RVA Shows You Must See This Week: September 11 – September 18
FEATURED SHOW
Dark Days, Bright Nights
Friday, September 13, 7 PM
Young Widows, Pygmy Lush, Kilara, No Man, Porcelain, Northeast Regional @ The Broadberry – $30
Saturday, September 14, 4 PM
Soul Glo, Thou, Kowloon Walled City, The Red Scare, Glassing, Habak, .gif From God, Goetia, Private Hell @ The Broadberry – $45
Sunday, September 15, 4 PM
Pageninetynine, Portrayal Of Guilt, Inter Arma, Rid Of Me, Massa Nera, Forn, HIDE, Infant Island, Prisoner, Listless @ The Broadberry – $45
Three-Day Passes: $115 (order all tickets at bit.ly/DarkDaysBrightNights9-13)
I don’t think it’s news that I am often stoked about the shows I write about in this column — god knows I don’t exactly try to make it a secret. That said, I am unusually stoked about the three-day event coming to the Broadberry this weekend, known as Dark Days, Bright Nights. The lineups for all three nights feature a smorgasbord of heavy, dark metallic hardcore and screamo — which is, when we get right down to it, my all-time favorite shit. What’s even cooler is that the folks behind Persistent Vision Records and Yr Screaming Youth are bringing us this extravaganza. While those are both relatively new names in the Richmond music scene, Persistent Vision founder Paul Hansbarger previously ran The Perpetual Motion Machine, a Richmond-based label that released records by Pageninetynine, Circle Takes The Square, Wow Owls, The Catalyst, and Kowloon Walled City — the last of whom, to bring it full circle, is playing Dark Days, Bright Nights this weekend. There’s real history here, folks.
There’s also way too much music to give all of it the pre-show hype it deserves, but I’m going to make a valiant attempt to talk about as much of it as possible. Night one, Friday night, is headlined by Young Widows, a Louisville-based sludge-noise-core trio who haven’t released a new album in a solid decade. It won’t really matter on this night, though — their blasts of bright amp-mounted lights and dark, heavy tunes will lay everybody out. Then there’s Pygmy Lush, a project of Taylor brothers Mike and Chris (Pageninetynine, Mannequin, Terminal Bliss), in which they reverse their typical noisy hardcore direction and head in a spookier, more subdued acoustic direction without ever losing the songwriting chops and all-encompassing atmospheres that make all their projects brilliant. It’s been well over a decade since Pygmy Lush was active, and their triumphant return for this evening will be a welcome one. You can say that even more fervently about Kilara, a late-90s metal-noise project from here in Richmond VA featuring members who went on to play in Parasytic, City Of Caterpillar, Alabama Thunderpussy, Ghastly City Sleep, and a million other notable names. The fact that Kilara released a compilation CD at one point entitled Southern Fried Metal tells you most of what you need to know about this band, though you can also rest assured that there’s a lot more at work under the surface than you might expect from that title.
On Saturday, a trio of legends occupy the top of the bill, and in particular, I doubt Philadelphia ragers Soul Glo need much of any introduction these days. Their powerful, politically-driven hardcore sound mixes elements of experimental noise, hip hop, and even pop melodies into a potent original sound you can’t find anywhere else. They’ve changed the face of hardcore in the 2020’s, and we’re all better for it. Listen to their 2022 album Diaspora Problems if you don’t know what I mean — or better yet, show up Saturday night and get your head blown off in person. They’ll be joined on this bill by New Orleans-based DIY sludge legends Thou, whose new LP, Umbilical, is maybe their 10th and still hits with a rock-solid thunder that stands out so remarkably from the typical sludge metal you’d hear in other places that they barely count as even being the same genre. Saturday also features a murderer’s row of other incredible acts, including late 90s/early 00’s-era chaotic hardcore act The Red Scare, who return for their first show in around 20 years. You’ll definitely want to be there for that, especially since almost all of us missed them the first time (I know I did).
Sunday will close out this whole weekend of awesomeness with the one set everybody’s been waiting for: pageninetynine, who’ll return to curse god and wail like demons from the fiery pits of hell as they deliver their legendarily harsh and chaotic take on dark, metallic hardcore, reminding us all why they are the kings of this shit now and forevermore. The group who has come closest to inheriting pageninetynine’s throne in the modern era has got to be their co-headliners, Portrayal Of Guilt, who let you know how serious they are on incredible slabs of molten rage like 2023’s Devil Music and 2021’s Christfucker. Yes, these dudes do go hard. Be ready. While you’re at it, be ready for the many amazing bands who are playing across this weekend that I haven’t had the chance to mention yet: Richmond hometown heroes like .gif From God, Private Hell, and Prisoner; underrated rippers like Rid Of Me, Glassing, and Massa Nera; stalwart veterans like Inter Arma, Kowloon Walled City, and Infant Island… there are still more, but I’ve been ranting for way too long as it is. Here’s my final word: raid your savings account and shell out for the full three-day pass for this one. It’s likely the best lineup this city will see all goddamn year.
Wednesday, September 11, 7 PM
Unleash The Archers, Fatehaven, Terrafirma @ The Canal Club – $25 (order tickets HERE)
It takes a lot for me to really get into a power metal band. What with all the neoclassical melodic structures, over-the-top vocal pyrotechnics, and tendency toward hyperbolic sci-fi/fantasy lyrical conceits, it’s just so easy for it to slide over the line into outright goofiness. Into this genre, Unleash The Archers bring an uncommon level of self-awareness, and that’s surely a big part of why their music works as well as it does. They’ve definitely gotten more prone to taking on big important themes on their more recent albums, and have become less likely to bring in the death metal screeches and growls, instead just letting vocalist Brittany Slayes swing for the fences with her operatic vocal tones. But they never hide the fact that they’re having a whole lot of fun playing this goofy brand of fancy, technical metal, and that makes them impossible not to love.
On the most recent Unleash The Archers album, Phantoma, the band tackles the menace of AI, painting a picture of a future dystopia in which computerized intelligence keeps humanity under its boot. Yes, it’s kind of The Matrix all over again (sadly more relevant than ever in today’s cultural landscape), but the really intriguing aspect is their flawless evocation of a robotic, synthetic future, as embodied by the polished sounds of their guitar solos and vocal crescendos. It’s a fascinating listen, one that will no doubt be taken to another level entirely during the band’s live performance. Richmonders Fatehaven have some powerful metal of their own to bring to the proceedings, and though their sound can at times achieve harsher tones than those of Unleash The Archers, fans of that band are sure to find a lot to like in Fatehaven’s metallic epics. Blacksburg-based technical groove-metallers Terrafirma will get this one started on a heavy note. Get ready for some serious headbangs.
Thursday, September 12, 7 PM
Suntitle, Cashier, Charm Offensive @ Cobra Cabana – $10
The poster for this Thursday night shindig at Cobra Cabana proclaims it “rock music for dummies,” but that’s clearly irony, because nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, this is three bands, all of whom land at various points on the post-hardcore spectrum, coming together to show this whole city what rock music can still be if you’re really willing to put heart and creativity into it. Take our headliners, Suntitle, for example. These four dudes would fit right in with the crowd at a hardcore show at the Warehouse, but they’re doing something quite a bit different than you’d expect on that basis. On their recent split with fellow Richmond leading lights House & Home, they give us a sound that blurs the lines between classic alternative rock of the 90s and post-hardcore sounds of the past 30 years, landing in the spot where you’d find Sensefield, Hum, and Rival Schools if all three of them were the same band. That’s a spot where I could hang out all night, and you’ll certainly be able to do so when these boys hit the Cobra Cabana stage tomorrow night.
As for Cashier, this touring ensemble comes to us from Lafayette, Louisiana with a similar sound to that of Suntitle, despite looking way more like indie kids than hardcore dudes. Perhaps that explains why Cashier’s sound is injected with significantly increased quantities of shoegaze-style fuzz. If you ask me, that just makes their big loud riffs hit that much harder, though, and you know these folks’ set will simultaneously knock you out and leave you in blissful raptures. Richmond up-and-comers Charm Offensive will round out this bill with the brand of melodic, atmospheric indie rock they’ve used to hypnotize the local scene for the past year or so. These folks are going places, so if you haven’t caught the Charm Offensive wave, this show offers a perfect chance to do so. And really, all of these bands are great. Where rock n’ roll nights are concerned, you really can’t do much better. Regardless of your IQ.
Friday, September 13, 8 PM
The New Mutiny, Producer, Wyrewitch, Paradiso @ Another Round Bar & Grill – $10
It’s good to see that things are still rolling out for Another Round Bar & Grill out in Lakeside. In a part of town where businesses come and go quickly, these folks are hanging on, bringing us heavy music in a spot with a neighborhood feel and making sure the suburbs don’t stop rocking. There’s something to be said for that. And a great time to say so is this Friday night, as Norfolk’s The New Mutiny roll into town to blow us all away with their formidable array of heavy riffs. They show these riffs off in fine fashion on most recent LP The Only Animal, which is full of chugging, rolling rockers that keep heads banging without ever getting too predictable.
Not to be outdone, three Richmond rock ensembles will also be on hand to show their stuff. At the top of that list is Producer, a hard-charging hard rock outfit featuring former members of Government Warning, Alabama Thunderpussy, and Dayspring, among many others, playing powerful riffs that would have been the heaviest thing on DC 101 circa 1984 without creating any odd juxtapositions with Whitesnake or The Scorpions. Wyrewitch are also on hand, and this retro-metal quartet recently rose from the ashes of Hewolf to show us all what Heart could have sounded like in the early 80s if they’d gone metal instead of going pop. Paradiso will round things out with the closest thing this bill has to outright thrash metal — which definitely means you should show up on time and make sure you don’t miss their opening set. Friday the 13th is always a bit spooky, so spend yours with some rockers powerful enough to chase away all your demons… at least for one night.
Saturday, September 14, 7 PM
Knifing Around, Houdan The Mystic, Sunday Evening Drive @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance, $15 at the door (order tickets HERE)
This should be a pretty great night of postpunk awesomeness, at least based on our headliners. Knifing Around definitely grabbed my attention from the word go, letting us all know they had a lot to offer with the release back in 2022 of their debut EP, Don’t Stab Your Hand. I’m hardly the only veteran Richmond music head who will tell you that this band is evoking the spirit of long-gone, sadly forgotten Richmond electro-punks VCR, but that’s in no way to detract from the awesomeness of what Knifing Around are doing — they definitely bring their own twist to a sound that could also be compared to The Faint and The Rapture, in case you want some reference points that aren’t just drawn from Richmond basement shows circa 2003.
Other than some remixes and a pretty dope Kraftwerk cover, we haven’t heard much from Knifing Around since that 2022 debut. However, the wait is over — this Saturday night show at Gallery 5 will celebrate the release of their new EP, All Across The Nation. Having not heard a single note of it thus far, I’m definitely still stoked to see them debut these tunes onstage. They’re sure to do them justice and then some with their live performance. What’s more, they’ll have legendary Richmond math-rock trio Houdan The Mystic along to cast a spell of blissful confusion via tangled guitar melodies and multilayered song structure. And of course, Philadelphia’s Sunday Evening Drive will be along to offer us all some gothic synth-pop balladry that might appeal to folks who wonder what you’d get if Depeche Mode and Future Islands merged into a single band. Soak this one up and let the enjoyment last.
Sunday, September 15, 3 PM
Holy River, Los Hermanos Alcranes @ Midlothian Mines Park Amphitheatre – Free!
I’m a big fan of shows happening in unusual places, so you know I couldn’t resist this one. Rather than the typical venues you see week in and week out in this column, this one requires you to trek out to a location southwest of the city where, centuries ago, one of the first coal mines in what would become the United States of America was first opened. These days, the former location of the Midlothian Mines is a nature preserve that documents the early history of industrial activity in Virginia, showing the good and bad sides of what went down in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. It’s no surprise that, of all the bands in Richmond, it’d be Holy River who head down there to play a show. Strongly connected and always in musical conversation with the land they stand on, the duo of Laney Sullivan and Jameson Price has been making powerful modern folk music about the beautiful lives and noble struggles of ordinary people around the world for a long time now. For the band who wrote the elegaic anthem “Don’t Steal The Land” to perform surrounded by the remnants of coal mines from hundreds of years ago feels extremely appropriate.
This performance is to celebrate a new vinyl release for Holy River’s Courage, which originally came out back in 2020 and is a powerful showcase of the atmospheric, emotion-filled, ritualistic folk music that is Holy River’s stock in trade. Even if you’ve had this album for four years already, you’ll want to grab it on vinyl, and you’ll definitely want to see Holy River bring its songs to life overlooking the long-shuttered mines of Midlothian. They’ll be joined on this performance by Los Hermanos Alcranes, who are led by local singer-songwriter Paulo Franco and have a sound that mingles classic rock with Latin sounds and a Hollywood imagination. This matinee show will be a perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon out in the world, taking in a unique place in our region while listening to unique sounds from some of our area’s leading musical performers. Not to be missed.
Monday, September 16, 8 PM
Mike Frazier, Tess Fisher, Nabeel @ Bandito’s – $10
This Monday night gig at Bandito’s has quite a bit to offer that you might not expect. I’m not talking about the tacos — you know to expect those. I’m talking about singer-songwriter Mike Frazier, who comes from Virginia originally but these days is making his home in Seattle. His most recent LP, Secrets Of Atlantis, expands on his previous work in some intriguing ways, bringing in a full band to delve into sun-drenched psychedelia of the sort that should pick up fans of both Neil Young & Crazy Horse and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Having undergone brain surgery earlier this year, Frazier spent several months during the spring and summer of 2024 in recovery, and this performance at Bandito’s is one of his first since recovering from his extensive medical procedure. We’re lucky he’s still around to play for us, and we’re even luckier to have him stop by Bandito’s as one of his first shows back on stage. Come out and hear his fascinating take on folky psychedelia. You certainly won’t regret it.
You’ll also get a chance to hear the latest from Tess Fisher, who has been making music around Richmond for quite a while now. After separating from her former band, Petrichor, a few years ago to strike out on her own, she’s been putting together a strong set of Appalachian-grown country folk sounds over the past couple of years. She first showed off this sound on 2023 debut EP Live At The Ward, which finds Tess in relatively stripped-down form, wailing at full throttle and capturing the hearts of all who listen. She’ll do the same when she takes the stage at Bandito’s this Monday night, and if you don’t already know that, you need to show up for this one and find out for yourself. This show will kick off with a set from Nabeel, who comes from Harrisonburg, VA but has strong connections to his Iraqi heritage, as demonstrated by the fact that he sings in Arabic. This is an intriguing and unusual move for an American musician, and one we should all appreciate. His driving indie rock sounds, which remind me of early Sun Kil Moon on his most recent EP, Shahina, are pretty great in their own right as well. Definitely worth showing up on time. So hey, do that shit.
Tuesday, September 17, 7 PM
Garcia Peoples, Country Westerns @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House – $17 (order tickets HERE)
If you take one look at the band name “Garcia Peoples” and find yourself thinking, “What is this, another one of those endless Grateful Dead tribute bands?” well, hey, I don’t blame you. Indeed, I thought that myself at first. But then I started doing research, and I had soon discovered that not only were Garcia Peoples not a Dead tribute act, they’re an entirely original group who don’t even have that much of a connection to the jam-band world. Of course, that connection still exists — god knows they wouldn’t have given their band such a name otherwise. But they’ve got quite a bit more running through their musical veins than just a million hours of Dead live bootlegs.
On their most recent album, 2022’s Dodging Dues, Garcia Peoples integrate a moody feel that helps spotlight the best aspects of their legitimate jam moments with bits of postpunk rhythm and subdued funk workouts that keep things from getting too predictable. If you hate it any time a rock combo starts to improvise over a groove, these guys probably won’t work for you, but if you see any value in combining epic jams with legitimate songwriting chops and some intriguing secondary influences, you’ll find a lot to like in these Garcia Peoples. As for openers Country Westerns, these folks might lead you to expect something that sounds like Hank Williams Sr., but their connection to the legacy of old-time country & western is more spiritual than anything. Musically, they’re closer to legendary alt-rock and alt-country artists from Paul Westerberg to Uncle Tupelo. There’s even a bit of Springsteen at his rawest and most real under the surface of their 2022 LP, Forgive The City. Both of these bands feature names that will throw you, and maybe not in a good way. However, I urge you to look beyond your first impression. There’s a lot of value to find in this Tuesday night Richmond Music Hall gig.
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
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