ISC Bern

Oh how I love the kind of concerts where only half a meter separates the band from the audience, where you can actually feel the breath of the singer when you stand in front row, where a hypnotic kind of tension literally sucks you into the show. Well if you like these kinds of concerts as well, ISC might be your spot.

The letters ISC stand for International Students Club. It was installed half a century ago in an old animal hospital as a meeting point for mainly foreign students. Today the venue with the charm of an air protection cellar (with a disco globe though) is open for non-academics as well and might be one of the most intriguing spots for live music in the city.

The line up is eclectic and remember anything from shy-girl-with-guitar folk concerts (like Emily Jane White) to moshpit-braindamnage-electropunk acts (like Ho99o9). Also, the club is the home stage of the Tequila Boys, a local supergroup notorious for their endless repertoire of cover songs and excessive alcohol consumption.

Bern is said to be the Swiss music capital, although especially Zurich has way more to offer when it comes to cool music venues. The Bernese music scene is small but extraordinarily creative and very well connected though - partly thanks to places like ISC, where a lot of local bands made their first steps before breaking through to the big stages.