Live music – Page 3 – 7th Level Music

Austin Psych Fest 2026 – Day One recap

I hadn’t been to Austin Psych Fest in several years. Mind you, I’d been to Levitation festivals multiple times, and on two continents, but I hadn’t been to APF since the Reverberation Appreciation Society brought it back after “APF” had been changed to “Levitation” and moved to the fall. APF returned to the Far Out Lounge in Austin a few years ago for the RAS’ spring festival, and this was the first chance I had to make the trip.

Austin’s own J’cuuzi were the first band on the bill and the first I wanted to see. They set a high bar to meet for everyone to follow, complete with dancers, t-shirt tosses, a somewhat famous spinning chair, a Capri Sun costume, bubble guns, and so much dance-punk / art-punk / glam-punk / drag-punk / I-don’t-know-what-the-hell-is-happening-punk that you could barely take all of it in during their set and left you feeling a bit post-orgasmic and somewhat baffled afterwards.

L-R: Durs, Gorge Bones, Trey Razeldazl. Oddly enough, this was one of the calmer moments of J’cuuzi’s set.

Next up were another local group, Almost Heaven. The electro-duo were celebrating the release of their first EP, Raw Cranium, and immediately commanded the stage upon the first note. The whole set was bumping, with solid, wicked beats from Jaelyn Valero and vocals from Stefan Barazza that reminded me of everything from The Cramps to Roxy Music.

Almost Heaven getting us pretty close to there, really.

Within moments of their set ending, you heard this loud wall of sound coming from the other direction. That turned out to be shoegaze rockers Glare blasting us with multiple guitars and echoing vocals. It was a change in tone for the festival up to this point, and not a bad one at all. Sometimes you need a ton of reverb and fuzz to keep you going for the coming hours.

Not long after that, we dove into psychedelic waters (It is a psych fest, after all.) with Holy Wave. I’ve been a fan for a while, so it was good to see them again after a few years. As usual, they put on a good set of psych-rock that ranged from dreamy to heavy. I bumped into The Black Angels’ Alex Maas later and he described their sound as “like opening a scroll.” Accurate.

I needed a break by this point, so it was off to Torchy’s Tacos across the street for some much-needed grilled chicken nachos. They were delicious, as was the Cubs working their way to a win over the Rangers at the time. I got back in time to see a big crowd had gathered for Diiv and their trippy set of shoegaze rock that mixed in weird short films of corporate presentations and public domain footage. It reminded me of Devo’s corporate anthem stuff.

The night ended with a fun set from The Flaming Lips. The crowd was happy to have them back and they seemed delighted to be there. Confetti and balloons rained down on us for several songs, with “Turn It On” and “The Golden Path” being big highlights for me, as well as their encore of “War Pigs.” Everyone was exhausted but elated by the end.

A typical day for Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips.

The festival is off to a fun, sweaty start. Up next, more local talent, a guy I haven’t seen live for many years, Italian shoegaze, a twentieth anniversary show, and more!

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go!]

Live: Dry Cleaning and YHWH Nailgun – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – April 30, 2026

I got to chat with Dry Cleaning’s drummer, Nick Buxton, a bit at Chicago’s Thalia Hall before their set. He told me they love playing in the U.S. and especially in Chicago. Guitarist Tom Dowse mentioned during their set that the Chicago show was the fastest one to sell out for their current U.S. tour. It was thus an enthusiastic crowd for them.

First up were post-punkers YHWH Nailgun. At least, I think they’re post-punkers. They’re difficult to describe and also fascinating to watch. Sparse guitar arrangements from Saguiv Rosenstock that sound like synthesizers, synthesizers from Jack Tobias that sound like bass, acoustic drums from Sam Pickard that sound electric, and vocals from Zack Borzone that sound like chants and sometimes beatboxing. Their set was frenetic, weird, and had everyone intrigued for the entire half-hour they played.

Tobias at far right making a bold choice to wear a Detroit Lions jacket in Bears territory.

Dry Cleaning came out to a loud welcome and got down to business with “Sliced by a Fingernail” and the whole band sounded great from the start. “Blood” was the first song they played from their newest album, Secret Love, and they ended up playing the entire record interspersed with some of their (by now) classics.

“Gary Ashby” was the first of those other tracks, and I’m surprised that fans aren’t showing up in turtle costumes to Dry Cleaning shows by this point. The song is a fan-favorite and is about a lost turtle, after all. The place went nuts for “Scratchcard Lanyard.” “Don’t Press Me” was a solid cut from Secret Love that had everyone agreeing with Florence Shaw.

Lewis Maynard was practically throwing down metal riffs by this point, and Buxton’s drumming was top-notch for the whole set. My favorite part of the show was their stretched-out, psyched-out version of “Conversation” (all the way back to their first EP – Sweet Princess) that ended the main set. It was great to hear them trying a new spin on it.

They closed the show with the funky “Hit My Head All Day,” which had the whole crowd grooving. It’s easy to overlook how good this band is at times, as it’s easy (and fun) to get lost in the stories and mysteries of Shaw’s lyrics. Hearing them live gives you a new appreciation for them. Get your tickets before their next show sells out.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the kind gent who let me snap a photograph of this.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go!]

[Thanks to Matt for the press credentials!]

Yard Act announces 2026 tour dates.

Leeds quartet Yard Act announce a summer North American tour including stops throughout the West Coast, East Coast and Canada. This marks the band’s first North American run since 2024. Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 24th at 10am local time and will be available here. Yard Act will also make several festival appearances across Europe in June and embark on an extensive UK and EU tour in the fall.

Watch Tour Announce Video

Since 2020, Yard Act – frontman and vocalist James Smith, bassist Ryan Needham, guitarist Sam Shjipstone, and drummer Jay Russell – have become one of the great indie success stories of the decade so far. They’ve ticked off milestones ranging from a number two UK chart placement and Mercury Prize nomination for The Overload, to a co-sign from Elton John who joined the band to guest on a string-laden reworking of album closer “100% Endurance,” to multiple UK and US television appearances and beyond. Billboard described their last album, 2024’s Where’s My Utopia?, as “an uplifting and sometimes frenetic mix of trip-hop, dub, bass-and-drum indie rock, electronica, strings and sax punctuated by Smith’s mellifluous speak-singing,” while Under The Radar hailed it’s “an album that overflows, both in excess and excellence.”

Yard Act Tour Dates:
(New Dates in Bold)
Wed. June 3 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
Thu. June 11 – Porto, PT @ Primavera Sound Porto
Thu. June 11 – Hradec Králové, CZ @ Rock for People
Sun. June 14 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret
Thu. July 2 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
Wed. Aug. 5 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Thu. Aug. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Sat. Aug. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
Sun. Aug. 9 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Mon. Aug. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Tue. Aug. 11 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
Thu. Aug. 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
Fri. Aug. 14 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Sat. Aug. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Sun. Aug. 16 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Thu. Oct. 1 – Paris, FR @ La Cigale
Fri. Oct. 2 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
Sat. Oct. 3 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg
Mon. Oct. 5 – Cologne, DE @ Gloria-Theater
Wed. Oct. 7 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich
Thu. Oct. 8 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Music Hall
Fri. Oct. 9 – Stockholm, SE @ Kägelbanan
Sat. Oct. 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
Mon. Oct. 12 – Warsaw, PL @ NIEBO
Tue. Oct. 13 – Prague, CZ @ MeetFactory
Wed. Oct. 14 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Fri. Oct. 16 – Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks
Sat. Oct. 17 – Milan, IT @ Magazzini Generali
Sun. Oct. 18 – Toulouse, FR @ La Cabane
Tue. Oct. 20 – Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo
Wed. Oct. 21 – Madrid, ES @ Teatro Eslava
Fri. Oct. 23 – Lisbon, PT @ Cineteatro Capitólio
Fri. Nov. 6 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy Leeds
Fri. Nov. 13 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
Thu. Nov. 26 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go!]

[Thanks to Matt at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein to tour Europe with the music of “Stranger Things.”

Following the epic conclusion of the Netflix global phenomenon, Emmy-winning composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein (of the band S U R V I V E) return to the stage for the definitive live celebration of the entire saga. This 2026 tour offers a complete sonic retrospective, spanning all five seasons of Stranger Things. From the iconic 2016 opening theme to the climactic sounds of the recently released Season 5, Dixon and Stein bring their atmospheric scores to life. Having recently announced shows in Prague, Brussels, Berlin, Belfast, Birmingham, London, and Fiastra, the duo have now extended their run adding shows in Belgrade, Barcelona, Madrid, Sopot, Sofia, Bratislava, Athens, and Dublin.

To elevate the performance into a fully immersive experience, they have partnered with renowned visual artist MFO (Marcel Weber). The new show features a minimal yet striking design of light and sculpted fog. Light takes on a physical presence through dreamy glows and violent, haunted movements, blurring the line between concert and cinema to make the Stranger Things atmosphere a truly tangible experience.

Tour dates:
10 June – Brussels, BE – Ancienne Belgique
15 June – Berlin, DE – Theater Des Westens
17 June – Belfast, UK – Waterfront Hall
19 June – Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall
21 June – London, UK – Roundhouse
26 June – Fiastra (MC), IT – Fiastrapalooza Festival
3 September – Belgrade, RS – Drugstore
5 September – Barcelona, ES – Paral·lel 62
8 September – Madrid, ES – The Music Station Príncipe
12 September – Sopot, PL – Brasswood
14 September – Sofia, BU – National Palace of Culture
16 September – Bratislava, SK – Majestic Music Club
19 September – Athens, GR – Hellenic Cosmos
21 September – Dublin, IE – 3Olympia Theatre

All tickets:https://linktr.ee/strange2026

In the annals of film and television, certain musical themes manage to transcend the moving image. From the iconic whistle introducing Morricone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly theme to Tangerine Dream’s “Love On A Real Train,” memorable scores have the uncanny ability to sum up an epoch, an entire aesthetic. The prolific Texan musicians Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein are responsible for a body of work that’s synonymous with the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the supernatural everytown at the center of the Netflix hit Stranger Things. But as the small town becomes the unlikely site for a supernatural battle within the hit series, Dixon and Stein’s soundscapes, too, have expanded in lockstep. In the meantime, Stein and Dixon compose music for feature films, documentary series and large-scale installations and play in the band S U R V I V E. Working in the lineage of predecessors like John Carpenter and contemporary peers like Oneohtrix Point Never, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein use a lifelong obsession with synthesizers and electronic music as a vehicle for larger-than-life visions.

While Dixon & Stein came to prominence composing music for a series that has become a cultural touchstone, Stranger Things, imagery and setting have always been central to the duo’s practice. In 2009, alongside Mark Donica and Adam Jones, they formed the live synthesizer band S U R V I V E.

Leading up to the formation of the quartet, Dixon and Stein experimented with field recordings, venturing down tunnels and ascending water towers around Austin, Texas, hauling battery-powered modular setups and field recording equipment out to the sorts of places the Stranger Things kids might explore on their bicycles. As opposed to the laptop-based performances common in live electronic music at the time, S U R V I V E hauled a studio’s worth of synthesizers and amplifiers into dive bars for legendary live performances, achieving the ability to fill the room with crushing sound. Whether they knew it or not, with S U R V I V E, Dixon and Stein laid the groundwork for their future as one of the pre-eminent scoring teams of our time. Rather than speaking in musical terms, they’d describe their instrumental synth music with visual cues—a helicopter soaring over a waterfall, a high-speed chase down darkened Los Angeles alleys.

When The Duffer Brothers found the band and tapped Dixon and Stein for work on Stranger Things, the duo rolled their sleeves up, taking on a workload typically handled by a fleet of composers and assistants. As the show gradually transformed from ’80s sci-fi period piece to an expansive supernatural epic, Stein and Dixon rose to the occasion. While their music for early seasons focused on the timeless sound of ’80s analog synthesizers, they’d soon harness melodies and atmospherics befitting Eleven and Mike’s interdimensional struggle. Music is a main character in Stranger Things, with Dixon and Stein’s soundtrack weaving in and out of triumphant, period-appropriate songs like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” That song topped the charts after its pivotal use in season four. Similarly, the duo’s tireless work on Stranger Things catapulted them from underground synth heroes to key composers for modern film and television. Stein and Dixon won an Emmy for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for their work on the show, in addition to nominations for multiple Grammys and ASCAP awards.

For recent seasons of Stranger Things, the duo has worked at a daunting pace, crafting the equivalent of a feature film score every two weeks. Somehow, they’ve also found time to work on multiple feature films in recent years. For Joaquin del Paso’s 2021 independent psychological thriller The Hole In The Fence, Stein and Dixon paid homage to Tomita’s epic synthesizer compositions as well as the pioneering electronic experiments of Oscar Sala. Their score received a Hollywood Music In Media Awards nomination for Best Independent Score, while the film itself premiered at Venice Film Festival and took home best film honors at the Cairo Film Festival. Over the pandemic, Dixon and Stein managed to collaborate remotely with musicians and multiple choirs, even integrating the mysterious and singular sounds of a Bulgarian Women’s Choir into their Meow Wolf score. The duo also composed the score for the 2021 horror-tinged thriller Retaliators, adding to a burgeoning catalog that has placed Stein and Dixon’s soundscapes behind VR-views of the cosmos (Spheres), scenes from ’90s Silicon Valley (Valley Of The Boom), and the journey of an 11-year-old transgender girl (Butterfly), to name just a few.

After this prolific run, Dixon and Stein are simultaneously going back to their roots and embracing new challenges. Currently working out of their respective, hardware-heavy studios in Los Angeles and Austin, they’ll soon reunite with their band, S U R V I V E, for a new album and worldwide touring. At heart, Stein and Dixon are avid students of electronic music history who constantly explore new methods of composition and scoring. While they have a clear facility for soundtracking the supernatural and otherworldly, Stein and Dixon have an equal interest in scoring quieter, decidedly human drama. It’s been a wild decade for Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, who have gone from DIY tinkerers in Austin to introducing a whole new generation to synthesizers via the alchemical combination of sound and moving image. The images have been in their mind all along. Now we just get to watch them.

Keep your mind open.

[It would be strange of you to not subscribe.]

[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]

Austin Psych Fest 2026 lineup additions and schedule announced.

Austin Psych Fest 2026 is just around the corner! Today the festival is releasing the official schedule, along with lineup additions to their sprawling 2026 lineup. Austin Psych Fest takes over The Far Out Lounge May 8–10 with another wide-ranging exploration of psychedelic sound, bringing legendary icons, forward-thinking indie rock, global grooves, and deep-cut psych favorites to the big stage under the stars in South Austin.

The stacked 2026 lineup welcomes new additions to Friday’s roster including budding Austin favorites both garnering buzz for their enigmatic performances – trippy glam rock performance art outfit J’Cuuzi and electro-pop dance duo Almost Heaven. Saturday’s lineup additions include more Austin-based artists gaining traction – psych-rock band Dead Canyon Family Reunion and power-pop rock group Commercial Breaks.

Since its inception in 2008, Austin Psych Fest has embraced an expansive definition of psychedelia — not as a single genre, but as a feeling — tracing its roots from 1960s experimentation through modern interpretations shaped by reverb-soaked guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and adventurous songcraft. The 2026 lineup continues that tradition, spanning classic psych, indie rock, soul, cumbia, global psych, and everything in between.

Austin Psych Fest wouldn’t be possible without the support of its sponsors. The festival is excited to share the first round of this year’s partners, including Liquid Death, White Claw, Montucky Cold Snacks, Twisted X Brewing/McConohaze, KUTX and more to be announced.

Look out for final lineup additions to be announced soon, along with Kick Off and Night Shows across downtown Austin.

3 DAY PASSES and SINGLE DAY TICKETS available HERE. Early Bird Tickets have sold out and limited Tier 1 passes and tickets are still available!

FRIDAY, MAY 8

Willie Stage
3:40 – 4:10 PM — J’Cuuzi
5:05 – 5:50 PM — Glare
6:55 – 7:50 PM — Momma
8:45 – 9:40 PM — DIIV
10:30 – 11:55 PM — The Flaming Lips

Janis Stage
4:20 – 4:55 PM — Almost Heaven
6:00 – 6:45 PM — Holy Wave
8:00 – 8:35 PM — Boogarins
9:50 – 10:20 PM — Starcleaner Reunion

SATURDAY, MAY 9

Willie Stage
3:35 – 4:10 PM — Strange Lot
5:05 – 5:45 PM — Grocery Bag
6:45 – 7:50 PM — Ty Segall
8:45 – 9:45 PM — Melody’s Echo Chamber
10:45 – 11:55 PM — The Black Angels (20th Anniversary of Passover)

Janis Stage
3:00 – 3:25 PM — Commercial Breaks
4:20 – 4:55 PM — The Dead Canyon Family Reunion
5:55 – 6:30 PM — Annabelle Chairlegs
8:00 – 8:35 PM — Al Qasar
9:55 – 10:30 PM — New Candys

SUNDAY, MAY 10

Willie Stage
3:40 – 4:15 PM — Money Chicha
5:10 – 5:50 PM — Night Beats
6:50 – 7:55 PM — La Lom
8:45 – 9:55 PM — Thee Sacred Souls

Janis Stage
2:35 – 3:30 PM — Adrian Quesada (DJ Set)
4:25 – 5:00 PM — Como Las Movies
6:00 – 6:40 PM — Dumbo Gets Mad
8:05 – 8:35 PM — Trish Toledo

ADDITIONAL ACTS + NIGHT SHOWS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.

VISUALS + VIDEO + ART INSTALLATIONS FROM:
TV EYE • MAD ALCHEMY DRIP//CUTS
SHELUSHY • ATTIC SPACE • SLIM REAPER • BILLGAZER
CHURCH OF THE ETERNAL SUN • FEVER DREAM
EL TALLER DE PIYAMAS • COSMIC DOMMY

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go!]

[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side!]

Review: Killing Joke – Extremities: The Albini Demos and Live Beginnings ’88

It’s barely spring and we already have one of the best reissues of the year – Killing Joke‘s Extremities: The Albini Demos and Live Beginnings ’88.

Way back in the mid-1980s, guitarist Geordie Walker and drummer Martin Atkins linked up with legendary producer Steve Albini in his Chicago studio and there recorded mixes and demos for what became known as the “Black Cassette” and would end up in different variations on KJ’s 1990 album Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions.

Beginning with the demo version of “Money,” (later known as “Money Is Not Our God”) the heavy, fuzzy bass from Paul Raven hits you right away while Walker’s guitars sound like pirate transmissions from a hidden kingdom under the earth. The “Unreleased” demo has a wicked drum beat and guitar riffs that would later inspire scores of shoegaze bands. “Scrape / North of the Border” (The “Scrape” title was later dropped for the album release.) gets you moving with his wonky guitar sounds and undeniably great beat. The “Reflex mix” of “Money” rounds out Side A of the album, turning the song into a warped, wild version and clearly showing how much KJ influenced Nirvana.

Side B is a rare recording of a secret show from Birmingham, England on December 20, 1988 that happened to be Atkins’ first live gig with the band, and it also includes tracks that would appear on Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions two years later. Jaz Coleman‘s vocals and keyboards are bonkers right out of the gate on “Extremities,” installing panic and power into the crowd. Walker’s squealing, seemingly melted, feedback-heavy guitar only adds to the chaos.

“The Fanatic” somehow sounds both distant and in-your-face at the same time. Coleman sometimes mutters and sometimes roars. Walker steps back and then charges forward. Atkins and Raven click together and keep it from becoming too frantic, but just barely managing it. “Wake up!” yells Coleman after introducing “Intravenous.” How anyone could have been sleepy-eyed during this show is beyond me, because KJ were shaking the entire venue by this point. “Intravenous” only gives you a couple moments to catch your breath during its pounding drums, high-pitched guitar feedback moments, and rolling dam waters bass.

“You see, we’re the laughingstocks…” Coleman says as the last track, “Beautiful Dead,” begins with his spooky synths and voice before his bandmates pummel the audience (and us over thirty years later) with pure force. There’s a neat moment when it almost sounds like Coleman is playing his own song on his synthesizers while Walker, Raven, and Atkins are doing their own thing and it still works quite well. The funky groove of the song during the verses is also a neat switch-up around the blast furnace choruses.

Killing Joke proved through songs like these, and many albums still to come, that they weren’t laughingstocks. They were in on the joke, knew the joke, and exposed the joke. These recordings are a great find for fans of not only them, but also post-punk and industrial music.

Keep your mind open.

[The joke’s on you if you don’t subscribe.]

[Thanks to Dan from Discipline PR.]

Lambrini Girls punch rich elitists in the gut with “Cult of Celebrity.”

Brighton’s own Lambrini Girls, the explosive duo of Phoebe Lunny (vocals/guitar) and Selin Macieira (bass), share their new single ‘Cult of Celebrity’. From its opening guitar lick, the duo’s new song is a relentless, thrashing indictment of the dark underbelly and backdoor dealings of the world’s global elites that has been exposed in recent years.

On the new track the band say: “The age old tale, of selling your soul to the devil has been fabled accounts of high society for years. However due to recent events come to light- it turns out that the elite are very much actually, the devil incarnate, baby eating, pedos. What a fucking surprise! They had no souls to sell in the first place.”

‘The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters’ Antonio Gramsci (courtesy of Lambrini Girls)

The single is also accompanied by a music video directed by London-based filmmaker and director Harv Frost (The Last Dinner Party, Laufey).

Watch / Listen to ‘Cult of Celebrity’ HERE

Tour Dates

Sun 05 Apr 26 – Paaspop, Schijndel – Netherlands

Sat 11 Apr 26 – Coachella Valley, Indigo CA – United States

Sat 18 Apr 26 – Coachella Valley, Indigo CA – United States

Tue 21 Apr 26 – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA – United States

Wed 22 Apr 26 – The Orange Peel, Asheville NC – United States

Fri 24 Apr – 26 Warsaw, Brooklyn NY – United States SOLD OUT

Sun 26 Apr 26 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston MA – United States SOLD OUT

Mon 27 Apr 26 – Théâtre Beanfield, Montreal QC – Canada

Tue 28 Apr 26 – The Concert Hall, Toronto ON – Canada

Thu 30 Apr 26 – Metro, Chicago IL- United States SOLD OUT

Fri 01 May 26 Majestic Theatre, Detroit MI – United States

Sat 02 May 26 – The Vogue, Indianapolis IN – United States

Mon 04 May 26 – Delmar Hall, St. Louis MO – United States

Tue 05 May 26 – The Granada Theater, Lawrence KS – United States

Thu 21 May 26 – Bearded Theory, Derbyshire – United Kingdom

Sat 23 May 26 – Dot to Dot, Bristol – United Kingdom

Sun 24 May 26 – Dot to Dot, Nottingham – United Kingdom

Sat 06 Jun 26 – Primavera Sound, Barcelona – Spain

Fri 12 Jun 26 – Bonnaroo, Manchester TN) – United States

Sun 14 Jun 26 – Warped Tour, Washington DC- United States

Thu 25 Jun 26 – Patrick Henry Village, Heidelberg – Germany

Fri 26 Jun 26 – Vainstream Rockfest, Munster – Germany

Thu 09 Jul 26 – Musilac, Aix-Les Bains – France

Fri 10 Jul 26 – 2000trees Festival – Gloucestershire – United Kingdom

Mon 13 Jul 26 – Les Nuits De Fourviere, Lyon – France

Fri 17 Jul 26 – Malakoff Rock Festival, Nordfjordeid – Norway

Sat 18 Jul 26 – Bukta, Tromso – Norway – Norway

Fri 31 Jul 26 – All Together Now, Waterford – Ireland

Fri 07 Aug 26 – Boardmasters, Newquay – United Kingdom

Tue 11 Aug 26 – Sziget Festival, Budapest – Hungary

Thu 13 Aug 26 – Oya Festival, Oslo – Norway

Fri 14 Aug 26 – Way Out West, Gothenburg – Sweden

Sun 16 Aug 26 – Flow Festival – Helsinki – Finland

Fri 21 Aug 26 – Pukkelpop, Hasselt – Belgium

Sat 29 Aug 26 – Rock en Seine, Paris – France

Tickets available HERE

Keep your mind open.

[Join the 7th Level Music cult by subscribing today.]

[Thanks to Amy at After Hours PR.]

Live: Gary Numan and Tremours – Vogue Theatre – Indianapolis, Indiana – March 29, 2026

The seemingly ageless electro icon Gary Numan summed up his show at Indianapolis’ Vogue Theatre well when, during a pause in his set, he said, “I didn’t know what to expect, but this is fucking amazing.”

This was the fourth time I’ve seen Numan and his band, and they always bring it. Each set feels better than the last, and this one was loud, powerful, and a performance.

First up were Tremours, a good shoegaze duo from Los Angeles. They put on a solid thirty-minute set of reverb-thick guitar and echoing vocals from Lauren Andino and hypnotic drumming from Glenn Fryatt. My friends with me at the show were reminded of Belly, Lush, The Sundays, and Ladytron during their set that was both dreamy and drone-y.

Numan and crew came out at 8pm sharp and opened with two bangers out of the gate – “Halo” and “Metal.” Right away, the whole band was clicking and the crowd, which ranged in ages from twenties to seventies and band shirts ranging from Nitzer Ebb to All Them Witches, was cheering. Many hadn’t seen Numan before then, and I think he hadn’t played in Indianapolis in quite a while, so everyone was hyped.

L-R: Harris, Chris Payne, Numan, Slade, Jimmy Lucido

Guitarist Steve Harris was in great form, creating weird riffs and baffling people with his strange antics that seem to be a reflection of how all the sounds are affecting his brain. Teaming him with Tim Slade on bass is genius because the weird energy they bring creates a strange dance that works well with the roar of sound they create.

Following his classic “Down in the Park” with “M.E.” was a great addition to the set. I’d never heard him play it live before then, so I was over the moon. After that, Numan and his lads took a moment for him to tell us why his new album wasn’t finished or released for the tour — mainly due to his wife, Gemma, undergoing multiple serious health scares. As a result, his songwriting has been seriously delayed. He heard some new music playing from the bedroom of his daughter, Raven, and had planned on stealing part of it for a new track. He asked who it was, and she said, “It’s me.” The next thing we knew, Raven Numan joined her dad and his band on stage to perform her song “Nothing’s What It Seems.”

After rousing applause for her, Dad Numan unleashed two more heavy-hitters: “Ghost Nation” and “Love Hurt Bleed” (which always kills live). He played, “Cars,” of course, and I love how he puts a different spin on it with each tour. My friend, Bill, said, “It’s like I never heard that song before.”

He ended the main set with “Are Friends Electric?”, which has rapidly become my favorite song to hear during his shows. It just hits you. The encore included “The Gift” and “My Name Is Ruin.”

You couldn’t help noticing how often Numan and his band were smiling and laughing. At one point during the show, Numan thanked the crowd and said, “I didn’t know what to expect (playing at a small venue in Indianapolis on a Sunday night), but this is fucking amazing.”

Yes, Mr. Numan it was.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the chap who scored this and let me photograph it.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Dave for the press pass!]

Review: Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor – Live in Europe 2025

Recorded during an extensive European tour in which they opened for The Dandy Warhols, Live in Europe 2025 by Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor is an excellent introduction to SOYSV’s live sound if you’ve never heard it. They continue to expand and reshape their psych-rock with every record and remain one of the best psych bands you’re, for some reason, still missing.

Starting with “Sweet Girl Insanity,” the album begins with droning synths and reverbed vocals that go on for over four minutes before unleashing a barrage of fuzzy sound at you – setting the trippy, roaring, and slightly spooky tone that will creep through the whole record. Sean Morrow‘s guitar on “Die Die Die” seems broadcast from another planet. The horror movie grindhouse grit of “Suck Upon the Living” is palpable in this live version.

“See You in the Mourning” is always sad and haunting, and the live version here at first drifts like incense smoke lit in memory of the band’s friend who’s the subject of the song. It bursts open like sunlight through a cloud around the two-minute mark, with Rick Sawoscinksi‘s beats creating a hypnotic groove for the rest of the track.

“Walk of Sobriety” starts the second half of the album, and it’s a wild ride. Eric Oppitz stirs up an anxious energy with his synth tones at the start before he and his bandmates kick in with a tight groove and Morrow sings for the back of the venue. The bright sound of “Crystal Cup” brings to mind 1970s soul jams and psych-era Motown sounds. Oppitz’s bass on “Night Crawler” is slick, again reminding me of soul grooves.

The album ends with one of their classics, “Black Mind,” which is always a heavy, wild, chaotic freak-out. This one is made even wilder with the inclusion / short cover of The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and a bit of “She’s a Pariah” in it.

I’m glad SOYSV put this out there. We’ve needed a live album from them for a while, and I hope this isn’t the last one.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Hiss Golden Messenger’s single is “In the Middle of It.”

Hiss Golden Messenger—the North Carolina-based project of MC Taylor—announces his new album, I’m People, out May 1st via Chrysalis Records, and presents the lyric video for its lead single, “In The Middle Of It.” In conjunction, he announces a U.S. tour with a full band. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 13th at 10am local time and will be available here.

Arriving three years after Jump For Joy (2023), praised by The Guardian as “a triumph of wide-eyed wonder,” I’m People is an intensely human record—immediate, vulnerable, and full of spirit, something you could touch, sing along to, dance with, know about, recognize, relate. Taylor, grappling with the heartbreak and exhilaration, the absolute black comedy of being alive in America circa 2026, seems to ask: What other choice do we have than to be hopeful?

“The songs on I’m People are about running towards and away from things, about reasonable and realistic hope and expectations, about having babies, getting older, love and lust and luck and music. They are songs about solitude and heartbreak and poverty of the spirit, and maybe community as some kind of antidote for these particular types of sicknesses. Shedding old skin. Mystery as a beautiful necessity. My grandmother Lucy’s Cadillac, filled with cigarette smoke, Conway Twitty singing ‘Slow Hand.’ The lightning fields outside Santa Rosa, NM, midnight. Late nights drinking wine, running wild, bondage, fealty, devotion, seeing and being seen, owning and being owned. My wife, my children, summertime in the mountains, wild roses climbing the fence, a peaceful mind, rummaging through scrap heaps of the heart, breaking and making and breaking again. To dust. Truth, lies, magic, faith.”
— MC Taylor

Taylor refers to lead single “In The Middle Of It” as a “Santa Fe song.” Written in a corner room of the El Rey Court hotel, he cites “Highway 10 through the desert towns, Los Angeles to El Paso … Art Bell’s Coast to Coast droning from a bunker in the middle of Nevada. Ghosts and UFOs and vagabonds. The engine sings out over the long lightning fields. In the middle of it: the country, the story, the relationships.”

Stream “In The Middle Of It”

I’m People was written in New Mexico, California, and North Carolina, co-produced by Taylor and Josh Kaufman, engineered by Chris Boerner and Gillian Pelkonen, and mixed and mastered by D. James Goodwin. The album was recorded at Dreamland, a decommissioned church outside of Woodstock, NY. “I wanted the record to feel the way that upstate place feels, deep in the pocket, a place of poetry, earth and sky and mountains. A place where a lot of my favorite music has come from,” Taylor comments. The album features instrumentation from Taylor, Kaufman, JT Bates, Cameron Ralston, Bruce Hornsby, Sam Beam, Marcus King, Sara Watkins, Amy Helm, Matt Douglas, Eric D. Johnson, and Griff and Taylor Goldsmith.

Pre-order/Pre-save I’m People

Hiss Golden Messenger Tour Dates:
Thu. Sept. 24 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Fri. Sept. 25 – Beaver Creek, CO @ Vilar Performing Arts Center
Sat. Sept. 26 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
Tue. Sept. 29 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
Fri. Oct. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Tue. Oct. 6 – Healdsburg, CA @ Little Saint
Fri. Oct. 9 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
Sat. Oct. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
Sun. Oct. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
Wed. Oct. 14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Icehouse
Fri. Oct. 16 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House
Sat. Oct. 17 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Sun. Oct. 18 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Wed. Nov. 4 – Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall
Thu. Nov. 5 – Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theatre
Fri. Nov. 6 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Sat. Nov. 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mon. Nov. 9 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Wed. Nov. 11 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
Thu. Nov. 12 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. Nov. 13 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Sat. Nov. 14 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
Wed. Nov. 18 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
Thu. Nov. 19 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Sat. Nov. 21 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Sun. Nov. 22 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe?]

[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]