Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
I didn’t post this on Friday. Because I knew what was coming. Gen Z’s greatest songwriter, Sabrina Teitelbaum aka Blondshell, had a new single coming down the pike. And it’s a banger. So heavy- both sonically and emotionally. I can’t wait for this record to drop. Enjoy “Heart Has To Work So Hard” NOW!
Fall tour dates HAVE dropped, including an appearance at the historic Castro Theater in SF. Full dates here, including sign up for the May 20th presale!
All Photos (except one very obvious one) by Christina Bryson (@averagecowgirl)
Lily Allen performed for 3,300 guests at the Masonic in San Francisco on May 30, 2026. She had just released one of the most impeccable albums of last year, West End Girl, an epic 44-minute tale of an unraveling psyche inside a high-functioning celebrity marriage marked by serial cheating and gaslighting. The record unveils the person underneath, rebuilding, stripping down, and rewiring. The sound is encased in spans of poised pop, reggaeton, vocoder-soaked torch moments, and EDM. The album’s trajectory feels as tender and surprising as it must have felt to write it, and somewhere in the middle, you find yourself piecing together the affair partners as the only clues to what really happened, until they begin to feel like your counselor. It moves through every stage of grief and lands, finally, in acceptance by the time you reach the last track, “Fruity Loop.” Continue reading “Show Review: Lily Allen with The Dallas Minor Trio at The Masonic, 4/28/26”
Is it possible to wash yourself up if you don’t take interviews? As far as being “washed up” as a musician, Cass McCombs has remained so private and low-profile, with almost no social media presence, rarely giving interviews, and offering very little spoken onstage. As a lyricist, he has quietly masterminded literature-worthy cadences in his songs over the years. The lyrics are extremely personal, yet vague enough to keep distance between listener and artist; sometimes it’s a wry smile, sometimes it’s a shocking question, and sometimes it feels like a local radio station drifting in and out. Continue reading “Show Review: Cass McCombs with Hand Habits at Great American Music Hall, 4/9/26”
SXSW
Our newest addition to the Spinning Platters crew, Misty Brewster, had a daunting first assignment: SXSW 2026. Here’s SEVEN days straight of music: Continue reading “SXSW 2026 Diary”
Photos by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro
On Friday, April 3, Lamb of God, Kublai Khan TX, Fit For An Autopsy, and Sanguisugabugg rolled into San Francisco for a the sold-out show at Masonic Auditorium!
Continue reading “Photo Gallery: Lamb of God at The Masonic Auditorium!”
Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro
DNA Lounge has been on a tear lately with their metal bookings in the last 10 days of March. Starting with the Bay Area’s own gore metal band Exhumed, to English thrash metal band Onslaught several days later, culminating in a one-two punch of NWOBHM band Raven alongside Bay Area’s newest thrash metal supergroup Nefarious and New Orleans sludge metal masters Crowbar and Eyehategod to close out the month!
Continue reading “Show Reviews: fast Thrash meets slow Sludge at DNA Lounge!”
The longest-running music festival in the US has announced its 2026 lineup, and it’s killer. Despite Peaches being on the bill, it’s still a family-friendly affair in Seattle, complete with Seattle legends Death Cab For Cutie headlining alongside “the biggest hardcore band ever” Turnstile. (How the hell did hardcore finally have a mainstream face?!?!) Fellow PNW legends Bikini Kill are playing, too. Plus De La Soul, Die Spitz, W.I.T.C.H., Yves Tumor, and so much more. Tickets start at $90.50 a day, $155.50 for the weekend (fees inclusive!) with payment plans starting at $40 down! Tickets here, full music lineup below!
Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival 2026 Lineup Continue reading “BUMBERSHOOT 2026: BIKINI KILL! TURNSTILE! DEATH CAB! DIE SPITZ! PEACHES!!!!”
The world is really ready for an Electroclash comeback. Peaches is touring on the regular. GRAVY TRAIN!!! and Le Tigre have returned to the live stage. But where are the young electroclash acts here to carry the torch? SLAYYYTER and Charli XCX are definitely bringing the influence into the modern era. Yet, the DIY, artpunk side of it was 100% on display this lovely Thursday night at Brick & Mortar Music Hall. Continue reading “Show Review: Gelli Haha with Big Sis and Molina at Brick & Mortar Music Hall, 3/26/26”
Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ConcertGoingPro
For whatever the reason, it has been a decade-and-a-half since Spinning Platters last wrote about Gogol Bordello (archives). Having seen at least them eight times since the last written review, it’s a real wonder why?! Last summer, Gogol’s publicist really pushed to get their Mountain Winery show covered, but that was just too far for the majority of Spinning Platters’ staff to trek to.
Continue reading “Show Review: Gogol Bordello ignites The Warfield!”
Let’s talk about Noise Pop 2026 in San Francisco, where a lively gaggle of badge-wearing music fans and industry folks zigzag across the city each night trying to see as many shows as humanly possible in a single week. Since its founding in 1993, Noise Pop has been one of the city’s most beloved independent music festivals, built around the small venues and a musically inclined spirit that define San Francisco’s culture. What started as a modest gathering of indie and underground bands has grown into a weeklong celebration that still feels intimate, with shows scattered across rooms like Bottom of the Hill, Swedish American Hall, and Great American Music Hall. This year’s lineup carried that tradition forward, featuring artists including Jeffrey Lewis, Stephen Malkmus, Rogue Wave, illuminati hotties, Black Marble, Sun Ra Arkestra, and many more. I had the pleasure of catching several of these sets as both a writer and photography guest, bouncing between venues and soaking in that unmistakable Noise Pop energy where the whole city briefly feels like one interconnected stage. Continue reading “Noise Pop 2026: A Reminiscing…”
