Tag: belasco

Earth’s Crust: CY Fest 2024 at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer November 6, 2024

What does a typical LA punk want out of a festival? Given that Los Angeles is the most prominent live music hub in the USA, and the world, the average LA punk attends enough shows to make any given concert, no matter how badass, still leaving something to be desired. From my personal experience, that thing LA punks are left desiring from their scene is to have their minds, tastes, and boundaries expanded. I want to see something different, new. I want a band to show me something I didn’t think was possible. The best way to do this is by assembling bills with bands of various styles from various parts of the globe, and no festival has gathered more international acts in Los Angeles than CY Fest 2024. It was the World Cup of punk, with heavy representation from Sweden, Spain, Japan, Italy, Mexico, and so many more countries. Topping off the festivities, the USA’s contribution to the lineup came in the form of a rare Dropdead co-headlining performance before the reunion of Portland’s female-fronted crusties, Detestation. related content: Set The Animals Free: Wolfbrigade and Dropdead at 1720 With a few bands of the upcoming CY Fest 2025 already

The Smell of Napalm Death at Belasco

Danny Ryan December 4, 2022

While punk rock and heavy metal are completely different genres in their sound and aesthetics, there has always been a crossover between the scenes due to the aggressive nature and the focus on rebellion against social norms found in each of them. Few artists embody the fusion of these two scenes more than Napalm Death, with their punk influence of playing as fast and hard as possible in some of the shortest songs ever written combined with their growling brutal vocals and distortion-filled breakdowns. Their recent sold out show at The Belasco proved how much love for these genres does crossover between the two scenes, as they hosted a massive lineup of thrash metal, death metal, and hardcore punk legends to open the eventful evening. Punk and metal may be covered separately when people often look at music history, but Napalm Death’s recent sold out show was a testament to how these scenes are not limited to the boxes that people try to put them into. Frozen Soul was easily the darkest band on the lineup, with their blend of death metal and black metal influences creating a foreboding atmosphere to start the night off before the lightning speed intensity

Two Nights of Emotional Body Music: Boy Harsher at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer April 26, 2022

Boy Harsher‘s rise from underground dance music phenoms to one of the most in-demand goth duos in music, is not just a tale of triumph over cookie-cutter culture, but also a testament to the power of pure emotion and sensuality over pop, glamour, and the mainstream. Boy Harsher’s music is coined Emotional Body Music, a play on Nitzer Ebb’s Electronic Body Music which is a play on Electronic Dance Music. The three of these acronyms dance around each other in a story that has Boy Harsher, Jae Matthews and Augustus Miller, as its protagonists. On the softer side of taste that industrial and goth fans usually enjoy, Boy Harsher appeals to everyone that wants to spend the night losing themselves to irrational movement. To become a total extension of your emotions, to let your body lose control for the sake of release and resurrection by the end of a set, it’s hard not to care how you appear but if you can start moving incrementally harder, you may be able to redefine yourself as the person thats surpassed your previous self’s problems. related content: The Sound Of Sex: Boy Harsher Seduces The Echoplex I remember seeing Boy Harsher at Substance

Eating Yourself to Live: Cannibal Corpse at the Belasco

Rob Shepyer March 26, 2022

Cannibal Corpse‘s return to Los Angeles at the Belsasco wasn’t just a showcase of one of the most brutal and punishing death metal bands of all time, this was a breakthrough tour where the band created a much larger impact than most people realize. This tour came at the heels of a heated debate about the journey the death metal has gone since its origins in Florida to its current state and sound. Cannibal Corpse was at the center of this debate as former singer Chris Barnes butted horns with current singer Corpsegrinder in a battle for which era reigns over all. The lineup for this tour featured Deathcore label mates Whitechapel and Revocation, bridging two scenes that are worlds apart even though they sound incredibly similar to the untrained ear. In many ways, this was a tour that gave deathcore fans an education in true metal, so even though Whitechapel and Revocation aren’t quite my cup of tea, this tour served a greater purpose I have to approve of. related content: Photo Recap: Decibel Magazine Tour With Cannibal Corpse At The Fonda Prior to this show, I was on the Chris Barnes side of the debate. Listening to The

Creatures of the Night: Substance LA 2021

Rob Shepyer December 15, 2021

Substance has always been Los Angeles’ premiere post-punk festival. Celebrating all things goth and clad in black, the scene wouldn’t be quite the same without it. No festival embodies the true spirit of “LA” more than Substance. There’s something urban and dreamy about the whole episode. You get such a range of feels, some bands appeal to your heart then others purely to the body. Spanning all night, the fest goes late into the evening to make you feel like the real nightcrawler that LA is supposed to make you feel like. I came to see Nitzer Ebb but my greatest takeaways were the smaller bands who’s performances left a mark. Here are my five favorites from each day. Day 1 Pixel Grip Chicago-based industrial dance music is a beast of its own breed. Pixel Grip began the festival for my gang and might’ve left the biggest impression of any band for the entire three nights. They commanded their audience with so much attitude, mystique and power, they could’ve headlined the day purely based on the merits of their charismatic performing. Listening to them on records, many of the songs expanded my idea of what an industrial band ought to

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Substance Festival at the Belasco Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command November 18, 2021

Restless Nites are bringing the most stacked post-punk and goth lineup Los Angeles has to offer to the Belasco Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles for what is sure to be an unforgettable three days. Substance festival 2019 was spectacular and this year’s only added another night of music. From local underground heroes to some of the biggest names in the world of dark music, Substance has assembled a goth rock lineup for the ages. This includes Nitzer Ebb, Chelsea Wolfe, John Maus, Ceremony, Health, Squid, and so many more. related content: Becoming The Night: Substance 2019 YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE or ENTER TO WIN 2 WEEKEND PASSES TO SUBSTANCE NOVEMBER 26TH-28TH AT THE BELASCO THEATRE Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK SUBSTANCE Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON NOVEMBER 22ND AT 1PM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

The Evolution of the Trust Fall: La Dispute at the Belasco

Jonathan Reyes December 22, 2019

When I saw the salt lamps being put on stage I thought I had made a mistake. Post-hardcore like At The Drive-In I was told. Latin Danzig this was not. This was hardcore with Michigan undertones. There’s a fight club aspect to the group. They look like they work in your office, the ones that guard you while you sleep, don’t fuck with them. One brought a tambourine to a hardcore show, another person in the back who’s job it is to clap into a microphone. The bass player looks like he’s going to start playing “China Cat Sunflower”. Los Angeles Latinos love La Dispute, I was like is it Sound And Fury already? I’m envious of the passion a person who vibes with hardcore can produce. There was a pit for someone playing a tambourine. The only other place that occurs is at state fairs. So how could this be, I told a handful of people I was going so I could flex a little and people who I told were like “that’s cool” and “you listen to La Dispute” related content: Boston Calling: Sound And Fury 2019 “Will I still go to heaven if I commit suicide?” Asks