English Teacher in Berlin

By Ben Bagley

The crowd of slightly tipsy Berliners emit an expectant hum as Mercury Prize winners English Teacher take the stage. We’re in spitting distance of Berghain but tonight the leather hotpants remain firmly in the bottom drawer as indie music takes the spotlight. 

Tender piano ballad ‘This Could Be Texas’ eases us into proceedings before we are startled to life with riff-driven single ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’. English Teacher float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, serving up a one-two combination that displays both ends of their musical spectrum.

The band’s ability to seamlessly oscillate between heartfelt works of poetry and effortlessly catchy pieces of pop is testament to the Leeds natives’ masterful musicianship. The drummer and keyboardist, Douglas Frost, switches the ivories for the sticks with regularity, each part yet more meticulous than the last.  

Frontwoman Lily Fontaine’s silky vocals are matched by her unassumingly charming stage presence. “What’s the first line again?” she quips as the band launch into their earliest hit ‘R&B’, an exploration of the singer’s struggles with impostor syndrome.  

Situated in Berlin’s trendy district of Kreuzberg, Bi Nuu, the setting for tonight’s gig, is unusually small for a band of English Teacher’s stature. There cannot be more than 300 people packed into the venue housed within a U-Bahn station. 

Having sold out shows at the Roundhouse later in the year, this must be one of the last chances to catch the group spearheading the next generation of British indie bands in such an intimate setting. It’s only a matter of time before they are coerced into tours of the UK’s soulless arena circuit, and you’ll be paying £249 for the ‘OVO Energy Platinum Lounge’.

The novelty of the occasion does not stop a handful of audience members from chatting throughout the show, a lack of respect that is still somehow deemed acceptable. Although largely drowned out by post-punk, the set’s softer moments are tainted by the guttural tone of Germanic conversation.

The poor etiquette of a portion of the crowd does not detract from the quality of the performance. There are very few acts out there who can assemble such a delightfully crafted smorgasbord of genres and influences with only one album to their name.

Returning to the stage for an encore, the band close the night with ‘Good Grief’, one of only a handful of songs to have stuck around since I first caught English Teacher at the Leeds Student Union in 2021. They have clearly developed their sound since then, but have kept the raw, punchy edge that piqued my interest what seems a lifetime ago.  

Unlike my GCSE English teacher, who shall remain nameless, the band English Teacher have an inspiring passion for their craft. The Mercury Prize winners seem sure to remain a part of the indie curriculum for years to come.