Hank Wood & the Hammer Heads, La Misma, Mommy, Conspiracy, Shimmer, Fur Helmet Friday May 5, 8 pm at Saint Vitus: $15
This lineup reads like a who’s-doo of Toxic State records. Arriving straight from the “institutional abyss” is Mommy. Then you have the Portuguese spittlin’ piss punks of La Misma, and scene stalwarts likeFur Helmet and Conspiracy. I mean, Saint Vitus has been called “one of the best-booked bars in New York”– even so, you’re rarely gonna find so many excellent punk/hardcore bands in one place outside of a funeral or, like, a festival (shudder).
Madame Deficit, Astral Knife, Spreaders, Spiteful Womb, Transient in Barcelona Saturday March 12, 8 pm at Torus Porta: $6
Trust this one’s going to be a, shall we say, intimate show– for one, it’s going down at the tiny Torus Porta space in Bushwick, and secondly, it’s going down at Torus Porta. It’s a place where weird, nudey, slimey, I guess you could call it “intimate” happenings are throbbing constantly upward toward some more enlightened psychedelic digi-future thanks to bizarro performance art collective Wild Torus. They also host music shows, but judging by experience, these are likely to be unlike any old Saturday-night thing at a dingy venue with cheap beer and even cheaper philosophies on toilet paper. More →
T-Rextasy, Band Practice, Doubles Friday January 8, 8 pm at Aviv: $7
Picture a femme Parquet Courts fronted by Ellen Page all hopped up on candy and you’re sort of getting at what T-Rextasy are all about. Their sound defies what might first be taken for twee, instead invoking an array of complexity of sweet, sassy, sour, sad, and snappy feelings delivered in a way that’s interchangeably manic, then replete with earnest babbling from the front, supported by plucky punk guitars and primitive, clap-clap drums from the rear.
Wanna be where all the cool hardcore kids will be? Legit a grand lineup of who’s who in NYC hardcore and punk right now is taking over Silent Barn to honor the release of L.O.T.I.O.N.’s (members of Dawn of Humans and Nomad, duh) new LP on Toxic State, Digital Control and Man’s Obsolescence. Judging by their previous release, it’s going to be some dissonant, evil-ass, earbud-shredding stuff. No lighter on the nasty is Murderer, a band that we’re a little less familiar with. But their brand of stompy punk is a nice counterpoint to Mommy, a band that we’ve been looking for another excuse to go see since they made their killer appearance at Palisades a couple of months back. Read more here.Â
Here’s to hoping you took this past weekend to cram your butt, beach umbrellas, and coolers full of malt liquor onto the A train, also known as the Express Train to Beach Salvation. Lord knows nearly all of Brooklyn decided this was the way to go. I’ve got the bite marks to prove it. If you didn’t get your Rockaway kicks in along with the rest of us, chances are you’re gonna miss out big time on a weekend of epic gigs on the horizon. Trust us, this is the time to play hooky, because how else are you possibly going to realize your Best Summer Ever without skipping out on your earthly responsibilities? You’ve really dug yourself a hole, haven’t you? Here are the shows happening this week that’ll get you out of it.
Northside Festival is here, which means all your favorite venues are going to be filled with butt loads of people. If you’re hitting up any one of your usual spots in Brooklyn for a show this weekend– even this year’s venue newcomers like Alphaville, Aviv, and Pet Rescue are in the fest’s fold– chances are it’s going to be a Northside joint. So if you’re gonna really get out there and do the damn thing this weekend, save yourself some trubz and grip a pass. You may lament the crowds, but you can’t deny that a festival brings something like pure joy to your usual Friday or Saturday night kicks.
Based on what we’ve learned from close observers of festival culture, you’re likely to see naturally occurring people dressed in cringe-inducing headdresses and bro boats shotgunning beers. But since this is North Brooklyn and not Bro-chella, we’re guessing the headwear will be a little more culturally self-aware (e.g. an ode to 19th century farmers who had it made or something) and at least those beers will be craft. But remember, Northside may be the thing to do, but it’s not all there is. More →
