Jenny Hval at Pitchfork Festival 2016
photo by Ben Stas

What's going on Friday?

Jenny Hval at Pitchfork Festival 2016
Jenny Hval at Pitchfork 2016 (photo by Ben Stas)

You can browse our full NYC show calendar for all of tonight’s shows, but here are some highlights…

Russian Circles, Helms Alee @ Warsaw
Post-metal greats Russian Circles returned this year with Guidance, which is as huge, dramatic, and dark as they ever are. They’re on tour with with fellow Sargent House labelmates and Kurt Ballou collaborators Helms Alee, who recently dropped the great, sludgy Stillicide.

Syd Arthur, Invisible Familiars, Stone Cold Fox @ Baby’s All Right
Having opened for Jake Bugg on Wednesday at Terminal 5, UK psych/prog pop band Syd Arthur play this headline show tonight and are well matched with Brooklyn’s Invisible Familiars.

Self Defense Family, Jesus Piece, Pawns, Glory @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar
Self Defense Family are quite possibly the most prolific band in post-hardcore, and they’re one of the more unique ones too. Their wordy, experimental take on the genre isn’t like many other bands.

Mikey Erg, Weed Hounds, Unwelcome Guests, Adult Magic @ Cake Shop
Cake Shop hosts a cool punk bill, headlined by the constantly-busy Mikey Erg, who dropped the very good solo LP Tentative Decisions this year.

Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders, Laura Cantrell, David Nagler, Grant Lee Philips, Steve Poltz, David Wax Museum @ City Winery
Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders is a variety show that mixes music, readings and comedy. It’s a pretty great lineup tonight.

Taking Back Sunday, You Blew It! @ Irving Plaza
Taking Back Sunday’s classic lineup — the one that recorded their first and best album Tell All Your Friends — have been back at it since 2010 and have since become their longest-last lineup. Their fourth record together — TBS’ seventh overall — came out this year. If you’re going to this show, it’s definitely worth catching openers You Blew It!. After a few albums and EPs that helped revive Kinsella-style emo, YBI! are going into more inventive realms with their upcoming Triple Crown debut, Autotheology.

The Legendary Pink Dots, Orbit Service @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn
Edward Ka-Spel and Phil Knight have been making baroque psych — sometimes on the Syd Barrett side, sometimes heavily electronic — as The Legendary Pink Dots for over 30 years during which they’ve remained dizzlingly prolific.

Collapsing Scenery, Cappadonna (Wu-Tang Clan), Excepter, Mahogany, James Richardson @ Knockdown Center
This is a release show for Collapsing Scenery’s new EP but the undercard is maybe the star, with Wu-Tang Clan’s Cappadonna, dreampop band Mahogany, longtime Brooklyn outliers Excepter, and MGMT’s James Richardson.

Jenny Hval, Serpentwithfeet @ (le) poisson rouge
Jenny Hval releases her challenging new album Blood Bitch today, and celebrates in NYC. Tri Angle-signed crooner serpentwithfeet opens and is worth catching too.

Handsome Family, Brooke Annibale @ Mercury Lounge
Having made their American Gothic style folk for over 20 year, Chicago’s The Handsome Family got a boost via having their song “Far From Any Road” used as the theme to HBO’s True Detective. They continue to do what they do, and do it well.

The Bird and the Bee, Alex Lilly, Frances Cone @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Bird and the Bee, aka singer Inara George and in-demand songwriter/producer Greg Kurstin, make infectious, loungy pop, like on last year’s Recreational Love.

Lower Dens, Ornament @ Pioneer Works
This is not your average show. Lower Dens are playing what they’re calling an “improv” performance taking place inside of an inflatable structure. It’s part of Pioneer Works’  exhibition “The Present Is the Form of All Life: The Time Capsules of Ant Farm and LST.“

Bad Religion, Against Me!, Dave Hause @ Starland Ballroom
This is one stacked bill. Bad Religion are godfathers of pop punk and remain lifers of the genre, Against Me! are arguably making the best music of their career right now, and the crazy-prolific Dave Hause (The Loved Ones, The Falcon, ex-Paint It Black, etc) is always worth seeing. The tour is in NJ tonight, and two NYC shows will follow.

Yonatan Gat, Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band, Dan Friel @ The Bell House
It’s a night of improvisational music, some of it decidedly in-your-face (Yonatan Gat), some of it more laid back (Chris Forsyth) and some a little weird (Dan Friel).

Scully, RIPS, Shaasta, Las Rosas (DJ Set), B Boys (DJ Set) @ ALPHAVILLE
A whole host of superior garage pop acts, all under one roof.

Kula Shaker, SeepeopleS @ Rough Trade
UK band Kula Shaker’s new album K2.0 finds their mix of classic riffs and Eastern music flourishes (tabla, sitar) pretty much unchanged since the days of “Hush” and “Tattva.” This is their second of two Rough Trade shows this week.

Electric Six, In The Whale @ The Studio at Webster Hall
With riffs and bravado fighting for attention, Detroit’s Electric Six have always had tongue firmly in cheek, back to the days of “Danger! High Voltage!” when they claimed they invented the night.

The Luyas, Skyler Skjelset @ Union Pool
After a few years away, Montreal’s Luyas are back, having just released a new EP that finds their askew, dreamy sound fully functional. Tonight’s show also has sometimes Beach House and Fleet Foxes member Skyler Skjelset.

The Growlers @ Webster Hall
Julian Casablancas liked the Growlers so much, he signed them to his label and their first record for it is out Friday. Come celebrate its release with them tonight.

Lizzo @ Samsung 837
Eccentric Minneapolis rapper Lizzo returns to NYC tonight for an appearance at Samsung 837.

Bob Moses, No Regular Play, Weval @ Terminal 5
Canadian electronic pop band Bob Moses released Days Gone By last year, and last month the put out an expanded edition with remixes by A-Trak, RAC, and more.

Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, Clutch & more @ Rock Carnival (NJ)
This festival has a pretty cool lineup. Today, there’s Alice Cooper and Blue Oyster Cult, who are both regulars of classic rock radio but also pioneers of heavy metal, and stoner rock greats Clutch, and more.

For all of tonight’s shows, and tomorrow’s, check out our NYC concert calendar.

For laughs, check out the NYC Comedy calendar too.

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