Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Two legends of LA Punk, The Bags’ Alice Bag and The Cramps/Gun Club’s Kid Congo Powers, are prepping to drop their second album, and their emotionally charged, politically optimistic new single “Ellipsis” is a banger. Great song to cast your ballot early to.
“Ellipsis” can be enjoyed here while we await more news from this great supergroup.
As regular readers know, my favorite band is Sleater-Kinney. I’ve probably seen them around 50 times at this point, and it never gets old. For folks who don’t know, Sleater-Kinney was originally a supergroup comprised of members of Excuse 17 and heavens to betsy. heavens to betsy are an important part of the story, and their sole full-length record, Calculated, as well as the These Monsters Are Real EP, have been a steady presence on my turntables, in my DiscMans, and on my portable digital music devices for the vast majority of my life. Continue reading “Show Review: heavens to betsy, The Street Eaters, The Lilies at Bottom Of The Hill, 10/17/26”
Yes, we are waiting patiently for the follow up to Alligator Bites Never Heal. To hold us over, so just blasted us with a brief 1:32 of ferocity that just hits every bit we need. Doechii is certainly not a one album wonder, and I can’t waut to see what else she has in store for us!
What a tight little groove this song has. Built around what sounds like a classic Ethiopian Jazz sample, “Location” has a spooky, spy-movie feel that’s complemented by Sampa The Great’s fantastic, confident flow. Such a good song.
“Location” is the latest single off Sampa’s upcoming album, Nu Zamrock, coming to you October 30th!
Remember Lost Highway Records? The label behind O Brother, Where Art Thou and all sorts of great bluegrass and alt. country tracks in the 00’s. Well, looks like they are still around and signing… GREAT ROCK ACTS? “Hands Tied” by Emma Ogier is reminiscent of Juliana Hatfield and Liz Phair and is a bloody great little rock song.
“Hands Tied” is off her upcoming release Fly 1111, coming out, you guessed it, November 11th!
Carly Rae Jepsen is a favorite of Spinning Platters. I mean, we road-tripped to her intimate EMOTION show at the Troubadour last year. That record was also #2 on our top albums of the 2010’s. We love her. Night & Day is her best record in a minute (which is saying a lot, since Dedicated and The Loneliest Time are both excellent). Suffice it to say, we are STOKED that Ms. Jepsen has gifted us with a Spring tour next year. I CAN’T WAIT!
Sign up for Artist Presale Access HERE by Sunday, October 4 at 11 pm ET. Public onsale Thursday, October 8th at 10 am local time. Tour dates below: Continue reading “CARLY RAE JEPSEN 2027 TOUR DATES”
God. Kate Nash with loud, meaty guitars is THE BEST THING. “Spilt Milk” is an amazing and refreshing cut from her. It’s the first single off her heavily Irish-influenced new record, Cailin, coming out in January of next year. The good news is that she’s doing a small North American tour THIS NOVEMBER. Yes, Kate Nash, playing tiny little rooms, NEXT MONTH.
2026 North American Tour Dates
Tuesday, November 3: Somerville, MA @ Arts at the Armory
Wednesday, November 4: Philadelphia, PA @ The Lounge at World Cafe Live
Friday, November 6: New York, NY @ Joe’s Pub
Saturday, November 7: Washington, DC @ The Hamilton Live
Monday, November 9: Toronto, ON @ Paradise Theatre
Tuesday, November 10: Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch
Wednesday, November 11: Chicago, IL @ Martyrs’
Thursday, November 12: Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
Saturday, November 14: Los Angeles, CA @ Sid the Cat Auditorium
Sunday, November 15: San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
Monday, November 16: San Diego, CA @ Music Box
It’s never too early to plan your summer, yes? Well, the good people at Another Planet have already announced their first Golden Gate Park show of 2027. And it’s the return of the mighty Slipknot! It’s their first Bay Area appearance since 2019 and their first San Francisco show since their visit to Regency Ballroom in 2002. (I was there! I’m OLD!)
Show is Sunday, August 15th with support from Bring Me The Horizon, Motionless In White, and LOATHE. Doors are 2:30, music begins at 4. Tickets on sale Friday, October 2nd at 10am here.
GA – starting at $179 all-in ($149 + $30 fees)
With your GA ticket, you’ll have access to a stacked day of music at the Polo Field in historic Golden Gate Park.
GA starting at $179 all-in ($149 + $30 fees)
VIP – starting at $399 all-in ($359 + $40 fees)
Odie Leigh’s debut album, Carrier Pigeon, is one of my favorite debuts of the decade. It’s been two years since that excellent record was released, and Leigh has spent the time since touring ended busy working on, well, pretty much every kind of project that ISN’T releasing music. I thought she was a one-and-done genius, à la Sex Pistols. Then, today, “Miss Leave Me Alone” dropped in my feed, and it sounds NOTHING LIKE HER DEBUT. It still has her excellent lyric writing, but the tempos are ramped up and the best new folk singer of our generation just dropped a fierce pop-punk jam. AND IT’S FANTASTIC.
Follow Odie on her immensely entertaining Instagram, and all the deets about the single and any future news will be dropping here.
Tonight was my first time back at The Castro since the controversial renovation, which turned it from a classic Art Deco repertory movie palace into a classic Art Deco live music venue. I begrudgingly admit that they did an excellent job. The concessions moved from the lobby inside the theater, the bathrooms improved dramatically, and the sightlines for music were nearly perfect. It was a bit confusing that the men’s and women’s restrooms were switched on the main floor, almost causing what would have been a disturbance in a space less accepting of the gender spectrum.
Continue reading “Show Review: Melanie C with Sur Beck and Lady Camden at The Castro, 9/22/26”
