THUR 4.18
Priests @ The Sinclair
Priests have been bubbling up for a while, and it’s clear that with their most recent record, the excellent The Seduction Of Kansas, their days of playing clubs like Great Scott are over. A clear, somewhat polished sound on the record belies their power on the stage. I hear the term post-punk or no wave thrown a lot their way, but don’t expect The Contortions or Magazine; their knack for catchy melodies is out front on songs like “Texas Instruments” or the title track (possibly the only song ever to namecheck White Castle, Pizza Hut and Applebee’s). Wear some shoes that you can dance in, as you’ll be needing them.
The Sinclair. 52 Church Street, Cambridge. 9:00 pm/All Agest/$15-17. Tickets on sale now
FRI 4.19
La Dispute @ Royale
The genre descriptor of hardcore has as many connotations as fans of the form; you could fit bands like Negative Approach, Converge, Sleaford Mods and even Public Enemy. La Dispute gets painted with that brush, but there’s a whole load of disparate elements at play on Panorama, their latest effort and fifth overall, out now on Epitaph. There are spoken word passages that remind slightly of Slint, though less spartan. I can see emo fans getting behind this in a big way, and their live show shatters any artifice of separation between the people on the stage and the people below it.
Royale. 279 Tremont Street, Boston. 6:00 pm/All Ages/$20-22. Tickets on sale now
SAT/SUN 4.20/21
Sleep @ State Theatre
Hey it’s 4/20 so clean out your bongs and get your marijuanaut suit ready for a deep space orbit. Sleep has been synonymous with the stoner rock culture since the ’90s, marking their territory with a statement so radical that the record company was completely flummoxed and refused to release it. Dopesmoker remains a key part of their live repertoire (at least portions of the hour long song) but last year’s triumphant return with The Sciences showed that the power trio have not lost their love affair with all things weed. If you missed out on getting a ticket to last summer’s sold-out show at Royale, here’s another chance to see them via a short road trip up the coast. Fresh off their massive, dominating headline performances at Roadburn, the band is burning hotter than ever.
State Theatre. 609 Congress Street, Portland Maine. 8:00 pm/All Ages/$30-35. Saturday is sold out, but tickets remain for Sunday
Primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, Tim Bugbee is no stranger to traveling throughout the country or overseas to capture the best live music photos.
