A few weeks back we posted a tweet asking for the best album covers ever made by bands from Los Angeles, at this exact second, I’m noticing that we made a glaring omission. Los Angeles by X. Not only does the album bear the name of our beautiful city but it’s a simple, beautiful image of the letter “X” on fire. It’s one of those things that much like the band X, shouldn’t really be all that awe inspiring but there’s something so special about the way it all comes together. This show is the same thing, how could it be more perfect.
If you’ve read this site for awhile, and in particular if you’ve read some of my concert reviews, you’ll notice my lamentations surrounding the death of great punk shows. Part of this comes from the fact that punk isn’t the same cultural force it used to be, and that’s to be expected. The other part stems from the inability of many audiences to get into the right frame of mind to bring the necessary level of energy to a punk show. It’s not like going to an indie show where you can just sort of chill out, punk demands that you get on your feet and move. Luckily there’s one venue in LA that has never steered a punk band wrong, and that’s the Teragram Ballroom.
Having been to around ten shows at the Teragram, I can attest that not only do they have impeccable taste when it comes to selecting artists (to name a few from the past couple years, Wavves, HEALTH, Knocked Loose, and IDLES) but the crowds that make it there have always showed the proper amount of reverence (or lack of reverence) demanded by the band onstage. Wavves was your usual stonery punk affair, HEALTH was a magical confluence of metalheads and techno goths, IDLES was a left leaning group of punks ready to shout any anthem that came their way, and Knocked Loose, well they, along with opening band Terror, started a literal torrent of stage divers.
Because of all this, X and the Teragram Ballroom is a match made in heaven. On the one hand you have one of the greatest punk venues in LA, and on the other you have a punk band, born in LA, raised in LA, with an album named Los Angeles who received an Official Certificate of Recognition from the City of Los Angeles in acknowledgment of its contribution to Los Angeles music and culture. Of course they did, have you ever heard “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene” and its incredible blend of classic California surf rock with the punk attitude that the band helped shape.
Any punk fans need to make it to this show. It’s a perfect confluence of all your interests, an aligning of the planets. Who knows when or if this will ever happen again, it’s best to go now when it’s guaranteed. We promise it’ll be the night of your life.
Location: The Teragram Ballroom
Address: 1234 W 7th St Los Angeles, CA, 90017
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