Los Angeles may not be a metal city, but it damn sure is a punk city. In large part, at least currently, it remains a punk city because of a handful of small to mid-sized punk venues scattered throughout the city, but none is more important than The Smell.
Ever since its founding in 1999, The Smell has carried forward the LA tradition of an all aged DIY venue, and it has done so admirably. Numerous important bands, including No Age, Abe Vigoda, and XBXRX are all “graduates” of The Smell, having moved onto larger careers outside of the Skid Row adjacent venue, but all of them speak fondly of the tiny venue which remains one of the only places that admits any looking to catch a show and fosters a healthy relationship between musicians and fans.
Sometimes, though not terribly often, a band you’ve heard of steps in through the doorway and blows the place to shreds. More often than not it’s a local LA band, but sometimes it’s a group that respects the contributions the venue has made to music, and are looking for a way to pay them back through performance.
On 1/12, one such act will be swinging through the legendary space, Street Sects, an experimental noise punk band who has recently gained acclaim for their Gentrification series of two song ep’s, all of which are excellent. On top of that they perfectly embody the spirit of The Smell. They are loud, abrasive and wholly unyielding, and they absolutely need to play more shows in Los Angeles. It’s an unrelenting city and it deserves to have an unrelenting band playing at all hours of the day, you’d be hard pressed to do better than Street Sects.
Location: The Smell
Address: 247 S. Main St 90012, Los Angeles (LA), CA, US
Tickets available on The Smell website
Leave a Comment