Preview

Tonight: Candy Ambulance

August 11, 2019

Must-see Troy, NY grunge rockers, Candy Ambulance, make their much-anticipated return to Buffalo tonight for a party hosted by Milkie’s on Elmwood. Candy Ambulance has a well-earned reputation for putting on a killer set you don’t want to miss. This badass and charismatic tripod, composed of singer and guitarist Caitlin Barker, bassist Jesse Bolduc, and drummer Jon Cantiello, is fueled by pure passion and alcohol. Barker lets her booze-soaked vocals stumble everywhere from a soft sincerity to a snotty snarl. Laid underneath are live-wire riffs and catchy drumbeats layered by Bolduc and Cantiello that will get your BAC pumping. Catch them while you can for a blackout good time. Also taking the stage is local raw indiemo act, Passed Out. Sing and dance your feelings out to their irresistible records filled with life and heartache. Perfect for the recently dumped; Passed Out are sure to put on an awesome set[...]

Tonight: Cloud District

August 8, 2019

Local alternative acts SMUG and Color Cult will give a warm Buffalo welcome to New Paltz’s Cloud District tonight as the three take the stage at DIY space Sugar City. With a stacked lineup spanning subgenres, tonight’s show is sure to attract a diverse audience of indie music lovers. The local bands on this bill are ones we know and loveSMUG has been playing around the city ever since they got back from tour in support of 2018’s Gorgeous, a triumphant pop punk record that blends catchy melodies, powerful vocals, and tireless, rhythmic guitars and drums to produce the perfect soundtrack to scream and dance along to. Labelmates Color Cult recently emerged from a rebranding, releasing a new single “Invisible Monster” in June following a name change from The Sofa Kingz. A slight departure from the sound of monikers past, the track keeps the party-ready indie pop charm of The[...]

Tonight: Interpol

August 6, 2019

New York City post-punk act Interpol makes their return to the area with a show at Town Ballroom tonight. After forming in 1997, they burst onto the scene with 2002’s Turn on the Bright Lights which forever cemented them into the indie-rock canon. Along with The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they defined the sound of the early 2000’s NYC scene. After a hiatus the band is back with the 2018 release of Matador. While not as strong as Turn on the Bright Lights, it’s very clearly the band’s strongest release in a decade. The band followed this up most recently with A Fine Mess, a five track EP they released in May 2019. With an instantly recognizable sound and catchy, danceable hooks, this concert is sure to appeal to long time listeners as well as recent converts. Expect to hear a mix of songs, but focused heavily on Turn[...]

Tonight: Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts

August 5, 2019

Tonight NYC anti-folk punk poet laureate Jeffrey Lewis and his band Los Bolts will be headlining an excellent lineup at beloved DIY space Sugar City featuring Welks Mice, Hop Hop, and Derick Evans and the Dream Beam Magic Team. A noted writer, graphic artist, and quasi spiritual heir to downtown intellectual singer songwriter luminaries  like Lou Reed and Jarvis Cocker, Lewis has been banging out his poetic underground lo-fi indie rock for more than twenty years, most of them on the legendary Rough Trade label, and tonight’s show at Sugar City will be intimate and sweet. Opening this early show will be the ever delightful literal good vibes of Welks Mice, Buffalo hip hop all-star Hop Hop, and deep dive existential performance art outfit Derick Evans and the Dream Beam Magic Team. Doors are at 6:30pm so plan accordingly and cover is $10.

Tonight: Pretoria

August 5, 2019

Join Grand Rapids act Pretoria as they bring their smooth indie rock stylings through Buffalo this evening. Their tight, springy indie rock is set off by a squiggly synth and beautiful male/female harmonies. Tonight, they’re joined by gypsy rock act hauntedgypsy as well as a slew of local talent including Ekohta, Green Schwinn, and Boney Tony. Tonight’s show is at Milkie’s on Elmwood Ave. The show starts at 8pm and requires $7 to get in. Friendly reminder – this show is a 21+ event. Cape Town by Pretoria

Tonight: The Regrettes

August 2, 2019

Up-and-coming California buzz band The Regrettes pass through the City of Good Neighbors tonight at The Leopard Lounge with fellow Californians Hot Flash Heat Wave. The Regrettes, fronted by the irrepressible and excellently named Lydia Night, came up out of the LA punk scene full of righteous fury, brutal honesty, and a sharp ear for the sweet 60’s sounds that inform the very best surf punk (Bikini Kill, Best Coast), as showcased on their terrific 2017 debut Feel Your Feelings, Fool! Their current single “I Dare You” however is tantalizingly pure post punk, with tight grooves for dancing and hooks that dig deep while keeping all the take no prisoners attitude that makes this band so damn refreshing and potentially worth riding and dying for. Bay Area rockers Hot Flash Heat Wave, whose own Cali punk stylings have begun to pleasantly branch out into Kevin Parker influenced smooth psychedelia, will be[...]

Tonight: Kurt Vile & the Violators

July 31, 2019

Tonight, you best make your way down to Town Ballroom to catch the one and only Kurt Vile & the Violators. Vile, who originally made a name for himself in The War On Drugs, has been an indie rock and folk machine, cranking out 8 studio albums since his solo debut in 2008. For those efforts, his trip to the Queen City has been long awaited, and long overdue. This show will have quite the draw, so if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, now’s the time. Joining The Violators on stage this evening are Garcia Peoples, a rock n’ roll and jam band powerhouse from Rutherford, New Jersey. Tickets are available online via Town Ballroom’s website. or $37 at the door. Written by Mike Rakiecki

Tonight: The Flaming Lips

July 27, 2019

Internationally beloved psych rockers The Flaming Lips return to Western New York tonight at Artpark along with the also returning Lennon Claypool Delirium and Particle Kid. The Lips, led by core members Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, and Michael Ivins, are practically locals by this point, having recorded everything they’ve put out since 1989 just outside Fredonia with esteemed producer Dave Fridmann, and five WNY shows in the last 10 years (including the 2011 show in Rochester with Kurt Vile). Their last show, at the Rapids Theatre in 2017 with Mac DeMarco, was utterly transcendent, and tonight’s show in support of their recently released 15th studio album Kings Mouth promises to be yet another gloriously ebullient human experience. The Lennon Claypool Delirium are also making a welcome return to the area after a tremendous show three years ago at Canalside that featured Sean Lennon and Les Claypool unleashing one of the[...]

Tonight: The Growlers

July 25, 2019

Tonight California beach goth rockers  The Growlers grace the Asbury Hall stage at Babeville with genre and gender defying Diane Coffee. Busting straight out of the OC, The Growlers channel classic surf punk with a beguilingly dark sensibility that’s earned them a passionate following, an indie patron saint in the form of Julian Casablancas, and their very own 2 day holiday festival aptly named Beach Goth. Opening the show will be Diane Coffee, aka California multi instrumentalist, actor, and Run The Jewels collaborator Shaun Fleming, touring in support of his current album, the dazzlingly super glam Internet Arms. Tickets are $35 and doors are at 7pm.

Tonight: The Burkharts

July 20, 2019

Wes Anderson’s favorite band, The Burkharts, have released the perfect soundtrack for summer daydreams. Their latest effort, ‘Lazy Dazing’, shows how the Buffalo natives have grown into a distinct field of well-crafted and hook laden indie rock n roll. Reminiscent of Buffalo heavyweight ex-pat M.A.G.S. with a hint of Mac DeMarco, The Burkharts will put a groove in your step tonight at Nietzsche’s. Sharing the stage will be newcomer M.T. Lakes, who will be playing their second show ever (this time a stripped down solo set), former Dreambeaches guitarist Koko Neetz, and one-woman synth project VHS Era. Doors at 9pm with a $5 cover. Written by Kevin Prentice

Tonight: SMUG

July 19, 2019

Dust off those earplugs. Nietzsche’s will be hosting an alt-rock blowout tonight as pop punk trio SMUG headlines its first show of the season, with support from Canetis and Hundred Plus Club. SMUG left its past life behind with the release of 2018’s Gorgeous, a high-energy album that takes the late ‘00s pop punk we all loved (come on, you know you did) and brings it to the present, blasting listeners with a fresh, memorable blend of bubbly punk rock. If that’s not reason enough to get yourself down to Allentown, this will be Buffalo alt babies Canetis’ first-ever show, fresh off the back of the release of their impressive first single “Warning Call.” Round that out with Hundred Plus Club’s powerful indie rock, and you’ve got yourselves a certifiable banger. Doors for this 21+ show open at 9pm. $5 cover. Gorgeous by SMUGWritten by Grace Trimper

Tonight: A House Safe For Tigers

July 19, 2019

WNY rock classicists A House Safe For Tigers celebrate the release of their lovely sophomore album tonight at The Mohawk with The Guilty Few and Which Witch. Fans of beloved psych rockers The Flaming Lips (who pass through the area next weekend) and Mercury Rev as well as late 90’s Wilco and solo Paul Weller will love their new album, which finds multi-instrumentalist and producer Brandon Delmont (Girlpope, Sons of the Sun, Black Canyon Lights) and Mark Cosentino (Exit Strategy, Returners) exploring the pastoral and achingly idyllic sounds of a halcyon past that never really existed other than maybe in our hearts with impeccable musicianship, songwriting, taste, and digital era “wall of sound” that feels good in the ears. Opening the show will be The Guilty Few of which I know nothing, and post punk outfit Which Witch, a new project featuring Jess Collins (Orations). Cover is $5 and doors are at[...]

Tonight: Twin XL

July 19, 2019

L.A. Trio, Twin XL will be making an appearance tonight at The Tralf, located in Buffalo’s theatre district. The pseudo-supergroup, which includes Cameron Walker-Wright, and brothers Stephen and John Gomez, previously of The Summer Set fame, formed in 2018 and quickly released the EP entitled How To Talk To Strangers. The record combines the perfect combination of glistening retro synths, catchy bass-lines, and memorable melodies. Making large strides, the group has already toured with Jukebox The Ghost earlier this year, and is set to embark on another tour later this year with I Don’t Know How But They Found Me. Supporting Twin XL onstage are Buffalo’s own rockers Marquee Grand. Tickets can be purchased for $1.07 in advance courtesy of 107.7 FM, or alternatively $10 at the door. Written by Mike Rakiecki

Tonight: The Vaughns

July 18, 2019

There’s a growing consensus that the future of rock music is female, and that future happens tonight at the Mohawk when New Jersey garage indie rockers The Vaughns roll through town with a stop at The Mohawk with Clever Girls plus Velvet Bethany and Halo Nellie. Hailing from Springfield, NJ, The Vaughns bring together grunge, blues, surf punk, and stadium rock with an insurgent folk energy from lead vocalist and guitarist Anna Lies that’s both timeless and intrinsically now as showcased on their intimate yet epic recent debut LP F.O.M.O. , an album that makes a case for the continued relevance of rock music in 2019 that the new Black Keys album couldn’t even begin to. Joining them will be reverb drenched, shoegazey Burlington Vermont indie rockers  Clever Girls, with local support from Buffalo punks Velvet Bethany and up and coming future post punks Halo Nellie. Cover is $7, doors are at 7pm and[...]

Tonight: Heart Bones

July 16, 2019

The 9th Ward at Babeville in Buffalo hosts a special mid-week treat tonight with the eccentric indie-pop duo, Heart Bones, taking the stage. After meeting on tour in recent years, fearless singer-songwriters, Sean Tillman (aka Har Mar Superstar) and Sabrina Ellis (A Giant Dog, Sweet Spirit), joined forces to compose irresistible love songs with a dangerous edge. This modern-day Sonny & Cher share a love for the theatrics that shines through in their performances as they sing their hearts out over colorfully catchy beats sweetened with moody synth melodies. Bring a pillow because you’re going to fall hard for these two tonight. Doors at 7pm, music at 8pm. Tickets are $15; get them here.