Next Week in Munich – Jose Gonzalez, Braukunst & Frankenstein

Belgian band Brns were meant to be playing Milla Monday, but the show’s been cancelled. Instead, The Subways are at Backstage on Monday, which has led me on a trip down memory lane. This song was played all the time at Snobs in Birmingham when I was a student:

Also on Monday, there’s an English-language comedy show at Substanz. It only costs 5 € and it sounds like a fun night out.

On Tuesday, Ibsen’s Peer Gynt will be performed at the Residenztheater. The Norwegian verse has been translated into German by Angelika Gundlach, so it’s perhaps not for those of you whose German isn’t fluent, but it is one of Norway’s most famous plays – and well worth seeing. Tickets are available here.

If you’d prefer to see a play in English, the TNT Theatre are performing Frankenstein in the Amerikahaus on Tuesday. Tickets cost 20 € and you must reserve in advance.

The Kunstverein’s opening a new exhibition on Tuesday with artist Angie Keefer. For a public art commission in 2014, Keefer arranged for a pair of delapidated facades of Hudson, New York buildings to be sprayed in metallic auto-body paint. The result was the creation of a golden, monochromatic sculpture. The sculpture was photographed, printed on metallic paper and displayed in major financial centers around Europe. The commercial value of the photo corresponds directly to the real estate value of the properties it depicts.

Sam Smith’s playing at the Zenith on Wednesday. I can’t stand his music, it hurts my ears and his face annoys me, but the show’s sold-out, so he’s clearly pretty popular in Munich.

From Wednesday onwards, the Neue Pinakothek has a new exhibition, titled “I am imaginary”: Artists and Angels. Focusing on the Enlightenment, and how it brought about changes in the art world, the exhibition features disparate work from the likes of James Lee Byars and Peter von Cornelius.

Also on Wednesday, there’s a vernissage in Kunstraum featuring artist Anna McCarthy and musician Manuela Rzytki called The House for Them Ancestors. Together, through art and music, the pair are creating a spatial concept that focuses on Rzytki’s Yugoslavian family’s musical traditions.

Slow Food Youth are at nudo on Thursday to talk about high-quality, regional produce and nudo’s excellent Italian pasta. If you’re a fan of the slow food movement, you can become a member of the Verein here, or you can simply pop along to the event to find out more.

On Friday, Jose Gonzalez is playing a sold-out show in the Muffathalle, with support from Icelandic musician Olof Arnalds. Gonzalez released his latest album (his first since 2007), Vestiges & Claws, a couple of weeks ago, and it’s a beautifully intimate piece of music.

The BBC’s Planet Earth is screening a live concert at the Olympiahalle on Saturday. This coincides with the Erotik Messe at the Olympic grounds, so follow the signs carefully. Tickets range from 37 € to 67 € and can be ordered online.

The annual Weinmesse is taking place on Saturday and Sunday, colliding with Braukunst. Day tickets cost 12 € and the event starts in the Zenith at midday. Alongside wine, there are lots of goodies to keep hunger at bay, including chocolates from Bernhofer, US food from American Heritage and jams and marmelades from Marmaladenherz.

If you want to enjoy a weekend of both wine and beer, take the Friday off and head to Braukunst for its first day – it runs from Friday to Sunday at the MVG Museum. I’ve reported on Braukunst in the past – it’s one of my favourite events in the Munich calendar, and it’s a chance to try lots of craft beers, head to seminars to learn about beer production, and get completely hammered in the name of research. Tickets can be bought online (do this, it saves a lot of time queuing) for 22.50 € and includes samples of beer.

Simple Minds are at the TonHalle on Sunday. Tickets are a hefty 50 €, but that’s the price you pay to hear Don’t You Forget About Me live. The Substanz poetry slam is also on Sunday, at a more manageable 8 €. The show starts at 8pm, but get there early to get a seat.