[REMINDER] Don’t Miss Ought w/ Moaning & Butthole | TONIGHT @ The High Watt

Out in support of their phenomenal new third album, Room Inside the World, Canadian art/post-punk favorites Ought are set to return to town tonight, Sept. 10 to headline The High Watt with buzzworthy LA post-punk newcomers Moaning and local indie punk favorites Butthole. A band we’ve had an eye on for a few years, and one that has continuously impressed us each time we’ve had a chance to see them live, Ought adopt a smart, edgy, expansive, and genre-bending sound that feels both indebted to much of the classic post-punk we love, as well as wholly unique in its approach. One of the last great must-see shows of the summer, tickets are still available here, and for an intimate space like The High Watt, they might not last. Read on for more about the show!

OUGHT

Buzzworthy rockers Ought found critical acclaim with their stellar debut LP More Than Any Other Day in 2014, cementing their sound and status after a few years of positive DIY buzz, and become a fixture in the modern indie punk scene with the following year’s even better followup, Sun Coming Down. Formed in 2012 in Montreal, the band play an art-rock, experimental flavor of post-punk, taking cues from acts as wide ranging as Cap’n Jazz to Talking Heads, constantly making creative decisions and adventurous songwriting choices to keep their material inventive and surprising. Thanks to singles like “Habit,” “Beautiful Blue Sky,” and this year’s standout, “Desire,” from their stellar third full-length and first for new label home Merge, Room Inside the World, they’ve become indie press darlings, and are quickly building an organic fanbase through their passionate, emotionally and politically charged, and personal live show. The depth, wit, and insight  of frontman Tim Darcy’s observational lyrical themes help set these guys apart, and make them one of the best rising acts in indie and post-punk. It’s been a couple years since Ought last made it to Music City, and with their best, most inventive, ambitious, and mature album to date in tow, it’s an excellent time to see them in such an intimate space.

MOANING

Comprised of LA DIY veterans Sean Solomon, Pascal Stevenson, and Andrew MacKelvie, post-punks Moaning might be a relatively new act, but its members have been a part of the same SoCal art rock scene and friends for over a decade. With a dark, complex, and earnest sound and sensibility, the band’s recently released eponymous debut was crafted with a shared sense of anguish and heartbreak. Though they take a clear cue from angsty, stylish, and moody New Order-esque post-punk of the ’80s and later, dreamy shoegaze from the likes of Slowdive, Moaning still manage to feel both anchored to the modern art rock scene, and wholly distinct in their own take on the style. Needless to say, they’re perfectly matched to support Ought, and a band we’re excitedly keeping an eye on in their own right.

BUTTHOLE

The self-proclaimed “Taylor Swifts of Fudge Rock,” Nashville’s Butthole have become an integral fixture in the local DIY scene over the past couple of years, catching attention, of course, for their name (like peers Diarrhea Planet) and deserving it even moreso for their music (also like DP). The group released their self-titled debut LP in 2016, combining punk ethos with indie, lo-fi, and even surf-tinged influences, and have increasingly attracted positive buzz for their fun videos, energetic and lighthearted live shows, and DIY spirit. Don’t be late!

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Ought, Moaning, and Butthole will perform tonight, Sept. 10 at The High Watt. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $15.