Next week in Munich – Richard Siegal, Glasvegas, Isarslam

There are (once again) scores of interesting events going on in the city this week, so I hope that’ll make up for my tardiness. Did any of you get round to checking out the Wayne Lawrence Bronx Riviera vernissage at the Amerika Haus, by the way? I visited and was hugely impressed with the photographs, the exhibition is well worth a visit.

If you saw Julia Engelmann’s poetry slam performance (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t?), and it whet your appetite, you can catch poetry in person at the Isarslam poetry slam tomorrow night in the Ampere. Pierre Jarawan, selected as poetry slam “Deutscher Meister” in 2012, is one of the poets performing.

Dutch band Kensington are generating a lot of hype in their home country of Holland, and they’ve just released a new single, Home Again. They’ve been around for almost ten years, but they’re starting to enjoy considerable success back home. They’re playing Backstage and tickets cost just 13 €. The single’s super catchy:

This Wednesday, Glasvegas are in town, playing at Backstage. The Mercury-nominated band released their latest album last summer, and it received rather positive reviews from critics, but has panned commercially. If you enjoyed their previous stuff but are wondering whether the gig will be worth it, here’s a single from that album, If, bizarrely featuring one of their biggest fans, William Shatner:

Contemporary choreographer and dancer Richard Siegal is leading one of the most interesting events this week. On Wednesday and Thursday, you can catch him with the Asasello String Quartet in the Muffathalle, where they will be hosting the world premiere of Siegal’s new project, If/Then with Strings. The focus is on the overlap between music and dance. Can choreography help musicians to play a composition at all? Tickets cost 18.50 € and it is set to be one of the most fascinating events of the week.

On Friday, super-fun band Che Sudaka are playing Hansa 39. The four-piece is made up from Columbians and Argentinians, who met while performing as street musicians in Barcelona. Together, they formed a high energy punk reggae group. If you want a good ol’ boogie, this is the gig of the week. Tickets cost 18 € on the door.

If you prefer something with just a touch less energy, Bavarian band Slut are playing the Freiheizhalle. I rather like their music and their lyrics are great too:

Or, if you’d rather go high culture (perhaps you aren’t so keen on seeing a band named Slut), I can wholly recommend Babylon at the Nationaltheater. There are just a few standing tickets left for the opera, and I know that three and a half hours is a long time to stand, but the modern production is truly wonderful.

The Russian National Ballet are performing Swan Lake at the Philharmonie on Friday, with performances at 4pm and 8pm. There are still tickets available, if you’re interested in a very classical ballet experience.

If you prefer a cosy weekend in, you could do far worse than heading to the cinema right now – lots of cinemas are showing original versions of Oscar contenders such as The Wolf of Wall Street and Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave. Check out the OV listings here.

On Sunday there are lots of Super Bowl parties going on – but I plan on doing a proper post about the various Munich Super Bowl parties this week, so if you fancy going out to party, stay tuned (or become a fan on Facebook or follow me on Twitter).