LA WeeklyFrom metal titans Soulfly and horror punks The 69 Eyes to Memphis rapper Young Dolph and blues-funk-rockers the North Mississippi Allstars, here are 12 of the best music shows in Los Angeles this week.
fri 2/7
Soulfly (Char Tupper)
Soulfly
ALEX’S BAR
While Soulfly never attained the influential heights that band leader Max Cavalera reached with his prior work in Sepultura during that band’s glory days, there are still plenty of plaudits to be given for over two decades of consistency. Soulfly’s latest record, 2018’s Ritual, saw the band entering its third decade of generating catchy groove-laden metal enhanced by Cavalera’s lifetime obsession with traditional Brazilian tribal rhythms. Max’s son Zyon Cavalera has proven worthy of his recent ascension to the drumming throne, as his ability to juggle those traditional influences and blistering metal beats continues to improve. Those also looking for more of a straightforward metal presentation would be advised to show up early for the Venom-esque blackened thrash of Toxic Holocaust. —Jason Roche
The 69 Eyes (Pasi Klemetti)
The 69 Eyes, Wednesday 13
WHISKY A GO GO
Finnish goth-glam rockers The 69 Eyes have been around since 1989, which seems staggering to those of us who only recently got hip to them. The good news is, there’s a stellar back catalog to work through for the newbies. From the debut Motor City Resurrection (strictly speaking, a compilation of the early singles plus some covers), through to last year’s West End, the band have remained remarkably consistent and always tons of spooky, dark, industrial-tinged glam-metal fun. Former Murderdolls/Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13 man Wednesday 13 is the perfect touring partner for the 69 Eyes, sharing an affinity for horror movie lyrics, snarled vocals and infectious melodies. Sumo Cyco and The Crowned also play. —Brett Callwood
sat 2/8
The Groans (Patricia Serban)
The Groans
THE SMELL
“How can I even afford to be alive? How can I even afford to die?” bassist Annie wonders on “Earth Dweller,” the title track of The Groans’ 2019 album. “A paycheck should not determine my worth/In the end, we’re all pathetic humans destroying ourselves and the Earth.” The local queer-punk trio have a lot to be mad about, making their raw, feral style of punk feel relevant and timely. Annie rails about white-supremacist cops on “Blue (Lives Don’t Matter),” defends herself from trolls on “Internet Entitlement,” and criticizes school systems that favors “rich suburban kids” over poor students on “Rigged,” as guitarist Dewie and drummer Nadine hammer out a passionately aggressive punk attack. Even amid all their fury, The Groans show an endearing and yearning pop side on such reflective tunes as “Missing the Trees, Friends & Everything in Between.” —Falling James
sun 2/9
Sinéad O’Connor
EL REY THEATRE
Throughout all her changes in life and music, Sinéad O’Connor has always had that powerful, distinctive voice — a transformative, searing ray of light that she aims like a beacon at herself and the world. In recent years, Irish singer has changed her name to Magda Davitt, and also took on the name Shuhada’ Sadaqat after a conversion to Islam, although she still performs under birth name. Unlike cardboard pop stars, O’Connor is painfully, gloriously human and contradictory, revealing both bravery and sensitivity in equal doses as she challenges the prevailing moral guardians of our times, whether it’s Madonna or the Pope. “I slept outside in the dog shed … I’ve had less rights as a woman, then the dog is my eternal form,” she declares on “Milestones,” an ethereal, strangely moving demo with producer David Holmes. —Falling James
mon 2/10
Pearl & the Oysters (Paul Hackman)
Pearl & the Oysters
THE HI-HAT
It’s really, really tough to accurately describe the music of Gainesville, Florida act Pearl & the Oysters without making it sound utterly awful, and yet in reality it’s a fever dream of glorious oddities. Their online bio reads: “After winning a free trip to the Ostreoid Asteroid Resort (from whence came their name) on the back of a dehydrated cereal box, a joyous society of galactic gleaners began making music together under the Neptunian moniker Pearl & the Oysters.” Alright, we can go with that, but it doesn’t fully cover the space-age, deep-sea, tiki wonders that will send you into a tizzy. Just go see them. Scott Gimore, The Incredible Shagatha and his Moog, and Holy Pink also play. —Brett Callwood
tue 2/11
Cup, Bobb Bruno
ZEBULON
Cup is an often-fascinating collaboration between Cibo Matto keyboardist Yuka Honda and her guitarist-husband, Nels Cline. A typically atypical performance might involve multi-instrumentalist Honda setting up a labyrinth of starry synth patterns as guitarist Cline manipulates his pedals and responds with looping, dizzying riffs that morph from art-funk into cathartic bursts of pure noise. Shape-shifting instrumental sound effects collide with one another, giving birth to new galaxies of new-music experimentations and improvised psychedelic strangeness. Cline is a longtime local free-jazz iconoclast who has gained wider attention with Wilco, while Honda has done a lot of everything in her extensive career, working as a composer, collaborator and producer with such disparate forces as Beastie Boys, Mike Watt, Tricky, Luscious Jackson and Marc Ribot. Best Coast’s Bobb Bruno also demonstrates his more exploratory, avant-garde side. —Falling James
Young Dolph, Key Glock
THE OBSERVATORY
It’s only been just over a couple of years since Memphis rapper Young Dolph was shot outside of a Hollywood store, though most reports suggest that it was a Memphis beef that led to his multiple gunshot wounds. Thankfully, he pulled through, and he’s put out three albums since then. In fact, Thinking Out Loud dropped just a month after the incident. His most recent is Dum and Dummer, a collab with fellow Memphis rapper Key Glock. This follows the 2018 single “Major” that they worked on together from the Role Model album. So it makes sense that the pair should join forces for this No Rules tour. Expect it to go off. —Brett Callwood
Lloyd Cole
LARGO AT THE CORONET
It’s been 31 years, and yet it’s hard to hear Lloyd Cole’s name without immediately thinking “and the Commotions.” He might get a little irritated by that, progressive-thinking artist that he is. But really, it’s simply a sign that his work has legs. In fact, Cole has released a string of excellent solo albums since the self-titled effort in 1990. 2019’s Guesswork is his 12th solo album, and it saw him stretching in a synth-heavy, slightly electro direction, working with producer Chris Hughes (Tears for Fears) and mixer Olaf Opal. Cole is clearly doing whatever he wants, and it’s paying off — the tunes are huge. This show is tagged “From Rattlesnakes to Guesswork,” so it will clearly feature tunes from across his career. —Brett Callwood
wed 2/12
Chastity Belt (Beto Barkmo)
Chastity Belt
LODGE ROOM
Chastity Belt return with another mesmerizing set of songs on their recent self-titled album on the Hardly Art label. Where other bands tend to bluster and shout to get attention, the Seattle quartet prefer to mask their provocative lyrics in a blur of soothing harmonies and the glowing hum of guitarists Julia Shapiro’s and Lydia Lund’s chords layered with low-key rhythmic accents by bassist Annie Truscott and drummer Gretchen Grimm. “Fogging up the mirror, see yourself disappear,” Shapiro intones softly on “Drown,” one of the singles from the album. “Now you’re just trying to get through everyday shit by acting with false confidence,” she continues in a dreamy voice against chiming guitars. Despite its title, “Pissed Pants” is another gentle reverie. —Falling James
The Adicts (Courtesy of the artist)
The Adicts
GARDEN AMPHITHEATRE
A couple of years ago, British punks The Adicts signed to Nuclear Blast, a label normally associated with extreme metal. On paper, it’s an odd relationship, but it appears to be working. The And It Was So! album they released in 2017 is fantastic, and they’re out on tour again. It’s always fun to see them and their Clockwork Orange “droog” get-up, especially singer Monkey — one of the more flamboyant frontmen that the genre has offered up with his Joker face. If anyone can offer Joaquin Phoenix a run for his money in the gritty clown stakes, it’s Monkey. Live, The Adicts always deliver, so don’t miss this one. Starving Wolves, L.A. Machina and Melted also play. —Brett Callwood
thu 2/13
North Mississippi Allstars (Wyatt McSpadden)
North Mississippi Allstars
TERAGRAM BALLROOM
North Mississippi Allstars’ latest album, Up and Rolling, is a rollicking set of blues, funk, roots and Southern rock. Led by brothers Cody Dickinson (drums) and Luther Dickinson (guitar), the group from Hernando, Mississippi, don’t really break any new sonic ground — this is a record that could have been made in the 1970s — but they put it all together with a rocking and soulful warmth. The title track is an easy, breezy ode to taking mushrooms and LSD, and while the song itself isn’t all that psychedelic, it’s a lilting and enjoyable groove. The album is highlighted by appearances from Cedric Burnside (“Out on the Road”), Duane Betts and Jason Isbell (“Mean Old World”), Otha Turner (“Otha’s Bye Bye Baby”), and a smoldering Mavis Staples (“What You Gonna Do?”). —Falling James
Naughty By Nature
THE NOVO
Hip-hop vets Naughty By Nature have been working on a follow up to their last proper studio album 2011’s Anthem Inc., although there was some confusion last year when a digital mixtape, Illtown Sluggaz, appeared online without fanfare leading some fans to believe that they’d dropped a surprise full-lengther. Not the case. However, the NBN boys have been busy. They’ve been touring with the New Kids on the Block for one thing, on a mega-nostalgia package. Everybody, really everybody, loves to sing “O.P.P.” at the top of their voice, so this $10 show at the Novo should be a treat. Maybe we’ll get to hear some of those new tunes. —Brett Callwood
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