What better day to have an album release concert for a heavy shoegaze band than Black Friday, an American holiday associated with violence, death, and mindless consumerism—you know, all the things that Thanksgiving tries to repress about the U.S.

The East Coast-born Orion Sun has been quietly making moves for years, and her hard work has paid out large dividends, culminating in two sold at shows at the Fonda in Los Angeles this past weekend.

Tucked in a far corner behind the bar, a long Kubrickesque hallway with liminal energy guides music fans to the main ballroom. A warm-toned guitar doused in reverb, underscored by loud percussion, emanates from that back room and trembles Zebulon like a powerful earthquake.

On a cold, fall night, the warm embers of music attract flocks of people looking for emotional shelter—in this case, the location was The Fonda in Hollywood. sweet93 (Chloe Kohanski) opened with soft indie rock. Kohanski sang as she hid behind her hair and microphone. An unknown cloaked guest (possibly singer-songwriter Olivia O.) in a sweet93 hoodie danced on stage with the live band like Bez from the Manchester-founded post-punk group Happy Mondays would do.

Friday night is the time when all the ghouls and goth kids flock to their temple. In this case, they were at The Bellwether to witness the magnetically defiant Mannequin Pussy perform. This sold-out show did not disappoint. Mannequin Pussy were able to smoothly transition from mellow, catchy tracks from I Got Heaven like “I Don’t Know You” to more snarling deep cuts like “Perfect,” frenzying the crowd into an electrifying mosh pit. “Say pussy,” screamed lead singer Missy, driving the crowd further into a fury.

The residual heat languidly rose from the black pavement in Highland Park on this quiet Thursday night. I walked into the Lodge Room to Olivia O fiddling on stage with her acoustic and loop pedals, a person with a goblin mask to the side of her sat very still with a sign that read “Questions With No Answers.”

Spring time is waning, the snow is melting away from the mountains, the ocean is getting warmer from south swells coming from the very active tropics, and the IDLES flower is blooming and inciting crowd surfing and mosh pits—with love of course.

Zooming through L.A traffic to get somewhere is not for the faint of heart. It’s one of the most hated pastimes in Southern Californian tradition. But for a Sleater-Kinney concert, exceptions can be made.

Y La Bamba takes over the night and creates a rhythmic dance party at the Lodge Room in Highland Park after an elating Laker win.

The energy in the Lodge Room was palpable as the electricity of the band and crowd could be felt in the hairs on the back of your neck. When Melody took the stage, the outburst of energy was equivalent to a bomb going off.

Archers of Loaf kindly graced a Los Angeles stage for the first time in more than a decade. The 90’s indie rock group showed no signs of aging as they put on a high-octane show, jumping around as they played fan favorites. They were supported by the Canadian indie pop band Ducks Ltd.

The marquee of the Teragram Ballroom softly lit a long line of heads (bodies were connected to those heads, of course) waiting to see opening act Cryogeyser and Aussie rockers and Tame Impala offshoot Pond.

It was a harsh 47 degrees Fahrenheit outdoors in Los Angeles, but inside the venue, all anyone cared about was Soccer Mommy and Tops.

It was a cold, brisk Friday night, but the energy of the crowd, band, and booze kept everyone warm while inside the venue. The psych-rock group Hot Garbage and noise-pop drag queen Cindy Lee both opened for the legendary post-punk connoisseurs the Preoccupations (Formerly Known as the Viet Cong) and made some great musical noise to start the evening.

Julia Jacklin’s smooth saccharine vocals echoed through the vast Fonda Theater this past Friday night. Each passing note enthralled the crowd, who swayed and stared on as Jacklin performed fan favorites.

Blondshell, real name Sabrina Teitelbaum, performed at the Lodge Room in Highland Park, CA, to a packed house. Although she hasn’t even released her debut yet, her stage presence was that of a seasoned veteran. Follow the link for photos of her amazing show.

Hazel English and Caroline Kingsbury perform at the Lodge Room in Highland Park — August 17th, 2022.