GALLERY & REVIEW | Lord Huron & Pillow Queens by Chux On Tour Photography - Berlin, 2025

Berlin’s Tempodrom is no stranger to transporting its audiences, but on September 8, 2025, the venue became something closer to a parallel dimension. Pillow Queens and Lord Huron shared the stage, crafting an evening that was at once cinematic, intimate, and irresistibly communal.

Opening the night were Dublin’s Pillow Queens, who we last saw at the We've Only Just Begun Festival 6 years ago. The Irish four-piece have built a reputation for emotionally charged indie-rock that balances bruised tenderness with raw force.

Their set drew heavily from recent material, layering anthemic harmonies over taut, angular guitar lines. Pamela and Sarah’s alternating vocals carried both vulnerability and conviction, turning the Tempodrom into a confessional space. For long-time fans, it was a homecoming; for new listeners, an initiation into a band whose songs ache and uplift in equal measure.

When Lord Huron finally emerged, the stage looked like a film set: a long silver curtain shimmering in the background, an oversized jukebox glowing at the side, and a coin-operated telephone at center stage.

The show opened with “Who Laughs Last?” accompanied by the recorded voice of actress Kristen Stewart. Frontman Ben Schneider leaned into the phone receiver to sing the opening lines, his voice transformed into a haunting, distorted echo.

For the next ninety minutes, the band conjured landscapes in sound: folk melodies folding into widescreen reverb, synths spreading like heavy weather, rhythms urging people to dance. “Listen to the album in full, from start to finish”, Schneider told the crowd with a sly grin. “Don’t listen to it backwards, cause it will open portals”. The audience laughed, but stayed alert—as if half-expecting one to open right there.

Lord Huron’s concert was not the kind that overwhelms with volume. Instead, it unfolded like a story told in chapters, each song another portal into their carefully constructed universe. The performance was utterly captivating, a reminder of how transportive live music can be. Seeing them on stage comes highly recommended, and the night left us eager to discover where Lord Huron will take their audience next.

GALLERY: Lord Huron in Berlin, 2025

GALLERY: Pillow Queens in Berlin, 2025

All photos: © Chux On Tour Photography