Head in the Clouds 2026

Photos by Sofia Cardenas  Nestled below the San Gabriel Mountains, the Rose Bowl lives on the western edge of the SGV, where 20 miles of strip malls, boba shops, and sprawling suburbia make up one of the most prominent ethnoburbs in Los Angeles. On August 8, Asian-interest music collective 88rising took over Pasadena with their…

Madison Beer @ The Kia Forum [6/24/26]

Photos provided by Ashley Osborn/Kia Forum There’s nothing quite like watching an artist embark on their first arena tour. They don’t always sell the best and they require tons of trial and error to nail, but the glint in an artist’s eye as they finally bring to life their creative fantasies at the level of…

Quiet Light @ Zebulon [5/22/26]

Photos by Lauren Kim Singer-songwriter Riya Mahesh, known onstage as Quiet Light, has an ear for sentimentality. The classically trained pianist’s sound shines in her careful arrangements, balancing electronica with eclectic samples and acoustic folk instruments. Mahesh’s soundscapes are constructed like a dream sequence. Pitchfork has described her sonic world as one with a “loose logic…

American Football @ The Wiltern [5/23/26]

Photos by Dylan Simmons It seems that on the internet, the classic riff from American Football’s “Never Meant” is inescapable. But to alternative rock fans, the riff alone is the anthem for the midwest emo subgenre. In case you’re unfamiliar with their emo impact, American Football is a four-piece rock group that formed in Urbana,…

Mei Semones @ The Wiltern [5/23/26]

Purple lights filled the Wiltern as the crowd slowly grew in size and cramped together. As the opener of American Football’s tour, Mei Semones’ role that evening was to warm up the crowd for what was to come, and I can assure you she did just that.  Opening with “Itsumo,” released in 2025, the stand-alone…

Lorde @ The Kia Forum [5/14/26]

Photos by Kiara Mack It was just days after my fifteenth birthday when Lorde released “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All),” a sentimental song reminiscing on when she “couldn’t wait to turn fifteen.” I blinked, it’s been five years, and it feels like my entire adolescence has led up to my 19-year-old self…