The stage was set, colour changing moon and all, for an impressive Milky Chance show at Berlin’sequally impressive Tempodrom on Thursday night for their Mind the Moon album tour.
They began the show by seamlessly transitioning between tracks ‘Fallen’, ‘Right From Here’, and the most immediate single from the new album, ‘Fado’. While Fado is a Portuguese word given to a song characterised by melancholic lyrics and guitars, this particular Fado did quite the opposite, as it energised the crowd and had them dancing and singing throughout.
Next came fan favourites ‘Blossom’ and ‘Cocoon’, from their previous album Blossom, before slowing things right down halfway through the show. The German duo took this time to shed more light on their much needed break from touring to spend time with family and friends, and – of course – write the new album. Milky Chance also shared the news they have recently hired a sustainability manager to advise them on the environmental impact of touring and how they can lessen their carbon footprint in an inevitably environmentally damaging industry. As part of their environmental drive, the group have committed to “second hand merch”, which was available on the night, where fans could bring along their old t-shirts and have them printed with designs from the tour. The band are early adopters of this environmentally-friendly means of sharing merch, taking inspiration from The 1975’s 2019 campaign. Given the large environmental impact of the fashion industry, this is a really inventive idea which will hopefully be implemented on a larger scale in the future. As lead singer Clemens said, “It isn’t game changing but it’s just a little thing we can do.”
Milky Chance launched back into the music with the always heartfelt ‘Loveland’, featuring Anthony Molina’s amazing harmonica solo. The show ebbed and flowed in tempo, but the band kept the audience engaged the whole time, whether Clemans operated alone under a single spotlight, or danced across the stage to a projected backdrop of Pacman and Space Invaders during ‘The Game’. The night culminated with ‘Flashed Junk Mind’ and ‘Stolen Dance’, two massive songs from their debut album Sadneccesary which, despite coming out 7 years ago, feels as anticipated and as current in the room as ever.
Milky Chance are a band who have been growing from strength to strength with every new release since their huge debut single ‘Stolen Dance’ in 2013, in a tenure that has seen them collaborating with insanely talented artists like Tash Sultana. They concluded with a three-song encore which included ‘Ego’, ‘Running’ and ‘Sweet Sun’. These may not be their most commercially successful songs, but they were conveyed with such energy that it was hard to believe that it was coming after over an hour of playing. Clemens danced in the crowd and the harmonica resurfaced for even more mind-blowing solos, ending the show on the highest note possible. The whole night was a reminder of how enjoyable this band is, and how it is definitely advisable to see them live whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Words by Sophia Hughes
