This week is insane. We’ve got the insane cello goblin, some insane performers like Shagg Carpet, and bands like Drook that are just insanely good. If I’m going to a show, I need it to be insane.
Got a show coming up? New single? Simply want someone to talk music? I am your guy at griffin@rvamag.com.
Richmond Music Hall
Thursday, October 23rd
Rushadicus (The Cello Goblin), Three Brained Robot
Sometimes you see something so weird, so bizarre, so unexplainable that you feel you might have crossed into another universe. This week at Richmond Music Hall, we have Rushadicus, also known as The Cello Goblin. You may have seen this bastard online or heard tales of his insanity, but he’s one of the most unique performers in the world. He dances around like a jester while playing a cello (sometimes with a kazoo attached to it) and creates sounds that feel both medieval and metal, all while delivering incoherent grunts and gutturals. Back in the day, you’d only see something like this in a tavern once every four years, so take the opportunity while you can.
Local support comes from Three Brained Robot, a local performance artist, musician, and puppeteer. Predicting what their set will be is a fool’s errand. They’re incredibly unique and a bit unhinged, the signs of a great performance. Go into this with an open mind and a pure heart. Something’ll happen.
The Camel
Friday, October 24th
Velvet Ruin, Shagg Carpet, Homey
Goth is so back! Local moody rockers Velvet Ruin are hitting The Camel for their release show this week. I got the chance to hear these songs early, and they are fantastic. The A-side, “Gemini”, is a fast, heavy, rocking number paired with the atmospheric, crooning vocals that have come to define this band. The B-side, Gun, is slow and creepy, perfect for Halloween. “Gun” really got me; it strikes the same chords as the slower Joy Division and Siouxsie tracks.
I have no shortage of good things to say about Shagg Carpet. The band started out making fantastic egg punk, but with their sophomore album, they’ve entered the realms of pop, dance, rock, and anything else you can think of. They’re consistently one of the best live acts this city can muster.
Homey is the last group on this bill. This local band has some great stuff out on Bandcamp, and they pair perfectly with Velvet Ruin. They know how to maximize their lo-fi, shoegazey sound, creating some really special sonic moments. Check out their single Murmur, it’s complex and simple, heavy and soft. It’s a great goddamn track.
The Camel
Saturday, October 25th
Drook, DialsDialsDials, Nabeel, Athera
Drook is back at The Camel! If you don’t know this band, make yourself familiar with their debut album The Pure Joy of Jumping, which came out last year. I found it to be one of the best Richmond releases of 2024. This band is alive, living, breathing, singing, and playing like it could all end tomorrow. They’re unabashed pop, and it gets in your bones and makes them shake. I was blown away by that album and can’t wait to see what comes next.
Joining the bill is the local jungle-beat project known as DialsDialsDials. This duo (formerly a solo act) is pure sonic mayhem combining jazz drumming with rave beats and experimental noise. You definitely don’t see this every day.
Up next, we have Nabeel, and I’m very excited to talk about this one. Nabeel is the culmination of Iraqi, Richmond, and indie culture, a broad sum that comes together in the work of singer Yasir Razak. The influences are incredibly diverse and wide-ranging, but it’s never an overload of sound. There’s something familiar, inviting, and warm in it all. The guitar work alone carries remarkable range. This is something really special, and I feel lucky to have found it and you can be just as lucky by seeing it live this week.
Last up on this bill, we have Athera, an emo group with serious pop sensibilities. The dual vocals are fantastic, one singing sweetly and powerfully while the other rips every note straight from the gut. I have no doubt about Athera’s live capabilities.
New Tunes
“More!” by Dead Billionaires
Last week, we saw a stacked bill celebrating the release of More!, the newest EP by Dead Billionaires. I’ve always loved these guys, and I think they’ve written their magnum opus with the self-titled track. It’s got all the alternative charm they’re known for and perfectly sums up their righteous anger toward the oligarchic class that oppresses the average Joe.
“Busted Sideview Mirror” is a beautifully romantic track about the city we’ve all come to love, it makes me feel nostalgic for something I’m still in the middle of, smoking cigarettes on West Grace Street. Overall, I think this EP is their best work yet, so make sure to check out the rest of the tracks.
Main photo of Drook by Dustie Bayer
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