Born and raised in Williams Lake, BC, Kevin Halpin is a Canadian expat that settled in Berlin in 2008 and carved a niche in Berlin’s DIY music scene. Informed by a DIY spirit, Halpin adopted the name Shameless/Limitless and has been independently organizing concerts, parties, festivals, exhibitions and more in Berlin and beyond ever since from his neighborhood of Neukölln.
‘Please Come: Shameless/Limitless Selected Posters & Texts 2008–2020’ is Halpin’s 536-page book, charting the history of Shameless/Limitless, a Berlin promoter whose trajectory has paralleled the establishment of the most recent iteration of the city’s DIY music scene.
The book includes 219 posters for shows, parties and events spread across 40 Berlin venues made by 130 designers, notable and newcomers alike, along with 24 guest texts which celebrate and shed light on the ethos of the S/L spirit, from his friends, including musicians Alex Cameron, Molly Nilsson, Sean Nicholas Savage, infinite bisous, Jane Penny of TOPS, Farao, Sam Vance-Law and more, as well as designers Aisha Franz, Tabitha Swanson, Jason Harvey and Natalia Portnoy to name a few.
It also features posters for first or early shows from now-established artists Alex Cameron, Better Person, Erika de Casier, Fatima al Qadiri, Ultraflex, tours with Metronomy, Crack Cloud, Project Pablo, Pender Street Steppers, Handsome Furs, Geneva Jacuzzi, Homeshake to recurring shows and parties with Molly Nilsson, Mac DeMarco, Win Butler of Arcade Fire, Kirin J Callinan, Sean Nicholas Savage, TOPS) and, of course, much more.
We chatted to Kevin about all things DIY Berlin music, check it out below:
First off, can you tell us a little about how you ended up in Berlin and what led to the creation of Shameless/Limitless?
I arrived in Berlin in June of 2008, with no real plans or expectations of what life here would bring. I had long been keen to do stuff – anything, really – in nightlife, and Berlin was the first place I ever lived where that goal seemed attainable.
S/L got started off of the back of this appetite to make things happen.
You mention that your trajectory has paralleled, and is partly responsible for the establishment of the most recent iteration of Berlin’s DIY music scene. What’s different now to the DIY music scene when you started and what do you think has been your biggest influence on the scene?
It seemed to me, back in the early days of my time here, that DIY by necessity meant either punk or experimental music. I imagine that there were small band shows, but I have the feeling that they mostly catered to an almost exclusively German audience.
S/L started at a time when there was next to no international local scene, and so it has been present and central to the development of what is now, or was, pre-covid, quite a vibrant and accessible nightlife alternative to the established club world in Berlin. There are now bars, venues, publications, labels, radio stations etc which cater primarily to this world – not so way back when.
The title of the book is ‘Please Come’, can you tell us any stories of when people didn’t – and any failures/setbacks along the way?
Alas, I’ve learned that saying please is by no means the magic word to getting people through the door.
There have been more than a fair few under-attended nights along the way, no doubt. Events like that are harsh and humbling, and have impacted my model in that I shifted away from high-risk events in which agents and managers are to be dealt with to primarily focusing on nights which are run on friendship and trust with artists with whom I have a working relationship, or ones who are friends of friends and who get what S/L nights are about.
You seem to have a strong connection to Australia, promoting shows for Alex Cameron and Seekae, The Babe Rainbow, Kirin J Callinan etc. What is your connection to Australia?
Off the top: it wasn’t Aussie band The Babe Rainbow who I worked with, but rather Babe Rainbow, a deconstructed club act (or something?) from Vancouver. That said, even if we remove TBR from the list, there are plenty of other Aussies to add, including Jack Ladder, Donny Benet, and the criminally underrated Holiday Sidewinder.
The Aussie connection came about very organically: ahead of a Berlin visit and just as he was starting his solo career, Alex Cameron got in touch with me totally out of the blue (he checked who was working with artists who he liked at the time and saw that I was booking their Berlin shows). We hit it off immediately, and were quite a tandem for a couple of years in the early days, hustling for shows and opportunities. We’ve remained friends ever since, and hosting after parties for his Berlin shows remains an annual highlight.
Through Alex I got connected with Kirin, Holiday and Tim, and the circle just kept expanding.
You’re known for throwing parties at Barry Burns from Mogwaii’s bar, Das Gift. What’s your relationship like with him and have you ever wanted to work as the promoter for his band?
I’ve been doing – again, pre covid – regular bi-weekly nights at Das Gift, since 2012. It’s been quite a run, and has served for all kinds of chance, planned, regrettable and otherwise encounters. Basically, a lot of fun. Unfortunately the bar will be changing ownership in the coming months, and so my future there is uncertain at present.
As far as Barry goes, he’s a good dude, always quick of chuckle and jolly of spirit. Same goes for his wife, Rachel, who has been running the place for over a decade.
In regards to promoting a Mogwai show goes: while that’s not in the cards (see above re: present operating practices), an after party is much more likely.
What’s the first story that comes to mind when you think about all your events that best describes Shameless/Limitless?
I remember, in my early days of doing this, of being exceptionally excited by the project of playing music with friends from a laptop to a bar. That I got a few free drinks, and, on my first ever night, 5 euros payment, all seemed too good to be true.
This relates to the big picture in that, instead of thinking of S/L as a traditional nightlife business and operating in a manner consistent with that, the moves I’ve made over the years have been more focused on maintaining the kind of personal, friendly, and optimistic spirit was present at day one.
There’s a really rich design catalogue in the book, with 219 poster fliers. Did you give much direction to the 130 graphic designers featured, or they got free rein to come up with their own aesthetics for your events?
I’m glad that you feel that. I’ve been told that S/L design briefs grant a lot of freedom, which is good news to me. Over the years this has been reigned in a bit, though, as different nights bring with them differing levels of expectations from the people who are involved.
At this point I ask designers to familiarize themselves a little with the S/L archive, so as to give some idea as to what has worked in the past. Even so, I’m often impressed by the far out and supremely creative designs people turn in, pro graphic designers and first-time designers alike.
How do you see the DIY scene in Berlin evolving and changing, post-pandemic regulations?
That’s tough to predict. At present, I’m not hugely optimistic about my cohort. Covid has been going a long time, things are still nowhere near normal in regards to regulations for the kinds of events that I put on, and it’s increasingly difficult to imagine going back to a world where things are as coherent, active, and supportive as they used to be. A global pandemic can do that.
That said, I’d like to think that some young and hungry promoters and artists will view this as an opportunity, and I’m curious to see what emerges.
What is something you’d like to see change for the better in the Berlin DIY scene?
At this point I’d be happy to just see it survive the pandemic in a way that it is somewhat recognizable.
Anything else you’d like to add about the book or your story?
It’s been quite a ride – the book makes that much clear. If anyone reading this has heeded the Please Come call: thank yas for being a part of it it all.
Buy ‘Please Come’ here.
