Tacocat hate the weekend. It’s the time of the week when service workers are mistreated by crowds of people enjoying their days off the most. By scheduling their concert on a Tuesday night, they played their part in offering everyone some time to breathe.
The cosy Marie-Antoinette was the perfect setting for an intimate gig, allowing the audience to be as close to the action as possible. No borders, no restrictions anywhere – neither in front of the stage nor on the ground level venue that, made possible by Collage Collective, aims to make shows more accessible to everyone.
Indie rockers Twen, who have been steadily releasing new singles over the course of the year, opened the show with a smooth, tranquil performance. Arising from the Boston DIY punk scene, their dream-pop influences made themselves evident through the softly flowing instruments and experimental vocals. The band surely found itself many new supporters, right in time for the release of their debut album on September 20th.
Fall hasn’t quite hit Berlin yet, but we caught glimpses of it already. Tacocat‘s opener reminded us to enjoy the sun for as long as we can: In Bridge to Hawaii, we’re told a tale describing how the weather has turned so grey they’re planning to escape far away to a sunny island – lest we turn to dwelling inside and turning out like the people depicted in The Internet. Their concert is a journey through their discography: the recently released, more serious This Mess Is A Place features songs such as New World or The Joke of Life, that contemplate existence on this earth and its many flaws. The humorous Lost Time, making itself out to be a fan favourite, receives the same attention.
Dana Katherine Scully was met with great fervour, as was I Love Seattle. Someone in the crowd thanked Seattle for Starbucks; the band responded with a grave “you’re welcome” and promised they had a big role in creating it. The show was sprinkled with similar quips, ranging from threatening to throwing leftover merch into the Spree (or everyone making out with their manager after the concert).
Ending on eponymous I Hate The Weekend, the band left and returned for encores – twice. Skilled in the business of fun, they played with the crowd’s expectations here: a member would show up, the fans would roar, and they would act like they were only going to pick up their leftover drink. Soon enough, the others would emerge. We got a special rare treat: Tacocat ended on UTI, the very first song they’d written.
Whether Tacocat ended up in the Spree or not stands to question. They’ve got a handful of shows left to play in Scandinavia before returning to their hometown of coffee and tsunamis. Let’s hope the current lets them drift back our way soon.
