It’s always a good time when you get to see King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard live, and seeing them with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia was high on my list this year. I bought lawn tickets as soon as they were available.
As usual, the line for KGATLW merch was long, but it moved well thanks to helpful Ravinia staff keeping things organized there.
This line only took about 15 minutes.
The area where we sat didn’t have a direct line view of the stage, but there were plenty of monitors to see the action, and the sound quality was outstanding. It was the best I’d heard King Gizz sound in a long while. All praise to the sound engineers there.
The show was split into two sets, the first being the band and the orchestra playing the new album, Phantom Island, in its entirety. I have no idea how much time each orchestra on this tour in their respective cities gets to rehearse these wild psych-rock songs, but the Chicago Symphony nailed it and were having a great time. “Spacesick” was a particular highlight, and “Grow Wings and Fly” metamorphosed into a stunning jam-rock version of “Theia” that gave the orchestra enough time to take a break, eat a sandwich, answer some text messages, and practically drive to the post office and back before the second set.
The second set was a mix of tunes from older albums that were redone with orchestral arrangements, including an epic version of “Crumbling Castle,” a fun, swinging version of “This Thing,” and even two of their thrash metal cuts – “Mars for the Rich” and “Dragon.” The show ended with a great version of “Iron Lung,” which appears to have become a live show favorite. The weirdest part of the show? Seeing lead singer Stu Mackenzie with short hair.
Seeing this felt as weird as seeing the Osees’ John Dwyer wearing pants.
KGATLW don’t have too many of these orchestral shows left on this U.S. tour, and their “Field of Visions” festival in Colorado is about to begin with the whole thing being streamed live on YouTube. Don’t miss either.
Making Time ∞ — also known as Making Time Forever — proudly returns to Philadelphia’s Fort Mifflin this fall, Friday, September 19 – Sunday, September 21. Today, the most ambitious DIY event in America announces the lineup for its fifth and most transcendental year yet. Founded 25 years ago by legendary Philadelphia promoter Dave Pianka, this year sees the beloved event series Making Time celebrating its silver anniversary (MTMXXV) and five years of Making Time ∞ at Revolutionary War-era Fort Mifflin.
This year’s lineup is jaw-dropping in its quality and enormity, launching with over 120 acts. Headliners include Four Tet, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U, Boy Harsher, Panda Bear, and Moodymann. Accompanying them are some of the best DJs in the world, including Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO, DJ Nobu, Donato Dozzy, Interplanetary Criminal, Optimo (Espacio), Gerd Janson, D. Dan, Paurro,Lena Willikens, Powder, Badsista, and VTSS, to name just a few.
Live acts encompass a greater margin of this year’s lineup. Full Body2, Maria Sommerville and Milan W. display diverse approaches to dream pop, post-punk, shoegaze, while Moin and YHWH Nailgun bring a more aggressive palette to the fore. Electronic live acts include Aya, James K., Crash Course in Science, Fcukers, Ghost Dubs, and Holy Tongue. On the experimental side are Moor Mother, Voice Actor, and Disiniblud (Rachika Nayar & Nina Keith). Making Time ∞ also boasts a superior ambient offering including live performances from Suzanne Ciani, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Windy & Carl, and Suzanne Kraft.
Some festival favorites are playing bespoke sets: John Talabot will play two sets—a DJ set and a disco set, while Jubilee will throw down a freestyle extravaganza. In addition to the Optimo (Espacio) set, JD Twitch will host a “beatless rave” while Kuniyuki plays both dance and ambient live sets. Loidis and DJ Python team-up for a rare back-to-back DJ session, following the former’s ambient live show under his beloved Huerco S. alias.
The unique geography of Revolutionary War-era Fort Mifflin has allowed each zone, or stage, to develop its own personality. There’s the RA Majestic Zone, a wide-open space perfect for dancing or hanging with friends by the river. The Transcendental Zone, situated on a straightaway in front of former soldiers’ barracks, begins with live acts in the afternoon and ends with peak-time DJ sets. The Lot Radio livestreams from a stage that takes on infectious “free party” energy. The casemates, which have been used over centuries as munitions storage and a jail, are now an indoor club and chill-out room. This year, a new zone called Option + 5 launches in a canopy of trees next to the Delaware River, promising a transcendental forest rave. Returning once again are longtime Making Time collaborators Klip Collective who will project visuals on various structures all weekend.
The motto for MTMXXV is “choose transcendence.” For over 25 years, Making Time has been about partying your ass off and transcending the mundanity of the everyday, the average, the mediocre. If that means laughing with Laraaji during a meditation session, zoning out to plaintive folk songs of Joanne Robertson, or head banging to Blawan, it’s all here at Fort Mifflin this fall. Anyone looking for an overview of the best in underground dance, ambient, guitar, and experimental music should have Making Time ∞ on their calendar.
Three-day passes for Making Time ∞ 2025 are available to purchase now for $235 (plus taxes and fees). Tickets with no service fees are available at the following locations: The Lot Radio in Brooklyn, Middle Child & Middle Child Clubhouse in Philadelphia.
Today, Constellation Performing Arts announces the inaugural Sound & Gravity, taking place September 10-14, 2025 at beloved Chicago venues Constellation, Hungry Brain, Judson & Moore, Beat Kitchen, Guild Row, and Rockwell on the River. Sound & Gravity is a new and ambitious event that promises to be a unique adventure for music enthusiasts. Featuring 48 acts, this immersive experience showcases a diverse range of musical genres, including jazz, experimental, contemporary classical, and indie music, reflecting the eclectic programming ethos of Constellation Performing Arts, its organizing entity.
Performers include Bill Callahan,Mdou Moctar, Body/Head, Helado Negro, Mary Lattimore, Irreversible Entanglements, Jeff Parker Expansion Trio, ganavya, Tarbaby, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, Julianna Barwick, Mary Halvorson, Steve Gunn, Olivia Block&Lea Bertucci, William Tyler, Elias Rønnenfelt, Glenn Kotche, and more, plus additional surprise sets curated by ElectricalAudio.
The 2025 inaugural edition takes place in the vibrant Bricktown/Avondale area of Chicago, known for its burgeoning creative industries. Capitalizing on the neighborhood’s walkability with all venues a 5-15 minute walk from each other, Sound & Gravity offers attendees the opportunity to experience the local culture during five days of cutting-edge performances.
Sound & Gravity also serves as a fundraiser for Constellation Performing Arts, a not-for-profit organization that has become a cornerstone of Chicago’s forward-thinking music scene. Founded in 2013 by musician and presenter Mike Reed, who also launched and produced the PitchforkMusicFestival until its final iteration in 2024, the venue has filled a crucial void in Chicago’s cultural landscape by providing a reliable, high-end platform for avant-garde and experimental music. Of the festival, Reed says: “Sound & Gravity extends Constellation’s mission, offering a concentrated dose of the venue’s innovative spirit across multiple locations in one of the city’s most creative neighborhoods.”
Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, May 7 at 11am CT, and can be purchased here. Ticket options include an all-eventfour-day pass at $240, a single-day pass at $95, and a Wednesday opening night pass at $45.
Sound & Gravity 2025 Lineup: Bill Callahan • Mdou Moctar • Body/Head • Helado Negro • Mary Lattimore • Irreversible Entanglements • Jeff Parker Expansion Trio • Tarbaby • The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis • Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore • Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis • Steve Gunn • William Tyler • Elias Rønnenfelt • Glenn Kotche • Rafiq Bhatia • Saccata Quartet • Third Coast Percussion • Chicago Underground Duo • Darius Jones Trio • Sam Prekop • Eucademix • ganavya • Geologist • Nabihah Iqbal • Hannah Cohen • Jeremiah Chiu • Ken Vandermark Edition Redux • Anna Webber’s Simple Trio • Cooper Moore • Fred Moten & Brandon Lopez • Glyders • Maria Somerville • Olivia Block & Lea Bertucci • Zoh Amba Sun Ensemble • JJJJJerome Ellis • Lia Kohl/Macie Stewart/Whitney Johnson • Luke Stewart’s Chicago Quartet • Magic Tuber Stringband • Nadah El Shazly • James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg • Edsel Axle • Ana Everling • Hanging Hearts • Michael Zerang’s Puzzle House • Mute Duo • sinonó • Andreas Røysum Ensemble w/ Marvin Tate
Levitation France moved to a new venue in 2025. It was still in Angers, France, but no longer at the La Chabada location. It was now at the Lac De Maine park on the lovely lake in Angers, right by this massive pyramid structure that appears to be a reception center, restaurant, or maybe some kind of New Age retreat. The stage was placed in front of it, and it was off-limits to festival attendees, but that was fine. We were there for the music.
We weren’t sure we were there at first, as we got off at the wrong bus stop and had to walk through a dried-up park to get to the main path leading to the festival. Angers, and the rest of France, was in the middle of a heatwave. The grass throughout the park and the stage area looked and often felt like shredded wheat.
Once there on the first day, we arrived about halfway through New Candys‘ set. I’d seen them in France a couple years earlier, and looked forward to catching them again. Their newest record, TheUncanny Extravaganza, is impressive, and their 2025 Levitation France set matched it with strong hooks and solid rock to power everyone through the heat and relentless sun.
New Candys from Italy
Up next was DITZ, who wasted no time in crushing eardrums. The mosh pit was wild, kicking up a massive cloud of dust sometimes as thick as the stuff coming out of the stage’s fog machine. They had one of the wildest, strongest sets of the festival, and the one-two punch of New Candys and DITZ was great. Their lead singer led the crowd to the lake, dove in, and came back covered in lake weeds to finish the set.
DITZ pre-swim.
We took a much-needed break, scored some merch, water, and pizza (Pickles on pizza? It kind of works.), and found a small sliver of shade for a little while. My neck got sunburned as many others stood either in the shade of the two trees nearby or in the shadow of the tall sound booth at the back of the venue.
We came back for Kadavar. I hadn’t seen the German rock giants since the second Austin Psych Fest I attended in 2014. The lead singer mentioned it was their first time playing a Levitation festival since then. I yelled, “I was there!”, much to the amusement of a guy next to me. They blasted our faces off, of course, playing everything from doom metal to near-prog riffs.
A great return for Kadavar to Levitation.
We made sure to take more breaks on the second day to avoid further sunburn and dehydration. The first set we caught was by Heartworms, who put on a neat show of goth rock, psychedelic guitar work, dark wave (Theremin!), and a bit of performance art. They were my girlfriend’s favorite set of the festival.
Heartworms affecting hearts and minds.
We caught part of bdrmm‘s set, but had to get out of the sun for a little while. We enjoyed some chicken tikka masala, booze, and lemonade, and came back to check out Bryan’s Magic Tears – another band I last saw at Levitation France. They’ve only gotten better, creating snappy shoegaze and dream pop for an appreciative crowd.
Bryan’s Magic Tears mixed with audience sweat.
The big set of the night, and the festival, for me was from The Limiñanas. I’d wanted to see them for quite a while and they rarely, if ever, get across the Atlantic Ocean. The French psych-rock legends didn’t disappoint us. They played a great set complete with classics, tracks from their new album, Faded, and even a cover of The Cramps‘ “TV Set.”
When you get a chance to see The Limiñanas in France, you go see them.
We stuck around for the first half of Boy Harsher‘s set. They dropped heavy dance beats, dark bass, and sultry sounds across the night and the water. We would’ve stayed for the whole thing, but we had an early train to catch the next day and public transportation back from the venue was minimal that late at night.
Nothing harsh about Boy Harsher’s set.
It was another fun year in Angers, despite the heat. I hope they’ll bring in some man-made shade next year if they keep it on the lake. One of the best parts about Levitation France is the opportunity to see so many bands who don’t get to tour outside of Europe much, if at all. All Levitation festivals are great ways to discover your new favorite band. We already plan to go back next year to discover more if the dates work out for us. See you there?
Underworld are one of those bands I wasn’t certain I’d get to see live. Most of their tours are in the UK and Europe, and I didn’t get to see them the last time they were in the Midwest at Detroit’s Movement Music Festival years ago on a Sunday night.
Lo and behold, they announced a brief U.S. spring tour with only five stops, and one was in Chicago at Radius. I snagged tickets from the presale as soon as they were available. To my further delight, they announced it would be an “open to close” show with two full sets and no opening act.
They brought in a big crowd and instantly had us dancing with them. They barely let up during the first set, banging out classics like “Low Burn” and “Techno Shinkansen” while a simple and effective light show played out behind them.
During the twenty-five-minute intermission, I met a family of three who’d flown in from Atlanta, Georgia for the show. The mom and dad had brought their fourteen-year-old son (It was an all-ages show.) there for his first concert ever, and they all had a great time. I’m sure there were many people like them in the crowd, as Underworld was only doing six shows on this U.S. tour: One in Brooklyn, the Chicago show, and then four out west — Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Bakersfield, California. It was a rare opportunity to see them east of the Mississippi River.
The second set was loaded with fan-favorites, including “Pearl’s Girl,” a fun version of “Dark & Long (Dark Train),” “Two Months Off,” a faster, almost jungle version of “Cowgirl,” a hard-hitting version of “King of Snake,” and, of course, “Born Slippy” to close it off.
As we walked back to our car after the show, I could hear behind us a father asking his daughter if she enjoyed it. She did. He explained how “Born Slippy” “was from this movie called Trainspotting. It’s a really good movie that’s from before your time.” Most of Underworld’s music is from before his daughter’s time (They are still making excellent albums.), so it was great to see so many younger people at this show and for Underworld to make it an all-ages performance. We need more of that…and them.
LEVITATION returns with another stacked four-day lineup and new festival grounds, Palmer Events Center, in addition to nightly venue programming across Austin’s Downtown Red River District. The expanded footprint brings larger acts to the weekend, and the festival’s Night Shows continue to offer intimate club experiences downtown, celebrating the independent music scene—from up-and-comers to national headliners. For over a decade, LEVITATION has delivered thoughtfully curated lineups that span psych, dream pop, punk, indie, metal, darkwave, electronic and all genres in between. Passes for LEVITATION 2025 are now on sale, and night show tickets can be purchased separately – all at the ticket link HERE.
Palmer Events Center will serve as the heart and main venue for LEVITATION 2025. Located on the shores of Town Lake overlooking the Austin skyline, the venue features an expansive 75,000 square foot environment for the indoor stage, providing a huge canvas for the artists on stage and 360 degree lighting and visuals, day or night. The indoor experience is accompanied by an outdoor stage set to a backdrop of lush trees and the Austin skyline. The new venue offers amenities like an air-conditioned, indoor experience for the main stage, ample outdoor green space, plenty of room to stretch out and hang, and an immersive setting for the music and visual experience that LEVITATION is known to offer. The new location brings abundant space for interactive art and video installations, a DJ stage, vintage clothing pop-ups, gear and record vendors, a food truck court, an expanded poster show, and much more to explore throughout the weekend.
“We’ve been searching for the right location to bring a multi-stage experience back to LEVITATION for years, and we found it right downtown. The venue offers a huge upgrade in production overall with endless possibilities for the visual experience, and great amenities – air conditioning, nice bathrooms, ample parking, a giant shaded outdoor courtyard, along with the production infrastructure needed for a world-class show. All of that in a beautiful park in the heart of the city,” explains LEVITATION co-founder and festival director Rob Fitzpatrick. “and the proximity to downtown means we’re still able to host shows in our Red River venues; these clubs are the heart and soul of our music scene in Austin and it wouldn’t be LEVITATION without them. We’re very excited to create something remarkable and built to last in this new home for the festival, and we can’t wait to experience this lineup with everyone in September.”
“LEVITATION 2025 brings back a larger multi-stage festival in the spirit of when it was held at the ranch – and just steps from where Fun Fun Fun Fest called home – but this time we’re doing it at a venue that has everything we need – and with a roof over our head,” adds Resound Presents founder Graham Williams. “We couldn’t be more excited about the new venue and the future of LEVITATION in this new space.”
The central festival hub at Palmer Events Center will host some of LEVITATION’s biggest acts with daytime and evening performances. Later each night, attendees can explore the city’s famed Red River and downtown venues with night shows running Thursday through Sunday at Stubb’s, Mohawk, Elysium, Kingdom, 29th St Ballroom, 13th Floor and more.
Friday, September 26 starts off strong and heavy at Palmer Event Center – stacking metal titans MASTODON, the only Texas show from the reunited ACID BATH, progressive death metal phenoms BLOOD INCANTATION and Austin’s own doom metal masters THE SWORD, plus more on the main festival grounds.
Saturday brings a head-spinning bill topped with NYC’s indie greats TV ON THE RADIO, the damaged grooves of UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA, infamous psych outfit THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, dream rockers BLONDE REDHEAD, along with WEDNESDAY, LA FEMME, MODEL/ACTRIZ and more.
Sunday’s lineup combines a 90s indie dream lineup with a rare performance from PAVEMENT, indie stalwarts BUILT TO SPILL and DESTROYER with heavy dose of psychedelic rock from festival founders THE BLACK ANGELS, psych punks FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS, A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS and BEING DEAD.
The festival nighttime programming kicks off as early as Wednesday, September 24 and runs through the night of Sunday, September 28, featuring acts like MDOU MOCTAR, BEACH FOSSILS, BOY HARSHER, SUDAN ARCHIVES, THE DANDY WARHOLS, NEAL FRANCIS, DRUG DEALER and many more.
The full LEVITATION 2025 lineup at Palmer Events Center, with all corresponding night show programming, is detailed below.
PALMER EVENTS CENTER LINEUP
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 MASTODON • ACID BATH THE SWORD • BLOOD INCANTATION THE ARMED • SECRET CHIEFS 3 • CASTLE RAT
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 TV ON THE RADIO UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE BLONDE REDHEAD • WEDNESDAY • LA FEMME THE RAVEONETTES • SWERVEDRIVER • MODEL/ACTRIZ GOAT GIRL • YIN YIN • HOOVERiii
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 PAVEMENT THE BLACK ANGELS • BUILT TO SPILL DESTROYER • FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS • BEING DEAD UPCHUCK • DILES QUE NO ME MATEN • POPULATION II
+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
NIGHT SHOWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 – KICKOFF NIGHT MDOU MOCTAR + MORE @ RADIO/EAST BEACH FOSSILS + LAUNDER + GIRLPUPPY @ MOHAWK
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 BOY HARSHER + MARTIN REV + KUMO 99 @ STUBBS NEAL FRANCIS + MORE @ MOHAWK WARMSUSCHER + MORE @ 13TH Floor TEEN SUICIDE + MORE @ BALLROOM DESIRE + JOHNNY JEWEL @ ELYSIUM STARJUNK 95 + DR. GABBA @ KINGDOM
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 SUDAN ARCHIVES + JAMILA WOODS + SINKANE @ STUBBS THE DANDY WARHOLS + KULA SHAKER @ MOHAWK PIXEL GRIP + MORE @ ELYSIUM ROSE CITY BAND + MORE @ BALLROOM
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 PUP + JEFF ROSENSTOCK @ RADIO/EAST DRUGDEALER + SKINSHAPE + SONS OF SEVILLA @ MOHAWK PILE + FACS @ BALLROOM LA FEMME (DJ) + MARIE DAVIDSON (LIVE) @ KINGDOM
Durand Jones & The Indications — the trio of DurandJones, AaronFrazer, and BlakeRhein— announce a fall North American tour and release “FlowerMoon,” the second single/video from their forthcoming album, Flowers out June27th on DeadOceans. On the heels of a successful European headline run which included shows supporting LennyKravitz, the band’s expansive tour includes some of their largest shows yet, with stops in NewYork, Chicago, LosAngeles, Toronto, and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25th at 10am local time. A full list of dates is below, with tickets and further information available here.
Following lead single “BeenSoLong,” praised by Rated R&B as a “petal-soft tune [that] rides with the smoothness of an early ’70s soul jam,” “Flower Moon” guides listeners to an end-of-night dancefloor with Frazer’s trademark falsetto on full display. Reflecting on the track, Jones says: “It felt right to release ‘Flower Moon’ with this record. Spring is here and the flowers are blooming everywhere. We really wanted to catch that essence of the song and bring it to life for the listener. Also the Flower Moon is happening in a few weeks, so everything just seemed aligned to bring this song to our fans. It’s a feel-good tune to enjoy with friends or a loved one.” The song’s accompanying video was directed by AlecBasse.
On Flowers, The Indications’ fourth album and first since 2021’s “disco and funk infused” (Billboard) PrivateSpace, the group leaned into a particular desire to return to their roots in a Bloomington basement, a space where they first found camaraderie in gritty funk and Southern soul that would inspire their self-titled debut. Just as they did on that 2016 release, The Indications prioritized close-knit collaboration while creating Flowers. Much of the self-produced album was written together at Rhein’s Chicago home studio, and many tracks are based on one-take demos — proof that vibes were particularly high, each member pulling from their refined tool kits with ease.
Reflecting a strong sense of the band’s maturation and conviction, the 11 songs that make up Flowers are grown and sexy, fit for cruising, and delight in the softer side of soul and disco. “All of these songs touch on such mature topics, things that we never got to sing about before,” says Jones. “We are all in our 30s, have all been through ups and downs in our personal lives and professional lives, and flowers are a sign of maturity, growth, spring, productivity.” Frazer adds: “We took the spirit of play that started the project, and added in the wisdom and lessons we’ve acquired through the years.”
Durand Jones & The Indications Tour Dates (New Dates in Bold) Fri. July 4 – East Sussex, UK @ Love Supreme Jazz Festival Sun. July 6 – Ewijk, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole Sun. July 6 – Werchter, BE @ Werchter Festival Park Thu. Sept. 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * Fri. Sept. 12 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theater * Sat. Sept. 13 – Abiquiú, NM @ Blossoms & Bones Mon. Sept. 15 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre * Tue. Sept. 16 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater * Thu. Sept. 18 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse * Fri. Sept. 19 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl * Sun. Sept. 21 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club * Tue. Sept. 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * Fri. Sept. 26 – Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues * Sat. Sept. 27 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall * Tue. Sept. 30 – Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Annex * Wed. Oct. 1 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed * Fri. Oct. 3 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre * Sat. Oct 4 – Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s * Sun. Oct. 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot * Tue. Oct. 7 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater * Fri. Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre * Sat. Oct. 11 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl * Thu. Oct. 23 – Del Mar, CA @ The Sound * Fri. Oct. 24 – Sacramento, CA @ Channel 24 * Mon. Oct. 27 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom * Tue. Oct. 28 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom * Wed. Oct. 29 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo * Fri. Oct. 31 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory * Sat. Nov. 1 – Bozeman, MT @ The ELM * Mon. Nov 3 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue * Tue. Nov 4 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom * Wed. Nov 5 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall * Fri. Nov. 7 – Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall * Sat. Nov 8 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre * Sun. Nov. 9 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom * Tue. Nov 11 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall * Wed. Nov. 12 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel * Fri. Nov. 14 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s * Sat. Nov. 15 – Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater * Sun. Nov. 16 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues *
It’s odd that I haven’t seen a full concert in almost five months, so opening my 2025 concert season with one of my rock heroes seemed appropriate. The Bob Mould Band was playing an easy drive from my house, so seeing them for the third time, and in a small venue, was an easy decision.
First up were Winged Wheel, who described themselves as being “from multiple cities” and thus rarely getting opportunities to play and tour together. They played an interesting brand of psychedelia that mixed synthwave with trippy guitars, a violin, and even lap steel guitar.
Winged Wheel
They had a great sunset to provide a light show, and I thought, “They could play Levitation.” Their sound is unique and they all look like someone you know.
After about a twenty-minute gear switch, The Bob Mould band came out and got straight to business. It was the last show of their current tour, and they emptied the gas tank on the Bell’s outdoor stage.
They tore through the first group of tracks so fast that you could barely breathe. The crowd, mostly aging hipsters like yours truly, seemed a bit low key. The trio of Mr. Mould, Jason Narducy (bass), and Jon Wurster (drums) were roaring and few people were dancing at first. I think some were just overwhelmed by the tidal wave of sound coming at them. There were a couple songs when it felt like a mosh pit could, and should, have broken out. Three guys tried to start one for a moment, but one of the trio soon stopped it and calmed his pals down before it could form.
The Bob Mould Band was undeterred by this, thank heavens, and ripped through a lot of good stuff from their catalogue, both new (from their Here We Go Crazy album) and even a short set of tracks from 2020. Wurster was dropping some killer fills the whole night, and Narducy’s bass grooves were locked in the whole set.
Mould, go figure, shredded the entire evening with both his guitar and his voice. It’s wild to see and hear him create that much sound.
A highlight for me was them playing the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show near the end of the night. If you’re a fan of Hüsker Dü, then you know that cover was a staple of their early shows so it was a blast to hear that gem brought out to shine.
It’s great that these guys are still crushing it and that Mould is still putting out great music and showing youngsters how it’s done.
Keep your mind open.
Thanks to the chap who let me snap a photo of this set list he scored.
[Thanks to Jim and Mia at Big Hassle for the press pass!]
The Beths — the New Zealand-based quartet of vocalist Elizabeth Stokes, guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck — announce signing to ANTI- and release the new single/video, “Metal.” “Metal” is the first taste of new music from the band since the release of 2023’s Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe), the expanded version of their beloved 2022 album.
Following Liz Stokes’s recent, sold–out solo show at Largo in Los Angeles with special guests Courtney Barnett and Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords), The Beths announce a world tour across North America, the UK and Europe this fall. The band returns to the U.S. for the first time since playing Coachella, Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Festival, and supporting The National, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service in 2023-2024. They’ll headline some of their biggest venues to date including The Wiltern in Los Angeles, The Fillmore in San Francisco, The Salt Shed in Chicago, Brooklyn Paramount in New York City, Union Transfer in Philadelphia, 9:30 Club in Washington, DC and more. Tickets go on sale Fri. May 2 at 10am local and are available here.
Today’s single “Metal” was born out of a time of rigorous touring, mental health struggles, and several diagnoses for Stokes. “In some ways ‘Metal’ is a song about being alive and existing in a human body,” she explains. “That is something I have been acutely aware of in the last few years, where I have been on what one might call a ‘health journey’. For parts of the last few years, I kind of felt like my body was a vehicle that had carried me pretty well thus far but was breaking down, something I had little to no control over. All of the steps in the Rube Goldberg machine of life are so unlikely, and yet here we are in it. I have a hunger and a curiosity for learning about the world around me, and for learning about myself. And despite all the ways that my body feels like a broken machine, I still marvel at the complexity of such a machine.”
“I can hold that knowledge in one hand, and yet with the other hand I can point to my reflection and just be like ‘you are shit’. Or ‘ugly’. Or ‘worthless’. I can reliably respond to any suggestion that I might be able to achieve any small thing with ‘no’. And these are variations of the ‘short word’ referenced in the song.”
Sonically, the track sees The Beths fully embracing jangle rock. Stokes says, “There was a propulsion to the acoustic strumming pattern on the original demo. Tristan’s drums meet that feeling so perfectly, the feeling of a train pushing up the tracks. Jonathan got to play his Burns 12 string guitar as sparkly as he wanted, and Ben as usual can’t be contained to the lower register. I think we ended up with an arrangement that embodies the frenetic intricacy of an engine in action. There’s a lot going on, until there isn’t.”
2023’s Expert In A Dying Field (Deluxe) expanded upon the brilliance of The Beths’ acclaimed 2022 album, “another collection of tunes that cements their status as one of the great guitar-pop bands of this present moment” (Stereogum). The third studio album from The Beths, Expert In A Dying Field was released to a wealth of critical praise, and was named one of 2022’s best releases by the likes of Pitchfork, The Ringer, Stereogum and more. Surrounding its release, The Beths were profiled by Rolling Stone, made their U.S. television debut on CBS Saturday Morning, and performed a NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, The Beths are undeniably one of the most exciting indie rock bands to emerge in recent memory.
The Beths Tour Dates: Thu. Sept. 18 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory Sat. Sept. 20 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall Sun. Sept. 21 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 TV Studio Mon. Sept. 22 – Leeds, UK @ Project House Wed. Sept. 24 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy Thu. Sept. 25 – Birmingham, UK @ XOYO Fri. Sept. 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse Sat. Sept. 27 – Brighton, UK @ CHALK Mon. Sept. 29 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix Tue. Sept. 30 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo Wed. Oct. 1 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Fri. Oct. 3 – Cologne, DE @ Kantine Sat. Oct. 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Sun. Oct. 5 – Hamburg, DE @ Krust Tue. Oct. 7 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan Wed. Oct. 8 Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene Thu. Oct. 9 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset Sat. Oct. 11 – Berlin, DE @ Lido Sun. Oct. 12 – Munich, DE @ Strom Mon. Oct. 13 – Zurich, CH @ Plaza Wed. Oct. 15 – Barcelona, ES @ Razzmatazz 2 Thu. Oct. 16 – Madrid, ES @ Nazca Fri. Oct. 17 – Lisbon, PT @ LAV Thu. Oct. 30 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel* Fri. Oct. 31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse * Sat. Nov 1 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl * Mon. Nov. 3 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio At The Bomb Factory * Tue. Nov. 4 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s * Thu. Nov. 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren * Fri. Nov. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern * ^ Sat. Nov. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore * Wed. Nov. 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades * Fri. Nov. 14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom * Sat. Nov. 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre * Sun. Nov. 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom * Tue. Nov. 18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall * Wed. Nov. 19 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre * Fri. Nov. 21 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman * Sat. Nov. 22 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre * Sun. Nov. 23 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed (Indoor) * + Tue. Nov 25 – Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron * Wed. Nov. 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre * Fri. Nov. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall * Sat. Nov. 29 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre * Tue. Dec. 2 – Boston, MA @ Royale * Wed. Dec. 3 – Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall * Fri. Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount * # Sat. Dec. 6 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer * Tue. Dec. 9 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
In case you weren’t aware, Seattle’s KEXP is one of the best radio stations out there for music lovers. Part of the reason is that they present so many great live performances from so many artists in different genres. They also host, and broadcast, full live concerts. Some of them are even released for us to consume afterwards, like the newest Live at KEXPrecord from psychedelic rippers Frankie and The Witch Fingers.
FATW go back to their (near) beginning by opening with the title track from their Brain Telephone album. Nikki Pickle‘s bass is a snarling beast, and it’s easy to lose track of whose guitar sounds like it’s already falling apart – Dylan Sizemore‘s or Josh Menashe‘s. Just when you think the whole song and set is going to be wild noise, they drop into their funk grooves that they do so well. “Futurephobic” starts and stops on a dime, leaving you a bit bewildered by the end.
“Syster System” struts around the stage like an unearthed Thin Lizzy track stretching its muscles and staking a claim on rock and roll. “Cops & Robbers” is almost a psychobilly track with the wild lyrics about bank robbery and Nick Aguilar‘s punk drumming, and then it dissolves / oozes into the slime-punky “Sidewalk.” “Weird Dog” snaps back and forth between garage rock funk and crunchy punk kerplunk that your neck might snap.
Jon Modaff is a welcome addition to the FATWF lineup on synths, and his work on “i-Candy” almost brings the band into spooky rock / haunted house terror music. In other words, more cool stuff the band pulls off with ease. The longest cut, “Empire,” has become a fan favorite of their live shows as it lets each band member shine at different times and always belts you hard in the chest.
The concert, and album, ends with “Bonehead” – a raucous rocker made for pogo-dancing and kicking down doors and, well, boneheads…and good grief, Menashe’s solo is manic. The whole song, and (again) the album, practically has you sweating just from hearing it. It, like seeing them in the flesh, will leave you invigorated.
