SLOW TRAVEL BERLIN
Yohuna, Madame Claude, 8:30pm
Just six short months ago, Johanne Swanson moved to Berlin and wasted no time getting acquainted with the local scene. Under the name Yohuna, Swanson – a native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin – has released a series of collaborations, covers, splits and singles over the past few years, and since arriving in the Hauptstadt, has played half a dozen or so local shows, including a set at August’s Torstraßen Festival.
Armed with little else but her voice, a Casio keyboard and some background tracking, Yohuna’s sound is delicate and airy, with minimal beats, haunting vocals and vulnerable lyrics. Still, it’s powerful, with lines like ‘take my eyes i didn’t know i / had them til you held them so’ – the kind of words that can take over a room with their demands. For her upcoming date at Madame Claude, Yohuna will set the tone for the night when she opens up for touring musician Katrina Stonehart. Natalye Childress
Madame Claude, Lübbener Straße 19, 10997 Berlin; 030 84 11 08 59; U: Schlesisches Tor; admission: €1-5 sliding scale.