Are You Seeing Club Shows This Summer?

An Ode To Live Rock Music & The Sweaty, Talented Humans Who Play It

The Reflectors at The Echo (Photo by SW Lauden)

When’s the last time you saw a rock band at a club?

Maybe you go all the time, or maybe it has been a few years. Well, that dark room a few miles from where you live is probably still the best place to catch local musicians or bands from the other side of the country (and world!) playing their hearts out with minimal technological tomfoolery.

Never heard of the act performing later this week? That’s where Bandcamp, Soundcloud, YouTube and streaming services are most useful. Go check them out from the comfort of your AirPods. It’s cool, your boss will never know—just claim you’re listening to that business podcast they recommended.

Chances are you’ll find something to like. Their sound might remind you of The Replacements, Bikini Kill, The Strokes or another band that soundtracked your misspent youth. You might appreciate the lead singer’s hairdo, hat or glasses in the band photo. Or, maybe—just maybe—you’ll actually like their original music.

Robyn Hitchcock at Zebulon (photo by SW Lauden)

Roll the dice and drop the $10-$25 to see them live.

Even if you only stay for a few songs, you will have done something more energizing than doomscrolling on the couch while a TV series you don’t care about streams in the background.

And make sure to buy a T-shirt and/or an album on your way out the door, if you have the means. Hell, you could buy three of each and still be way ahead of what an arena show would have cost you. And you very likely won’t pay $50 for parking, $22 for a lukewarm light beer, or $18 for Kwik-E-Mart nachos.

Most importantly, you will have directly supported real, living artists. Like, literally put money into their gas tank so they can make it to the next town. Or allow them to sleep in a motel bed for the first time all week.

You’ll be the goddamned modern Medici.

I’ve been trying to take my own advice.

In late May, I saw one of my longtime musical heroes at Zebulon in LA. I discovered Robyn Hitchcock through his late ‘70s band The Soft Boys, but fell for his many albums with The Egyptians and as a solo artist in the decades since. If you like your guitar pop with a dose of contemplative (and often absurd!) psychedelia, he’s your guy.

If you haven’t seen Hitchcock live, he’s a master of mind-bending and macabre between song banter. His set lists generally include many fan favorites, along with deep cuts from his vast catalog. I’d seen a similar acoustic/electric bill at the same club a year prior (with talented singer/songwriter Kelley Stoltz opening the show and drumming for Hitchcock both times) and loved it enough to come back.

Highlights (confirmed by setlist.fm) included opening with “Balloon Man,” as well as classics such as “Queen Elvis,” “Madonna of the Wasps,” “Autumn Sunglasses,” “So You Think You’re In Love,” and the non-core “Airscape.” We were also treated to two Soft Boys songs, “Queen of Eyes” and “I Wanna Destroy You.”

More recently, I went to see The Reflectors while the rest of my family was at a Noah Kahan concert.

I really needed to get some writing done, but was feeling too antsy. So, I headed to The Echo to catch their set, promising myself I’d immediately go home after they finished to work on my next book.

Normally I’d buy an extra ticket and convince one of my longtime music pals to join me, but this was a last minute decision so I was on my own. And, truth be told, it really allowed me to focus on the music, which was great.

Unlike the Hitchcock show where I was amongst mostly middle-aged alt rock fans, The Reflectors gig (opening for Go Betty Go and The Dollyrots) was an all-ages affair—so a few of us helped bring the median age up. The dance floor filled in as they took the stage, deftly bashing through a high-energy set of world class modern power pop.

I didn’t write the songs down (alas, setlist.fm failed me here), but highlights included their 2019 debut “Teenage Hearts” and their most recent single, “All The Way Down.” If you haven’t heard their album Going Out Of Fashion, give it a listen—it’s definitely one of my 2024 favorites so far.

Here’s what’s on my radar for the rest of the summer:

• Ducks Ltd. at Zebulon (July 12)

• Paul Collins and Uni Boys at Zebulon (August 8)

• Redd Kross at The Lodge Room (August 13)

• The Beths at The Sound (San Diego—August 14)

• The Speedways at Alex’s Bar (September 7)

I probably won’t make it to all of those shows, but I’m pretty sure other bills will pop up along the way…

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What Club Shows Are You Seeing This Summer?

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