RVA Shows You Must See This Week: July 19 – July 25
FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, July 22, 7 PM
Rikki Rakki, Ruth Good, Knifing Around @ Gallery 5 – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
We’ve talked about Rikki Rakki in the feature position of this column within the past couple of months, so normally I wouldn’t bring them back to such a prominent position so soon. However, in this case, it feels merited. Their new album, Breaking Skin — which has been one of the most hotly anticipated Richmond releases of 2023 — is finally entering the world at this show, and that makes it one of the hottest tickets of the summer. If you haven’t already planned to be there, well, my advice is to cancel whatever else you’ve got going on this Saturday. Gallery 5 is the place to be.
Rikki Rakki has been refining their catchy, twangy take on indie/alt-rock for several years here in Richmond, and while they’ve graced us with a couple of EPs during that time, Breaking Skin will be their first full-length release, and should take the already-significant buzz around this band to the next level. Pre-release singles like “Crying In The Uber” and the title track have certainly shown that they’ve got strong songs in their quiver, and while I certainly recommend streaming the album early and often once it hits the apps, nothing is going to replace the thrill of hearing the band perform their new material live, knowing you can walk over to the merch table as soon as the set ends and take home your very own copy.
This entire evening will be full of excellent music from right here in Richmond, as Rikki Rakki’s handpicked openers are just as talented as they are themselves. Ruth Good, the project led by brothers Jonathan and Wes Parker and named for their grandmother, has been bringing us catchy indie sounds with a country-ish overtone of their own on several Citrus City releases over the past decade or so. Their most recent single, 2022’s “Frigidaire,” introduced a bit of a screamo element as well — by now y’all know I’m here for that. As for Knifing Around, their danceable synth-driven postpunk sound has reminded local old heads like myself of long-gone Richmond synth-punks VCR — which is certainly a good thing — but if you don’t remember VCR, that’s OK; this band has a great deal more than nostalgia to offer. All this plus a brand new Rikki Rakki album? Like I said, Gallery 5 is the place to be this Saturday night. Plan accordingly.
Wednesday, July 19, 7 PM
Lurk, Public Opinion, Suntitle, Bagged @ Bandito’s – $15 in advance, $18 at the door (order tickets HERE)
As a genre, hardcore has been around for over four decades now, and it’s gone through a number of evolutions in that time. At this point, the trend for the scene seems to be veering back and forth between periods of strict old-school rigidity and more expansive moments that introduce new sounds and vibes into the mix. I’m always happier during the latter sort of era, and I’m very glad to see that we’re in one now. Moments like these are what allow the hardcore scene to deliver bands like Lurk to me. This Chicago quintet is no one’s idea of straightforward hardcore, but their earlier material had a definite post-hardcore vibe, while retaining a great deal of energy and drive. On their new EP, Natural Causes, though, they’ve taken things entirely to the next level, generating the same sort of out-of-control punk vibes I always got from punk n’ roll bands like Ex-Cult or The Cramps while also keeping that post-hardcore feel that makes their songwriting style so refreshing and fascinating.
In light of their recent musical growth, we can certainly expect an energetic and catchy as hell performance from Lurk when they hit the Bandito’s stage tonight. But the evening as a whole has quite a bit more in store for us, starting with a performance by Denver’s Public Opinion, who are currently on tour with Lurk. Their latest EP, Heaven Sent, bangs through two raging songs in less than four minutes, and mixes a strong influence from garage-rock revival bands like The Hives or Surfer Blood into what is, at its core, a driving hardcore punk sound. These guys seem like a safe bet to deliver an absolutely banger set tonight as well. Richmonders Suntitle will be an excellent addition to this bill, bringing us a set of their emotional, shoegaze-tinged post-hardcore, while fellow locals Bagged will get things started with a set of energetic punk that has more than enough rage and noise to belie their stripped-down guitar-drums lineup. Doors open at 7, but the real heads know to show up early and take advantage of happy hour taco specials. It’s the perfect fuel for rockin’ out.
Thursday, July 20, 7 PM
Cenotaph, Horrific Visions, Architectural Genocide, Torturous Descent @ Another Round Bar & Grill – $10
It’s a good week for death metal in Lakeside, and this show is just the first of multiple reasons why. We’ll get to the rest before you know it, but for now let’s focus on the amazing aspects of this Thursday night banger, which is headlined by legendary death metal group Cenotaph. This quartet is coming to us all the way from their home city of Ankara, Turkey, believe it or not, and they’ve got 30 years of brutal death metal history to draw from for their Richmond performance. They’ve even got a bit of a Richmond connection, having previously released multiple albums on Sevared Records, a long-running death metal label currently located in Rochester, NY but formerly based right here in RVA! The latest Cenotaph album, 2021’s Precognition To Eradicate, is a piledriving explosion of death metal noise violence, with a tendency to forsake moshy breakdowns in favor of ripping speed, complex riffage, and vocals that are the absolute deepest of the deep. If you’re down with classic material by bands like Cryptopsy or Necrophagist, you’re gonna love what Cenotaph has in store for us all.
Cenotaph aren’t the only touring death metal band coming to town Thursday night to blow us all away. They’re joined on this bill by Horrific Visions, a Texas-based death metal trio who may not have quite as lengthy a history to draw from, but certainly have plentiful riffs containing bucketloads of brutality to drench all of us with during their performance. Their latest EP, Enlightenment Through Excruciating Torture, shows them to be on much the same page as Cenotaph where raging tempos, unrelenting drums, and deep guttural vocals are concerned. Fascinatingly named fellow Texans Architectural Genocide go the early Carcass route of giving their albums and songs names straight out of a medical school textbook, as demonstrated on their 2020 LP, Cordyceptic Anthropomorph. Whether you’re looking for horrific themes or brutal low-end riff overload, this band will not disappoint. The evening will open up with the closest band on this bill to a local: Baltimore’s Torturous Descent, who don’t seem to have released any music into the world as yet. Considering what the bands on this bill sound like, though, I think it’s safe to expect brutal death metal from these guys as well. So yeah, come to this show prepared for a constant shred attack. You certainly won’t be disappointed.
Friday, July 21, 7 PM
Good Looks, Strawberry Moon, Big Fundamental @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $14 (order tickets HERE)
And now for something completely different: the Southern indie melodies of Texas quartet Good Looks. Inspired by classic indie influences like The Replacements and Spoon, but mixing in the sort of undeniable Southern influences you get from boys raised harmonizing in church on Sunday mornings, Good Looks have a sound that definitely comes from the South, but with a broad appeal that should connect with anyone who loves a good melody, especially when it’s infused with sincerity and emotion. You get all of those things from Good Looks’ debut album, Bummer Year, released last year and chock full of catchy tunes you’ll want to sing along with this Friday night. They might even bring a tear to your eye, but that’s OK — it just means you’re feeling something real.
Richmonders Strawberry Moon have been bringing us plenty of emotion of their own for several years now, and last year’s excellent full-length, Habitual Creatures, showed that they’ve got catchy tunes aplenty up their sleeve. They recently followed up that album with a new single called “Down In The Dirt,” and it follows in the footsteps of their previous work, mixing dirty rock n’ roll riffs with undeniable indie melodies. They’ll bring plenty of all that to the stage at Richmond Music Hall Friday night. As for fellow Richmonders Big Fundamental, who will get this gig started in proper fashion, they showed their facility with crunchy riffs and classic 90s-style alt-rock anthems on 2021 LP Hyperbeam. They’ll get us all rockin’ with their opening set, and it’ll only get awesomer from there. You know what to do.
Saturday, July 22, 7 PM
Burial Dance, Mirakler, Botfly, Kircher @ Cobra Cabana – $10?
I love a proper screamo show, full of octave chords and hectic screamed vocals and intense crescendos. Therefore I am very excited to see New Jersey’s Burial Dance coming to Richmond this Saturday night. Featuring members of well-known previous projects like The Saddest Landscape and Capacities, Burial Dance explores both ends of the screamo spectrum on their 2021 EP Structures, beginning with a quick, speedy blast called “False Flag Blues” before stretching out for post-rock epic “At What Cost” later on the record. We’ll surely see both sides of this dynamic during their performance at Cobra Cabana, and you can expect the delivery of these tunes to be passionate and powerful as well. Considering that the EP came out two full years ago, we may even get some as-yet-unreleased material from Burial Dance’s set, which would surely be a treat.
Burial Dance is only one of three bands from beyond Richmond’s borders on this show, though, and all of them have their own charms to offer. Mirakler come from all the way at the other end of Pennsylvania — Pittsburgh, to be specific — and therefore it’s no surprise that they have such a strong element of noise-rock chaos on their brand new LP, How I Became The Devil. That industrial atmosphere seeps into your soul after a while — ask one-time factory workers Black Sabbath about that one. Mirakler land closer to Young Widows or Jesus Lizard with their rampaging sound, but it’s heavy enough not to sweat the details. Just come ready to bang your head. Botfly come from all the way up in Halifax, Nova Scotia — a city that’s east of the entire United States (don’t mind me, I’m a bit of a geography nerd) — and they have a similar sort of noisy thrashing sound as Mirakler on 2021’s Lower Than Love, though there is a bit of that screamo passion leaking in around the edges. Richmond’s own Kircher get things started with a similar brand of noise-rock infused chaotic screamo craziness, and it’s sure to kick things off on a high note. Basically, if you like one of these bands, you’re sure to like all four, and if you don’t like any of them I’m gonna give you some major side-eye.
Saturday, July 22 & Sunday, July 23
Scum City Records Presents: Scum City Slam
Day One: Saturday, July 22, 4 PM
Murder Method, Abominog, Murdersome, Heavy Is the Head, Greenhead, Bananaslama, Impulse Machine, Terrafirma, Dark Entity
Day Two: Sunday, July 23, 5 PM
Bayht Lahm, Slaat, Illusionist, The Saturn Death Cult, Junkhead, Trunk, Cryptid Tears, Zauberei
@ Another Round Bar & Grill – $10 per night
Now we reach a show that could have been a feature all by itself, and believe me, that was a hard decision to make. Scum City Slam, a two-day rager taking over Another Round for this entire weekend, is an even bigger reason why this is a good week for death metal here in Richmond. Not that every band on these two jam-packed shows is death metal — indeed, that exact sound might get a bit monotonous spread over two shows lasting around eight hours apiece. Scum City Records have brought plenty of variety to this bill, though, so whether your taste in heavy music tends toward death metal, raging hardcore, grind chaos, mosh madness, or some other point on the spectrum, you’ll find a lot to love at this weekend’s Scum City Slam.
According to the conventions of this column, I’ve left myself only one paragraph with which to discuss all 17 of these bands, so I’ll admit up front that I’m gonna miss some. But if you’re paying attention to Richmond’s heavy music scene right now, you’re sure to recognize some names: Slaat’s raw, pounding metallic hardcore; the ripping thrash metal of Murdersome, who just released their first official full-length, Carnal Death, last month; Heavy Is the Head’s pounding metallic hardcore; the goofy goregrind antics of Bananaslama; and The Saturn Death Cult’s fuzzed-out heavyosity, among others. Then there are the many out-of-towners, including reformed 90s NoVA death-metallers Abominog; Pennsylvania death metal old-schoolers Murder Method; New Jersey thrash-grinders Bayht Lahm, whose recent LP, Widening Autonomy, shows a surprising dynamic range; DC-based psychedelic headbangers Greenhead; and quite a few others. It’s a total metal overload, in the best possible way, and being able to spend two eight-hour evenings rocking out to the best metal sounds for only 20 bucks total is a real steal in this economy. Don’t miss out on this one.
Monday, July 24, 7 PM
Plight, Day Aches, Dozing, Always Other @ Bandito’s – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
The booking endeavor known as Love Tiger Connection has only been around for a year or two, but they’ve made themselves absolutely essential to Richmond’s live music scene already. This Monday night affair at Bandito’s isn’t even the first show of theirs I’ve written about this week (scroll back up to the Lurk show if you missed the previous one). They’re definitely riding the more progressive and expansive wave that’s in ascendance in the current hardcore scene, and I love it. I love getting regular local visits from rad post-hardcore bands that represent some of the hottest new sounds happening in the country right now. And I especially love it when a Love Tiger Connection show introduces me to a whole new band. That is the case with this headlining performance by New York’s Plight, a band I had not previously encountered. They just released an album called Plastic Sun back in April, and even though it’s only three months old, I’m already embarrassed to have missed it for even that long. The vaguely sludgy, vaguely shoegaze sounds of Plight’s take on post-hardcore makes me think of emo legends Hum if they’d had more Pavement and Sonic Youth records in their collection. This band will connect equally with the dyed-in-the-wool post-hardcore heads like myself and with the fans of slacker alt-rock who enjoyed Richmond faves of the recent past like Lance Bangs and Camp Howard. Their performance will certainly brighten up your Monday night.
And even if you don’t show up in time for happy hour taco specials, you will definitely want to catch all three of the excellent openers. Day Aches come from just up the interstate in DC, and have a sound they accurately describe on their Instagram as “grungegaze;” recent single “Wish” simultaneously reminds me of Justin Broadrick’s Jesu project and Pelican at their most epic moments (though Day Aches do have a singer). Richmond’s Dozing have a more emotional take on their own post-hardcore sound, one that’s sure to bring a strong dose of melody to the proceedings. And while the flyer lists “Always Another” as the name of the opening artist, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess this is referring to Richmond-based ambient shoegaze project Always Other. Even if I’m wrong about that, though, this one’s gonna be a ton of fun. Show up for it.
Tuesday, July 25, 7 PM
Pool Kids, Sydney Sprague, Chase Petra @ The Canal Club – $16 in advance, $18 day of show (order tickets HERE)
I’m into a lot of different stuff, musically speaking — just reading this one edition of the column is sure to show you that, and longtime readers know it gets way more varied than even this week’s edition shows. But longtime readers also know that there’s one genre I’m a sucker for above all others. And that genre is emo. Pool Kids, who play the Canal Club this Tuesday night, are a great example of how deep my emo love runs; until the last second, I was gonna pick a different Tuesday night show. Then I said to myself, “I should at least give a cursory listen to this band I’ve never heard of that’s playing the Canal Club.” 30 seconds into Pool Kids’ 2022 single “That’s Physics, Baby,” I knew I had a new Tuesday night pick. Because Pool Kids has a ton to offer — even more than most of the emo bands I’m an absolute sucker for.
First of all, there’s the powerful vocal melodies and brilliant, cutting lyrics of frontwoman Christine Goodwyne; in a genre full of people attempting to nail the perfect set of words to evoke powerful emotion, she lands it every time, seemingly effortlessly. The tangled, mathy riffing of guitarist Andy Anaya also adds an intriguing element to what Pool Kids are doing; rather than copping riffs from Taking Back Sunday, early Fall Out Boy, or any of the other leading lights of the emo scene, Pool Kids tread closer to the complex yet unforgettable melodies of bands like Carpool and Snowing — two particular faves of mine, if you don’t already know that. Honestly, I can’t believe I had never heard of this band before this week. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do — and their show at The Canal Club on Tuesday night is a great place to start. Arizona singer-songwriter Sydney Sprague, whose forthcoming LP, Somebody In Hell Loves You, sure is an attention-grabber, will bring her bouncy indie pop to this bill, while the similarly inclined California singer-songwriter Chase Petra will get this show started in catchy fashion. Really, though, this one’s all about Pool Kids.
Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): rvamustseeshows@gmail.com
Not taking commissions right now — much as I could use the money, I’m just stretched too thin. But please consider supporting my Patreon, where I’m documenting my progress on two different novels and (sometimes) writing about music of all types. patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
