Category: SHOWS

Photo Recap: Brujeria at Alex’s Bar

Janky Smooth Central Command May 15, 2022

Heavy metal’s own narcos party band, Brujeria brought their black magic marijuanaut show to Alex’s Bar and everyone was flying as the band brought the brutal, fun times they’ve always been known for. Whoever conceived of Brujeria is a goddamn genius, the whole place erupted in mosh and dance the whole night long. Photos by: Pedro Carrera Brujeria

122 Hours of Adult. at the Lodge Room

Rob Shepyer May 14, 2022

We here at Jankysmooth consider Adult. a must-see show every time they swing into Los Angeles. We follow their career closely, always giving them credit and props for every step on this avant-garde journey to push the boundaries of music. They make artistic moves beyond anything anyone else is doing, totally devoted to their music and legacy over seemingly everything. Every music new music video is a slice of imagination from another dimension that no one thought of before them. It’s freshness personified, even if no gets it. What makes them great, is that usually, everyone gets it no matter how weird it is. Adult. makes art in the simplest, most inspiring terms. Without boundaries, full of riddles, and able to be interpreted ad infinitum. Their show at the Lodge Room was much anticipated, this is a venue I knew the band should play for the longest time, thinking that stage and its epic backdrop would suit their music and audience perfectly. The Lodge Room has always hosted the most cutting-edge artists that the underground adores. related content: Adult. Interview: Warriors For Weird The evening’s lineup was filled with such powerful artists beginning with industrial’s freshest young duo: Spike Hellis.

Clubbing in Paradise: Slayyyter at El Rey

Danny Ryan May 13, 2022

Words by: Danny Ryan Photos by: Ally Gillam Slayyyter’s immersive Club Paradise experience at the El Rey Theatre last week represented a current transformation in what it means to be a pop star. While the genre has long been controlled by mainstream expectations, Slayyyter performs with a defiant attitude along with influences from more alternative music scenes to create an inclusive scene for fans of all walks of life. Pop music is currently in one of the most transformative states that it has ever been in, especially with an underground movement of pop artists incorporating more sounds from avant-garde and experimental electronic genres into the scene. Similar to how punk rock’s sound was rooted in rebellion against the safer styles of rock and roll bands of the 1970’s, independent pop stars like Slayyyter are a resistance to the commercialized sounds of pop music that have been prevalent for far too long. Slayyyter may bring more experimentation to the stage than the casual pop listener is used to, but her dynamic sound and bold personality make her the ideal performer for fans of pop music that are truly obsessed with the genre and its ongoing evolution. related content: ShadowMANcer: Dorian Electra’s

Photo Recap: Bikini Kill at the Greek Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command May 11, 2022

Ever since Bikini Kill‘s string of Hollywood Palladium reunion dates, Los Angeles has been hoping to see the Riot Grrrl legends take the stage in our fair city once again. That time finally came when they played the Greek Theatre on April 28th and at this show, every woman and man that entered were inspired. Given the recent Supreme Court leak revolving around Roe vs Wade, it’s important men start recognizing the shared humanity from art and sentiment expressed by women. See a woman’s outrage and let it make a real impact on you, stop relegating those emotions as something coming from an other. Bikini Kill at the Greek were phenomenal and we got the pics to prove it. Now please, behold Kathleen Hannah in all her genius and glory. Photos by: Michelle Corvino Bikini Kill

In Amyl We Trust: Amyl and the Sniffers at Teragram

Rob Shepyer May 10, 2022

I feel a bit late to the party. By now, Amyl and the Sniffers aren’t underground punk darlings from Australia anymore. At this point, the band hasn’t just cemented themselves as one of the most dynamic and electric acts in the entire genre, they’ve gone on to influence numerous bands and a whole damn scene within punk to boot. I’m lucky enough to be early to a different party though, that one hosted by C.O.F.F.I.N. the Aussie rockers that Amyl brought on tour with them. These guys rip in undeniable fashion, harkening back the sonic sex appeal of AC/DC but with a harder edge. It’s through a band like C.O.F.F.I.N. that AC/DC will go in history as proto-punk someday. related content: Amyl and the Sniffers at the Teragram Ballroom Amyl and the Sniffers have been getting incredible praise for a long while now. People were saying this band resurrected the classic punk sound but with a hint of glam. The sort of punk or hardcore shows I frequent are usually devoid of the feminine energy that Amyl has in loads. And I don’t point that out because Amy is a woman, I mean the sound itself balances masculine and feminine

Photo Recap: Amorphis at El Rey

Janky Smooth Central Command May 9, 2022

Finland’s Amorphis stopped by the El Rey for the Los Angeles stretch of their North American tour and serenaded the city with their signature blend of anthemic viking balladry and undeniably crushing extreme metal riffage. Showcasing their latest album, 2022’s Halo, Amorphis were a tour de-metal force, with melodic vocals and guttural growls crafting songs about epic adventures and myth. It ain’t everyday this rare heavy metal gem comes to Los Angeles, so we are over the moon to bring you pics from the show. Photos by: Pedro Carrera

Photo Recap: Sleaford Mods at Teragram Ballroom

Janky Smooth Central Command May 7, 2022

The UK’s most dynamic working-class duo of artists returned to Los Angeles for two shows at Teragram. There are few acts that are able to grip audiences with such minimalist approaches to music. Sleaford Mods’ brand of punk rock slam poetry is truly a testament to how one person can be capable of enormous artistic expression if they simply think outside the box and have another person there to drop the dopest beats behind them. Opening for the band was Sorry, English indie rockers with the perfect attitude to ride along with the Mods. Sleaford Mods Sorry

Photo Recap: Prayers at El Rey

Janky Smooth Central Command May 5, 2022

Prayers is now synonymous with Leafer Seyer. There is only one true Cholo Goth. This is what has come to pass after his 2022 release, CHOLOGOTH. Leafer is the creative engine behind the art, he is Prayers through and through. Joining him onstage at one point was his better half, Kat Von D. Opening the show was Oddly Shrugs, goth’s latest grungy madman from Los Angeles. Prayers Oddly Shrugs

Photo Recap: Parquet Courts at the Wiltern

Janky Smooth Central Command May 5, 2022

Words and Photos by: Erika Reinsel If there’s one band who I never tire of seeing, hands down it is Parquet Courts. With every album, the New York quartet continue to find new ways to expand their sound. In support of their latest release, Sympathy of Life, Parquet Courts rolled through The Wiltern in LA. The band remained silhouetted in front colored lights that rolled across the backdrop, letting the music speak for itself. The set started with a mix of hits from Sympathy of Life and 2016’s Human Performance. Much to the delight of old school Parquet Courts fans, the band even treated the crowd to a few songs off their breakthrough album Light Up Gold. Parquet Courts never pin down to a specific sound, which probably explains why their crowd is a mix of young and old; fans of music from punk to dance; and why their shows are always packed and never disappoint. Setlist: Application / Apparatus Human Performance Dust Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience Freebird II Marathon on Anger Watching Strangers Smile Zoom Out Walking at a Downtown Pace Wide Awake Plant Life Light Up Gold II Homo

Return to Reign: Sound and Fury Presents Terror and Strife at 1720

Rob Shepyer May 4, 2022

How crazy is it that it’s been three years since the last Sound and Fury? Here was this festival that acted as a living metaphor for eternal youth and summer love, and then it got suspended by lockdowns that in essence froze people’s minds from maturing while their bodies very much got three or five or ten years older over the pandemic. Still though, the relevance of the bands that made Sound and Fury so special haven’t been diminished one bit since they demolished the Belasco. Mindforce and Dead Heat are still the young princes in this kingdom. Meanwhile, Terror and Strife are still kings. related content: L.A.’s Best Festival is Sound And Fury (imo). Here’s Why: Dead Heat opening a hardcore show must mean there’s some kind of killer lineup ahead. Usually, this band is either the closer or direct support, brought out as some kind of secret weapon to really get the festivities popping off, but this show was almost a mini-festival, and the pits needed to be wild right from the jump, so who better than Ventura County’s own nardcore royalty, Dead Heat? Nobody’s better, that’s who. related content: Boston Calling: Sound And Fury 2019 Legendary New

Long Live the New Flesh: Ho99o9 and N8 NOFACE at Echoplex

Aria Silva-Espinosa May 3, 2022

The span of Ho99o9’s 5-year siege of the hip hop punk crossover scene isn’t nearly enough time to digest the expansive and complex body of work. In March, the group released their second studio album SKIN following a few EP’s and mixtapes since their debut album United States of Ho99o9 that absolutely broke necks back in 2017. That seems long ago and far away now, almost like a fever dream in the wake of live music’s seemingly untimely demise. A few years back when it felt like shit had really hit the fan, I found myself revisiting tracks like War is Hell and Knuckle Up, finding confirmation in the vengeful, acerbic lyricism and concordant rhythm. It’s the kind of music made by and for those of us who have simply had enough of the bullshit, certainly. Ho99o9’s hot-blooded and unbridled grit invigorates the disdain felt for false authority, inequity and the general state of affairs – as relatable today as it was in 2015 if not increasingly moreso. related content: House of Ho99o9 Halloween at The Roxy The full-length studio album is something of a dream/nightmare blunt rotation of collaborators. SKIN was produced by current Kardashian Kaptive and former pop

Love, Pain, Sorrow, Joy: An Evening with Dakhabrakha at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel

Rob Shepyer May 2, 2022

It’s not often that world music becomes popular among the LA indie scene to the point a band can sell out the majestic Theatre at the Ace Hotel. This hallowed space, made sacred by the art decorating its interior up to the heavenly portal in the ceiling, has hosted many special moments in LA music history. Dakhabrakha, the Ukrainian psychedelic band, performing here to aid their countrymen during a brutal war, was unforgettable. What made it so memorable was the grandiosity of the show. A massive stage with giant screens inside a huge theatre all for this one foreign quartet. In this space, the complexity of the music could deliver its message simply and perfectly, all for the sake of saving Ukraine and Ukrainians. Dakhabrakha plays in so many musical and thematic spaces, with songs about everything from love, to war, to tragedy, and to spring time. They sing in numerous languages form Ukrainian to Italian or to pantomiming the sounds of nature itself. related content: Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma at The Roxy As a half-Russian/half-Ukrainian, I could feel the Eastern European hearts beating around me. There were also a large psych scene presence there, needing to