.
