XYLOURIS WHITE / INSECT ARK / PAUL WALLFISCH

The Small Beast, given up for dead at the end of last season, once again seeks asylum—and your indulgence—within the sanctuary of the Kampnagel. Five years after the BIG Small Beast in New York celebrated Paul Wallfisch’s departure for Germany, Lydia Lunch peed on the stage at Theater Dortmund’s BIG Small Beast, marking the end of Paul’s tenure as Music Director. After an encore performance at the Kampnagel in June and Paul’s subsequent return to New York, it seemed as if the German Beastliness would finally have to stop, but Königspudel pianist, composer, singer and ringleader Paul Wallfisch always has a bit of beastliness in his travel bag and by popular demand, he’s bringing it back to Hamburg. In any case, when the Small Beast pees on your stage, it means she wants to remember the spot and come back for more. After close to 200 editions, in New York, Hamburg, Berlin and Dortmund, The Small Beast returns as an irregular series of musical irregularity, the only theme being the lack thereof; the only constant being MC and custodian, Paul Wallfisch. From punk to Puccini; noise to no wave, the Beast has welcomed over 350 artists including JG Thirlwell, Baby Dee, Alexander Hacke, Mick Harvey, Ken Stringfellow, Steve Wynn, Dear Reader, John Parish, Ernesto Tomasini, Momus, Andrew WK, Skeleton Key, Elysian Fields, Little Annie, Marianne Dissard, Thomas Truax, Barbez, Martin Bisi and many more…

#18 in the Hamburg series, coming your way on Friday December 4th, features Xylouris/White and Insect Ark. The Cretin/Australian duo of legendary lute player George Xylouris and iconic drummer Jim White, (co-founder of The Dirty Three and collaborator of PJ Harvey, Will Oldham, Nina Nastasia, Beth Orton, Cat Power, Smog, Marianne Faithful etc). Xylouris, a member of a clan considered throughout Greece as musical royalty, hails from a shepherding village down the hill from Zeus’ cave. Xylouris’ songs of love and liberty swirl to rapturous heights on the architectural fantasies of Jim’s unique drumming. As George Clinton once said: »Free your mind and your ass will follow.« When Dana Schechter, (Michael Gira’s Angel’s of Light, American Music Club), stalks the stage like a lioness in her sludgy, metal-adjacent duo Insect Ark, the creepy factor shares the stage with the wow factor—and the sheer beauty of the lap steel guitar in all it’s howling, loopy spectacle. Touring in support of a new album on Norway’s Automnsongs Records, these will be Insect Ark’s first shows as a duo, featuring San Francisco drummer Ashley Spungin. As always, Paul will open the night and accompany you through all its glory…