Live music tips for May

What's impressive about Walter Frosch even before you've heard a single note is the band's name. The duo from Schaffhausen named themselves after the legendary Bundesliga player of the same name, who always upheld pub culture alongside football. Whether the two musicians have the same approach to the pub lifestyle is unknown, but their sound is very much in the tradition of great synth wave culture.

Saturday | 11 May 2024 | Helsinki

The Azzlack rap network that emerged around Haftbefehl in the German Rhine-Main region has produced some great names. The two Frankfurters Celo and Abdi, for example, who bring a good pinch of humour to the table alongside plenty of street credibility. They will be performing at Komplex together with Olexesh, a next-generation rapper who they brought into the network themselves.

Wednesday | 15 May 2024 | Komplex Klub

Danny Brown is one of the eternal underdogs of US rap. He has been delivering extremely varied, experimental and critically acclaimed albums for over ten years. His sound and attitude are inspired by his run-down and gentrified hometown of Detroit as well as by pop history, far beyond the boundaries of rap.

Saturday | 18 May 2024 | Complex 457

Portishead's "Dummy" was one of the style-defining albums of the nineties, Beth Gibbons was the style-defining voice of the album. That was 30 years ago, and since then things have become quieter and quieter around Gibbons. Two Portishead albums, an inward-looking album with the former bassist from Talk Talk and a recording with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra followed. But now the Brit is turning her attention back to the grand gestures: Two years ago, she sang on the album "Mr Morale & The Big Steppers" by rapper Kendrick Lamar, and now her first solo album is in the starting blocks, harking back to the great old days.

Tuesday | 28 May 2024 | Theatre 11

We continue with great female singers and their performances in Theatre 11: Japanese-American singer-songwriter Mitski cannot yet look back on as many decades of musical creativity as Beth Gibbons. Her songs, however, overflow with life experience and processing, making you think she has lived several.

Thursday | 30 May 2024 | Theatre 11