There ain’t no doubt about it – autumn is upon us. Walking on my way to the Le Butcherettes show at Cassiopeia last Thursday in the cool air and fading daylight, I was reminded why this is the perfect time of year for gigs. Something feels right about journeying across town to the cosy confines of a rock club now there aren’t endless evenings to be spent at the lake, park or biergarten. Get that sense of autumnal gig excitement too by checking out some of our gig highlights this week:

Friday 30th September
The Wildfires @ Ofen Bar

Despite the abundance of windswept prairie land surrounding Berlin in Brandenburg, there aren’t too many Americana bands in this city. Berlin-based folk/Americana duo The Wildfires have been a staple on the scene for several years now. Their rich voices blend evocatively together, mixing the best of both English and American folk styles. This show at Ofen Bar in Kreuzberg, billed as a ‘warm up’, promises to be an intimate affair. It’s definitely a must-see for fans of The Jayhawks, Emmylou Harris or Joni Mitchell.

The event details are here.

Saturday 1st October
Interkosmos Festival – Zukunft

The folks behind the Zukunft/Tiefgrund gig venue/cinema/cafe are experts at putting together excellent shows and events. Nestled behind ://about blank at Ostkreuz station, this long-standing cultural hub continues to showcase interesting and challenging art and music. On Saturday night, the Interkosmos Festival descends on Zukunft for an evening of weirdo rock, raw garage and psychedelic sounds. Six bands are set to perform for the excellent price of €15. Headlining the evening are Londoners The Underground Youth, who will be presenting a bunch of new, raw garage rock-style songs from their upcoming album. Things get really out there elsewhere on the bill – Electric Eye will be performing their expansive psych-noise and Italians Throw Down Bones offer their ‘rehab from life’.

Expand your mind here.

Sunday 2nd October
His Clancyness – Acud Macht Neu

Having previously supported English indie band Maximo Park in Berlin’s Huxleys Neue Welt, hip Canadian-Italian band His Clancyness descend upon Berlin again to disturb the peace and tranquility of Sunday evening. Performing a mix of styles ranging from ’70s New York art-punk to late-’80s US indie with hints of psychedelia and krautrock, His Clancyness are known for their raucous live shows. Acud Macht Neu is where it’s all going down, and there’s support from Helen Fry’s ‘synth’s from outer space’.

Get the knowledge here.

Monday 3rd October
The Orions @ Schokoladen

Hailing from the distant land of Israel, Tel Aviv surf rockers The Orions kick off their third European tour with a gig at Schokoladen. Whilst adding a punk twist to surf music might have been done before, The Orions certainly make it sound fresh, compelling and vital. Think Man or Astro-man?, Y Niwl or even The Shadows had they grown up in very different surroundings! Opening the evening is new Berlin band Gym Tonic.

Get the lowdown here.

Tuesday 5th October
Elder, Cough, Lucifer @ SO36

Tuesday night is a big one at SO36, as three extremely heavy bands descend on this legendary club in Kreuzberg. After their sensational set at Desertfest in April this year, Elder return to once again prove they are the masters of heavy-psych music. Sounding somewhere between Black Sabbath and Earthless, Elder are legends in the heavy music scene. They perform alongside Lucifer, an occult metal band fronted by high priestess of all things evil, Johanna Sadonis. Virginian band Cough, highly acclaimed for their doom and stoner sounds, completes the lineup this evening.

The Facebook event is here.