Tag: Trending
tUnE yArDs Light Up Los Angeles Past Curfew At The Bellwether
Janky Smooth Central Command
June 19, 2025
On June 11, 2025, the art-pop rebels known as tUnE yArDs lit up The Bellwether in Los Angeles with a performance that was equal parts dance party, peaceful protest rally, and spiritual awakening in a swirly ice cream cone. The sold-out show was a centerpiece of the band’s long-awaited 2025 tour in support of their sixth studio album, Better Dreaming—a record that is already being hailed as one of their most powerful statements yet. But the tone of the city outside couldn’t help but seep it’s way into the minds of everyone inside the venue. The voice and the conscience of tUnE yArDs, Merrill Garbus spoke for the audience when she expressed solidarity with Los Angeles and how good it was that we could all be together, to dance together and let go for a few hours. Prophetic gratitude, indeed. related: Youth Code Break The ICE at The Echo- Yours, With Malice The Bellwether Show: A Night of Radical Joy Taking the stage just after 9 p.m., Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner launched into a hypnotic, high-energy set that spanned the full arc of their discography—from the raw chaos of early work to the groove-drenched anthems of their latest LP.
Read More
Take This: Win a Pair of Tickets to Morbid Saint at 1720
Rob Shepyer
June 16, 2025
If you live in Los Angeles and consider yourself a thrash-zone regular, chances are you’ve been to a few Charged Noise shows. The promoter, who promised a huge pit at every show, is known to throw thrash metal bangers a level above all his contemporaries in the scene. That’s the driving force behind his next big show, Morbid Saint at 1720 and focus of our ticket giveaway (details below). For those who’ve been too sheltered all their lives to have never discovered the serrated metal of Morbid Saint, their album Spectrum of Death is an absolute classic, inspiring blackened thrash and death metal to no end. It wasn’t that long ago that Morbid Saint were on hiatus, so whenever they tour through Los Angeles, you should consider yourself blessed to see them. Fast forward to 2025: these Wisconsin metal icons released their third album, Swallowed by Hell, and the band sound like they were frozen in ice for three decades so they could play the same ripping thrash to tear up today’s watered-down metal scene. Morbid Saint isn’t the only band playing though, Fueled by Fire and Velosity are opening the show with absolute rage start to finish. If you haven’t
Read More
Youth Code Break The Ice At The Echo: Yours, With Malice
Danny Baraz
June 12, 2025
This past Saturday, June 7th, the post-punk industrial outfit, Youth Code, returned to The Echo in Los Angeles for their first headlining show in this city in 9 years. L.A. is the city from which Youth Code spawned so, that hiatus is enigmatic on its own. Why has it been so long and why now? The latter, easy to answer — Yours, With Malice, the new EP released last month on May 16th by Sumerian Records. Spoiler alert: It’s a fucking banger. In the shadow of the ICE raids and protests happening downtown and all over the city, Youth Code and their supporting act, Sweat played a show- one of the best club shows I’ve seen all year and it was fitting it was at The Echo for many reasons. I knew nothing about the band Sweat but they announced their presence with authority. Sweat are a hard-hitting hardcore-punk trio from Los Angeles, formed in 2019 by veteran SoCal scene members Tuna Tardugno (vocals), Justin Smith (guitar/bass), and Anthony Rivera (drums), formerly of outfits like Graf Orlock, Dangers, and Dogteeth . With razor-sharp riffs, metallic hardcore energy, and an unhinged and frenetic live show by their ringleader, Tardugno, they channel influences ranging from Cro‑Mags
Read More
Spiritual Cramp: Alive at the Regent Theater
Danny Baraz
June 6, 2025
Last month on May 21st, Spiritual Cramp opened a show for Bad Nerves at The Regent Theater. We here at Janky Smooth have been mildly obsessed with Spiritual Cramp- mostly theorizing on why they aren’t headlining shows like this yet. Because once you see them live, the band leaves no doubt. Spiritual Cramp released their first full length, self titled studio album in 2023 to go with 4 EP’s and a slue of singles. Every release is solid. But do yourself a favor- if Spiritual Cramp come to your town, do whatever you can to go see them. related: LA’s Best Festival is Sound and Fury- Here’s Why (2018) When you first hear the name Spiritual Cramp, you’re not sure if you’re about to get hit with a darkwave sermon or an exorcism of punk rock demons. But once the needle drops—or they hit the stage—you know exactly what you’re in for: a sweaty, soul-drenched blast of refined angst, post-punk groove, and swagger that may not be unique to them but they certainly take it to it’s purest form. Now stationed in Los Angeles, Spiritual Cramp is the band you didn’t know you needed—until you see them and your taint
Read More
Gang of Four at The Fonda: The End of the Long Goodbye Tour
Janky Smooth Central Command
June 2, 2025
On May 28, 2025, Gang of Four delivered a powerful performance at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre, marking a significant moment in their farewell “The Long Goodbye” tour. The band, known for their influential role in the post-punk movement, showcased two sets that paid homage to their storied career. As pioneers of the post-punk movement, Gang Of Four’s music favored tense rhythms, percussive guitar with sharp tones, and lyrics that traded in Marxist theory and situationism. As long as this last goodbye run was, it didn’t show at The Fonda Theater. Gang of Four are not only as spry and believable as ever, but John King still had seemingly endless energy at the end of the second set. I’m sure the adrenaline is still pumping a week later from the adoring fans prompting the band to play one more song that would never end. The Fonda-Setlist 1 “Entertainment!”: Ether Natural’s Not in It Not Great Men Damaged Goods Return the Gift I Found That Essence Rare Glass Contract At Home He’s a Tourist 5.45 Anthrax The Fonda- Setlist 2 “Best of the Rest”: He’d Send in the Army Capital (It Fails Us Now) Outside the Trains Don’t Run on Time Paralysed
Read More
Cruel World 2025 At The Rose Bowl: We’re Only Happy When It Rains
Rob Shepyer
May 20, 2025
Cruel World 2025 at the Rose Bowl was the fourth iteration of the festival, but some strange alignment in the distant goth cosmos caused a number of firsts in Cruel World history. Rain fell on Los Angeles’ goth community as they all gathered at the Rose Bowl for what music fans recognize as goth prom. Cruel World is much more than a goth fest, though—’80s music, metal, and punk all performed in gloomy Pasadena over the weekend. Never before did the concertgoers, wearing their finest layers of black, actually dress appropriately for the weather—until now. Some came to Cruel World to see Devo “Whip It” like it was 1980, some came to be in the palm of Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand”, others came just to get a one-day vacation with New Order before “Blue Monday. Whatever the motivation, the festival once again found appropriate meaning in its name. This year it was cold and dreary, with imported London fog infused with LA smog. Most people prefer not to experience a concert drenched from head to toe, but as a departure from the brutal heat of previous years, it had some upsides. The rain forced many Cruel Worlders looking for shelter
Read More
Model/Actriz at The Roxy: A Queer Sermon in Noise Rock
Taylor Wong
May 16, 2025
I first stumbled into the world of Model/Actriz by accident. It was a few years back at Sound & Fury Fest, and I was assigned to shoot them. I didn’t know their name, didn’t know the music, didn’t know what I was about to walk into. I just knew I had a lens in my hand and a job to do. What I got instead was a conversion. Right out the gate, they hit the stage with a mix of post-punk, industrial noise-rock, and pure unfiltered gay energy. The kind that doesn’t ask for permission. The kind that vogues and spits and bleeds. Cole Haden—Model/Actriz’s frontman and spiritual conjurer—was bouncing across the stage like a punk rock ballerina. Limbs flying, chest heaving, eyes wild. And then, mid-set, he leapt into the crowd and performed most of the set among us, singing to our faces, brushing against shoulders, dissolving the barrier between performer and observer in a way I hadn’t seen since… ever. That show stuck with me. And like all things that feel a little too intense to be real, I wondered if I’d built it up in my head over time. Cut to last night at the Roxy Theatre
Read More
Take This: Win Two Tickets to L.A. Witch at The Lodge Room 05/23
Janky Smooth Central Command
May 15, 2025
We are giving away a pair of tickets to the L.A. Witch tour stop at The Lodge Room on May 23rd, 2025. Details below… Last time we caught up with L.A. Witch was at the Palladium in Hollywood supporting Janes Addiction and it just re-sparked our love for the band. On May 23rd we’ll get to see them in the preferred environment- an intimate gathering at an iconic venue in the city where they formed. related: Jane’s Addiction- Hollywood Royalty at The Palladium L.A. Witch embarked on a North American tour starting April 19, 2025, with performances in cities including New Orleans, Houston, Austin, and their hometown of Los Angeles at The Lodge Room in Highland Park. They are also set to tour Europe in the fall, with dates across Portugal, Spain, France, and the UK. For fans and new listeners alike, L.A. Witch’s 3rd full length, DOGGOD offers a compelling blend of haunting melodies and introspective lyrics, solidifying L.A. Witch’s place in L.A. Music Scene lore, once and for all. To Enter Our L.A. Witch Ticket Giveaway… Follow our instagram account @jankysmooth Tag a friend Winner will be announced Wednesday, May 21st at Noon Pacific. Good luck!
Read More
Oneohtrix Point Never at The Wiltern: Post-Post-Modern Music
Rob Shepyer
May 13, 2025
Oneohtrix Point Never at the Wiltern wasn’t an ordinary concert — it was a creative breakthrough into a new form we were all indulged in. I remember being in a film class about postmodernism and asking my professor what movement was supposed to come after. The professor’s answer was “hyperreality”, which — if you’re familiar with it from painting — is a style that almost perfectly maps onto the real world… almost. Although it’s a bit difficult to imagine what hyperreality looks like in music or performance, Oneohtrix Point Never’s show at The Wiltern was an experimental leap ahead of postmodernism, and either a sidestep from hyperreality or a pastiche of it. During the show, a live puppeteer mimicked Oneohtrix Point Never’s performance, with the puppet’s antics projected live on a screen behind OPN. Seeing the duality between man and puppet provided layers of meaning to OPN’s performance, making it an autobiography in the form of a concert. For those not in the know, Oneohtrix Point Never is the pen name of electronic musician, producer, and film composer Daniel Lopatin. His rise to acclaim came in increments before his signature sound became undeniable — notably when featured in Safdie Brothers
Read More
King Tuff Is Leaving Los Angeles: A Final Farewell at the Lodge Room?
Janky Smooth Central Command
May 10, 2025
Los Angeles, get ready to say goodbye to one of the city’s most beloved rock ‘n’ roll weirdos. Kyle Thomas aka King Tuff is bidding farewell to the City of Angels with a final hometown performance at The Lodge Room in Highland Park on Wednesday, May 15, 2025. As part of what’s being called a celebratory send-off rather than a swan song, this show promises to be a psych-fuzz-reverb drenched night of gratitude, good vibes, and garage-glam magic. related: King Tuff and The Shrine In Venice for Red Bull Sound Select Tickets for King Tuff’s farewell LA show are going fast, and for good reason: this isn’t just another tour stop—it’s the end of an era for fans who’ve followed his journey from lo-fi beginnings to Sub Pop success. Whether you’ve been spinning Was Dead since 2008 or fell in love with the introspective shimmer of 2023’s Smalltown Stardust, this Lodge Room date is a rare chance to experience the full spectrum of King Tuff’s sound one last time in his hometown. Why This Show Matters This isn’t just a concert—it’s a transmission from a singular creative force. Over the years, King Tuff has helped shape LA’s indie-psych-rock landscape with
Read More
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,
Read More
Death or Glory Fest Giveaway-Guess The Mystery Headliner???
Janky Smooth Central Command
May 7, 2025
Death or Glory Music & Tattoo Festival is the newest kid on the festival block and its buzz has already made a huge splash. With the very first San Diego performance of Detroit hardcore legends, Cold as Life, they are going to host a performance West Coast Hardcore Kids have dreamt about ever since the band reunited. Hosting one of hardcore’s most notoriously badass bands isn’t all that’s causing chatter in the scene though. The festival already has a diverse lineup of bands within the hardcore and hardcore punk genres, giving audiences a taste of every vibe out there today. Add a tattoo convention and San Diego Harley Davidson for the venue, and you have one of the most insane and hardcore cocktails that will ensure this fest will go down in So-Cal history. Oh but that’s not all. One of the headliners of this baby hasn’t even been revealed yet. Followers on the festival’s instagram got a sample of the fest’s lineup but came away with more questions than answers. Namely, who else is headlining Death or Glory??? Well, fans will find out eventually but if you can predict who’s going to be on the next lineup announcement in
Read More