Live Review: Mastodon w/ Deafheaven and Alcest @ The Anthem — 9/25/26

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September 29, 2026

Mastodon Turns The Anthem Into a Metal Cathedral With Deafheaven and Alcest
Words and Photos by Michael Sprouse/Odd Rocker Photography

Washington, DC, has no shortage of heavy music, but every now and then, a show comes along that feels built for The Anthem. Mastodon brought exactly that kind of night to The Wharf on Sept. 25.

Mastodon, Deafheaven, and Alcest approach heavy music from very different directions, but all three share a willingness to push at its boundaries.

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Live Review: Bikini Kill w/ Downtown Boys @ Music Hall of Williamsburg — 9/24/26

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James Miller

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September 29, 2026

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Bikini Kill brought their enduring brand of feminist punk rock to a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 24, delivering a furious 23-song set near the end of their 2026 tour.

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Live Review: Cabaret Voltaire w/ I Speak Machine @ Howard Theatre — 10/23/26

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Mickey McCarter

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September 29, 2026

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Stephen Mallinder fronts Cabaret Voltaire at the Howard Theatre on Sept. 23, 2026. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

I Speak Machine, the audio-visual collaboration between musician Tara Busch and filmmaker Maf Lewis, has a long relationship with synth pioneer Gary Numan, having repeatedly opened for him since 2015, including extensive touring in 2022. Onstage, Busch is the visible component of that collaboration, singing, dancing, and commanding a battery of synthesizers while Lewis’ visuals accompany the performance.

I previously saw Busch perform with synth-pop act Blancmange at Cruel World 2025, playing keyboards and singing backing vocals alongside Neil Arthur during the band’s first North American appearance in 39 years. I’ve long been a fan of Blancmange, so it was thrilling to see Arthur bring those songs to life with Busch’s assistance. She absolutely nailed the music.

So when I entered the Howard Theatre for a recent performance by the groundbreaking Cabaret Voltaire, I had no idea I was about to witness another similar turn by Busch, once again taking a synthesizer station alongside one of Britain’s great electronic music pioneers.

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Live Review: Jane Remover w/ Dazegxd @ 9:30 Club — 9/23/26

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James Miller

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September 28, 2026

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Jane Remover brought a brilliant, high-energy performance to the 9:30 Club on Sept. 23, with Dazegxd opening the sold-out Washington, DC, stop on her Live Exhibit Tour.

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Live Review: Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs w/ Sarah Lee Guthrie @ Warner Theatre — 9/22/26

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James Miller

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September 28, 2026

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Mike Campbell has spent the years since the end of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers building something that can stand on its own. At Warner Theatre on Sept. 22, Campbell and The Dirty Knobs showed just how far that project has come.

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

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ambienteye

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September 28, 2026

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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.

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Live Review: Dermot Kennedy w/ Jonah Kagen and Aaron Rowe @ The Anthem — 9/21/26

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Caden Forrester

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September 28, 2026

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Dermot Kennedy performs live at The Anthem on Sept. 21, 2026. (Photo by Caden Forrester)

On Sept. 21, the stage at The Anthem was completely reimagined as a rock-filled forest, a fitting setting for the Washington, DC, stop of Dermot Kennedy’s The Weight of the Woods Tour.

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

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Casey Vock

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September 28, 2026

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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.

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

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Mickey McCarter

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September 26, 2026

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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.

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