Pop-Kultur Festival Berlin - August 28: Power, Pride and a Festival in Motion
- Anne
- 8 hours ago
- 6 min read
Our third day at Pop-Kultur Festival Berlin takes us through African pride, intimate electronic performances, darkwave and explosive indie rock at the Kulturbrauerei.
By Friday evening, the Kulturbrauerei feels less like a collection of separate venues and more like one large moving crowd. People of all ages drift between the spaces, meet friends, discover new artists and stop for conversations before moving on to the next performance. Music spills out into the courtyard and the Çaystube, where people dance, sit, talk and keep moving. At one point, a large fluffy dog wanders through the crowd, apparently belonging to nobody and getting along with everyone. That feels strangely fitting. Pop-Kultur is built around movement: between stages, genres, people and ideas. The Friday program was spread across the Kulturbrauerei, with live music, commissioned works, talks and other events taking place throughout the evening.
Ria Boss Turns Music Into a Collective Statement
One of the evening’s highlights is Ria Boss’ "WAX THE RICH", presented as a commissioned work combining live music, fashion and performance. The official programme describes it as a collaboration with designer Austin Nortey, Elia Rediger and other special guests. The Palais is already well filled when Ria Boss takes the stage.
African pride is at the centre of the performance, expressed through music, storytelling and clothing. The band - keyboards, drums, bass and guitar, supported by backing vocals - gives the songs a warm, soulful foundation. The music can be quiet and reflective one moment, then deeply groovy and danceable the next. The clothes are made in Ghana, drawing on traditional fabrics and silhouettes while transforming them into contemporary designs. Models move through the performance rather than simply appearing on a runway. They dance in the middle of the audience, sing along and become part of the show.
At one point, Ria performs among the crowd herself. The effect is immediate: the distance between stage and audience begins to disappear. The band members are introduced individually, each receiving a short solo. In a performance so focused on visibility and collective expression, that moment feels particularly meaningful. Everyone on stage is given a chance to be seen. By the final songs, the audience is completely with Ria. People dance, clap and sing along. "WAX THE RICH" has become more than a concert or fashion presentation; it feels like a celebration built collectively between the stage and the room. The new single "WAX THE RICH" is also released today.
Site Note: After the performance, we spoke with Ria Boss about "WAX THE RICH", collaboration, African identity and her work across music, fashion and performance. An exclusive interview with Ria Boss will be coming soon to INDIENOXZINE.
From Body Positivity to Darkwave
The evening keeps changing shape as we move through the Kulturbrauerei. At the Çaystube, Dornika draws a large crowd with an entirely different kind of energy. She sings alongside a DJ, addresses the audience frequently and brings an extroverted, playful presence to the room. Body positivity is part of the message, while the audience responds by dancing and singing along.
Then everything becomes quieter. Toxe performs alone at the Alte Kantine, sitting on stage while the audience stands tightly packed around her. The light is subtle, the atmosphere intimate. Her soft synth sounds and gentle voice sit together almost perfectly, occasionally interrupted by harder electronic sounds and deep bass that can be felt physically. There is almost no interaction with the audience. Instead, it feels as though we are listening to an album from beginning to end or watching an artist make music privately, without being invited to interrupt the moment. The fact that Toxe does everything alone makes the performance even more striking. The production sounds complete and meticulously constructed, yet everything happening on stage comes from one person.
Lingua Erotica shifts the atmosphere once again. Darkwave, punchy beats and club-oriented sounds turn the space into something closer to a late-night dance floor. The performance itself remains relatively minimal, allowing the music to create most of the atmosphere. And this is one of the things that makes moving through Pop-Kultur so rewarding: within a short distance, an intimate electronic set can give way to a darkwave performance, which can then lead somewhere completely different.
When the Bass Takes Over
By the time Boko Yout take the stage in the Palais, the energy has reached another level. The room is packed.
The guitars are hard, the bass is heavy and the kick drum seems to travel through the entire body. The band plays with the kind of intensity that makes standing still almost impossible. The audience already knows the songs. People sing along, dance and react to every change. The performance keeps building in power and the singer leaves the stage and performs from the stairs among the crowd. At that point, the separation between band and audience has almost completely disappeared. The festival's own program describes the Swedish quartet as a high-energy live act rooted in alternative rock, with influences ranging from ’90s and 2000s guitar music to Afrobeat and grunge. On stage, that energy becomes physical. For us, Boko Yout is the clearest expression of the evening’s increasing intensity.
Why the Short Sets Work
One thing becomes particularly apparent after several days at Pop-Kultur: the short performances work. Many sets last around 30 to 40 minutes. That is enough time to understand an artist’s sound and experience a real performance, without asking the audience to commit an entire evening to one act. You can leave a show, get a drink, meet someone, talk about what you just saw and then walk into another room. The audience seems to appreciate that freedom. People remain attentive because there is always the feeling that something else is waiting around the corner. Pop-Kultur becomes less about choosing one concert and more about following your curiosity.
Another Side of Pop-Kultur
The three days we have spent at the festival have all felt different. At silent green, the first day moved between experimental sound, audiovisual performance and the intensity of Bar Italia. Festsaal Kreuzberg brought a more intimate atmosphere on the second day, moving from Maryam.fyi’s dreamy pop through jazz, indie rock and increasingly wild performances. Friday at the Kulturbrauerei feels different again. There is more physical energy, more dancing, stronger statements and a particularly strong sense of collective presence. From Ria Boss’ celebration of African identity and fashion to Toxe’s solitary electronic performance and Boko Yout’s explosive alternative rock, the program keeps moving between intimacy and excess. That constant change is what makes the festival work. You never quite know what the next room will sound like or who you will meet on the way there.
And Tonight, It Continues
After three days of moving between experimental performances, intimate concerts, powerful live sets and unexpected collaborations, Pop-Kultur continues today, August 29, at the Kulturbrauerei.
This is only a selection of Saturday’s program, with many more concerts, performances and events taking place throughout the day.
5:00 p.m. – Anabel Rose & Joy Frempong - Co-Creation Residency connecting Accra and Berlin
7:20 p.m. – Akryl - Live at Alte Kantine
7:30 p.m. – SEYYARE – Anatolian Women’s Choir: “Now, everybody is on the Road” - a commissioned performance
7:40 p.m. – Kreuzgut.Disko - Indie, post-punk, Britpop and beyond
7:40 p.m. – Kersty Grether & Sandra Grether: “Rebel Queens” - reading, concert and art installation
8:20 p.m. – Sophia Kennedy
8:20 p.m. – Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys: “Animal / Symbol” - commissioned work combining music, light and performance
9:10 p.m. – Nalan - Berlin and Istanbul meet in her latest solo work
9:40 p.m. – PVA - dance-punk, darkwave and electronic energy
9:40 p.m. – Göksu Kunak: “Double Dribble / Grand Jeté” - performance at the Full Court Femme Basketball Court
9:50 p.m. – Masaka Masaka & gugol maps - Co-Creation Residency connecting Kampala and Berlin
10:10 p.m. – Sodomland
10:20 p.m. – The Notwist - live at Kesselhaus
10:20 p.m. – Dis Fig - experimental electronics, industrial sounds and performance
11:20 p.m. – Beaks - indie-leaning synth-pop and minimalism
11:20 p.m. – Deutsche Laichen
After the energy of Ria Boss, Toxe, Lingua Erotica and Boko Yout yesterday, tonight brings another shift in atmosphere - from cross-cultural collaborations and performance art to electronic music, indie, post-punk and the long-awaited return of The Notwist.
We’ll be there.
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Read our reports from August 26, August 27 and our On This Track: Pop-Kultur Berlin Special and check back for our coverage of the remaining days of Pop-Kultur.
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