Are you ready for the raging firestorm of hardcore punk fury that will hit Charlottesville in less than a week? Get stoked, because the veteran Canadian sextet Fucked Up aren't going to settle for anything less than total insanity. This group, who has been around for over a decade, have been steadily developing their sound, pushing things farther into realms yet unexplored over the course of hardcore's history. Now, with their latest album, David Comes To Life, they've created a full-scale rock opera that retains their passionate intensity, especially in singer Damian Abraham's raging, roaring vocals, but brings new elements (acoustic guitars! female vocals!) into the mix without softening things one iota. Their musical output has reached a whole new level, and that change should be reflected in their stage show, so you're going to want to be present when they make their appearance at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville. One hour's drive is a small price to pay to be able to catch this musical juggernaut.
Fucked Up are on tour with Wavves, the California surf-rock band notorious for bad-boy behavior. They've pulled things together in recent years with the addition of members of the late Jay Reatard's backing band, and now, their brand new EP, Life Sux, is the best-sounding, most fully realized release they've produced yet. Mixing poppy punk with surf rock and snotty garage energy, their latest release recalls other young punk bands like No Age and Male Bonding, and the new EP features guest appearances by members of Fucked Up (on the song "Destroy") and Best Coast ("Nodding Off"). While Wavves have been responsible for some memorable onstage meltdowns during their short career up to this point, they appear to have gotten that sort of thing out of their system, and should produce a fun, enjoyable live set of melodic punk tunes. And hey, even if a meltdown happens, if nothing else you'll have a cool story to tell, right?
Leading off the show will be local indie sensations Black Girls, who will ease concert-goers into the heavier sounds to follow with their melodic, soulful indie sound, which the band members like to call "snuff rock." What exactly does that term mean? If Black Girls' releases thus far are any indication, snuff rock bands take equal inspiration from Marvin Gaye and Animal Collective, but to see what the results of that sort of crossover will be in a live setting, you'll have to head to the show and check it out for yourself.
WHO: Fucked Up, Wavves, Black Girls
WHERE: The Jefferson Theater (110 E. Main St, on the Downtown Mall, Charlottesville)
WHEN: Monday, September 26. Doors 7 PM, Show 8 PM
ADMISSION: $15 in advance, $17 day of show. Order tickets online here, or hit up Black Girls, who have tickets for sale right here in Richmond, at blackgirlsbooking@gmail.com.
After the jump, we've got videos by each of these three excellent bands. First is Fucked Up's music video for "The Other Shoe," the latest single from David Comes To Life. Then check out "I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl," from the Life Sux EP by Wavves. Finally, we've got Black Girls' promotional video, featuring their song "Get Off," which will give a bit more insight into the whole "snuff rock" thing for those of you who haven't encountered it before. Check 'em out!