Oklou opened the evening with a handful of lush and dreamy pop songs that perfectly set the stage for the main event. Caroline Polachek, who has been dropping jaws all over the U.S. on her recent tour, delivered a set full of hits as well as excellent covers of the Corr’s “Breathless” and Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” – which she performed together with Oklou.

British duo Wet Leg, wrapping up a US tour that saw the buzz around the band magnified with each stop on the tour behind the insanely catchy single “Chaise Longue,” made their debut in San Francisco at the Rickshaw Stop on December 15th. The next night, the were the second opening act for Chvrches at Bill Graham Civic auditorium. Check out photos from both sets in the gallery.

Metal legends and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Metallica celebrated 40 years in their hometown of San Francisco with two nights at the Chase Center. The band played a setlist of classics, covers, and deep cuts from a circular stage in the middle of the arena floor. Check out photos from the first night on December 17th, 2021.

Courtney Barnett, who released her third solo record, Things Take Time, Take Time, in November, played to a packed house at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA on December 12. Buzz-worthy singer Bartees Strange opened the show with his blend of indie rock/hip-hop hybrid.

Indie-rock darlings Beach Bunny played a sold-out show at the Fillmore in San Francisco on December 7th.

Popscene presented another poppin’ pop party at Rickshaw Stop on Tuesday night, with a bill featuring San Fransico’s own SUMif, who played their first show since the pandemic began, and Phoenix’s UPSAHL, a three-time Popscene veteran headlining for the first time.

Plenty of fun was had at Super Bock em Stock: running around a beautiful city and checking out new venues (a former Moorish palace! A train station! An art deco cinema!), discovering new bands, eating pork sandwiches, and of course drinking the namesake Super Bock beer made for a memorable weekend.

Australian psychedelic titans Tame Impala – led by the talented and affable Kevin Parker – made their galvanizing return to Austin, Texas. Fans were left mesmerized by the trippy vibes, eye-popping lights, lasers galore, and an endless stream of hits. Scroll through the full experience.

The quartet from Provo, Utah, finally kicked off their tour this month in support of their second record, Under My Influence, released last summer. After opening the tour in Seattle, they hit August Hall in San Francisco.
19-year-old alt-pop newcomer Madeline the Person opened the show decked out in blue hair and fairy wings, and delivered a winning set of vivid, personal songs.

Despite Iceland Airwaves’ late cancellation, there was still plenty of awesome live music to take in as well as incredibly beautiful sights to see. Scroll through to check it all out.

British rock band Idles played the Warfield in San Francisco on November 6th, ahead of the release of their fourth record, Crawler. New York art-punk band opened the show. Check out the gallery of both bands…

The autumn edition of the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco, moved from August this year to October, closed out the weekend of festivities on Halloween. Check out the gallery for pics from Sofi Tukker, Kehlani, RUFUS DU SOL, TroyBoi, Yves Tumor, Nelly, LP Giobbi, Cam, Cannons, mxmtoon, and Claud.

Last week, vaporwave titan George Clanton and electro pop rising stars Magdalena Bay rolled through San Diego’s Soda Bar, throwing down dazzling sets that galvanized the energetic crowd. MagBay delivered rapturous performances of tracks off their excellent debut LP ‘Mercurial World,’ while George entertained the crowd with an endless string of his greatest hits. Scroll thru for all the visual magic.