“It’s Black Jacks,” the ticket lady so helpfully corrects me as I wonder aloud if BLK JKS = Black Jicks, Black Jokes—that one goes over well—and if you like the Durutti Column, Battles, and Living Colour, you’ll like this energetic South African quartet.

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If one more person compares BLK JKS to Vampire Weekend, we might explode. This South African band writes pop songs, rock songs, slow tunes and fast tracks; they get proggy and they jam. There’s a great amount of variety on BLK JKS’ latest album After Robots, but the only thing the band imitates is the sound that reality transmits through their nimble fingers. Guitarist Mpumelelo Mcata breaks it down for Daiana Feuer.

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Fool’s Gold transcend the smog of Los Angeles with their big-band tropical-orchestral call-it-what-you-will multi-cultural dance music. If the crowd isn’t sweating by the end of their set, they warrant medical attention.

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