Suki Waterhouse’s tour recently stopped at The Anthem in DC to great audience reception and support. Thousands in attendance were treated to a night of fantastic, and uplifting music from the indefatigable actress/model.
They Might Be Giants recently visited 9:30 Club once again for an annual run of consecutive shows, selling out three nights in a row. Each night, the lead duo of John Linnell and John Flasburgh put the focus on a different TMBG album.
I lucked into the off-kilter duo’s celebration of Apollo 18, the band’s fourth studio album (1992), and it happily sent me into wholly uplifting and deeply nostalgic state for several days afterward.
Parklife DC today announces the best in DC concerts with our annual awards program, named for our mascot, DC’s own state bird — the Wood Thrush. Our Thrushie Awards salute bands, venues, and music festivals in line with our mission to review live music concerts.
Congratulations to the 2024 Thrushie Awards winners!
International punk band Gogol Bordello soon hits the road for the group’s infamous annual holiday shows, including a performance at Baltimore Soundstage on Sunday, Dec. 29.
Legendary blues rocker Jon Spencer — along with Grace Bergere from the band’s label Casa Gogol Records — join as support in Baltimore.
During the intermission at Gillian Welch and David Rawling’s recent performance at Capitol One Hall, I heard an interesting point: Artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce need “33 trucks” to put on their massive shows, but Welch and Rawlings can command an audience with just their voices and acoustic instruments. Granted, Taylor and Beyonce are playing stadiums, but the point still holds: For their two sets at Capitol One Hill, it was just Gillian and David and bassist Paul Kowart.
The Los Angeles League of Musicians: The name’s impossible to forget, and so is the sound this three-piece instrumental group is stirring to make itself one of the most talked about acts from either coast.
More commonly known in abbreviated form as LA LOM, it’s comprised of guitarist Zac Sokolow, electric and upright bass player Jake Faulkner, and drummer and percussionist Nicholas Baker. Without a word, these three have amassed a following on streaming platforms and drawn the attention of careful listeners — and music media — far and wide.
There’s something about the Norwegian artist Aurora that makes her connection with a crowded theater feel effortless. Over the past few years, I’ve seen Aurora Aksnes, who goes by simply Aurora, become increasingly more popular. In fact, her recent performance at The Anthem on was completely packed. Many fans in attendance wore elaborate costumes or were dressed like Aurora herself, but I think the most welcoming sight was the sheer range of concert goers in age, gender, and background.
Acclaimed Louisiana Bayou Blues guitarist Tab Benoit and his acclaimed I Hear Thunder 2024 Tour continues touring the USA, performing locally in Alexandria at The Birchmere on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Don’t let the title of this piece fool you, every show I attended in 2024 was a favorite! For our purposes, though, I mainly chose artists that were new to me, while acknowledging a couple of longtime favorites. “Discovering” new music has been a powerful motivator for photographing shows for Parklife DC. As I become more enmeshed in the music scene in Bellingham, Washington, those opportunities to experience new musical artists have grown considerably.
Welsh guitarist Andy Bell is rumored to be joining the reunion of Oasis in 2025, recommitting to a big arena group that is sure to break some records when they hit the road. Meanwhile, however, Bell has been doing some wonderful work as one of the two frontmen of his very good original group, Ride, which released a new album of fine shoegazing earlier this year.
Ride recently performed at 9:30 Club on a North American tour in support of the album, titled Interplay, the third record by the band since they themselves reunited 10 years ago.
