The lights went black and The Black Angels’ backdrop lit up like a kaleidoscope, the perfect counterpart to the house’s array of yellows and purples. When the band took the stage at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, a no-frills aura encircled them as they dove head first into bluesy garage riffs peppered with psychedelic…
For better or for worse, I’ve never been an earplugs-at-concerts kind of guy, so when (not “if”) I eventually lose part of my hearing when I’m older, surely I’ll have METZ to blame/thank in part. Canadian punks and noise rockers METZ made a lot of noise up on The Outer Space Ballroom’s stage…and I mean a…
Watching a live Best Coast show feels like attending a booze-soaked bonfire on the California coast. It’s warm and uplifting on the surface, but deep down you’re hiding insecurities and uncertainties while staring at strangers bathed in orange. Singer Bethany Cosentino puts herself out there, from her feelings of anxiety and sadness to her self-awareness…
Peruse the YouTube comment sections for any Yelle video and you’ll read things like “No fucking clue what she is saying, but this shit is fire!!” to “I don’t even understand French, but I always get excited when there’s a new Yelle video—gives me life.” That vibe stood true at the French pop purveyors’ show at…
Before Diet Cig played a single lick, singer Alex Luciano made a few simple requests: give each other space and don’t touch anyone who doesn’t want to be touched. She briefly lectured about the importance of consent, before immediately segueing into the opening strums of “Sixteen.” Truth be told, it was an odd way to kick…
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Ben Carr has the best gig in the universe. Having been with the Boston band since its inception in 1983, Carr is a jack of all trades. He’s a dancer, backing vocalist, the band’s sort-of tour manager, and an official Bosstone. On stage at New Haven’s College Street Music Hall, he was…
Punk purists have vilifying opinions when it comes to (GASP!) pop punk. Despite widely acclaimed bands like The Ramones and The Kinks paving the way toward this dancier, poppier sound, pop punk is often treated like a cancer in many music circles, especially older ones, whose fans conveniently forget how much they loved Dookie or …And Out Come…
When forming a supergroup or side project, it’s important to be distinctive. The new project should have its own legs, serving up different melodies, arrangements, and/or genres that are far different from the bands that made them famous. DREAMCAR, featuring No Doubt’s Tony Kanal (bass), Adrian Young (drums) and Tom Dumont (guitar), along with AFI’s…
Two songs into her set at Hamden, Connecticut’s The Outer Space, the LA-based Aussie Betty Who is choked up and crying on stage. It’s the opening night of her Party in the Valley tour, celebrating her recently released sophomore record, The Valley, and despite the irony of just having performed a new song called “You Can…
Sitting at the bar in Hamden, Conn.’s The Outer Space, I overheard two guys talking about the band that was about to unleash that night. “Do you know these guys playing tonight?” Guy 1 asked? “A little bit. They’re like…Mexican punk, but sort of garage-y?” replied his friend. “Whoa, weird. Sounds cool.” It took every effort to not…