Booka Shade

Berlin-based duo Booka Shade bring their final Bristol live show to Thekla on 11 June 2026, closing the For Real album tour before an indefinite break from the road. Formed in Frankfurt by Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, the pair helped shape the 2000s electronic landscape with Get Physical Music, carving a sound that folds house, tech-house and synth-pop textures into crisp, hypnotic grooves. From Memento and Movements to Eve and Dear Future Self, their catalogue swings between minimal pulse and melodic writing, with tracks like Body Language (with M.A.N.D.Y.) and In White Rooms becoming staples far beyond Berlin.

On stage, Booka Shade favour a live approach that blends drum-driven rhythms, elastic basslines and atmospheric layers, building long arcs that breathe and shift rather than sprint. This Thekla date threads new material from For Real with key moments from across two decades, offering a clear line through their evolution: tight structures, warm harmonies, club-focused energy without rushing the detail. Before they step off the touring circuit, Bristol gets a set that sums up where they’ve been and where the next chapter might begin.