Coming in hot, this year’s Desert Hearts is being hosted in our very own backyard: the historic Los Angeles Coliseum. Changing venues from the traditional Lake Perris location to the city landscape will inevitably bring a different energy to the famous festival. For the first time, Desert Hearts moves from the desert into the big…
Photos by Sophia Russo If anyone can disrupt a scene and make it their own, it is singer-songwriter Kelela. Kelela debuted her experimental sound with her mixtape ‘Cut 4 Me’ in 2013, where she mixed R&B, house, electronic, and soul to establish her own sound and identity as an upcoming and unapologetically herself artist. Fast…
Monday, April 3rd, 2023. I am walking up the smoke-stained staircase, the carpet grayed by travelers like me. Rounding a rickety exterior walkway, I scoot around the bleach blond couple making out dangerously on the railing. I push through a thick curtain into a hazy art deco scene, populated by people shrouded in cloaks of…
When tapping into the ever-evolving tastes of Gen Z, Atlanta-based duo Coco & Clair Clair’s eclectic Y2K sound is nothing short of genius. In the last few years, Y2K aesthetics have dominated social media, and Coco & Clair Clair’s brazen pop-rap sounds straight out of the early 2000s. Their satirical mean-girl lyrics float over their…
As a cradle Catholic, I grew up going to vacation bible school and religious retreats. Usually, at these retreats, we would always have a concert-like worship: praising the Lord, hands held up, people would scream and cry to the songs that connect them deeply to their faith. Surrounded by blankets of blue & purple and…
Outside El Rey at 7:15, I plugged in my borrowed headphones waiting in line for the door. I hadn’t yet listened to Jawny’s new album, It’s Never Fair, Always True, which was only released the day before the show. I might as well know what I was getting into: I was lightly battling nerves for…
Mau P @ Night Trip, Academy LA As LED screens blared the statement “House Music All Night Long”, dancers and bass shook the pavement. However, when the clocks struck midnight, the whole venue stood still, and so did the music. Suddenly, the crowd was engulfed in a shower of red lighting, as the stereos projected…
Leah Sokol Have you ever imagined getting a private concert in the comfort of your own home? Although the El Rey Theatre doesn’t quite offer the luxury of my living room couch, Blondshell’s intimate performance evoked a similar sense of intimacy. Preceding the headliner, Suki Waterhouse, Blondshell exceeded her title as “opener.” Never before have…
Charlie Havenick’s music is like….rain on a blue tarp. A dog blissed out in a patch of sunlight.
What do you do after a 23 mile hike at Big Sur, you go to a Sammy Rae & The Friends Concert. I went with Harry Frahn, who was also on the camping trip with me. As I quickly shoved myself to the front before another wave of people came in – Miki Ratsula, the…
My first and prevailing predominant thought over the course of the night: this venue is way too cool for me. Zebulon Cafe holds an intimidatingly good looking [and potentially pretentious] queer crowd. The cafe’s composition works perfectly for a low-key concert with a distinct separation of space between the performance and eating area, each with…
Wallice @ Lodge Room [12/6/22] “LA is my favorite show ever,” Wallice says. Up on stage, she towers over a sea of cowboy hats, unif jackets, and Tik Tok inspired fits. Tonight, the Lodge Room is a Gen-Z mecca, where hundreds of Zoomers are gathered to see Indie-Pop darling Wallice. Although Los Angeles native Wallice…
Photos by Soph Russo, Art by Skye Schoenhoeft At around 7pm on December 13th, the 720 bus spits us out at the entrance to the Wiltern — I’m grateful the driver did not notice we didn’t pay our fare. We picked up our tickets and went inside. Eyeing the incoming crowd, I see a lot…
Weyes Blood @ The Theatre at Ace Hotel [12/09/22] Over the past few months, I’ve had to learn my fair share of unpleasant truths about adulthood. A lot of my adult life so far has been spent being devastated by the doldrums of tedious part-time jobs, failed job interviews, and the regular case of FOMO,…
“Who tonight is feeling sexy” It’s really hard to feel sexy when you’re freezing in 50-degree weather. I spent the first half of my Wednesday night shivering in a jean skirt on a two-hour bus ride to Echo Park. When I decided to go see the iconic bedroom pop duo, Coco & Clair Clair, I…
Rina Sawayama @ The Hollywood Palladium [11/23/22] “Rina is an iconoclast that is reshaping the concept of a ‘popstar’ in her own image.” It is the day before Thanksgiving, and everyone and their mother has gathered to give thanks to Japanese-British Royalty, the venerated Rina Sawayama. DJ Alex Chapman warms up the audience with a…
Photos by Jackie Pierce Even blocks away, it was near impossible to miss the neon glow pouring from the blue and red letters of “The Wiltern.” Towering over all the surrounding streets, the iconic Old Hollywood style theater held a presence that almost demanded to be known – a presence further amplified by the never-ending…
[Lucy Dacus @ the Wilten 11/18/22] Photos by Emily Chang Tonight in LA, tomorrow in San Diego, then it’s over. Lucy Dacus’ Home Video Tour has been around the world in a dogged march since the summer of 2021. The Commonwealth hailing musician delves into the cleavages of strict faith, a nostalgia for home, and…
Steve Lacy @ The Greek Theatre [11/11/2022] Photos by Audrey Berry “Damn, my nipples are hard right now!” These words were spoken by one of the world’s hottest artists right now as he stood in front of the sold-out Greek Theater on Saturday night. On this brisk evening, it is Steve Lacy’s final show of…
Turnstile & Snail Mail @ Shrine Expo Hall [11/4/22] As a five-foot nothing girl I was terrified. But as a punk fan, I was ecstatic. Approaching the Shrine, I saw groups of Turnstile fans of all ages wearing all black thick eyeliner. After spotting more than 15 concert-goers with septum rings, my friend turns to…