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Live Review: Aaron Rowe @ DC9 — 9/20/26

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Aaron Rowe
Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe performs at DC9 on Sept. 20, 2026. (Digital photo by Casey Ryan Vock)

It’s been a whirlwind month for Aaron Rowe.

Just a couple weeks ago, the singer-songwriter from Dublin was out on tour with pop star Ed Sheeran, slated to hit shows in major American cities like Philly, Atlanta, and Charlotte.

Instead, Rowe saw the whole thing blow up, burning into a controversy that’s made news worldwide. Though it’s forced him to change some of his plans, it’s also helped bring attention to the very issue he and his fellow musicians were trying to discuss in the first place.

Live Review: Peaches @ Baltimore Soundstage — 9/22/26

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Peaches
Peaches performs live at Baltimore Soundstage on Sept. 22, 2026. (Photo by Katherine Gaines / AmbientEye.com)

I recently tried to describe Peaches to someone who had never heard of her before. After my initial thought of, “Where have you been for the last 25 years?” I settled on: raunchy, feminist, queer, political, sex-positive, body-positive, age-positive, and electroclash.

Although the mainstream electroclash movement was short-lived, Peaches herself has endured far beyond any trend or TV appearance.

A Peaches live show is nothing short of spectacular. Countless costume changes, a modular riser system, and lights on wheels made the production look like a massive stadium blowout. But crowd-walking, performing from the back of the room, and connecting directly with fans made it feel like an underground DIY punk show. That dichotomy perfectly encapsulates who Peaches is as an artist.

Live Review: Men at Work w/ Willie Nile @ Lincoln Theatre — 9/20/26

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Men at Work
Men at Work perform live at Lincoln Theatre on Sept. 20, 2026. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

In 1981, a young Colin Hay fronted Men at Work on their debut album, Business as Usual. It was a smash hit, producing the perennial radio staples “Down Under,” “Who Can It Be Now?,” and “Be Good Johnny,” while climbing to the top of the Billboard album chart.

In 2026, an older and wiser Hay fronted a new-look Men at Work on a North American tour that included a rare and delightful show within Washington, DC, city limits at the Lincoln Theatre. There, the band performed eight songs from Business as Usual, as well as seven from its follow-up album, Cargo.

The concert was a smashing experience, chock-full of exciting music and light on talk, and it underscored why audiences have stayed with Hay for 45 years and counting.

Live Review: Malcolm Todd @ The Anthem — 9/20/26

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Malcolm Todd
Malcolm Todd performs at The Anthem on Sept. 20, 2026. (Photo by Caden Forrester)

Malcolm Todd drew a sold-out crowd of 6,000 fans to The Anthem on Sunday, Sept. 20, for the DC stop of his Do That Again Tour.

Live Review: Jenna Raine @ The Atlantis — 9/20/26

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Jenna Raine
Jenna Raine performs live at The Atlantis on

Jenna Raine recently brought one of the most energetic and enthusiastic crowds I have ever seen to The Atlantis. Though it is a small venue, everyone in the room brought enough energy to fill a much larger space, simply because they were so excited to be at the Jeans, Boys, and Jesus Tour.

Live Review: El Ten Eleven w/ Tall Tall Trees @ Pearl Street Warehouse — 9/19/26

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El Ten Eleven
El Ten Eleven perform live at Pearl Street Warehouse on Sept. 19, 2026. (Photo by Marc Shea)

I love it when El Ten Eleven comes to town. Unfortunately for me and their other fans in the area, it’s been a few years. But they returned on Saturday, Sept. 19 to Pearl Street Warehouse in support of their latest album, Nowhere Faster.

Live Review: Jungle w/ Rio Kosta @ The Anthem — 9/17/26

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Jungle @ The Anthem Washington DC 09.17.26 Digital Photo by Casey Ryan Vock
The London-based soul-disco-funk outfit Jungle performs on the first of two sold-out nights at The Anthem on Sept. 17, 2026. (Digital photo by Casey Ryan Vock)

Pity anyone who doesn’t know about Jungle, as the only explanation can be that the unknowing have been living under a rock.

But this group’s music — a refreshing contemporary blend of soul, disco, and funk — is exactly the antidote to bring any listener out of the darkness, lift their spirits and move their body.

Nearly 6,000 listeners experienced the Jungle effect in person at the Wharf in DC last week for what was a two-night, sold-out takeover of The Anthem and a party that anyone in attendance is unlikely to forget.

Live Review: The Avett Brothers w/ Guster @ Wolf Trap — 9/19/26

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The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers perform live at Wolf Trap on Sept. 19, 2026. (Photo by Casey Vock)

North Carolina’s Avett Brothers’ — Scott and Seth — albums have achieved considerable success: Their major-label debut, I and Love and You, went to No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200, 2012’s The Carpenter reached No. 4 (and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Americana Album) –and 2016’s True Sadness peaked at No. 3. But the Avetts built their reputations on their dynamic shows, and they’re best experienced as a live band. Their recent show at Wolf Trap, with alt-rock stalwarts Guster opening — the second of two nights there — was exactly the kind of high-energy performance, we’ve come to expect from them.

Live Review: Garth Brooks @ Capital One Arena — 9/18/26

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Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks (Photo courtesy the artist)

The spaceship sent a fierce tremble through Capital One Arena, the hum of its engines whipping the crowd into a frenzy before its commander had even appeared or sung a word.

And by “spaceship,” I mean the lighting rig, lowered to the floor of the in-the-round stage in a shape vaguely reminiscent of a shuttle’s thrusters. And by “commander,” I’m speaking, of course, about Garth Brooks.

By the time Brooks’ Blame It All on My Roots Tour reached Washington, it had already carried at least 100,000 people into an orbit of music, nostalgia, and timelessness.

Live Review: Tyler Ballgame @ DC9 — 9/16/26

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Tyler Ballgame @ DC9 Washington DC - 09.16.26 Digital Photo by Casey Ryan Vock
Tyler Perry, who records and performs as Tyler Ballgame, leads his band during a live show at DC9 on Sept. 16, 2026. (Digital photo by Casey Ryan Vock)

A lot has happened for Tyler Ballgame in a short time.

The Rhode Island native’s been on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show and CBS Saturday Morning. He was at the center of a reported label bidding war won by Rough Trade. He’s played the prestigious Newport Folk Festival in his home state. And he’s collaborated with an impressive list of artists, including Vulfmon last fall and, more recently, Belle & Sebastian.

Taking a name that he made up one night on the spot and making it known far and wide, he’s broken out with his crooning abilities and his impassioned delivery. But for all he’s accomplished, he’s still making his way through small venues across the country as part of his current tour.

The LA-based vocalist brought his band to the nation’s capital last week, jamming a set full of his most soulful tunes and treating a packed DC9 audience to a beautiful night of music.