Formed just two years ago, London indie-pop quintet The Mispers hit their native U.K. like a sugar rush — they were selling out shows after a year on the scene. A “misper” is police slang describing a missing person, but with the band’s approachable sound full of driving rhythms and feel-good melodies, they are likely […]
It’s no surprise that after slowly entering into the world of polyamory with his wife and a live-in fan, Unknown Mortal Orchestra frontman Ruban Nielson would title the band’s third album “Multi-Love” — a theme that both grabs you by the hand and also peeks around the corner throughout the album. “Multi-Love” (which came out […]
Northern English rock bands Starsailor and Embrace performed on a double bill at the Roxy Theatre on Tuesday night after the show was moved from its original spot at the Fonda. The audience was equal parts Starsailor and Embrace devotees, and although neither band has enjoyed volumes of press or extensive radio play in the […]
“People aren’t getting picked off by bears in the very very back?” Colin Meloy asked the capacity crowd at the Greek Theatre on Saturday night. It was typical good humor from the Decemberists frontman, who emerged on stage dressed in a sharp gray suit, holding a glass of wine, as one by one the remaining […]
Not every band will allow time in their show for the audience to take selfies with the members on stage. But electro-pop group Big Data are conscious of such social trends and obsessions with technology. Powered by NYC’s Alan Wilkis who plays, produces, and mixes everything on the recorded tracks, Big Data performed live as […]
“I’m not a flag waver,†insisted Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson at the Wiltern on Saturday night as fans held out small Union Jack flags. Last year, England’s quintessential lad-rockers released their fifth studio album “Education, Education, Education & War,†but it’s still their first album “Employment†that packs the biggest live punch. ||| Photos […]
“My life is cold, you put the flame on it,” belted soul man Charles Bradley during a passionate performance at the Roxy Theatre on Saturday night. Considering his documented lifelong struggles with abandonment, homelessness and loss, those were poignant words from the 66-year-old Bradley, a former James Brown impersonator who eventually began gaining recognition for […]
The Replacements’ “Back by Unpopular Demand Tour” proved a misnomer at the Palladium on Wednesday night, the first of the quartet’s two sold-out shows in Hollywood. There remains plenty of popular demand to see the seminal Minneapolis rockers, out of mothballs after nearly a quarter of a century with original members Paul Westerberg and Tommy […]
Hard on the heels of an electrifying Coachella performance, Royal Blood all but blew the ceiling off the Fonda Theatre on Monday night. ||| Photos by Michelle Shiers Their 12-song set, almost entirely from their debut album, began with “Hole†with front man Mike Kerr bringing his immediate swagger and his bass slung low. While […]
One might assume that a bad throat ailment would be enough to weaken the performance of any singer, but such was not the case with Benjamin Booker on Thursday night at The Roxy. The New Orleans-based singer/guitarist powered through his set opening with “Always Waiting†and “Chippewa†backed by drummer Max Norton and bassist/violinist Alex […]
