Upcoming Shows: Japandroids, Mission of Burma + more

TONIGHT - Monday, July 6

Peter Murphy @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $35
Pete Murphy is the original goth, the frontman of Bauhaus.


TOMORROW - Tuesday, July 7

Peter Murphy @ Highline Ballroom | Chelsea, Manhattan | $35
See above.


Wednesday, July 8

Sundelles, Little Girls @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $7
I haven't seen the Sundelles, but they're meant to play garagey indie pop - 50's revival with a punk 'tude. People like them. Little Girls are one of the five bands I've recommended you watch in the rest of 2009 - a recommendation made by "Jasper" but which I can now more confidently confirm, having seen them at this weekend's Woodsist/Capture Tracks festival. Dark and gloomy DIY punk from Canada that's very worth checking out. [Sundelles MySpace] [Little Girls MySpace]


Thursday, July 9

MC Lyte @ Von King Park | Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn | FREE!
MC Lyte is one the greatest MCs ever, and was one of the first women to get behind a mic and rap. She was a revolutionary, paving the way for women in hip-hop and expanding the boundaries of what rap music could say and do. I'd pay way more than $0 to check this out.


Friday, July 10

Japandroids, Little Girls @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $8
Japandroids have recently become one of my favorite new bands. Like No Age but more conventional and with more tightly-written songs, Japandroids offer an amazing mix of roaring noise, punk energy and infectious melody. This is what pop-punk should have been. I just told you about Little Girls (see Wednesday listing). [Japandroids MySpace] [Little Girls MySpace]

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ South Street Seaport | Downtown Manhattan | FREE!
The Pains have got nothing on Japandroids, but they are pretty good pop music that the kids are crazy for. Their ascent from playing loft parties to a few dozen friends to scoring full features in Spin and Newsweek has been dizzying and makes me kind of want to hate them. But I can't hate them because they are nice people, outstanding songwriters and great performers. Like I said, you should go see Japandroids, but if don't have eight bucks, this FREE show is a pretty sweet alternative. [MySpace]


Saturday, July 11

Japandroids @ Pianos | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!
Japandroids rock. (See above.) [MySpace]

Parts and Labor @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $7-20 (donation)
Parts and Labor are a super-rad NYC band. They play experimental rock that can be kind of like Oneida and kind of like Liars and often like no one else in particular. They have some very pop moments and some very weird ones, inhabiting the no man's land between pop music and noise-rock more fully and broadly than any of their contemporaries. Since you went to see Japandroids on Friday and Pianos is sold out anyway, you'll want to head over to Market Hotel on Saturday night. [MySpace]


Sunday, July 12

Mission of Burma, Fucked Up, Ponytail @ Williamsburg Waterfront | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | FREE!!
Daaaamn. Mission of Burma has been redefining indie, punk and noise since the early 80's and their reunion a few years ago came a surprise to those familiar with the band's good-natured break-up, meant to save the last remaining shreds of Roger Miller's hearing. Better earplug technology has allowed them to regroup and play awesome shows like this. Fucked Up are one of the best hardcore punk groups around these days, and as for Ponytail, they are amazing live as well as recorded. [MOB MySpace] [FU MySpace] [Ponytail MySpace]