Every city worth its salt has a legendary venue. In some cases it’s a place like the Hollywood Bowl or the Forum, unmissable and unmistakable, an absolute monument to the importance and value of the city as a whole. In other cases it’s the small punk venue that Nirvana and Pearl Jam started at, something that has provided a value far beyond the box office at the end of the show. Luckily, the greatest city in the world has both, and many of each, but perhaps there is no venue more important than The Smell.
The Smell is not a nice place, off the bat it strikes more as a homeless shelter than a legendary venue. But that’s precisely what has made it so alluring to so many a musician and attendee. There is no barrier to entry. If you’re playing you really only need to be able to set your shit up by yourself, if you’re watching, all you need is five bucks. In truth this is the kind of place that should have folded years ago, there is nothing that The Smell is offering beyond a decent night out and a chance to get aggressively panhandled outside the door, well, at least that’s how it looks at first blush.
What The Smell actually offers you is a window into the future. Noise rock and noise punk may never be the hot new sound that everyone is listening to at parties but it is destined to go on and develop sounds that will influence generations of musicians. Hell, in the past ten years alone the smell has produced acts like No Age, Together Pangea, Abe Vigoda, and HEALTH, all of which have redefined their respective genres in new and totally unexpected ways. This 22nd anniversary show is destined to explore some of the newest and most exciting sounds out there and will include sets from Smell veterans No Age and together pangea, so be sure to swing by and support the most important venue in Los Angeles. I promise the last sentence isn’t hyperbole.
Location: The Smell
Address: 247 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tickets available from $20
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