Category: SHOWS

The Envy of Angels: Lingua Ignota at the Regent

Rob Shepyer June 20, 2022

Participating in church is a form of mass formation. A sort of collective insanity, reaching a fever pitch with the right pied piper at the pulpit, leading their congregation through a wild purging of trauma and fear through sermon, song or speaking in tongues until catatonic tremors. It’s a necessary escape from sanity. Many of the people that attended Lingua Ignota have left their churches or been shunned by them but found a home among outcasts that feel Lingua Ignota’s music makes them feel like they’re in the graces of God but not under the eyes of his judgement. These people may not have an organized religion anymore but they still need spiritual guidance and leadership. Lingua Ignota fills that void. Her style of music represents a new, secular religion, scary to some, but by tapping into holy notes and chambers of her vocal cords, she is able to produce that same elusive, overwhelming and rapturous feeling of being in the presence of the sacred. Humans need myth and metaphor, which she conjures in songs like “MAN IS LIKE A SPRING FLOWER” as well as the knowledge of their acceptance, eluded to in songs like “FAITHFUL SERVANT FRIEND OF CHRIST”.

Garage Punk Homecoming: Together Pangea at the Regent

Janky Smooth Central Command June 16, 2022

Words and Photos by: Alfredo Luna There will always be bands and music that exists that will bring up something nostalgic in you, taking you back to a certain time and place. A lot of us can say we’re seeing that being presented whether through the lens of “Indie Sleaze” movement or the emo revival phase we have going on. But the one that truly got me was listening to Together Pangea again and being taken back to when I was still in high school coming into my own and somehow discovering through word of mouth, When their Night of the Living Dummy album found its way to my speakers it instantly transformed my taste in music. I distinctly remember videos from their live shows popping up on my feed and a ton of show posters plastering my digital space. I’d always told myself that I needed to make it out and support this up and coming band but as fate would have it I just never could make it. That is until I saw they’d be making a triumphant return to LA with their show at The Regent, and I just knew I had to satisfy that musical pilgrimage

Resistence is Fertile: Midnight Oil at the Palladium

Rob Shepyer June 14, 2022

Midnight Oil has always been difficult to pigeon hole. Bringing darker notes to a popular 80’s pop rock aesthetic, this band was most iconic for their politics. Their latest album, Resist, comes at a time where the world is in much turmoil and in tow with endorsement of fighting back, the band offers a tender acknowledgement and support for all the people often trampled by giant institutions and corporate powers. They never hesitate to thank everyone that makes their shows possible and never mince words when delivering a message to authority. Coming from Australia, the band mentioned a rise in right wing politics in their younger communities, these veterans of musical dissidence are spreading the message of finding another way to make a difference in the world. Through music, yes, but also through standing up for whats right. I remember seeing the music video for “Forgotten Years” replayed over and over as a kid then upon discovering “Beds Are Burning”, I was driven to attend and review this show. Their Los Angeles stop on their final tour for Resist gave me a taste of pure rock and roll, I couldn’t help but think of Woody Guthrie’s guitar, “This Machine Kills

Photo Recap: Suffocation at 1720

Janky Smooth Central Command June 14, 2022

New York may not be the birthplace of death metal but that region of the United States created a sound so menacing and brutal that the rest of the country couldn’t do a damn thing but cross their arms and look on in horror as bands like Suffocation altered the genre forever. They are and always have been a death metal machine, both in terms of output and longevity and sonically. Their return to Los Angeles, courtesy of Church of the 8th Day and 1720, was a remarkable showcase of true heaviness and death. Everyone was blown away and in awe of Suffocation and we got the pics to prove it. Photos by: Greg Flack Suffocation Atheist Soreption Contrarian

…And the Battle Continues: RX Bandits at the Fonda

Rob Shepyer June 13, 2022

RX Bandits will always hold a very special place in my heart. At my high school, only a specific few bands and genres bled into our campus from mainstream culture and RX Bandits were beloved by the grade above mine, the class of 2004. The fans of this band were my elders and among them were the most beautiful girls I always had a crush on. From that crush, I developed a shared love for the band and carried that love to various friend groups through high school, then college and beyond. I would smoke pot with college friends, hot boxing my van during road trips to USC just to see RX Bandits play for free. Though we were strangers to the elite campus, we felt like the in-crowd for being true fans of the band. Their best album, “…And the Battle Begun” came out in 2006, one year after I graduated high school but I always wished it came out two years earlier so I could see how those songs could’ve swept the student body. To lay beside your crush listening to that album, would put any two teenagers in the mood to make out. Few bands are able

You’ll Cowards Smoked Crack With Viper at Zebulon

Rob Shepyer June 7, 2022

Have you ever seen a unicorn? Not in some kind of drug-fueled hallucination or dream but in the flesh, standing right before you. It would surely cause a crowd to gather and if word got out, you would expect people to travel far and wide to see it. Then when someone decided to start selling tickets to view the creature, you could rest assured they would sell out in mere seconds on the internet. This is the case for those who bought tickets to see Viper at Zebulon presented by the incomparable Eighty-Four productions. We all saw a unicorn perform songs off their iconic record, You’ll Cowards Don’t Even Smoke Crack. There are many ways to book a show like this. Given the audience of deep music heads that sold it out in seconds, a hardcore band will do the trick in providing a proper complement to Viper’s chill vibes and insider audience. Fans of outsider artists appreciate heavy music, though the label “Outsider artist” is surely a foolish one. Real artists are all outsiders. Texas’ Skourge was up for the task to open for Viper. The band was wearing their state’s pride and joy hardcore bands on their shirts

Lyrical Assassin: Pusha T’s “It’s Almost Dry Tour” Hits the Novo

Rob Shepyer June 6, 2022

The year is 2018. Kanye West has announced he will produce five albums, one for himself, one for a project with Kid Cudi called Kids See Ghosts, one for Nas, one for Teyana Taylor, and one for his collaborator in G.O.O.D. Music and legendary member of Clipse, Pusha T. These albums each only featured seven songs and though that’s considered short compared to other releases, each album felt perfect, without a single song worth skipping. These albums were pieces of art, in it of themselves. Of the iconic 5, Pusha T’s Daytona was my personal favorite and probably the pound for pound best of the lot. The moment the album cover was teased, the internet went crazy. Featuring a film photograph of Whitney Houston’s bathroom, Daytona carried a mystique before anyone heard a single song. Then once the album was released, it was evident this was going to be on every major best albums of the year list. I became obsessed with Daytona, going out of my way to see Pusha T on Jimmy Kimmel live and then in concert at the Observatory. Following this, Pusha T engaged in a now legendary rap beef with Drake that saw him victorious

Ritual Between Stars, Sun and Moon: Molchat Doma at the Fonda Theatre

Jonathan Reyes June 5, 2022

Raise your hand if you didn’t expect such a large population of goths for Molchat Doma at The Fonda. Having not translated their lyrics to the songs before, I felt the languished pleading in “Zvezdy” being so close and as distant from someone as the sun stars and moon are from each other. I danced about in Egor’s lyrical expression of devastation. Molchat Doma presents bare and plain on stage, they look like a improv group waiting for inspiration from the audience. There is no banner above them, nothing to signify their presence or announce themselves. This absence and their simple black clothing contrast the riot happening in the middle of the room. The crowd was hot for Belarusian boys. related content: One World Under Goth: Molchat Doma at the Fonda Their synchronized movements and blank slavic stare, you don’t realize till it’s far too late, is part of a ritual of some kind, all that’s missing is a cleric’s collared shirt. There’s truly something mystical about them having sold out and adding more shows on their west coast tour. Maybe it’s my religious upbringing but anytime I see rhythmic dancing to loud droning music, it brings on a wave of

One World Under Goth: Molchat Doma at the Fonda

Rob Shepyer June 4, 2022

After performing two sets at Coachella and having their first show in North America at the Roxy before a sold out crowd, Molchat Doma gave Los Angeles what they wanted with two dates at The Fonda so everyone that was dying to see them could finally check them off their concert bucket lists. Just before the pandemic, Molchat Doma was going to perform at Zebulon for what was still an underground show by an underground promoter. After the pandemic, the band sells out every show they book, making the only tickets available for most fans resales at a price around 120$. They are more in demand than any band hailing from Eastern Europe, especially at such a young stage in their careers. Them, and a few other bands, represent a very specific phenomenon only occurring in the goth-sphere. This phenomenon is that international bands seem to rise to the top of the North American goth music scene’s consciousness over domestic bands. Such is the case for She Past Away and Molchat Doma, but even Prayers falls under this umbrella seeing as they integrate Mexican culture into their sound. I want to see this phenomenon expand to every part of the

Heaven’s Not Cruel: Just Like Heaven Festival

Dave Unbuckled June 2, 2022

Goldenvoice’s second go (this week) at nostalgia, came in the form of Just Like Heaven, a welcome return to the pre-covid music festival vibe. The indie rock festival of “headliners with no official headliner” offered a full day of entertainment, though a twelve-hour festival day honestly feels excessive, after having gone so long without enduring crowds. I guess I’d rather one day than two especially when most of the two-day fests are cluttered with filler hype bands (in my day we called them buzz bands), but Peaches in the afternoon doesn’t hit the same way Peaches hits at night. These are the sacrifices that are made when filling an entire day with indie rock royalty. related content: Photo Recap: The Teaches Of Peaces At The Observatory North Park Though Peaches crushed her set at 2:05 pm, nearly half of the attendees hadn’t even arrived. The forever queen of electro-filth still managed to steal the early half of the day, as did Wolf Parade’s performance of “Apologies to Queen Mary”, especially their rendition of “I’ll Believe in Anything”, which remained part of the highlights of the even as a whole. The Shins, who had one of the best participatory audiences (over