A Movie Club Worth Joining: There might not have been a ton of people in Alex’s Bar in Long Beach on Sunday evening to catch Venue duo Movie Club, but those that were there are unlikely to forget the experience in a hurry.

It’s all so simple yet gloriously surreal. Vince Cuneo plays guitar, Jessamyn Violet plays drums. No bass, no vocals — they create an instrumental surf-garage-punk noise that is both dive bar chaotic and nightclub suave.

On record, notably 2020’s Black Flamingo album, they invite friends such as Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters) and Jessy Greene (P!nk) along for the ride. But on Alex’s stage, the two of them don’t need any help. A real life couple, Violet and Cuneo feed off of each other sonically and aesthetically. If Cuneo pulls a crazy face, an Elvis Zappa sort of deal, Violet throws her head back harder. A gleeful symbiosis.

They don’t have mics, so they don’t introduce any of the songs and we need to get more hip to them before we recognize any. But it barely matters anyway — the whole thing merges together into a wonderful wave. There’s a David Lynch quality to the vibe — both musicians are wearing suits and white shades, and the music could be the score to something awesome. We’ll certainly be checking out Movie Club further.

Before that, Songs for Sabotage provided a very different experience (though they’re also a duo and also a real life couple). Formed in New York but now based in SoCal, the pair blend dream pop with garage rock to great effect. The set started slowly but by the end, the band was into it and that energy fed to the crowd. Great tunes, great vibe. Again, we’ll be digging deeper into this project.

A Movie Club Worth Joining

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