SLOW TRAVEL BERLIN
Bad Religion, Huxleys Neue Welt, 8pm
Greg Graffin had big dreams from the start. When the now 48-year-old formed a punk rock band in 1979, he was already anticipating its 20-year anniversary. Today, some 34 years later, that high school punk band, Bad Religion, is still as alive and active as ever.
In his non-musical life, Graffin, the only consistent member of the original Bad Religion lineup, holds a Ph.D., is a professor at Cornell University, and has published several books. Yet somehow he has managed to release 16 albums with Bad Religion, the most recent of which is this year’s True North, which made it into the Billboard Top 20 — a first for the band.
True to Bad Religion’s form, the album’s 16 songs clock in at just beyond 35 minutes, with plenty of melodic riffs and “oozin’ aahs” scattered along the way, and lyrics tackling – what else – politics and social responsibility. But whether you love the new album or prefer the old stuff, don’t miss a chance to see these punk rock veterans. Natalye Childress
Huxley’s Neue Welt, Hasenheide 107-113, 10967, Berlin; Tel: 0 30 78 09 98 10; U: Hermannplatz; admission €29.45 (in advance).