Sophia
Transit, 2009
When listening to Sophia records, you wouldn’t imagine Robin Proper-Sheppard as an entertaining, self-deprecating man who likes to play with the attention he gets when he’s on stage or a camera points at him. The music he writes is heartfelt, sad and very personal, but in between the songs he jokes and tells stories about himself taking everything too seriously. Yet as soon as he starts strumming one of his songs, he immerses into his own world. We wait for him in a café close to Lido (http://www.lido-berlin.de/), where he plays his show in Berlin. After an extensive sound check (his tour features a string quartet) we watch him run over the street through light rain with his acoustic guitar. After a short chat the San-Diego-born but now London-based songwriter sits down in front of the window and heads into “So Slow” with blinking lights and cars driving by behind him. For “Something” from the recent Sophia album “There Are No Goodbyes”, we move in the back of the café. Robin needs two restarts, “because somebody giggled”, he jokes. In the end his own mobile phone rings, but he continues and bears it with a grin.
- Camera
- Michael Luger
- Sound Recording
- Maria Wachlin
- Post production
- Michael Luger
- Photography
- Sarah Brugner
- Artist
- Sophia
Transit
With an among Berlin-cafés popular living room atmosphere, transit is located in the animated ambit of Schlesisches Tor, an area in Kreuzberg that offers all-day and all-night entertainment and diversion. Precisely situated on Schlesische Straße 35a, facing the concert venue Lido the Portuguese café transit is a good spot to enjoy a cup of coffee, homemade pastry such as pastel de nata and tasty dishes such as chilli con carne, quiche or empanadas. It’s run by the young Portuguese José and Julia – with some of their friends helping out – and thus feels laid-back and intimate. On a small coffeehouse-scale they do also host DJs and concerts on Wednesdays. A bright street café for the sunny summer days and a colourful interior with second hand couches to sink in for the darker season, transit perfectly serves the vibe of the city – it’s all about hanging out.