Anna Calvi at Berghain


Berghain, you grimy, glamorous devil. You are lauded by techno-critics as the best club in the world. You turned away American royal Britney Spears for sporting the "wrong look". Admission into your murky depths is like being baptized by the Berlin gods. 

 And yet I, a couple of days ago, I had the honor of being on the club's guest-list at to see British performer Anna Calvi. Ok, sure, this was not a normal club night and the crowd was mostly composed of middle-aged, musically-informed adults. But Berghain is still Berghain. 

 The unassuming, grey exterior (I rode past it twice on my bike) hides an interior reminiscent of both ancient Rome and Times Square in the 70’s. Upon entrance, I was greeted by naked marble men, platform swings, and endless red light.

Anna Calvi came on an hour later than scheduled, clad in a plastic bra and shoulder-padded suit. Her performance was, however, worth the wait. Oscillating between realms of tenderness and tremendous power, Calvi continuously surprised me. One moment she would writhe on the floor, convulsing with each strum of her guitar, while the next she would trill like a broken baby bird. 


 The show was short, and she didn't speak much. The only words Calvi said to the audience were whispered at the end of the show, followed by a crooked, kid-like smile;  "i've missed you." 

Calvi's first few moments on stage

Although pictures are strictly forbidden, I managed to sneak a few shots!

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