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Tempelhof Sounds 2022: What to expect from Berlin’s newest music festival

Berlin's newest music festival kicks off this weekend, but what can we expect from Tempelhof Sounds 2022?

Florence + the Machine. Photo: Autumn de Wilde

It’s only appropriate that Tempelhof Sounds, Berlin’s newest music festival, is charged with the deeply nostalgic pleasure of finally bringing live music back to Tempelhof. Over the course of three summer days, one of Berlin’s true landmark destinations will be transformed by an event befitting the location. From June 10-12, the city festival promises to be the perfect curtain-raiser for the Berlin summer we’ve all been waiting for.

Starting on Friday June 10, Tempelhof Sounds wastes no time in letting you know exactly what this event is all about. Florence + the Machine, The Libertines, Two Door Cinema Club and Parcels are acts that need no introduction. The real genius of the festival lies in the way that slew of headline names are interwoven with genuinely bubbling talent.

Specifically, Baby Queen. The South African singer is a real rising star that already seems destined for big things. Baby Queen hits all the right notes of bouncy pop electronics while making good on an artistic commitment to make sure her music really has something to say. Finding that all-elusive sweet spot between the new and the nostalgic is what this festival does best. The trend continues in force on Saturday June 11.

IDLES. Photo: Tom Ham

Muse, as always, are sure to curate a spellbinding show replete with all the bells and whistles they’ve long since been synonymous with. Still, the big draw here is IDLES. Raw, unapologetic, and notoriously outspoken, theirs is an energy that is absolutely unmatched, and it’s also the reason that they very quickly became the most famous band in the UK, a title that they will surely hold for some time to come.

On Sunday June 12, it’s all about The Strokes. Sure, it has been more than 20 years since Is This It, but the seminal indie album retains every inch of its melancholic charm, and whenever Julian Casablancas comes to town, you’ve got to know that it will be worth it. But of course, where Tempelhof Sounds is concerned, it’s never all about The Strokes.

The cult pick here is surely Interpol, who share the bill with the constantly sold-out, always rave-reviewed Fontaines DC and Big Thief. While Berlin’s own Kat Frankie is a known quantity in these parts, it’s no exaggeration to say that she’s known for being consistently electric on stage, and in the party vibe of a summer festival, things can only be jacked up another notch.

When all is said and done, if you grew up with indie music, it’s as simple as this: by the time the sun sets on Sunday over the vast Tempelhof horizon, there won’t be a dry eye or unbroken voice in the whole park.