Spätschicht x Volksbühne

With Vaginal Davis, CHEAP, Dylan Kerr, Bobby Beethoven and Cortisa Star

A colour-inverted angel figure holding two torches on a black backdrop printed entirely with the word ‘Spätschicht’ in small white letters.

For the second edition of our new event series Spätschicht, we are teaming up with Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz to present a free live programme featuring concerts, a DJ set, a book launch and a screening. Spätschicht x Volksbühne is co-curated by Marlene Engel, Programme Dramaturge and Music Curator at Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz.

The evening opens the publication launch of Vaginal Davis’ On Dangerous Ground will take place in the cinema, followed by a screening of the first chapter of the film Cheap People Are Other People by the Berlin-based art collective CHEAP. The live programme outdoors kicks off with a concert by Dylan Kerr on the south terrace in front of the former main entrance of Gropius Bau. Bobby Beethoven then takes over the terrace with an open-air DJ set. Formerly known as Total Freedom, the artist has been pushing the boundaries of traditional club sounds for over a decade. The evening concludes with the Berlin debut of young rapper Cortisa Star, who has already conquered the internet with her music and is now giving a concert at Gropius Bau.

Spätschicht – Live Programme at Gropius Bau is a monthly series of free events with an interdisciplinary programme ranging from talks, book discussions and film screenings to concerts and DJ sets. Sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, experimental and always open to clashing – a space to discover new things and shift perspectives.

Programme

The music programme at the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, led by Marlene Engel, introduces audiences to radical experiments in sound and performance, challenging traditional notions of music and live concerts. The programming seeks to redefine how music is experienced, moving beyond the confines of the traditional concert hall to present sound, performance, and architecture as equally significant components. Programmatic openness allows for an exploration of emerging trends in pop- and counterculture, electronic- and experimental music, club culture, composition, as well as innovative practices in dance, performance, and visual arts. It highlights the political and technological dimensions of these fields, with a focus on collaborative programming that incorporates diverse curatorial perspectives to challenge traditional power dynamics in the selection process.

Impressions of the last Spätschicht

Spätschicht x Pop-Kultur Festival, Gropius Bau, 2025,

photo: Studio Replica
Spätschicht x Pop-Kultur Festival, Gropius Bau, 2025,

photo: Studio Replica
Spätschicht x Pop-Kultur Festival, Gropius Bau, 2025,

photo: Studio Replica
Spätschicht x Pop-Kultur Festival, Gropius Bau, 2025,

photo: Studio Replica
Spätschicht x Pop-Kultur Festival, Gropius Bau, 2025,

photo: Studio Replica

An awareness team is available during and after the event. You can contact the awareness team if you have experienced discrimination or harassment, need to deal with conflicts or emotions, or need someone to talk to. The team consists of trained anti-discrimination counsellors. You can recognise the awareness team by their purple lanyards.

During the event, photographs and video recordings may be made in which you may be recognisable. By attending, you consent to these recordings being used to communicate the event or exhibition.