This weekend, a unique two-day event takes place at the Observatory in Santa Ana courtesy of Orange County’s own The Growlers. Beach Goth combines some epic music featuring the likes of the aforementioned Growlers (both days), Grimes, Warpaint, Julian Casablancas, Mac DeMarco, FIDLAR and Die Antwoord, while also showcasing weird things like a Smurf Village, a rap battle hosted by Riff Raff and Pauly Shore, and Rocky Horror Picture Show Live.
There are also literally dozens upon dozens of other bands performing that you are going to want to check out upon getting through the doors early each day. We’ve handpicked a couple of our favorites to recommend to you!
Fresh off a performance at NorCal’s Treasure Island Music Festival, Ryan DeRobertis’s project is for you if you’re a fan of St. Lucia or Poolside. A lot of the material from his just-released album Prom King have an ’80s disco pop-feel to them. As Saint Pepsi, DeRobertis used to morph other pop vocals to his own liking, but as Skylar Spence he’s utilized his own vocals and they’re so good it makes you wonder why he didn’t just go this route to begin with. “Affairs” is a classic throwback-sounding jam that will have you dancing like you’re at an ’80s prom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEDbb7_nIJY
Atlanta garage-punk rockers The Coathangers are a White Stripes-esque three-piece that features drummer/vocalist Stephanie Luke (aka Rusty Coathanger) at the forefront. With song titles such as “Don’t Touch My Shit” and “Nestle In My Boobies,” they don’t seem to take themselves too seriously despite the kick-ass nature of their tunes. In their video for “Follow Me,” they got Atlanta metal icons to dress in DRAG and do the performance part of the video! Pretty epic, as you can see below:
Los Angeles favorites, Corners are a perfect fit for the Beach Goth aesthetic with their post-punk garage goth sound. They hail from a DIY-background, cutting their teeth by playing tons of shows over at The Smell and also other similar venues in the Echo Park area. Three of the members have backgrounds as sound engineers, but they maintain a very surf rock vibe to their sound. The jangly guitars will keep you dancing, such as in the song “Pressure” (music video below, featuring Clementine from Cherry Glazerr):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q343nz0huF8
Many of their songs — like “Beach Porn” below — begin off unassuming enough, but when it comes time for the chorus, they let loose with loud wails and smashing cymbals. We caught them at the Smell just a few months ago, and they were a big hit with the teenaged contingency that is known to pack that dingy venue. This San Diego surf-rock outfit will certainly have one of the higher energy sets of the weekend.
Pure unadulterated mayhem. It could just be me, but I get this ’90s alt-rock vibe from these guys in the vein of Mudhoney. They got a bit of a boost being featured on the soundtrack for the video game Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5, and they definitely fit the skater rock sound. They hail from Whittier, just 20 miles outside LA, and they just announced supporting dates for the Deftones across SoCal and Las Vegas during Halloween weekend. Catch them before then at Beach Goth and you’ll see why they got the call.
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