The best concerts in Los Angeles this week build to a genuinely stacked Sept. 19, when Peter Hook & The Light, Temples, AFI, Lido Pimienta, ill peach, Sofi Tukker, Squeeze, and more are all playing different venues on the same night. Robert Glasper settles into a four-night residency at Blue Note LA, Chance The Rapper closes out the week at the Hollywood Palladium, and new wave and post-punk royalty Squeeze, Adam Ant, and The English Beat share a stacked bill at the Hollywood Bowl.
Tickets for several shows are sold out, but you can check out VividSeats and StubHub for last-minute resale deals.
Sept. 14 — Patti Smith at Wilshire Ebell Theatre
The Godmother of Punk, Patti Smith, brings her poetry-fused rock and roll to the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Sept. 14 — we last caught her live in an unforgettable 2016 pairing with Bon Iver at the Hollywood Bowl. Few performers blend punk ethos with literary weight quite like Smith, whose live shows remain a masterclass in both.
Sept. 14-16 — Angus & Julia Stone at Hollywood Forever
Angus & Julia Stone bring their folk-pop songcraft to Hollywood Forever from Sept. 14 through 16, a bigger stage than the sold-out Fonda Theatre show we caught them play back in 2017. The Australian sibling duo’s blend of acoustic and electric textures remains built for singalongs like “Big Jet Plane.”
Sept. 15 — Haute & Freddy at Fonda Theatre
Circus theatrics meet ’80s synth-pop when Haute & Freddy take over the Fonda Theatre stage. The Atlantic Records-signed LA duo has built a devoted following on their vintage-inspired blend of alternative pop, electropop, and new wave spectacle.
Sept. 16 — Talib Kweli at Blue Note Los Angeles
Blue Note Los Angeles on Sept. 16 welcomes Talib Kweli, the Brooklyn MC who dusted off his Reflection Eternal catalog with Hi-Tek at the Belasco back in 2016. His socially conscious bars and boom-bap roots have made him one of hip-hop’s most enduring voices.
Sept. 16 — Towa Bird at El Rey Theatre
El Rey Theatre on Sept. 16 hosts Towa Bird, the guitarist-singer we profiled as an Artist You Should Know not long after her debut album, American Hero. Her riff-driven indie rock and viral guitar skills have carried her from opening for Billie Eilish to headlining rooms of her own.
Sept. 17-20 — Robert Glasper at Blue Note Los Angeles
Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper settles in for a four-night run at Blue Note Los Angeles from Sept. 17 through 20, a far more intimate setting than the full Robert Glasper Experiment set we caught at the Fonda Theatre back in 2016. Expect jazz, hip-hop, and neo-soul woven together in real time.
Sept. 17-18 — Soulwax at Fonda Theatre
Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele bring their genre-hopping electronic project Soulwax to the Fonda Theatre for two nights, Sept. 17 and 18. Known equally for their own material and their 2manydjs mashup alter ego, their live sets blur the line between a rock show and a DJ set.
Sept. 17 — Meltt at Lodge Room
Meltt headlines Lodge Room on Sept. 17 with their sun-drenched, Malaysian-rooted indie rock. Low Hum opens the night with his own reverb-heavy guitar songs.
Sept. 17 — Sweeping Promises at Sid The Cat Auditorium
Post-punk duo Sweeping Promises bring their tightly-wound, lo-fi punk urgency to Sid The Cat Auditorium on Sept. 17, touring behind their new album You Say I Romanticize. The songs are fiery in true punk spirit, driven by punchy bass lines, angular guitars, and Lira’s unmistakable vocals.
Sept. 17 — Iguana Death Cult at Zebulon
Dutch post-punk outfit Iguana Death Cult headlines Zebulon on Sept. 17 with their frantic, saxophone-laced garage rock. Flat Worms open the night with their own driving, no-frills punk.
Sept. 18 — Orville Peck at Hollywood Bowl
Masked country crooner Orville Peck brings his deep, Johnny Cash-indebted baritone and rhinestone theatrics to the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 18. Indie-pop duo Lucius, who collaborated on an incredible track with Portugal. The Man last year (the duo also put on a wonderful show), will open for Orville along with Deloyd Elze rounding out the bill.
Sept. 18 — Arlo Parks at The Bellwether
Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter Arlo Parks brings her hazy, confessional indie-pop to the Bellwether on Sept. 18, years after her luminous Los Angeles debut at Moroccan Lounge and the Echoplex. Baird opens the evening with his own brand of intimate, folk-leaning songwriting.
Sept. 18 — Lagrimas at 1720
Lagrimas brings their emotionally heavy, screamo-adjacent sound to 1720 on Sept. 18. Expect a set built on cathartic dynamics and intensity.
Sept. 18 — Elder at The Regent Theater
Heavy psych trio Elder headlines The Regent Theater on Sept. 18 with their sprawling, riff-heavy compositions. Blackwater Holylight opens with their own doom-tinged, atmospheric metal.
Sept. 19 — Peter Hook & The Light at Hollywood Palladium
Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook brings his post-punk legacy back to the Palladium stage on Sept. 19 with his band, The Light, following the 500th-anniversary show he threw at the Wiltern back in 2018. Expect a set built from the deep catalogs of both bands, delivered with Hook’s signature melodic bass lines front and center.
Sept. 19 — ill peach at Moroccan Lounge
LA-based ill peach headlines Moroccan Lounge on Sept. 19 with their signature blend of indie and alt pop/rock. We’ve been fans of the band since we first profiled them in an Artists You Should Know feature. Wielding their gritty and raw pop sentiments and casting them into gushingly disruptive but alluring soundscapes, every new ill Peach offering expands their already multifaceted sound in contorted ways. Lily Pesikoff opens.
Sept. 19 — Temples at Teragram Ballroom
English psych-rockers Temples return to the Teragram Ballroom on Sept. 19 for the first time since their swirling, retro-futurist set there back in 2016. Poppy Jean Crawford opens with her own kaleidoscopic take on garage-pop.
Sept. 19 — Lido Pimienta at The Ford
Polaris Prize-winning artist Lido Pimienta brings her genre-splicing blend of cumbia, synthpop, and Afro-Colombian rhythms to the Ford on Sept. 19. Dominican rising star YEИDRY, known for her sultry, bilingual pop, opens the show.
Sept. 19 — AFI at The Observatory
Goth-punk legends AFI bring their ever-evolving sound to the Observatory on Sept. 19 in Santa Ana — technically Orange County, but it’s their only Southern California date, so it’s worth the drive. We last caught them partying like it’s 1999 at the Wiltern, and this run brings darkwave act Mareux, dream-pop duo Kumo 99, and garage-psych trio LA Witch along for an appropriately moody bill.
Sept. 19 — Sofi Tukker, DRAMA, and Kito at Greek Theatre
Get ready to “throw some ass” all night as the Greek Theatre turns into an electronic playground, headlined by house and EDM duo Sofi Tukker — we caught them dazzling a tiny Lyric Theater crowd back in 2016, long before amphitheater headlining sets were the norm. DRAMA, whom we caught playing the Echo a few years back, brings their silky electronic soul, with Kito’s polished pop production rounding out the bill.
Sept. 19 — Squeeze at Hollywood Bowl
New wave veterans Squeeze headline a stacked bill at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 19, joined by fellow genre icons Adam Ant and The English Beat. Expect a night built on decades of hook-laden hits spanning power pop, post-punk, and ska.
Sept. 19 — Street Play at Permanent Records Roadhouse
Street Play headlines a sprawling seven-act bill at Permanent Records Roadhouse on Sept. 19. Trap Girl, Kit Major, Ughh, Chorduroy, Flesh For Fantasy, and Moby Clit round out a night that spans the DIY spectrum.
Sept. 19 — Sondre Lerche at Sid The Cat Auditorium
Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche brings his wry, melodically rich pop to Sid The Cat Auditorium on Sept. 19, more than a decade after we caught him at the Troubadour back in 2012. His catalog moves fluidly between jazzy chamber-pop and driving indie rock.
Sept. 20 — Gregory Alan Isakov at Hollywood Bowl
Folk singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov headlines the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 20 alongside fellow atmospheric folk artist Jose Gonzalez. Expect hushed, string-laden arrangements built for a night under the stars.
Sept. 20 — Chance The Rapper at Hollywood Palladium
Chance The Rapper brings his soulful, gospel-inflected hip-hop to the Hollywood Palladium on Sept. 20, years after his stage-stealing appearance at Camp Flog Gnaw. His new album Star Line marks a return to the independent spirit that first put him on the map. Rising hip-hop artist, La Reezy opens. With conscious lyrics, slick beats, wit, and charm, the young New Orleans rapper is not to be missed.
Sept. 20 — Be Your Own Pet at Lodge Room
Nashville punks Be Your Own Pet bring their raw, riotous garage rock back to Lodge Room on Sept. 20. Fake Dad and The Blushes open the night.
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