Tuesday 3/1
Gang of Four at the Varsity Theater – TICKETS
. The band’s performance will feature songs from their releases between 1977-1983, the seminal era during which they released Entertainment! (1979), Solid Gold (1981), and Songs of the Free (1982).
The touring line-up features founding members Jon King (lead vocals) and Hugo Burnham (drums) alongside returning bassist Sara Lee and new guitarist David Pajo (Slint,Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Founding member Dave Allen will not tour with Gang of Four due to personal reasons but remains an essential and vital part of the band.
Gang of Four was formed in Leeds in 1976 by bassist Dave Allen, drummer Hugo Burnham, guitarist Andy Gill, and singer Jon King. The band pioneered a style of music that inverted punk’s blunt and explosive energies — favoring tense rhythms, percussive guitars, and lyrics that traded in Marxist theory and situationism. And humor. They put every element of the traditional “rock band” format to question, from notions of harmony and rhythm to presentation and performance.
Gill’s untimely death in February 2020 was cause for many to once again re-examine the group’s catalog and the legacy of these early releases was widely cited. Not only did Gang of Four’s music speak to the generation of musicians, activists, writers, and visual artists that emerged in the group’s immediate wake, but the generation after that. And the generation after that, even.
In the last few years, their songs have continued to resonate with and been sampled by artists far afield from “post-punk,” including Run the Jewels (“The Ground Below”) and Frank Ocean (“Futura Free”). Forty years since the original release of Entertainment!, Gang of Four’s legacy cannot be overstated.
Last year, to commemorate the band’s early work Matador Records released the Gang Of Four: 77-81 limited edition Vinyl and CD box sets and new reissues of the iconic Entertainment! and Solid Gold albums. The box set was met with universal acclaim, receiving a “Best New Music” nod and accompanying score of 9.5 from Pitchfork, who offered that “the material on 77-81 is clearly a big bang, informing not just everything the band did after, but a lot of what other bands did, too” while Rolling Stone extended similar praise, stating that “the collection presents a concentrated look at the genesis of one of England’s most vital post-punk bands”.
MadeinTYO and UnoTheActivist at the Skyway – TICKETS
Since blasting on the scene in 2015 with his viral hit and RIAA certified double-platinum track “Uber Everywhere,” LA-based rapper MadeinTYO has continued evolving as an artist with 2020’s Never Forgotten and 2018’s Sincerely, Tokyo and has collaborated with various artists like J Balvin, Chance The Rapper, Smino, Toro y Moi, Young Nudy and more.
Atlanta-based artist UnoTheActivist also emerged on the rap scene in 2015 and has continued to experiment sonically across various mixtapes and solo albums. Last year, Uno dropped three full-length solo albums as part of his Unoverse series.
Wednesday 3/2
Cannibal Corpse at the Skyway Theatre – TICKETS
Originally from Buffalo, NY now living in Tampa death metal band Cannibal Corpse is headlining a tour with Whitechapel, Revocation and Shadow of Intent promoting their album Violence Unimagined. This is a 15+ show with early doors at 5 PM
Friday 3/4
Sam Weber at the Turf Club – TICKETS
Canadian-born artist Sam Weber spans an eclectic range of roots, americana, improvisational music, and jazz influences. He has released three LPs of his own material, collaborated with Grammy winners, and contributed guitar to the 2021 Juno-winning Bahamas album, Sad Hunk. Supporting his latest release Get Free, Sam is going forth with the same intention and mantra as when he began: “Music is an emotional conduit between people and allows us the opportunity to share moments of truth and unity. In an age where the ritual of music-making can be a solitary exercise, I want to live my life to remind everyone that playing music as a communal and spontaneous practice can be healing and powerful.”
Sunday 3/6
illuminati hotties at the Entry – TICKETS
After years of uncertainty including label disputes, unpaid royalties and a surprise (and successful) album drop, illuminati hotties⏤the project of producer/writer Sarah Tudzin⏤have arrived… And she is ready to make some noise. Her new album Let Me Do One More is three years in the making and Tudzin’s most defiant and accomplished record to date.
After the success of her debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies, and coining the term “tenderpunk,” illuminati hotties were on their way to recording and releasing a highly-anticipated sophomore album. However, things at the label started to fall apart, and illuminati hotties found themselves stuck in a contract with a label who didn’t have the infrastructure to put out the album the band had been crafting for months. “It felt like any momentum came to a screeching halt. It felt painful to pick up a guitar, to write, to record any loose ends that needed to happen to wrap up the album,” Sarah recalls.
With the emotional turmoil and uncertainty building over the label situation, Tudzin turned her focus to a new batch of songs that would become FREE I.H. Funneling all the raw feelings and letting go of any inhibitions, illuminati hotties released the collection of songs, carefully not defined as the “new album.” The critically-acclaimed, fan favorite, release closed the chapter on the label drama, and opened up the band musically to a whole world of possibilities.
