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Melt Banana Rain Harsh Noise in Los Angeles at Teragram Ballroom
Janky Smooth Central Command
November 27, 2025
Revisiting the vibrant streets of Los Angeles, California on November 13 on behalf of their “2025 SlinGShot Tour,” Melt Banana crusades across the west coast of the United States in celebration of their latest album, 3 + 5. 11 years of pure creative flow led to the birth of their ninth LP (3 + 5) in 2024, which channeled in raw elements including hardcore punk, noise rock, and experimental electro themes. Joining the duo on tour are Deaf Club and Dream_Mega – both honorable features that beautifully complemented the energy Yako and Agata curated on stage at the Teragram Ballroom. The initial chaotic rush left by the presence of the opening acts left the crowd hungry for more action. A lingering sense of exhilaration fills the venue as crowds of rabid fans flood the scene in classic punk-rock regalia. Overhanging strobe lights and the smell of rebellion energized every individual who dared to attend. Words by Max Molina Photos by Auburn Sky click to expand truncated photos related: Three One G Radiation – Deaf Club at The Echo As Yako and Agata aka Melt Banana made their way on stage, fans erupted in a flurry of excitement, laced with mosh
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Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases From Oneohtrix Point Never and Home Front
Danny Ryan
November 21, 2025
Today’s new albums for Friday, November 7th, 2025, are two releases that may come from genres known for their simplicity, but both completely throw all preconceived notions about said genres out the window with how innovative and forward thinking each of these artists have consistently been throughout their careers. Oneohtrix Point Never almost needs no introduction in the conversation of avant-garde experimental music, being a trailblazer for Warp Records and arguably taking Aphex Twin’s place as King of IDM over the past few years. On the flipside, Home Front has been making waves in Oi punk since they first stepped on the scene with their ambitiously insane incorporations of new-wave, post-punk, and arena rock elements to the normally barebones genre. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Releases from Orville Peck and FKA Twigs OPN’s album is a return to form in a lot of ways, shoving every element of his artistic identity in your face and sticking a flag in the sand of his place in experimental electronic music. Being a much newer artist, Home Front, is conversely finding their identity more and more with each release and creating their own brand of destroying genre-limiting boundaries. Both of these albums
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Powerviolence is Back: Nothing Less Mini Fest w/ Hong Kong F*ck You at 1720
Danny Ryan
November 19, 2025
Most JankySmooth readers are likely familiar with the recent “hardcore renaissance” that music outlets have been raving about post-Covid with the rise of bands like Turnstile, Drain, Scowl, and Knocked Loose; but less talked about are the current revivals of punk subgenres that have not quite yet received the same level of media attention. LA’s underground is deeply familiar with the excitement surrounding the rising popularity in Oi, street punk, and more recently: powerviolence. During the 2010’s powerviolence and the incorporations of genres like noise and power-electronics were much more common than you see in the hardcore scene nowadays, but there is a rising scene of artists hoping to bring the avant-garde abrasive elements of anarcho-punk back to the forefront. related: Sound And Fury 2025 – Everybody Spinkick! Hong Kong Fuck You (HFKY for short) are among the leaders in blazing this trail, and their dedication to the art of noise is so unique in the modern landscape that LA’s staple promoter for the rare vinyl side of hardcore punk, Nothingless Booking, decided to host a mini-festival at 1720 Warehouse on November 7, 2025 around this concept. It was an absolutely stacked bill including Azusa’s powerviolence legends ACxDC, the recent
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Substance Festival 2025: The Post Pandemic/Post Punk Era
Danny Baraz
November 14, 2025
Substance Festival in Los Angeles has become a right of passage in this city and this past November 7th and 8th we attended the 2025 installment in the festival’s return to the Belasco Theater. Approaching this Substance Fest review with any overt enthusiasm would be antithetical to the spirit of the way we revel in the morose nature of this art- the oddly mesmerizing decay of destruction/creation approached with a somewhat detached dreariness that is direct in it’s aloofness. But also… the fucking horrific beauty of it all… or whatever. related: Cloak And Dagger Fest- The Heart Of Los Angeles Bled From Dusk To Dawn Even with the orbits and cycles of pop culture and music circling back to black lipstick among the masses, the mainstream attention can cause a scene to go into lockdown and it’s members more discerning on where they spend their show dollars. So for Substance Festival, it was important to pull in the beating heart of the scene at the increased ticket price. related: Sextile At The Novo- The Most Important Band in Los Angeles? A touch for curation in the dark arts is what scene loyalists look for most and their return to the
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Juggalo Halloween Party: Insane Clown Posse at House Of Blues Anaheim
Danny Ryan
October 28, 2025
Insane Clown Posse was not a band I ever expected to see in my lifetime, especially if you would have asked me in my younger years. Between their goofy carnival-sounding production, overly edgy lyrics and imagery, trailer trash fanbase, their beef with Eminem; the list of reasons not to like them upon first impression is endless. As time goes on and Juggalos get older however; the perception of Insane Clown Posse has changed drastically over the years with Vice’s documentary about their Gathering Of The Juggalos festival, their collaborations with Danny Brown and more recently Jelly Roll, and their song Miracles becoming a viral sensation upon its release. ICP are the black sheep of music as a whole, and the world has mostly decided that we were a bit too hard on them over the years. related: OC Did It All For The Nookie: Musink Tattoo Convention And Music Fest 2019 I decided I wasn’t doing my due diligence as a music journalist if I had never experienced them live, and being as they never visit Southern California; this was one of the few chances I had. House Of Blues Anaheim made the ridiculously insane decision to book them right
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Seducing Tommy Meehan At The Gwar Museum-Janky Smooth Sessions
Danny Baraz
October 20, 2025
Awhile back at the Osees show, I ran into Tommy Meehan. Tommy’s band Squid Pisser was main support for Dwyer and his band of merry thieves that night and I said hi to him at the merch table after their set. related: Osees At The Teragram- A Rose By Any Other Name We caught up briefly and I found the short chat so intriguing that I asked Tommy Meehan out on a date… and he accepted. We were to meet at the museum, or rather, the Gwar exhibit at Beyond The Streets Gallery in Los Angeles. Tommy walked me through every Gwar artifact at the installation that is running through November 2nd, 2025 where the label owner, scene impresario, band leader, innovative guitarist, animator, satirist and historian revealed his life long obsession with Gwar- I instantly fell in love with the fact that this man is in the midst of all his dreams coming true. It’s intoxicating to be around and Tommy Meehan is an easy guy to like and root for. This was our conversation: Background on Tommy Meehan Tommy Meehan is one of the most quietly influential figures in the Southern California punk and hardcore underground—a
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Smashing The Status Quo With Fleshwater at The Fonda Theatre
Aria Silva-Espinosa
October 20, 2025
Fleshwater and Chat Pile at The Fonda. October 11, 2025. Doors at 7:00, show at 8:00. Knowing full well that on-time arrival was going to translate to late arrival, I dipped directly from work for The Fonda without going home to change into something more camouflaged for the occasion. Whenever I arrive at the function, I’m always immediately clocking what everyone lined up down the block is wearing. Among the standard all black outfits and LA’s current favorite branded workwear I notice a series of band tees – Turnstile, Bauhaus, and Pig Destroyer logos and graphics featured on the chests and shoulders of the queue forming along the Walk of Fame. Before the algorithm, your best bet for ‘suggested artists’ would be the merch of the other people at the show. The aforementioned time crunch between the end of my day job and the door call at 7:00 PM now has me in a cardigan, long floral skirt and heels in the foyer of the venue – now both feeling awkwardly overdressed and freezing cold under the blasting AC vents, an effort to combat the anticipated body heat from an active packed house. Words by Aria Silva-Espinosa Photos by Evan
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French Outfit AIR Takes Us On A Moon Safari in San Diego
Grace Dunn
October 15, 2025
San Diego, California was in for an ethereal experience transitioning from summer to fall with legendary French band Air on their stunning North American tour. Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel have been on the road for a significant stretch of time earlier this year enchanting crowds with their compositions flowing out of their iconic white cinemascope ratio spaceship. I have been in grand anticipation to catch their clean, nouvelle architectural stage design celebrating their 25th anniversary of “Moon Safari” since I missed their set last year at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. related: Sensory Interference – Thom Yorke At The Orpheum Theatre Once the tour was announced, I originally sought out to photograph their set. To my delightful surprise, I was granted the sumptuous opportunity to capture Air in the written word; like lightning in a bottle. Venturing on a road trip midweek was a blissful escape from Los Angeles to San Diego in preparation for ascension into the cosmos by way of “Moon Safari”. Nestled in an intimate, open air venue, built 1941 into an existing canyon on Montezuma mesa, CalCoast Credit Union Amphitheater greeted patrons with a cozy and alluring aura on this brisk Autumn evening. Walking
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L7 Celebrate 40 Years w/ Lunachicks and Friends at The Belasco
Danny Baraz
October 7, 2025
The Belasco’s air was sticky, buzzing, electric- like static before a tornado on Friday Oct 3rd. L7 and Lunachicks had a gig in Downtown Los Angeles. Those bands shared the stage again, for the first time in decades, in what felt like a life event for everyone involved for L7’s Fast and Frightening 40 Years Anniversary show. As much as I love Riot grrrl scene, the L7 legacy always stood on it’s own and I never appreciated pundits who would lump every hardcore girl under the Riot grrrl label. L7 had their own brand of feminism which included the Rock For Choice festivals that spanned over a decade and I include the times I saw them perform on the lawn of the Federal building in Westwood for causes that varied from saving rainforests, to legalizing cannabis at a time when people were still doing long prison sentences for the plant. But what I appreciated most about L7 was that they fucking shred. Say everything and anything else you want about them, every single one of them, at the top of their craft amongst their peers. And that was still the case as of October 3rd. related: L7 Stop Pretending They’re Dead
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Music Video Premiere: Human Issue-INSIDE ft. Crow Jane (Director’s Cut)
Janky Smooth Central Command
October 3, 2025
We are proud to premier the new music video for “Inside featuring Crow Jane” from California peace punk band, Human Issue. Human Issue is a politically charged punk band that formed in 2021, uniting musicians from across California and Texas. Fronted by drummer and songwriter Hunter Martinez from the San Francisco Bay Area, the group also features members hailing from San Antonio, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Their diverse backgrounds and shared ethos give Human Issue a raw, urgent sound rooted in the tradition of peace punk while pushing forward with modern urgency. related: Circle Jerks Throw Party For Keith’s Birthday at Hollywood Palladium Though relatively new, Human Issue has quickly gained attention in underground circles for their uncompromising message and relentless live performances. Embracing the DIY ethic, they’ve carved out their place as a vital voice in modern punk, proudly accepting the label of “peace punks” as both identity and mission. Human Issue – Q&A with Hunter Martinez Q: Where do Human Issue originate from, both geographically and culturally? Hunter Martinez: I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area. One member’s from San Antonio, Texas, and the others are from Orange County and the Inland Empire. Some people call
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Avant-Garde Headbanging with The Armed at The Roxy
Rob Shepyer
September 24, 2025
Seeing The Armed at The Roxy on September 20, 2025 was not just a whim- for me it was a necessity. Whenever the Armed play in Los Angeles, I make it a point to attend. Their concerts feel like rare glimpses into a future world. With their latest tour stop supported by Prostitute, another heavy and unpredictable band, I wanted to break down not only the performance but also why The Armed matter so deeply and why their most recent album, THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED, truly rules. related: One Friday Night In Hell- Show Me The Body and Twitching Tongues at The Regent The Armed have become my favorite modern band. I am not sure how it happened; I can’t always control what I gravitate toward. Perhaps they filled the vacuum left by The Dillinger Escape Plan, a band whose live shows once stood as the gold standard for ferocity and unpredictability. Perhaps they were the only group writing anthems with lyrics powerful enough to resonate like “Sport of Form” off Perfect Saviors, my favorite album of 2023. That track, which ends with a peaking sing-along verse of “Doesn’t Anyone Even Know You? Does
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The 4th Wave of Garage Rock in Los Angeles-A Retrospective
Brent Smith
September 3, 2025
Those of us lucky enough to be in L.A. for the 4th wave of garage rock in the 2010s suddenly find ourselves mourning the fact that it’s gone … long receded. We hardly even noticed. What the fuck happened? words: Brent Smith related: Ty Segall And The Secret Show- A New Tradition in Los Angeles I see them around- skulking the Zebulon smoking patio or pounding cheap beer at the Taix bar in motorcycle jackets and old band shirts (that their friends are in) and black denim and dirty Chucks. The weary look of defeat in their bloodshot eyes as we see each other (through the endless, bobbing sea of Benson Boone clones) and head-nod and ask if we met at that one Desert Daze when Iggy headlined. I see them around. The Echo Park refugees of the 2010s wave of garage rock. related: Over 10 Years of Desert Daze Archives And yes, this is my declaration that the 2010s merit a mention in the annals of American garage rock — ’60s, ’80s, ’00s … ’10s. The Fourth Wave. If you’re some music nerd who disagrees you can go fuck yourself. You couldn’t swing a dead cat on Sunset without
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