Ratatat Club Nokia was packed for the danceable onslaught of NYC duo Mike Stroud and Evan Mast, aka Ratatat, on tour in support of their latest full-length, LP4. Usually solo Bobby Birdman opened with a drummer, filling out his electronic-driven surf melodies with a rich beat. DOM followed, with their eponymous lead singer’s appearance as [...]

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When the moment finally arrived, girls and guys alike squealed in ecstatic glee. Forgoing sidemen this time around, the duo of guitarist Mike Stroud and bass/synth man Evan Mast performed by their lonesomes as writhing silhouetted twins against a backdrop of swirly screen projections and stage smoke.

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photography by Lindsay Hutchens Buzzcocks performed at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, Saturday, June 5, 2010 on a stop during their “Another Bites” US Tour.  The band played their first two classic albums “Another Music in a Different Kitchen” and “Love Bites” in their entirety along with some of their biggest hits.  Original band members [...]

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photography by Carlton Beener The Too Fast for Love tour hit Club Nokia Tuesday night, June 1st with a few surprises along the way. Travis McCoy, performing his new solo material under the name Travie McCoy and the Lazarus Project,  brought a little R&B with a modern twist. With walkup service at the bar, the [...]

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photography by Carlton Beener The Specials returned to Los Angeles Thursday, April 16 for their first full U.S. gig in 29 years. The almost original lineup (sans Dammers), while a little more grey, were in top form. The crowd was a mix of young and old, many younger than the songs they were there to [...]

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Nothing transforms feelings of isolation, guilt, shame, rage, and panic into joy like the best PiL music. It is the balm. So expectations were absurdly high for this, Public Image’s first show in the U.S. in eighteen years.

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While I did catch a glimpse of the mound of confiscated drugs at the venue’s entrance, it’s undeniable that a fair amount of mind altering substances made it past the double doors—if the sea of completely uninhibited, barely clothed dancers was any indication.

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I like Club Nokia, when the music is upbeat and the crowd isn’t competitive, when the music is Chromeo and the crowd consists of everybody from bedazzle-eyed lanky late teens and balding men wearing tiny gold top hats, to sexy high top sporting gay girls and hyper mini-skirted chicks of questionable preference.

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photography by Gari Askew

Willie Nelson performing at Club Nokia on December 8, 2009.

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She was pointing at us to sing and we sang. “Linger,” “Ode to My Family,” “Ridiculous Thoughts,” “Salvation,” “Free to Decide,” “ZOMBIE,” “Dreams.” All the classics transported the crowd back into our high school bedrooms, our empowered angst. I sang along my until my stomach was tense and my throat was raw, knowing way more lyrics than I remember knowing, and it seemed as if everybody else was in similar suit of sounding just like the Irish rockstar, of channeling her beauty, of being her fans, her sea, and, ultimately, her choir.

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