SHOWS boys noize, chela, comedy, fcukers, goth, hip hop, hyperpop, iheartcomix, indiesleaze, nation of language, new wave, post punk, reggie watts, the dare, yo gabba gabba Danny Ryan October 29, 2024 0 Comments

Partying Like It’s 2004: IHEARTCOMIX 20th Anniversary

IHEARTCOMIX have established themselves as one of the most forward-thinking and distinct promoters in recent LA history over the past two decades; dipping their toes into events celebrating nearly every form of art not limited to raves, parties, movie premieres, album release events, and interactive art exhibitions. Celebrating their 20th anniversary, IHEARTCOMIX threw an absolutely wild party with a complete hodgepodge of a lineup; Featuring The Dare, Boys Noize, Fcukers, Nation of Language, Chela, and even Yo Gabba Gabba blessing the night with their presence. Comedy legend Reggie Watts hosted the entire event, completely taking ownership of the evening’s vibes and making sure everybody in attendance had the most memorable night possible. Although the early 00’s where they started may be long over, IHEARTCOMIX went above and beyond in providing a futuristic lineup that still evoked a nostalgic feeling that celebrated their history in the most crafted way possible.

As soon as I approached The Bellweather, it was instantly apparent that this was not the average club event with the eccentric and colorful outfits that everybody was decked out in. While it was a more formally dressed crowd, IHEARTCOMIX’s brand is entirely based on being as expressive and colorful as possible and the audience did not let them down with this. The Bellweather was transformed into a completely different venue almost; with couches spread about the dancefloor, an art gallery upstairs showcasing IHEARTCOMIX history, photobooths, and even a massive variety of cupcakes on display for guests to take. They really went out of their way to make the whole event feel as if it was more of a house party on steroids rather than going to the club.

IHEARTCOMIX founder Franki Chan shot by The Cobrasnake

Kicking off the evening was Chela, bringing a bold one-woman performance that mixed 80’s synth pop and R&B. Her energy was absolutely bold as she danced aggressively all across the stage to the light and poppy music, almost feeling as if you were witnessing somebody do a karaoke session in their room alone. The synths in her beats had a distinctly lo-fi sound that added another layer of authenticity to her sound, and there wasn’t a single person in the room who wasn’t entranced by her aura.

The first secret guest of the night was Nation of Language, who I was previously unaware of, but they brought an explosive crowd reaction as soon as they were introduced as the surprise performer. It was instantly apparent why, with their impressive ability to unite the underground dance elements of goth and post-punk music with the massive arena energy you would usually only experience from seeing veterans of the genre. Vocalist Ian Richard Devaney has leagues more charisma than most frontmen you would see in the genre, and is astonishingly playing lead guitar and synth as well occasionally while commanding this eccentric soul to the audience. Nation of Language would be the first modern post-punk band I would recommend to a new-wave boomer who is skeptical of newer music, as they had the emotions and character of Morrissey with the heavy synths of INXS and the enormous presence U2 used to have. That’s not to say they sound dated however, but rather they have a unique spirit that can bring post-punk and new-wave back to the prominence it was during that time.

Nation of Language shot by The Cobrasnake

Nation of Language definitely felt like the black sheep of the lineup, being a much more emotional performance than the electronic dance we would experience throughout the rest of the night, but they managed to fit in perfectly with their new wave synth elements that brought a completely different style of dancing to the evening. Nation of Language is certainly one of the bands people will be kicking themselves for not seeing in smaller venues when they had the chance to, as they inevitably rise to becoming modern post-punk legends and headlining larger shows in the future with how electrifying their performances are. Considering their recent tour with Blonde Redhead and their spot on the upcoming 2024 Cruel World Festival lineup, I would predict that they are going to be absolutely massive in the very near future; and they absolutely deserve the success in every way with how much they stand out from other artists with similar sounds.

Besides headliner The Dare, you may be shocked to hear that Yo Gabba Gabba had the largest applause out of any of the performers of the evening. As soon as the goofy, colorful monsters hopped around and danced onto the stage, the intimate crowd went absolutely feral cheering them on with the sort of carefree spazztic energy you would see from many of the children who watch the show. Yo Gabba Gabba isn’t as surprising of an appearance here as many would think; having Christian Jacobs (MC Bat Commander of The Aquabats) as one of the co-creators and hosting many legendary musical guests over the years such as MGMT and Thundercat. Needless to say, the Yo Gabba Gabba monsters fit in perfectly to the vivacious and jolly atmosphere that IHEARTCOMIX had created for the evening and they were arguably the stars of the whole event.

Being IHEARTCOMIX’s 20th anniversary, a giant birthday cake was brought to the stage for the company’s founders and the Gabba monsters to blow out the candles. After the birthday ceremony, Reggie Watts began chanting “Now is the time for Ketamine” with Yo Gabba Gabba nearly fleeing from the stage not wanting to be associated with such statements that would taint their family-friendly image. There was no reason to fear if you missed Yo Gabba Gabba’s brief moment in the spotlight, as they could be found dancing in the crowd and taking pictures throughout the next two sets. Muno (the tall red one) even did an iconic performance of his masterpiece “I Love Bugs” in the karaoke room upstairs. Did I mention there was a karaoke room? IHEARTCOMIX really went above and beyond in turning the Bellweather into an interactive playground of surprises at every corner, and there could not have been better shamans than Yo Gabba Gabba for this spiritually interactive trip.

Fcukers were unlike any artist I had ever seen before, utilizing a full band to completely immerse the Bellweather in their trancelike old school rave atmosphere. Their sound couldn’t even be pinpointed to any genre in particular, just encapsulating every iconic electronic trend of the 90s with elements of breakbeat, garage, trance, and even trip-hop. Their style felt like a personification of a Y2K Sega Dreamcast snowboarding game’s soundtrack in the best way possible. Shannon Wise’s vocals are blissfully smooth and elegant, often adding an extreme contrast to the grimey grooves of the instrumentals beneath. The combination of everything created a sensual atmospheric space that had me dancing like a hippie idiot without a care of what anyone else in the room thought.

Fcukers completely embodied everything that I wish modern rave music was. The choruses were catchy and poppy, but the beat behind it had the dirty bass you would hear in a UK hip-hop track. I can’t emphasize enough how they are an impossible band to describe with words, but it’s the type of music that makes you want to go apeshit in the club while the vocals keep you cool and leveled out. Their single “Bon Bon” is an instant dance classic, and I don’t think that the infectious chorus has left my head since seeing it live even though I had never heard it before. Fcukers is easily one of the most unique and forward thinking bands I have seen in a long time, especially for the electronic genre. I’m dying to see the innovative ways they will influence the scene moving forward, as they are truly in a league of their own.

Boys Noize was not an artist I was expecting to see that evening (or possibly ever, considering nowadays I’m not quite the all-night raver that I once was), but I was ecstatic when it was announced that he would be the next performance as I was a huge fan in high school and he has always been on my list of must-see electronic artists. His heavy German techno-house sound was perfect for keeping the spirits in the room high after the blissful sounds of Fcukers and prepared everybody for the absolute rager of a party that The Dare would ignite shortly. Boys Noize started in a time where EDM was still seen as a somewhat underground scene, having just as much clout with the hipsters as he does with hardcore ravers considering his incorporation of sounds all throughout electronic music’s history from funk to acid house to dubstep. This vast diversity in fans can be seen in all of the unexpected collaborations he’s had recently; including Frank Ocean, Rico Nasty, and even offering an official remix for the Challengers soundtrack. He’s definitely an artist I would love to see at an all night warehouse event, as nobody in the Bellweather wanted his set to end and he could have easily kept everybody moving until the early morning.

The Dare and Boys Noize shot by The Cobrasnake

The Dare is an artist I have been hearing about everywhere in the past year, absolutely taking over the club scene and creating a resurgence in early 00’s indie sleaze aesthetics. His recent collaborations with Charli XCX at her Boiler Room set, and more notably his production on her hit banger Guess (which recently had a remix featuring Billie Eilish released) have put him on the map as one of the highest promising and fastest growing DJs in recent memory. With IHEARTCOMIX’s storied history beginning in the indie parties of early 00’s Los Angeles and the dominance he has over underground club culture at the moment, there couldn’t have been a better headliner choice for this anniversary celebration.

Only having one full length album under his belt, the rabid crowd reaction that The Dare brings every time he performs is usually unheard of from an artist as fresh to the scene as he is. As soon as he approached the turntable with his signature slim-fitting black suit and dark sunglasses, the room instantly erupted in applause and people dancing like maniacs across the floor. With how much character and personality The Dare brings into his music, it’s not surprising that people go absolutely feral when witnessing the man behind it all in the flesh. I often hear The Dare compared to LCD Soundsystem and while I do see the comparisons with the bombastic vocals he provides with his electro-indie sound, his energy is leagues more rowdy while singing the highly animated lyrics that only he could pull off. Although everybody in the building was anticipating when he would play his iconic instant classic “Girls”, there was never a feeling that people were only waiting to hear the hits as the dancefloor was nonstop chaos throughout his set. He performed the remix of Guess by Charli XCX (feat. Billie Eilish) towards the end with the entire room screaming the chorus louder than the recording, before immediately breaking into an extended version of “Girls” where the energy just cranked up even further. When the set ended, it almost felt like The Dare had been a nuclear bomb of raving dropped in the middle of the dancefloor and I was walking through the barren remains of the wasteland to leave.

IHEARTCOMIX is the rare example of a promoter that always keeps you guessing what they might bring to the table next, being absolutely unpredictable with their surprises considering how many different countercultures and forms of art they have incorporated into their brand over the past two decades. If you ever do have the chance to go to an IHEARTCOMIX event, especially if it’s a party such as this one, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime unique experience that you will remember for years to come. Nothing about the night was what you would find from a typical rave or club event, completely transforming your expectations of what is usually expected in the nightlife experience. IHEARTCOMIX already has a reputation for impressing Los Angeles with their one of a kind approach to hosting events of all different forms, with each affiliation they have being immediately recognizable that they’re involved with how distinct their trademark is. However, I don’t think we’ve even begun to see how much of an enormous force they will be in thinking about how we perceive artistic events moving forward.