Enveloping the main stage with smoking incense, hypnotic visuals, and live skull painting, the Icelandic troupe Dead Skeletons sparked an evening of droning instrumentals and spiritual fervor at KaterHolzig. berlin-artparasites reporter Nadia Darling Jennings set out to explore the themes of life and death, while discovering one of the best venues in Berlin. If you missed this magic-filled evening, do not despair: KaterHolzig will soon host some equally rad shows. Be sure to see below for details on their upcoming events. 

Dead Skeletons live at KaterHolzig. Photo: Nadia Darling Jennings

Dead Skeletons, self-professed “monks of the dead temple,” treated concertgoers to a multi-sensory performance of their debut album, Dead Magick, including their first hit single “Dead Mantra.” berlin-artparasites caught up with Dead Skeletons’ drummer, Orri Einarsson, to dissect the ceremonious evening.

BAPS: One of your audience members said that your performance was similar to a ceremony. Was that your intention?

OE: We had a really good ceremony […] in the forest on Saturday to start the tour with a native Indian from Mexico. He blessed the guitar. We started the tour with a ceremony; the music has a lot of mantras, so it’s connected.

BAPS: Does your band’s mantra [“He Who Fears Death Cannot Enjoy Life”] resonate with you?

OE: It resonates with me since over the years I have become more aware of death. You cannot spend life being afraid of death because it’s a new beginning. Embrace it. It’s our logo on our t-shirts because we want to take out the boundaries of life and death.

BAPS: Do you feel spiritually most connected to this mantra when you are performing?

OE: We are loose as a band. When we play a song, no one knows how long it is. This is also part of our mantra. We respond to the audience and we keep it as long as we want and feel. If it’s not going on, we end it.

Did you miss this trippy audio-visual performance? If so, KaterHolzig has a promising lineup and later this month you can experience more wacky shows, including the following:

•  “Quintron and Miss Pussycat” will combine electronic chaos, small explosions, and a ridiculous puppet show on October 20th, 2012. 
• Ebo Taylor, a 76 year-old Ghanaian who fuses traditional Fante songs and chants with children’s rhymes, will perform live with Berlin-based Afrobeat Academy on October 31st 2012. 

Until then, go forth and dance, remembering “He Who Fears Death Cannot Enjoy Life.” 

Article and interview written by Nadia Darling Jennings

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