WED SEPT 27
Sheer Mag w/Tenement
Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. ChávezSince forming in 2014, Sheer Mag has made big waves with three excellent EPs. The Philadelphia band plays metal-influenced power pop, with vocalist Tina Halladay front and center. She makes the political personal, singing about everything from the Stonewall Riots to old lovers. Sheer Mag’s 2017 full-length debut, Need to Feel Your Love, is both comforting and rousing—it’s a validation of Trump-era anxieties as well as a call to action.
SUN OCT 1
Vance Joy w/Amy Shark, Chappell Roan
Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W BurnsideAustralian singer/songwriter Vance Joy has stayed pretty quiet since releasing his debut LP, Dream Your Life Away, in 2014. You can only coast on one album and a Taylor Swift endorsement for so long. But Joy returned earlier this summer with the single “Lay It on Me,” and now he’s hitting the road with fellow indie artists Amy Shark and Chappell Roan. The guy knows how to write a radio-ready anthem (“Riptide”), but will he eclipse one-hit-wonder status with his forthcoming sophomore album? Joy’s challenge will be adapting to the current indie-pop landscape.
TUES OCT 3
Bleachers w/Tangerine
Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th<Fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff debuted his solo project, Bleachers, with 2014’s Strange Desire, followed by 2015’s Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2. In June he dropped the grandiose Gone Now, which features sticky-sweet melodies, plenty of saxophone solos, and cameos from pop-stars Lorde and Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s over the top, opulent, and mindlessly fun. Though the record might not serve any meaningful purpose, it proves that substance isn’t always necessary for good art. Plus, we always need to have fun, even when things look bleak.