Category: SHOWS

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

The Fonda Shines a Light for Spiritualized on 4/20

Grace Dunn April 29, 2022

Driving down Hollywood Blvd, doing my best to find parking as the line continued to grow outside the venue, I could feel my anticipation for that elusive Spiritualized brand of euphoria mounting. There were swarms of people just like me, thrilled attendees patiently awaiting the grandiose rock ‘n roll gospel trip bubbling inside the Fonda Theatre. This wasn’t just any show, this was a Coachella off-shoot for those grounded in good ol’ Los Angeles for the weekend, Spiritualized purists only. related content: Analysis of a Slavic Heart: Molchat Doma At The Roxy A Spiritualized set is a healing affair. J Spaceman has a unique way of reminding us of a deep pain inside we thought was healed or slowly forgotten, only to be recovered in the effervescent melancholy of his psych rock church. Digging deep into the shadow side of the Jungian caverns in your mind, this special 4/20 set paved the way for true soul healing not yet manifested. ‘Shine A Light’ (off of Lazer Guided Melodies) bathed the crowd in forgiveness, feeling like you hit the colorful stained-glass chapel, harmonizing vocals rising up, slide guitar stretching the soul, and organ sounds soothing your weary spirit from life’s highs

Something Old and Something New: Ceremony at the Constellation Room

Danny Ryan April 28, 2022

Words by: Danny Ryan Photos by: Albert Licano Ceremony has had the most drastic shift in sound and style out of any band that I have witnessed in my lifetime, especially within the modern hardcore punk genre. While this growth has been controversial during many periods of their career, their performance in the Constellation Room of the OC Observatory has demonstrated their success in bridging the divisions between these fanbases. This is a goal that is quite difficult to achieve in the rabid following of hardcore, but the crowd’s explosive reactions to their post-punk influenced songs such as the newest single “Vanity Spawned by Fear” prove how successful they are breaking down these boundaries. The Constellation Room shifted from a battleground of flailing bodies to a lively disco dancefloor throughout the night, never losing momentum throughout their long and expansive set. Blasting into classic tracks that would please anyone in their crowd with a specific preference, they certainly attracted skeptical fans into falling in love with their vast discography over the years. As the band has grown rapidly in their visions throughout their history, their fans are growing alongside them throughout this journey. related content: When Quant Gets Core: Home

Drugs Music: The Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Wiltern

Rob Shepyer April 27, 2022

“Drugs Music” is the umbrella term for the sounds created by The Brian Jonestown Massacre in Anton Newcombe’s own words. He didn’t specify whether this meant the music was the drug or that the music was meant to be enjoyed on drugs, but both are true. Seeing the Brian Jonestown Massacre live is like barreling down a tunnel of infinite and psychedelic love with kaleidoscope colors changing like LSD-friendly chameleons as flower petals shower you in hippie kisses. They’ve harnessed some kind of psych rock induced hypnosis that transports you back in time (or rather through dimensions) to a place sorta like the 60’s where there’s boundless amounts of free love and exquisite weed, friendly vagabonds and outlaws roam about and warmly say hello to everyone they encounter, but it’s a 60’s without all the bloated pontification, the vibe here is much more real. Just go with the flow, that’s the mantra of the music. This show made me feel loose and always connected to that Godly flow instead of being caught in a mental web by useless thoughts that restrict one’s actions and worldview. Someone who just lets the flow dictate their actions all the time without the weight

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

Category: SHOWS

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