Tag: goth

Sex Cells 2025- Photo by Abraham Preciado

Sex Cells and We’re Buying- somewhere south of Hollywood Blvd

Danny Baraz May 7, 2025

Somewhere in the heart of Hollywood on Wilcox, in a club/venue I have never entered before, Sex Cells re-emerged from it’s hiatus hole, to return to us a provocative buffet of fetish culture, avant-garde/smutty art, and self-expression. Out of the birth canal of Danny Fuentes, the L.A raised freak show turned ambassador and the individual behind Lethal Amounts gallery (but not in the alley). Sex Cells transcends traditional club nights, offering a haven for those who revel in the unconventional but fiercely protective against any potential spectators looking for a freak show or a glimpse of t&a+D. Danny Fuentes: the PT Barnum of rare humans but unlike that circus, exploitation is consensual. Lethal Amounts has long been a stalwart advocate for counterculture. If Lethal Amounts had any over arching theme, it would be that. Fuentes has curated exhibitions that delve into once taboo subjects in the mainstream- satanic rituals and serial killers and of course, forwarding and celebrating all the divine, aesthetic and historical culture that has brought the queer community to it’s current paradigm all across the world . This is our vanilla. His commitment to showcasing the extremes of human experience is evident in the gallery’s diverse array of artists,

Boys Noize, IHEARTCOMIX founder Franki Chan, and The Dare with Yo Gabba Gabba shot by The Cobrasnake

Partying Like It’s 2004: IHEARTCOMIX 20th Anniversary

Danny Ryan October 29, 2024

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

HEALTH at the Grammy Museum- photo by Taylor Wong

HEALTH at The Grammy Museum- Making It In The New Music Industry

Danny Baraz October 18, 2024

So here I am for the first time at the Grammy Museum in Downtown Los Angeles to see HEALTH perform a half set in a small 200 person theater with seats, and to live premier their latest song collaboration- “Ashamed” featuring Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES. Prior to the performance was a less awkward than I imagined Q and A with Nic Harcourt and the band that focused heavily on the creation of the 2023 full length release of Rat Wars. Singer/Songwriter and HEALTH guitarist, Jake Dusik was much more chatty than I expected for someone with such a catalog of sad bastard, isolationist song credits. Dusik spoke in great detail about that despair, which peaked during the pandemic lock down. The birth of his child during this bleak time and the death of society conceived their most critically acclaimed HEALTH album, to date. HEALTH co-founder and ambassador John Famiglietti, always bringing levity to the band described a completely different lock down experience that didn’t always shelter in place and was echoed by HEALTH drummer BJ Miller. HEALTH were asked their thoughts on who was the quintessential Los Angeles band and the answer given was The Doors. I found that to

Ministry at Cruel World shot by Taylor Wong

Cruel World 2024: A Legacy Forms in Year 3 at The Rose Bowl

Danny Baraz May 27, 2024

It’s very rare for a music festival to have a storied legacy to live up to after just 2 years. But after a total lunar eclipse that turned the moon blood red before completely disappearing during Bauhuas for Cruel World 2022 and inclement weather and lightning that thwarted Siouxsie Sioux from performing on Saturday in 2023 and adding a 2nd day on Sunday, it felt like raising the bar could be quite dangerous. For a moment, it looked like the massive storms on our star might cause the Aurora Borealis to materialize for a SECOND night in Southern California for Cruel World 2024. Was there some type of deal with the devil to manifest this excitement, pleasure and existential angst? Maybe a collab with the folks at CERN to find the physics of the post punk genre through the mysteries of particle colliders? Alas, we could not view the Northern Lights here in the southland but the stars fell from the sky and landed on the 3 stages, Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for yet another celestial Cruel World experience. related: Cruel World 2023- Redemption and Romance at The Rose Bowl Fandom has always been weird, wonderful and

Gary Numan at The Fonda Theater shot by Saryn Christina

Gary Numan and Frontline Assembly at The Fonda: An Evening of Synths and Industrial Bliss

Saryn Christina May 8, 2024

On April 7, 2024, The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles welcomed the eager fans of Gary Numan and Frontline Assembly with a line stretching around the block. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as the doors swung open, revealing a packed theater ready to witness both artists take the stage. Frontline Assembly kicked off the evening with a thunderous set that fused industrial beats with haunting melodies. Starting right on time, they strode from the darkness and exploded with sound. Playing classics like “Mindphaser” and crashing into newer tracks that showcased their evolution, Frontline Assembly delivered a performance that was as intense as it was mesmerizing. The entire band performed with an energy that set the stage for an incredible night. The crowd, bathed in pulsating lights and engulfed in a wall of sound, was entranced from start to finish. Related: Nitzer Ebb And Flow – A Night Of Dance And Darkness At The Music Box Soon after Frontline Assembly exited, Gary Numan took the stage and from the opening notes he captured the audience with his enduring sound. He delivered a career-spanning set that perfectly balanced his early, more pop-oriented sounds with the darker, industrial leanings of his later work.

Ladytron Reverberate The Belasco In Their Return to Los Angeles

Janky Smooth Central Command December 15, 2023

The long-awaited, electrifying and innovative live show of UK’s Ladytron finally returned to Los Angeles. Ladytron performed at Belasco Theater after their summer stop at the alt-rock “Just Like Heaven” 2023 festival. Historically still standing from LA’s silent era movie theater district, The Belasco has become the best tour stop in housing top acts in an intimate and impressive venue with plush styled lounges and an exquisite live sound. Live acts thrive here and Ladytron would prove themselves and pay tribute to that “Silent Era” history by producing an electrifying tech sound at its purest. The band’s current tour is the first in four year after a decade long hiatus. But the band hardly stood still and were busier than ever with production collaborations from Brian Eno to Christina Aguilera. Remixes were produced for a long list of artists such as Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Goldfrapp and Nine Inch Nails. Ladytron saw themselves with personal efforts outside of the band’s orb with singers Helen Marnie completing two solo LPs, and Mira Aroyo producing music, as well as some documentary filmmaking. The ladies’ co-conspirators/founding members Daniel Hunt and Ruben Wu are DJs and producers from Liverpool. Daniel Hunt with his expertise

Nitzer Ebb and Flow: A Night of Dance and Darkness at The Music Box

Danny Baraz November 3, 2023

Star date Saturday, Sept. 2nd, 2023… San Diego, California. Nitzer Ebb is the band. Modern.wav and Lethal Amounts are the pilots and The Music Box became the vessel for the only U.S. show scheduled this year for the British EBM/Industrial pioneers. It was perfect timing for Venus to come out of retrograde as the stars aligned to bring lost loves back into our lives. Last time I saw Nitzer Ebb was at Substance 2021 and as fun as that set was, it was missing front man Douglas McCarthey with composer and energizer bunny Bon Harris insuring the show went on. This show was a collaboration between Lethal Amounts and San Diego goth scene impresarios, Modern.wav, whose line-ups, clubs and vibes have been drawing me down to San Diego on a more regular basis over the last year. As one might imagine, Nitzer Ebb drew Angelenos down to the southern most part of California so the crowd was filled with familiar and friendly faces. related: Nitzer Front- Cold Waves 2022 at The Mayan The lineup was stacked with quality, dark music acts, bondage exhibitions and DJ’s between bands. Opening the show was synth pop group, Normal Bias. Normal Bias have a

HEALTH at the Music Box by Becky DiGiglio

HEALTH/Author & Punisher at The Music Box: Let The Ceremony Begin

Danny Baraz April 20, 2023

Last time I saw HEALTH in San Diego was opening for Crystal Castles in May 2011 at the now defunct Fluxx Nightclub. Last Saturday it was HEALTH who were headlining The Music Box in San Diego as the last stop on their Dark Territory tour, and the only thing that HASN’T changed in the nearly 12 years since that show is that HEALTH completely shredded the stage. related: HEALTH at The Echo- First L.A. Show in 3 Years Delivers There were multiple story lines unraveling in through the evening and indeed, the complex and cryptic folds of the universe itself. Returning back from ceremony in Mexico on the day of the show, HEALTH was also the band me and my partner saw on our first date the night I touched her for the first time at 1720 a year ago. I love you Jules (fuck face). All that along with promoter Modern.Wav calling out the San Diego goths to convene in their own ceremony and indulge their kinks with an epic lineup that also featured Author & Punisher and openers Matte Blvck and Straight Razor, whom I woefully missed. Luckily, photographer Becky DiGigglio did not. We walked in during

Janky Smooth Sessions: INVA//ID at Bar Sinister

Danny Baraz February 5, 2023

Goth, Industrial, EBM, Dark Wave, Post Punk, et al, born in the shadows, is having it’s moment in the sun- to the dismay of some of its denizens. But to Industrial acts like INVA//ID, the spotlight is deserved and somewhat welcome. After all, bands want people at their shows. On this Saturday night at Bar Sinister in Hollywood, there was no lack of patrons. Janky Smooth got a chance to speak with Christopher Rivera and and Krz Greenhaw of INVA//ID about their music, the state of the scene and the sounds and places that have influenced them. One of those influential places is Boardners/Bar Sinister and it’s constant presence in Los Angeles post punk and other scenes and genres cannot be understated. So it was fitting that this was the setting for both the show and our interview. Keep an eye out for the next single from INVA//ID dropping on Feb. 14th with the full length expected in July 2023. INVA//ID: Bandcamp Instagram Videographer: Chris Shaibi Video Editing and Words: Danny Baraz Photos: Jessica Moncrief

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

Morning Stars Over Lodge Room: King Woman’s “Celestial Blues” Release Party

Janky Smooth Central Command August 4, 2021

You’ve never heard an album more Chthonian than King Woman’s Celestial Blues What do I mean by that? I don’t mean this is the most raw, underground punk sounding album ever. What I’m saying is that with “Celestial Blues” King Woman has lent a voice and story to all the mysteries working beneath the surface layers of reality around us, be they the internal workings of the body, the mysterious processes of the Earth, the unfathomable cycles of birth and destruction in the cosmos, or the interplay of good and evil magic with everyday life. When King Woman closed out their Sunday night Celestial Blues album release party with a cover of the Stone Roses’ “I Wanna Be Adored”, I thought some kind of mind reading must’ve been at play because after seeing a full set of Kris Esfandiari’s doomy siren songs, my main takeaway was being genuinely impressed with how much she is utterly adored by her fans. They seemed to have her back unconditionally and after every song when the band let it all hang loose, the audience was there to catch them in rounds of applause, whistles and cheers. All that was missing from the evening was a

Punx Undead: Phantoms Book Launch: The Rise of L.A. Deathrock Presented by Lethal Amounts

Rob Shepyer February 26, 2020

Los Angeles has always had an obsession with death. Our city’s celebrities and socialites have a habit of perishing in the most dramatic and mysterious fashion, Rozz Williams of course being no exception. It’s no surprise that from out of punk rock would come a death obsessed, black clad, sorrowful, mournful form of expression and rebellion known as deathrock. To celebrate the launch of Mikey Bean’s new 600 page encyclopedia of deathrock called Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock From The LA Punk Scene, Lethal Amounts and Release the Bats held a photo exhibit and concert celebrating the genre’s Los Angeles heyday. You need this bad boy on your coffee table. related content: Sex Cells’ Divine Ball At El Rey: The Filthiest People Alive Among the attendants at the gallery showing and concert were the likes of 45 Grave singer Dinah Cancer, LA experimental artist Ron Athey, Don Bolles, and many more. With walls adorned with Rozz’s likeness as well as all the show flyers of the scene, the gallery captured a mood, a time, and a place that were quintessentially gothic, dark, and exploding with creativity. Following the book signing, the gathering moved to Monty Bar where numerous bands took