Post-punk – 7th Level Music

CEREMONY drop “Dark Summer” in the middle of a heat wave.

CEREMONY—the seminal California-based punk band of Ross Farrar, Anthony Anzaldo, Andy Nelson, Justin Davis, and Jake Casarotti—release the new single/video, “Dark Summer” from their seventh album, Tell Me Your Dream, out August 7th via Relapse. Following “Death Destruction Mayhem,” which Consequence says “tak[es] the band’s developed and matured post-punk sound and reappl[ies] it to the hardcore and punk rock that motivated their earliest work,” “Dark Summer” is a jet-black post-punk rumination.

On the track, Farrar says: “In Rock ‘n Roll music, feedback occurs when a guitar is purposely moved too close to an amplifier – like a dark summer – when dread finds you amid brilliant sunshine, it feels disorienting, confusing, and chaotic. What you’re left with is malaise, doldrums of sorts that are both beautiful and terrifying.”

Watch the Video for “Dark Summer”

Tell Me Your Dream reunites CEREMONY with producer John Reis, a punk lifer whose eclectic noisemaking in Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes and other legendary bands runs in parallel to CEREMONY’s multitudes. After working on CEREMONY’s acclaimed 2015 album, The L-Shaped Man, Reis maintains a unique perspective on the quintet — as a hardcore punk band, as participants in the greater California rock-and-roll tradition, and as friends. “John sort of joined the band on this one,” says guitarist-keyboardist Anzaldo. “We could not respect him more as a guitarist, as a singer, as a songwriter. He understands what it’s like to be in every position. So we really gave him the keys.”

Tell Me Your Dream is a reflection of the enduring sense of trust forged within the band. This is no surprise considering CEREMONY’s roots date all the way back to a grade-school friendship between Anzaldo and Farrar. “We’re bound together like family,” says Anzaldo. “Our relationships are beyond the band. CEREMONY is going to live no matter what. We’ve shifted into this dynamic where the choice isn’t ours anymore.”

Deep connections in a shallow world. A clear sense of purpose in uncertain times. These are the reasons CEREMONY continues to grow, to expand, to adapt, to endure. This band can’t stop. And it won’t. To meet the moment, you have to be there for it.

On the heels of back to back weekends playing Coachella earlier this year, CEREMONY’s North American tour will kick off September 9th in Montreal and includes stops in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and more throughout the fall. Tickets are now available here.

Pre-order Tell Me Your Dream

Watch the Video for “Death Destruction Mayhem”

Listen to “Other Hells”

CEREMONY Tour Dates
Wed. Sept. 9 – Montréal, QC @ Les Foufounes Électriques
Thu. Sept. 10 – Toronto, ON @ East End United Basement
Fri, Sept 11 – Detroit, MI @ Russell Industrial Center Lot (Supporting Turnstile)
Sat. Sept. 12 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sun. Sept. 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Thu. Sept. 24 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Sat. Sept. 26 – Vancouver, BC @ The American
Thu. Oct. 1 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Fri. Oct. 2 – New York, NY @ Warsaw
Sat. Oct. 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sun. Oct. 4 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Fri. Oct. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Hell
Sat. Oct. 17 – Orlando, FL @ The Abbey
Sun. Oct. 18 – Miami, FL @ Churchill’s
Thu. Oct. 22 – Denver, CO @ Marquis
Thu. Nov. 5 -San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
Fri. Nov. 6 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Sat. Nov. 7 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
Fri. Nov. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Fri. Nov. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo

Keep your mind open.

[It will feel like a dark summer if you don’t subscribe.]

[Thanks to Matt from Pitch Perfect PR.]

Fat Dog release title track from upcoming new album, “Cancel Me (I’m Tired).”

Today, Fat Dog are announcing their second album Cancel Me (I’m Tired). The album is the follow up to their celebrated debut album WOOF., which was released in 2024 and saw them become one of the UK’s most exciting breakthrough bands in the process.

The South London seven-piece Fat Dog have a good reason to be tired. They’ve spent the period since WOOF.’s release spreading their raucous, infectious and irresistible bark around the world. But if Fat Dog are tired with the world, the world is not tired of them. In fact, the world can’t get enough of them. Wherever they went on the tour to support WOOF., new diehards emerged out of the carnage. “Show of the weekend,” raved The Times after they played four shows in 27 hours at Glastonbury last year. “Unserious, unhinged and sensational,” marvelled NME. Their message spread far and wide.

Due out on October 2nd, with Cancel Me (I’m Tired) Fat Dog have created an exhilarating, swaggering, panoramic, inventive, re-inventive, re-re-inventive electro-punk-art-pop-rock’n’roll-space-country triumph that deserves all the adjectives. Over ten mind-bending and melodic tracks, it blends electro-pop anthems, cascading rave bangers, bombastic strings, cowboy-tinged pitstops and swirling psychedelia.

The lead single was inspired by John Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep” combined with frontman/songwriter Joe Love imagining what Anatolian rock experimentalists Altın Gün would sound like if they were under siege from a thumping club beat. The title track begins with a riotous declaration. “If you wanna cancel me/Then go ahead and do it please,” It’s the sound of what happens when people push your buttons and your buttons start pushing back.

The video shot with director James Winstanley on the hottest day of the year, sees Fat Dog trying to avoid getting cancelled on an actual night out in London’s Soho.

“Cancel Me (I’m Tired)” follows the release of propulsive, jubilant electro-pop single “Go Fuck Urself” in May and the band’s storming support for Kneecap’s Crystal Palace gig last weekend – the only English band on the bill no less. This week, Fat Dog join Foo Fighters on a run of stadium shows and ahead of their headline UK & European tour starting late October.

When it was time to think about album 2, the band’s ringleader threw himself into recording sessions a day after landing home from a chaotic US tour in which each member of the band took turns in unravelling. “At some point on that tour, everyone had a small breakdown of some sort,” says Chris, who remembers losing his mind in LA, bashing his head against a wall whilst wearing an American Football helmet.

It wasn’t all nervous meltdowns. Romance was also in the air and, midway through the trek, Fat Dog’s frontman got married in Vegas after proposing to his girlfriend in San Francisco. “We played a gig to two people in Vegas,” Joe recalls, “and then the next day I got married.”

And so, it was with depressed Elvis ringing in his ears that Joe got home and began work on the second Fat Dog album. On their debut, Love had left the lyrics until last, letting the heady momentum of the music lead the way, but this time he felt he had much more to say. Into its lyrical orbit, the record pulls mentions of addiction, family ties, love, AI, ancestry, extra-terrestrials, Chris Tarrant, S&M, B&M, H&M and M&Ms. Cancel Me (I’m Tired) possesses all the rabid frenzy and electrifying excitement of their debut but now delivered on a grand and glorious scale. Big, big things are ahead. Fat Dog are only just getting going.

Cancel Me (I’m Tired) is available on DomMart exclusive picture disc vinyl in PVC sleeve, deluxe translucent green coloured vinyl, standard LP, CD and digitally. Pre-order: Fat Dog’s store | Digital

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t cancel your subscription!]

[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media.]

Adult DVD release “Cowboy on Aisle Three” ahead of their debut album coming September 25, 2026.

Today, Adult DVD are announcing their hugely anticipated self-titled debut album which will be released September 25th on Fat Possum Records. The Leeds-based sextet have carved a niche as one of the most talked-about live bands in the country and an irreverent new voice existing in the space between electronic euphoria and spiky hardcore energy.

Both unique in their approach and thrilling in impact, the band’s music has been shown love by Stereogum, Rolling Stone and The Line of Best Fit among others. Their breakout moment came with the single “Bill Murray,” an incessantly catchy distillation of people on the internet believing Tom Hanks and Bill Murray are the same person. More recently, the glitchy and anthemic “Real Tree Lee” was an A-list record at BBC 6Music and had support from BBC Radio 1.

At both Brighton’s The Great Escape and SXSW in Austin this year the band were championed as one of the buzziest acts of the festival with snaking queues of people waiting hours to see them perform . A relentless touring schedule in 2025 saw them hone their status as festival headliners in waiting, picking up a global army of new fans and playing to huge crowds at Glastonbury, Green Man, End Of The Road and more. The band recently toured Japan where they were greeted by fans in homemade Adult DVD merch, played a series of sold-out shows and saw posts about their performances go viral with millions of views.

To announce their debut, the band are sharing a new single entitled “Cowboy On Aisle Three.”

In the making of their exhilarating debut album, vocalist Harry Hanson and synth-player Greg Lonsdale, alongside Danny Blackburn (guitar/synth), Jake Williams (synth), Jonathan Newell (drums), and George Manson (bass), went harder on what was already working for them: witty observational songwriting based in real-life characters and a pulsating synth-punk sound perfect for both the rave and the mosh pit. Fusing together an intense musical workout with depictions of a motley crew of figures ranging from 5G conspiracy theorists to an existential cowboy, Adult DVD is the electrifying sound of a band exceeding their own expectations while going just as hard, if not harder than their adrenaline-fuelled live shows.

On Adult DVD Hanson and Lonsdale continue to take a screenwriter’s approach to songwriting, filling their lyrics with stories pulled from the outskirts of society yet painting a vivid and comic picture of modern Britain. “We don’t take things too seriously,” Lonsdale explains. “The lyrics have got sillier, the songs have got sillier. We make music for people to enjoy, so let them have a laugh.”

Produced by the band at The Nave Studios Leeds , the general theme of the album is to let go and take life a little less seriously. “Cowboy On Aisle Three” conjures an image of a wrangler swapping the rodeo for a supermarket over a swaggering synth riff . It’s an EQ-pushing beast that merges an existential crisis with the band’s playful spirit and relentless pursuit of bangers.

Speaking on the new single, the band’s frontman Harry Hanson says:

“I came up with the idea when I was in Lidl. I’m sure everyone has thought, ‘Imagine if I just went nuts now,’ to get out of doing the big shop.”

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media!]

Yard Act announce new album and new single, “Redeemer.”

Leeds quartet Yard Act announce their new album, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music, out July 17th via Republic Records and release the lead single, “Redeemer.” You’re Gonna Need A Little Music follows the band’s UK Top 5 charting Where’s My Utopia? (2024) and their Mercury Prize nominated debut, The Overload (2022). Recorded between Leeds and Los Angeles with producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Nine Inch Nails, Beck, St. Vincent), You’re Gonna Need A Little Music rings with the chemistry and energy of a band absolutely locked in. It’s simultaneously the most dynamic, collaborative, energized work they’ve laid to tape, but also contains some of the darkest, most cynical and truly questioning moments they’ve concocted too, picking up their tale and examining the findings more unsparingly than ever.

For a band so associated with incendiary live shows and constant touring, Yard Act’s third album marks the first time that the quartet—frontman and vocalist James Smith, bassist Ryan Needham, guitarist Sam Shjipstone, and drummer Jay Russell—have ever made an album together, as a live band in the same room. “The first two records were both laptop records essentially,” says Smith. The Overload was written alongside Needham before the band had fully formed; its follow-up, Where’s My Utopia?, was carved out in snatches of time on tour buses and hotel rooms. For the first time in a long time, Yard Act were able to settle into an “uninterrupted five month period” of creativity, crafting “40 or 50 songs” and allowing themselves to follow their ideas with no external pressure. “It felt like freedom,” says Smith. “It felt like everything I’d wanted from being in a band.”

Each track on You’re Gonna Need A Little Music has its own distinct character. The ominous guttural ferocity of today’s single, “Redeemer,” sits amongst a sleazy disco odyssey, fizzing indie, and loose, cerebral, meditations. Yard Act may have thrown the kitchen sink, or at least its cookware, at the track, with Meldal-Johnsen concocting a brittle, metallic texture out of a day of rattling pots and pans, but the result is direct, visceral and exciting.

Watch the Video For “Redeemer”

No whimsical walk through suburban England, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music seeks to work through some of the most complicated facets of life. Intentionally, in some ways, it is a step away from Smith’s venerated vignettes and character studies; a move towards something more “impressionistic” and up for interpretation. “I think the album is about multiple realities and how individualism has led us, in the modern world, to question if there even is a shared reality anymore because everyone just believes what they want now,” Smith suggests. The questions are deep, but the spirit of You’re Gonna Need A Little Music is boundless – not for nothing does its title point to the power of art and creativity to rescue us from the mire.

Last month, Yard Act announced 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 are now on sale and 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. A full list of tour dates is below.

Pre-Order You’re Gonna Need A Little Music

Yard Act Tour Dates:
(New dates in bold)
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
Sat. Nov. 7 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
Tue. Nov. 10 – Newcastle, UK @ NX
Wed, Nov. 11 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom
Thu. Nov 12 – Sheffield, UK @ Octagon Centre
Fri. Nov. 13 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
Sun. Nov. 15 – Wolverhampton, UK @ Wulfrun Hall
Mon. Nov. 16 – Leicester, UK @ O2 Academy
Tue. Nov. 17 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Wed. Nov. 18 – Cambridge, UK @ Junction 1
Fri. Nov. 20 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy
Sat. Nov. 21 – Bristol, UK @ Bristol Beacon
Mon. Nov. 23 – Plymouth, UK @ Plymouth Pavillions
Tue. Nov. 24 – Southampton, UK @ O2 Guildhall
Thu. Nov. 26 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

Keep your mind open.

[You’re gonna need music news and reviews, so subscribe today.]

[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Fat Dog pull no punches with their new single – “Go Fuck Urself.”

Fat Dog—the undefinable, raucous South London band—are back with a bang with their subtly named new single, “Go Fuck Urself.” With 80s-tinged, airy synths and dripping in melodica, “Go Fuck Urself” is three minutes of propulsive, jubilant electro-pop. It’s an irascible, exasperated rant wrapped in joyous hooks and Balearic grooves.

As frontman, songwriter and chief rabble rouser Joe Love coolly sings: “Some jokers play the same old game / No one to annoy / Find a mirror and the person to blame,” the song breaks out into a euphoric, technicolor anthem—an ode to escapism when the thing you are trying to escape is yourself.

Co-produced by Love with Oli Bayston (Kelly Lee Owens, Alexis Taylor), “Go Fuck Urself” follows Fat Dog’s standalone singles “Pray To That” and “Peace Song” and their “brilliant, dark, and downright batshit crazy” (DIY) debut album, WOOF., released in 2024.

The video, directed by Nine Screens (Dylan Coates and Travis Barton), sees the band take to a wrestling ring to convey the message they must share with the world. Watch the Video for Fat Dog’s “Go Fuck Urself.”

Stream “Go Fuck Urself”

“Go Fuck Urself” marks the first taste of music from the band—Love, Chris Hughes, Morgan Wallace, Ellis Dickson, Michael Dunlop, Dillon Harrison and Jed Bevington—in 2026 and sets the stage for new music to come. Alongside the single, Fat Dog have confirmed a mammoth UK and European headline tour including a hometown show at London’s Brixton Academy on October 24th. Before that, the band will play their largest ever shows supporting the Foo Fighters at three European arena dates, support Kneecap at their Crystal Palace show in London, and play a number of festivals including End of the Road, Dour, Reeperbahn, Bearded Theory and more. It looks like we’re set for another Year of the Dog.

Fat Dog Tour Dates
Sun. Jun 21 – Landgraaf, NL @ Pinkpop Festival
Mon. Jun 22 – Zagreb, HR @ In Music Festival
Sat. Jun 27 – London, UK @ Crystal Palace Park *
Wed. Jul 1 – Berlin, DE @ Olympiastadion +
Fri. Jul 3 – Vienna, AT @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion +
Sun. Jul 5 – Milan, IT @ Ippodromo Snai La Maura +
Fri. Jul 10 – Trenčín, SK @ Pohoda Festival
Sat. Jul 11 – Neuve-Église, FR @ Décibulles Festival
Sun. Jul 12 – Normandy, FR @ Chauffer Dans La Noirceur
Fri. Jul 17 – Herk-de-Stad, BE @ Rock Herk
Sat. Jul 18 – Dour, BE @ Dour Festival
Thu. Jul 23 – Brindisi, IT @ SEI Festival
Fri. Jul 24 – Siena, IT @ TV Spenta
Sat. Jul 25 – Topcliffe, UK @ Deer Shed Festival
Sat. Aug 8 – Brno, CZ @ Pop Messe
Sat. Aug 29 – Sheffield, UK @ Rock’n’Roll Circus
Sat. Sep 5 – Larmer Tree Gardens, UK @ End of the Road Festival
Thu. Sep 17 – Sat. Sep 19 – Hamburg, DE @ Reeperbahn Festival
Sat. Oct 24 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
Thu. Oct 29 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Fri. Oct 30 – Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli
Sat. Oct 31 – Paris, FR @ Élysée Montmartre
Mon. Nov 1 – Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
Tue. Nov 3 – Tourcoing, FR @ Le Grand Mix
Wed. Nov 4 – Cologne, DE @ Die Kantine
Fri. Nov 6 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Sat. Nov 7 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
Sat. Nov 14 – Manchester, UK @ Victoria Warehouse
Wed. Nov 18 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
Thu. Nov 19 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
Tue. Nov 24 – Cardiff, UK @ Depot
Wed. Nov 25 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Thu. Nov 26 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute
Fri. Nov 27 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
Sat. Nov 28 – Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket
Thu. Dec 3 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City

* = supporting Kneecap
+ supporting Foo Fighters

Keep your mind open.

[If you don’t subscribe, well, you know…]

[Thanks to Matt at Pitch Perfect PR.]

MAQUINA. team up with Dame Area for hot new single – “dança.”

Following electric shows at The Great Escape & across the UK, Lisbon’s party-starters MAQUINA. have shared “dança (ft. Dame Area)” – a second cut from their forthcoming new album ‘BODY TRANSMISSION’, due out July 10th via Fuzz Club.

MAQUINA. embody all the sweaty togetherness and euphoria a collective music experience has to offer. The buzzy Lisbon trio have been getting punks to dance and club kids to pogo – “making the bubbles connect a little bit” – with such fervour they routinely pack out venues and inspire multiple waves of crowdsurfing at any given live show.

On their new LP they bottle that energy, and they don’t waste any time getting started. Today they share the album’s party-popping opener “dança”, a track pumped and primed to turn heads and get the blood flowing, featuring bratty punk vocals from Silvia Konstance and synths from Viktor L. Crux of Barcelona-based duo Dame Area. Inspired by the pair’s work, MAQUINA. invited them to collaborate on the track, with Konstance swapping her native Italian for Portuguese. The track sets up the heartbeat of the record, all relentlessly propulsive 4/4, feral shrieking, and a smoking guitar line that cuts through the three-note bass riff with searing focus.

Speaking on the track, MAQUINA. comment: “‘dança’ explores a moment of introspection: the importance of being with oneself, of making space for an intimate moment, even if through dance. When words fail, the body speaks. “I just want to dance” becomes a statement suspended between inward reflection and the need for release.”

Listen to “dança (ft. Dame Area)”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJubkifWbzY
‘BODY TRANSMISSION’ album links:http://maquina.lnk.to/bodytransmission

With over 250 gigs and numerous festival appearances across Europe already under their belt MAQUINA. are on a high after their first tour of Brazil and KEXP performance. The three-piece ring in a new chapter with their second LP ‘BODY TRANSMISSION’: a head-banging trip through high-energy noise-rock, motorik metal, and industrial punk that doesn’t stop moving.

Bottling the raw power of their now-legendary live shows, ‘BODY TRANSMISSION’ – co-produced by the band alongside Hugo Valverde – arrives following MAQUINA.’s 2024 debut ‘PRATA’, also released on Fuzz Club and largely driven by improvisation, locking itself into the flow state of a live performance. For their new full-length, the band – Halison Peres (drums/vocals), José “Mendy” Rego (bass), and João Cavalheiro (guitar/effects) – opted for less jamming and more “editing”, taking time to mull over the direction of each track while also looking to condense 10-minute meanders into three or four-minute “bangers” that slap.

The result is a full-body rush geared towards the dance-floor with “no breaks”; a club-ready rock record steered by the trio’s guitar, drums, and bass combo. “It was the most challenging and fun we’ve ever had in the studio because we pushed ourselves to write songs rather than just capturing jams,” say the band. “We wanted it to feel heavy, focused, and relentless. We kept the tempo up and the energy peaking – it’s an ‘always-on’ record.”

MAQUINA. live dates:
20 June – Lucerne, Switzerland – B-Sides Festival
21 June – Martigny, Switzerland – Caves du Manoir
23 June – Bilbao, Spain – Kutxa Beltza
24 June – Madrid, Spain – Café Berlin
25 June – Santander, Spain – The New
26 June – Bergerac, France – La Claque Festival
27 June – Paimpol, France – Paimpol in Rock
28 June – Bourlon, France – Rock in Bourlon
4 July – Sintra, Portugal – Festival Aqui ao Lado
18 July – Lisbon, Portugal – Musa de Marvila (DJ Set)
31 July – Constância, Portugal – Rock ao Luar
6 August – Aveiro, Portugal – Novas Quintas, Teatro Aveirense
7 August – Nuremberg, Germany – Brückenfestival
9 August – Liège, Belgium – Micro Festival
16 August – Santiago de Compostela, Spain – Capitol*
10 September – Šibenik, Croatia – SHIP Festival
12 September – Orléans, France – Hop Pop Hop Festival
* supporting Amyl and the Sniffers

Keep your mind open.

[Why not subscribe while you’re here?]

[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 5 – 1

The final five on this list were, believe it or not, fairly easy to determine. This is probably because they were so good and also because they all hit some emotional note for me because I didn’t think I’d see any of them ever again (or, in one case, even once).

#5: Nine Inch Nails – United Center – Chicago – August 20, 2025

This surprise tour sold out in rapid time, but luckily Nine Inch Nails added a second Chicago show due to popular demand. I had tickets for my fiancé and I, and then learned that my future stepdaughter was a NIN fan. I managed to get a third ticket to what turned out to be a stunning show with three stages, excellent remixes, and an enthusiastic crowd who were roaring for every song.

#4: Underworld – Radius – Chicago – May 17, 2025

Here’s the band I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. Underworld playing two full sets at this intimate venue was an immediate purchase. It was a brilliant time, and stunning to see these two gents who can fill stadiums play such a small show with full energy to keep us dancing until the late hours.

#3: Midnight Oil – Riviera / Chicago – June 10, 2022

Midnight Oil was one of my late wife’s favorite bands. We’d seen them two during college, then on their reunion tour in the 2010s, and then we were supposed to see this show, but she died barely eight months earlier. I felt the need to go to honor her and see friends. It was the right decision. The show helped lift some of the weight off me. Midnight Oil sounded great, and it was their final tour. They belted out classics and left us all ready to resist tyranny and love each other.

#2: Love and Rockets – Riviera – Chicago – June 06, 2023

Here is the band I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. I missed them in their heyday, and the closest I’d come until this show was seeing David J play an acoustic set at Levitaiton Music Festival. Love and Rockets flattened the place, sounding as strong as ever and reminding all of us that they were and still are rock stars. I was on cloud nine for the whole show.

#1: Failure – Bottom Lounge / Chicago – July 01, 2022

Failure are one of my favorite bands of all time. I don’t joke when I tell people that their Fantastic Planet album can be life-changing. This reunion tour caught me off-guard. I stumbled upon the announcement and then word that they had a VIP package that included a meet-and-greet and attendance at their sound check. It was another emotional show for me, as I was still reeling from my wife’s death and hearing “Another Space Song” live brought me to tears. The show was powerful for a lot of us. I saw a lot of people beaming throughout it, and the band were all happy to chat with us, sign anything, and talk with us about everything from music to films, and, in my case, grief. Again, I don’t joke when I say this show was instrumental in my healing. I’ll always thank Failure for it.

There have been plenty of good shows already in 2026, so come back in early 2027 to see which of those make the list for the best of the year.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 10 – 6

We’ve reached the top ten of concerts I saw over the last five years, and it includes more bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. Starting with…

#10: Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade – Kemba Live!, Columbus, OH – May 31^st, 2022

Les Claypool’s side project, The Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, put out one album and a cool double-live album many years ago. I didn’t think he’d revive the project and knew I had to see this tour as soon as it was announced. Sure enough, it was a cool show full of weird psychedelic rock, Sean Lennon on lead guitar, and them covering Pink Floyd’s Animals in its entirety in the middle of the show.

#9: Viagra Boys – Salt Shed – Chicago – February 24, 2023

This was bonkers. It was, according to Viagra Boys’ lead singer Sebastian Murphy, their biggest show in the U.S. so far. It was packed, sweaty, loud, and crazy. The entire indoor stage at the Salt Shed felt like it was shaking and that a drug-fueled orgy might break out at any moment.

#8: TV on the Radio – September 27, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

Here’s the next band I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. TVOTR didn’t have a new album to promote, but they were touring and headlining one night of the Levitation Music Festival. I would have gone to the festival just to see them, and they didn’t disappoint. They brought everything I wanted: Energy, fury, power, and joy.

#7: Orbital – Radius – Chicago – March 23, 2024

Here’s the third band in this part of the list I wasn’t sure I’d ever see. Orbital’s tour was another surprise and it was great to see them in a reasonably small venue. They sounded excellent, and the show felt like being transported back in time to a 1993 rave. I hadn’t danced that much in a long while.

#6: Elton John – Soldier Field – Chicago – August 05, 2022

It was a hot and humid night at Soldier Field when Sir Elton John played his final Chicago show on his final tour. It was a big, fun, and emotional show, and he and his band sounded great. In terms of sound quality, this probably is the best show I heard of the last five years. Every note was clear.

Up next, the top five, and they’re all bands I wasn’t sure I’d ever see.

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

Live: Devo – Old National Centre – Indianapolis, IN – June 02, 2026

The area around the Old National Centre in Indianapolis was full of people in energy dome hats in anticipation for Devo’s first concert in the city for decades. One of the best parts was seeing the wide age range of fans. My friend, Bill, brought his two young boys, Lexington and Phoenix, with him and they were as hyped for the show as old timers who’d been catching Devo shows since the 1970s.

They came out with energy that men twenty years younger than them wish they had, opening with “Don’t Shoot” and “Peek a Boo.” The crowd barely stopped jumping and dancing the entire time.

“Going Under” was a nice surprise, and Mark Mothersbaugh almost lost his voice by the time they got to “Girl U Want” and “Whip It,” but he had time to recover during “Planet Earth” – a song I didn’t expect but was delighted to hear.

“Blockhead” was another fun deep cut, and “Jocko Homo” shredded the stage. My friend said, “It sounds even more punk live.”

“Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA” was another bonkers track (Bob Mothersbaugh breaking all of his guitar strings at one point), with the triple whammy of “Freedom of Choice” (“Use it or lose it, spuds. It’s going fast,” said Bob Casale), “Gut Feeling,” and then “Beautiful World” (sang by Booji Boy) to wrap up the show. It left everyone out of breath by the end.

Devo have still got it, and they were right all along. They saw all of everything you see today coming decades ago. They warned us. They still are.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the pro-photographer who let me snap a photo of this set list!

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]

[Thanks to Bill Wilkison.]

Top 25 concerts of 2021 – 2025: #’s 25 – 21

Just like my list of the top 25 albums I reviewed over the last five years, I decided to create a list of the top 25 concerts I attended in the same time. It was a harder list to make, although the top five were fairly easy to choose. Who put on the best shows? Let’s find out.

#25: The The – Salt Shed, Chicago, IL, October 25, 2024

There are many bands on this list that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see live. The The is one of them. This show included two sets. The first had them playing their newest album, Ensoulment, in its entirety. The second was a “time traveler” set that included all older material, starting with “Infected” and ending with “This Is the Day.”

#24: Yin-Yin – September 27, 2025 – Levitation Austin – Austin, TX

This was Yin-Yin’s first show ever in the United States, and they won over the entire crowd at Levitation last year. Their blend of funk, Euro-disco, and psych-rock was an instant hit. Everyone on and off the stage had a great time.

#23: Jon Spencer – Stockroom East, South Bend, IN, July 11, 2024

Jon Spencer and his backing band featuring two members of The Bobby Lees played about forty minutes from my house in a tiny venue and in front of maybe fifty people. They completely shredded the place, hitting it as hard as they would a big theatre and leaving many who’d never seen his live show slack-jawed by the end of it.

#22: A Place to Bury Strangers – Empty Bottle – Chicago – May 30, 2022

Any APTBS show is an experience, and this one in my favorite Chicago dive bar was especially wild. They were feeding off the crowd’s energy and crushing everyone and everything in sight. A friend of mine, a bassist for a Chicago death metal band (Aphixiator), was impressed by the power they generated. I think the walls shook for hours afterwards.

#21: Gang of Four – Far Out Lounge – Levitation Austin, November 01, 2024

Here’s another band I wasn’t sure I’d ever see live. Gang of Four showed that they were still powerful, relevant, and sharp. Seeing so many other GOF fans going bonkers with me was a highlight of the Levitation Music Festival that year.

Whew. It’s already heavy and loud. Who makes the top twenty? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe!]