LA WeeklyLos Angeles is a hotbed of live music, and L.A. Weekly is here to help navigate this embarrassment of riches. From Marc Almond at Sex Cells, to the comedy/musical stylings of Tokyo Kuntpunch, to an amazing rap-rock bill, here are the 12 best music shows in L.A. this week!
fri 2/15
Marc Almond
GLOBE THEATRE
You may have missed the final Soft Cell performance in London last September but Marc Almond himself is here to chase away your blues at Sex Cells' second-anniversary party, beating your moroseness into discofied submission as you dance the night away. Sex Cells — the raucous, debauched, borderline-frightening dance night founded by Lethal Amounts gallerist and curator Danny Fuentes — is that rare beacon on the club scene that embraces every variety of weirdo and reprobate. The anniversary lineup is nothing short of legendary in terms of the spectrum of expression you'll witness. Also: the incessantly welcome return of The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, electrified femme marrieds Sateen, and the terrific troika of Hercules and Love Affair, Danny Lethal and Matthew Pernicano as your DJs. —David Cotner
Insane Clown Posse
REGENT THEATER
Who's goin' chicken huntin'? Detroit's Faygo-loving clown rap duo Insane Clown Posse are back. Both Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J have been here recently (at the Whisky) during their solo jaunts, but everybody knows that two clowns are better than one. Double the glorious silliness, double the makeup, double the juggalo buffoonery. Feb. 15 happens to be the same day that the pair release Fearless Fred Fury, their 15th studio album, so expect a little more of a party than usual. At this stage, one has to assume that they've figured out how magnets work, but you just never know. They're probably gonna keep asking the important questions. We're told that more guests will be announced, but the details were still under wraps at press time. —Brett Callwood
Miya Folick
LODGE ROOM
"You scratch at the door of the divine," Miya Folick declares on "Stock Image," from her 2018 debut album, Premonitions. "You can't stand the greatness of sunshine/You hide in the bones of a stock image." Over the course of the record, the L.A. singer challenges her lovers to keep up with her. "Don't want your money for my silence," Folick warns on "Deadbody." She confesses her romantic misgivings across a variety of pop landscapes that range from gently ethereal balladry ("Thingamajig") and soft rock (the title track) to uptempo dance pop ("Stop Talking") and dreamy electro-pop ("Baby Girl"). At her best, Folick combines mainstream-pop inclinations with occasionally sly and revelatory lyrics. She's billed with Brooklyn indie rockers Barrie. —Falling James
sat 2/16
Fuse 10: A Decade of Rave
1720
We have become very good at electronic dance music here in the States in the last few years. Over in the U.K., however, they have been good at it for much longer. FUSE, an English institution that celebrated its 10-year anniversary at the end of 2018, comes to the United States for the first time with its FUSE 10: A Decade of Rave party. Although FUSE hasn't been around since the early rave days, the events brand certainly has the sensibilities and the sound of that time. Yet FUSE is not nostalgic, just authentic in its interpretation of the original underground sound, deep and percussive, the focus on the bodies on the dance floor and not the celebrity behind the decks. FUSE founder Enzo Siragusa, along with brand staples Archie Hamilton and Seb Zito, end their four-date run of North America in Los Angeles. —Lily Moayeri
Texacala Jones, Inger Lorre
CASA ESCOBAR
Texacala Jones has long been one of the most fascinating and charismatic performers to come out of this city. As leader of Tex & the Horseheads, she alternated between exhilarating, feral outbursts of unrestrained cowpunk passion ("Oh Mother") and poignant, heart-catching balladry ("Big House, Part III"), mixing blues and punk into a rambunctious roots-rock collision that was distinguished further by her charmingly absurd stream-of-consciousness patter between songs. The devilish Ms. Jones relocated to Austin, Texas, many years ago, but she returns to her old stomping grounds as part of this Local Aid benefit for victims of the Woolsey fire. Although she isn't bringing her eponymous band, Texacala Jones will be backed tonight by former Nymphs vocalist Inger Lorre's latest group. The lineup also includes Fifi, Upright Dogs, The Harsh Carpets, Eric Leach, The Bleeding Deacons BAR and The By By's. —Falling James
sun 2/17
Evie Sands, Amy Raasch
THE FEDERAL BAR
Evie Sands is a rare triple threat as a singer, songwriter and distinctive guitarist. The legendary '60s chanteuse has been praised by Johnny Cash and has had her songs covered by Dusty Springfield, Missy Elliott, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey, Beth Orton and Beck. She has flirted with outright fame on a number of occasions, and over the past two decades the local singer has seen a resurgence of interest for both her estimable songwriting and her winsome vocals. Sands could easily coast on her past glories by dipping into her extensive back catalog, but in 2017 she released Shine for Me, an endearing assortment of country-tinged tunes, piano ballads and R&B-flavored rockers. She's paired with singer-actor Amy Raasch, whose 2018 album, Girls Get Cold, segues from breezy interludes and playful feline pop to more majestically moody and intuitive contemplations. —Falling James
mon 2/18
Tokyo Kuntpunch
HAHA CAFE COMEDY CLUB
Yeah, that name will hook you in. Comedian, actor, writer and producer Tokyo Kuntpunch has been developing a musical comedy show under that name, and has opened for the likes of Bill Burr. She describes her show, Terra Is a Warm Gun, as,"a counterculture, musical cabaret that takes viewers on a kaleidoscopic journey through the thighs of an American woman." Meanwhile, Jarett Kobek, author of I Hate the Internet, said, "If Los Angeles is the Freak Kingdom, then Tokyo Kuntpunch is its Regnant Queen." That just about sums it up. Expect our heroine to pull no punches (as her name suggests). Just, you know, leave the kids at home. Jeff Garlin loves her. So will you. —Brett Callwood
tue 2/19
Hollywood Undead
HOUSE OF BLUES, ANAHEIM
Teaming up with Cypress Hill, rap-rockers Hollywood Undead are not everyone's cup of tea. In fact, rap-rock in general isn't everyone's cup of tea. Limp Bizkit undid much of Rage Against the Machine's good work decades ago. Since Hollywood Undead's 2008 debut, Swan Songs, the masked group have polarized opinions like few others (besides, perhaps, ICP). Their most recent full-lengther is 2017's Five, unsurprisingly their fifth. Songs like "California Dreaming" (not the Mamas & the Papas classic) betray their complex feelings for their hometown. This show with Cypress Hill is being dubbed "West Coast High" and also features Xzibit and Demrick. Should be a great night. —Brett Callwood
wed 2/20
Aurora
THE FONDA THEATER
Norwegian electro-pop singer Aurora Aksnes, usually referred to as simply Aurora, has been raising industry eyebrows since her debut EP, Running With the Wolves, was released in 2015 via Decca Records. Her debut album, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend, came out the following year and cemented her blossoming reputation for blending heartfelt, often dark lyrics to the catchiest of pop melodies. Her cover of Oasis' "Half the World Away" raised her profile further still, with her use of dream pop and even folk sounds earning her comparisons to the likes of Kate Bush, Tori Amos and Florence + the Machine. The Fonda show is well worth catching. Talos and Kingsbury also play. —Brett Callwood
Sly & Robbie
ECHOPLEX
Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare are the A team when it comes to reggae rhythm sections. The Jamaican duo of musician-producers have backed numerous reggae mainstays — including Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, Sugar Minott, Black Uhuru, Mighty Diamonds and Dennis Brown — but they've also demonstrated their prowess and versatility by sitting in with such folks as Material, Grace Jones, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Bob Dylan, Serge Gainsbourg and Britney Spears. Continuing to evolve from the 1970s into the 1980s, Dunbar and Shakespeare have been crucial in the evolution of reggae into dub and Rocker styles. The pair's recent release, Nordub, finds them interacting with Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær and others as they roam across a landscape of ambient passages, sonic collages and jazzy dub laced with funk and blues grooves. —Falling James
thu 2/21
Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel
THE FONDA THEATRE
On one hand, this show is going to be immense. It's a meeting of two of the biggest names in death metal, responsible for albums as seminal as Altars of Madness, Blessed Are the Sick and Covenant (Morbid Angel) and Butchered at Birth, Tomb of the Mutilated and The Bleeding (Cannibal Corpse). On the other hand, so many band members have left both bands, including both singers (David Vincent and Chris Barnes), that it's not really the same thing anymore. No matter — the current incarnations of both groups are still capable of putting on a killer live show. Cannibal Corpse have been further troubled of late, after guitarist Pat O'Brien was involved in a bizarre firearm-related brush with the law. No doubt that will all be behind them at the Fonda. —Brett Callwood
The Coathangers
TERAGRAM BALLROOM
"Fuck the NRA/Ya, you're talking freedom/ya, you're talking rights/while you keep your eye on your bank accounts/attacking those lucky to survive," Julia Kugel sneers on "F the NRA," from The Coathangers' upcoming album, The Devil You Know. Outraged by the rise in gun violence in this country, the singer-guitarist puts the National Rifle Association squarely in the cross-hairs for once, and the two-minute-plus blast is a good example of how timely and relevant punk rock can still be. "Human farming, human target," Kugel laments before drummer Stephanie Luke and bassist Meredith Franco second her emotions on the shout-along chorus. The Atlanta trio revealed a gift for mixing such outrage with unusual post-punk grooves and straight-ahead punk drive on their 2016 record, Nosebleed Weekend, which was leavened with coolly groovy pop interludes and savage wit. Also at Alex's Bar on Friday, Feb. 22. —Falling James
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