Most people think of hell as a place that can really put a damper on your life. Yet, while trapped in what seemed the middle of it—after a quick double-check it only turned out to be Pasadena (where it was 106 degrees)–there was a quick realization that all that talk about Satan and rock and roll going together is actually true. Helping to hammer that point home were great performances from Autolux and the Raveonettes as part of the Make Music Pasadena festival. It was hard to tell who should be commended more for braving the heat, the pretty sizable crowd who got to hear really great bands that also included Kinky and The Little Ones, or the bands themselves who played their asses off while the sun beat directly on them. Judging from the cherry-red face of Autolux drummer Carla Azar, my vote is for the bands, who both played outstanding sets considering the fact that they were probably WAY hotter than the crowd. Relying mostly on re-arranged cuts from Future Perfect, Autolux continues to be a rock-solid live band that still continues to sound fresh despite playing the same material for five-plus years. Azar’s drumming also continues to be otherworldly, holding down rhythms that help propel the bands shoegaze-influenced sound to something creative instead of simply derivative. By the time the Raveonettes hit the stage, the crowd, which had mostly been trying to hang in the sparse amounts of shade during Autolux, was in full force. Perhaps it was because the pregnant Sharin Foo was being replaced by her dead-ringer sister or maybe the songs were more palatable to the crowd, but the bands set surprisingly relied heavily on cuts from Pretty in Black rather than this year’s amazing Lust Lust Lust. It didn’t really matter either way, though, both albums are top notch and its infectious 50s bubblegum meets Jesus and the Mary Chain sound even made the crowd rolling in to see Kinky begin to forget about the heat and dance. And, if that’s a brief snapshot of what hell is like—a rock and roll dance party—those deals that many of us cut with Beelzebub don’t seem half bad after all.

— Alex Roman