About a month ago, I attended three concerts of different audiences: Lil Yachty, Lana Del Rey and TV Girl. All of these were amazing but, the audiences were all quite unique. Concert culture has been at the forefront of many discussions recently and I can’t help but insert my own perspective into the discourse as an avid concertgoer.
The theory is our concerts have been remodeled by the media and a new generation of concert attendees. Everyone has the right to enjoy a show they paid for in their own way, but it has felt in recent years that people are paying to be there rather than to be in the moment. There is more judgment toward singing and dancing along, with a phone screen in front of you at all times. I decided to observe this theory of concerts during my weeklong show trip across the beautiful state of North Carolina.
Show 1: Lil Yachty
The first was Lil Yachty’s Field Trip Tour on September 25 at The Ritz. Lil Yachty brought unmatched energy. He switched between his early Hip hop tunes and newest psychedelic sound from his most recent album Let’s Start Here.It seemed, however, that people were unenthused outside his most popular rap hits. Phones went down and small conversations broke out throughout the crowd. It felt a bit disrespectful, almost as if we begin to focus less on the production and live music more on grasping the moments which bring the most popularity.
When artists rise up due to the internet’s exposure, they are pressured to fit the narrative that put them in the spotlight meaning they have little room for experimentation without some judgment. In this case, it was Lil Yachty’s psychedelic sound. It was as if some audience members didn’t want to try his new sound. Regardless of how audience members felt Lil Yachty put together an amazing production that I would pay to see again.
Show 2: Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey on the other hand still had this phenomenon of viral fame but the experience was slightly different outside the genre aspect. Lana del Rey is a timeless singer therefore, I knew her audience would bring people of all levels of familiarity but what I was most surprised to see was a significant amount of people coming in last minute. Seriously, the person sitting next to me came halfway through the set and was annoyed by the singing fans.
Meanwhile, I sat beside him feeling reborn at seeing Lana Del Rey live. The people in front of me came in late and left twice. It boggled me a bit given tickets were so expensive and some felt nonchalant. I have a suspicion that scalpers who couldn’t sell their tickets decided to attend. There really was just a strange dynamic of people in the crowd at least in my section. The show seemed widely enjoyable regardless of the people around me I observed. I felt judged by some of the people around me but alas I did pay an unspeakable amount.
Show 3: TV Girl
TV Girl really put the theory of media shaping concerts to the test. They rapidly gained their fame on social media during the past couple of years so I expected the crowd to be a part of this new generation of concertgoers. To my surprise, it was the best crowd out of the shows I attended that week. Everyone seemed to be more in the moment, singing and dancing along. The crowd was respectful and it made the energy quite amazing. On social media, I had seen viral videos complaining about the TV Girl crowd being this model of a new era concertgoer who is always recording or may only know the most popular songs but that proved incorrect.
Final Thoughts
So, what is my take on concerts in 2023? At the end of the day, you can’t really tell someone how to enjoy a show they paid for. You just have to make the experience enjoyable for yourself and hone in on the performance. Of course, the crowd can impact how much you enjoy the show but at the end of the day regardless of the crowds, I had a great time at all three shows.
"Desire Pathway" album cover for Screaming Females.
Screaming Females is one of my favorite rock bands hailing from the United States. They’ve been releasing consistent, good records since their first release, “Baby Teeth”, in 2006. Screaming Females might not fit into the hardcore punk or punk genre all the time, but the band’s ability to stay true to what makes their sound unique and constantly entertaining is what keeps me listening.
The band is composed of Marissa Paternoster (vocals and guitar), Jarrett Doughtery (drums) and Mike Abbate (bass). They made their first appearance as a band in New Brunswick, NJ (according to Wikipedia). Screaming Females is currently releasing their records on the Don Giovann Record label.
In terms of genre, they have floated around from album to album, but for the most part I’d say they stay true to the rock genre with heavy punk and indie influences. Paternoster’s lyrics and vocals are extremely punk that tend to talk about being displaced and having realistic perspectives on relationships and life.
Some of their previous releases include “Baby Teeth”, self-released album in 2006, Ugly in 2012 and “Rose Mountain” in 2015. They have many more albums in their discography but these are the ones that keep me coming back and listening to their music.
The opening to this album is sublime. Paternoster’s infatuating guitar is backed up by heart-thumping bass and drums leading us to explosive riffs and vocals.
This track is a beauty because of how much Paternoster shreds her guitar. Doughtery’s drums create an awesome thump-thump-thump building us to another explosive chorus trying to get everything it can out of love.
Opening drums and then Paternoster’s iconic vocals dive into the topic of trust and trying to win someone’s heart and soul. The lyric choices in this track make me love it because of the uniqueness in word choice and how descriptive and pleading the song becomes because of the lyrics.
I absolutely love this band. The catchy lyrics and rhythms in this album are intoxicating, but also I can tell how much previous albums like “Ugly” and “Rose Mountain” success have positively influenced the sound. I find a lot of the choruses to be at the perfect repetitive level and all the lyrics (as always for Screaming Females) are full of double meanings and exactness.
If you’ve never taken time to listen to Screaming Females, I highly suggest you do because this band will be one of the greats, if it isn’t already.
In response to the public’s brutal slaying of the Monster Mash, I’ve compiled my own selection of retro and campy Halloween tracks for this year’s litany of costume parties.
The Playlist
“Dracula’s Daughter” – Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages
“Evil” – 45 Grave
“Drac the Knife” – Gene Moss & Fred Ross
From the album “Dracula’s Greatest Hits,” this track is Dracula’s cover of Bobby Darin’s 1958 “Mack the Knife,” but specifically if Dracula was like the dad from Hotel Transylvania.
“Absinthe” – The Damned (specifically, this version)
“Jekyll and Hyde” – Jim Burgett
“Buried Alive” – Radio Werewolf
A musical collective active from 1984 to 1993, Radio Werewolf amassed a cult following (called the “Radio Werewolf Youth Party”) during its highly controversial ritualistic theatrical performances.
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead” is a classic. Originally performed by (my beloved) Bauhaus, this cover by The 69 Cats has a jazzy psychobilly slant, making it highly danceable and perfect for a Halloween hootenanny.
Us waiting for awards at NSEMC, and not for Olive Garden. Image: Jamie Lynn Gilbert
I, and five other of my treasured members of WKNC staff (plus our amazing advisor Jamie) had the special privilege of getting to represent the station at the CBI National Student Electronic Media Convention in Orlando, Florida from Oct. 19 – 21. While there, we scored three awards for how awesome we are, along with an even bigger prize: knowledge that will be applied to make the station better in the near future.
Music-makers have been hard at work putting out new music, and I”ve been hard at work listening to it.
Here are some highlights from this month:
Tears For the Dying
Based in Athens, Georgia, Tears for the Dying produces music in the vein of deathrock, post-punk and dark punk.
With a corpse-cold sound and the richly plaintive vocals of Adria Stembridge at their disposal, Tears For the Dying puts out consistent bangers.
The band’s latest release, “Heterochromia,” is straight up arctic.
Cover for “Heterochromia” by Tears for the Dying
Compared to other releases, the band’s deathrock style appears restrained, creating a vacuous and frigid atmosphere. The song’s lyrics only compound this effect.
I’ll rip you apart from everything you love
Slithering from beneath black waters
The rotting carcass splits and sprouts
Fertile ground of rot and death
Efflorescence of drifting mist
Tears for the Dying, “Heterochromia”
What is the driving force behind such tortured and melancholic lyrics?
Adria Stembridge, frontwoman and founder of the band, draws inspiration from her experience growing up trans and autistic in the American south.
Subjugation, alienation and victimization — and the inner darkness stemming from these influences — contribute to the band’s vivid sound.
While this isn’t my favorite song by the band (that award belongs to “Go Die” from their 2021 album “Epitaph“), it’s a solid track.
Their sound ranges from nostalgic and idyllic shoegaze to vigorous post-hardcore, and I look forward to seeing them when they make their way to Cat’s Cradle next month.
Cover for “Fortress” by Modern Color
Modern Color’s newest single, “Fortress,” definitely embodies more of the band’s emo and shoegaze sound. It’s a warm and summery track with more upbeat energy than some of the band’s other releases, such as “Pale.”
I definitely prefer the band’s earlier music, especially their 2020 album “From The Leaves of Your Garden,” and hope they continue to experiment with the post-hardcore aspect of their style.
Buzz Kull
Buzz Kull is the musical project of Sydney-based artist Marc Dwyer.
I’ve played Buzz Kull on air several times before. His sprawling darkwave and EBM beats are transfixing.
Cover for “A Place (That’s Meant To Be)” by Buzz Kull
There’s an attractive bluntness to his work, a gothic apathy that commands focus to a more emotional and complex synth and drum machine arrangement.
Buzz Kull’s most recent single, “A Place (That’s Meant To Be),” is strongly electronic. Highly danceable, this EBM track is both fast-moving and languid, with staccato beats overlaid by ringing tones of brass.
It’s the kind of music you can lose yourself in on the dancefloor, best enjoyed amid the smoke-scented bustle of the goth club.
