Over the past two years, we've managed to catch BIRTH! play at everything from dance clubs to house shows to the corner of Hollywood & Highland and one thing is for certain, Douglas Halbert, the force behind the one-man project, can create more sonic damage with a microphone and pedal than most can with a full band.

Like Frank Tovey's Fad Gadget before him, Halbert pushes performance past the limits of convention, and perhaps good sense. He plays covered in paint, flails inside the crowd and indulges in other antics while spewing out some of the most aggressive synthpunk in town.

You have two chances to catch BIRTH! this week. Tonight, he's playing Club Ding-a-ling at Hyperion Tavern in Silver Lake with Vancouver-based punk band Nu Sensae and locals 60 Watt Kid. Thursday, he heads over to neighboring Echo Park for a gig at Tribal Cafe with Cardio Pulmonary. Both events are free. Ding-a-ling is 21+, Tribal Cafe is all ages.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.