[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]ith loads of live concerts sprouting all over the L.A. area, it can get difficult choosing the right show to attend. Well, we just made it slightly easier for you. From electro-cumbia in intimate settings to strange trip-hop in legendary theatres, to heavy metal festivals and stadium rock to boot, here are our personal recommendations of live performances to watch in the next four months.
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are celebrating Christmas at the Wiltern. The first night is already sold out so act quickly if you want to catch the party.
December 7
Mariachi Sol de México @ Fox Performing Arts Center
“To believe in mariachi means to have a passion for life itself,” once professed José Hernández, founder of L.A.-based Mariachi Sol de México. Attendees can anticipate his mariachi troupe to belt out heartwarming holiday jams from their newest album, the punny Merry Achy Christmas.
Armed with their signature psychedelic cumbia punk, Colombian pair Bomba Estéreo will maintain the fire lit at the Novo. Elegancia tropical abounds at their shows.
Kurt Vile & the Violators are invading the Wiltern. Vile is fresh off releasing his eighth studio album Bottle It In. Folk specialist Jessica Pratt is an invited guest and cool bonus for freak folk fans.
December 7,8,11,and 12
Jesus and Mary Chain & Nine Inch Nails @ The Palladium
The Scottish alternative rock legends join forces with the moody industrial project of Trent Reznor for a series of coolly maddening shows at the Hollywood Palladium.
Rest assured that this Grammy-winning Latinx band from Los Angeles knows how to turn up the dance floor with their savory mix of cumbia, rancheras, rock, and everything in between.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke will be presenting a mix of moody songs from his two solo albums, including tunes from his latest soundtrack workings, the horror-tinged, piano-laced Suspiria.
With his genre-hopping prowess, Stephen Lee Burner, better known as Thundercat, has made notable features alongside Kendrick Lamar, Suicidal Tendencies, and Flying Lotus. As a soloist, the multi-instrumentalist slyly maneuvers from funk, to R&B, to acid jazz, and electronica.
The hardest, weirdest and most outlandish bad boys (or men) of heavy metal unite to ferociously ring in the New Year, starring Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Body Count, and Jonathan Davis.
Perhaps most recognized for his Portlandia theme song, the daydreamy “Feel It All Around,” the Georgia-based producer will be spinning some euphoric pop days after the New Year. So skip the holiday blues and bliss out.
What are two unlikely things that mix together pretty damn well? The metal and mariachi conflections of Metalachi. The L.A.-rearing bunch of debauchees come at you with hard violin riffage, thundering guitarrón basslines, and some screeching wails that just might make Axl Rose grin.
Arguably one of the most spot on Jim Morrison impersonators out there, this Doors tribute band will lead to a late ‘60s journey as they resurrect the dark, theatrical poetic rock of the L.A. foursome.
Angelenos and bystanders at Microsoft Theatre will witness T-Boz and Chilli hark back to the cheekiness of their ‘90s-era bravado. Last year, the remaining two members of TLC dropped their fifth eponymous album after a 15-year hiatus. Expect to hear their new and classic jams.
Latin alternative wunderkind and LGBTQ champion Alex Anwandter will grace the stage at the Roxy with his infectious disco pop bangers that are bound to make your hips swivel.
You know her for her massive collabo with Major Lazer and DJ Snake on their megahit “Lean On.” She’s also a torchbearer of Scandinavian pop. See her light up the stage.
Living up to their philosophy of rock ‘n’ rolling all night while partying every day, these iconic rock stars continue to astound with their jaw-dropping pyrotechnics, outrageous costumes, and their mean and dirty guitar hooks.
If you couldn't get enough of Los Temerarios’ Northern Mexican balladry, then the gut-wrenching norteñas of Ramon Ayala is a fantastic follow up. Get lost to his regional sounds with a side of tragos amargos.
On par with the impeccable choreographies of K-pop idols, this Latin American boy band excite with their dashing good looks and polished urban pop songs. It’s all about that reggaeton lento. ¿Bailemos?
This synth-wielding disco queen might just inspire you to shimmy across the dance floor, but she might too make you shed a tear via her soul-baring pop confessionals.
Balkan brass collides with baroque pop and a dash of Mexican mariachi in the sonic musings of this New Mexico ensemble. They’ll be performing new music off their 2019 release, Gallipoli.
The ex-Strokes indie rocker churned out a beautifully scrappy yet melodic release in 2018’s Francis Trouble (an ode to his lost twin brother who died while Hammond was in utero). It’s not somber, but packed with upbeat rock stunners you can head bop to at the Fonda.
Laura Pergolizzi better known as LP has written songs for Cher, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and others. LP's video for her single "Recovery" is currently burning up the charts. The Wiltern show is the last chance to catch her in the states before she takes Her Heart to Mouth tour international.
A follow up to the loner pop of 2015’s Me, 2018’s Us by the alt-pop musician is a collaborative opus that’s bouncier, more communal, and brighter than her previous LP — indicators of what to expect at her El Rey Theatre gig.
Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers is the newest project of the former Against Me! anarcho-punk singer. Hear the foursome howl along to ferocious and raucous sounds off their 2018 debut Bought to Rot.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of their landmark album Mezzanine, the gloomy Bristol collective who helped bring trip-hop to the fore embarks on a North American and European tour in 2019.
This may be the last generation of beautifully grimy punk bars and venues in a city that is overdeveloping all of these counterculture community spaces into the post-gentrification abyss. Go and support by buying drinks at all these places to make sure they stick around for the next generation.
On weekends,Cafe Fresco transforms into one of the rare places in the city to find seco de chivo, llapingachao, guatita, and other regional Ecuadorian eats.
In Los Angeles, the poke scene is starting to heal from a bit of a hangover caused by rampant overindulgence. These are the true Hawaiian-inspired, fresh fish spots that endure for good reason. Most, located right by the beach to enjoy L.A.'s crisp ocean breeze with your sashimi-grade fish.
Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!
Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform.