Returning for the first time in a couple of years for their biggest Music City headliner to date, LA skater punks FIDLAR are set to play the Cannery Ballroom with two promising Canadian acts on the rise, grunge rockers Dilly Dally and garage punks NOBRO, tonight, Sept. 21. While it’s been a few years since FIDLAR followed up their beloved, eponymous debut with equally great sophomore effort Too, the band have been winding back up with some stellar new tracks this year, ahead of a highly-anticiapted third full-length. One of the most fun and unpredictable live bands to crop up in recent years, any time FIDLAR come to town is a must-see, and you can still grab tickets to their latest stop right here! Read on for more about the show.
FIDLAR
Formed in Los Angeles in 2009, FIDLAR quickly rose to garage punk prominence by the release of their ferocious, eponymous debut in 2013. Led by frontman Zac Carper, born in Hawaii, who met LA native Elvis Kuehn while working in a recording studio, and San Diego-born bassist Brandon Schwartzel pre-FIDLAR, while dealing with a spell of homelessness and drug addition, the band, rounded out by drummer Max Kuehn (he and Elvis are sons of legendary T.S.O.L. keyboardist Greg Kuehn) quickly found an audience on the west coast thanks to their wild, rowdy, punk-spirited live shows. Earning early praise thanks to standout tracks like “Cheap Beer” and “No Waves,” the band have been touring relentlessly for the last several years, sharing the stage with an impressive array of acts like the Pixies, The Hives, Wavves, JEFF the Brotherhood, the Black Lips, OFF!, and more, all the while becoming a staple in the modern punk scene.
Co-opting elements of skate culture and skate punk (their name, even, is an acronym for “Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk,” the mantra of Cooper’s former skater roommates), and blending them with garage rock and straightforward punk, FIDLAR’s no fucks given attitude, unpredictability, and carefree thematic focus has made them one of the most fun, authentic, and enduring acts to erupt from the indie scene in recent memory. We’ve had the chance to see them on several occasions, both at festivals and in smaller venue spaces, and can attest to the fact that their live show is just as wild and fun as their records. The band’s last LP, 2015’s Too, was every bit the high-energy, skate and garage punk standout as their first, and with a string of strong, career-high recent singles, they seem to be gearing up to release a hotly-anticipated third effort soon. This will be their biggest Nashville headliner yet, but Cannery is still just intimate enough to properly experience their wild and raucous live show.
DILLY DALLY
Bonded by a mutual love of grunge rock, and forged in the flourishing Toronto underground punk scene, grungy alt rockers Dilly Dally found widespread critical acclaim and worldwide attention for their excellent debut LP, Sore, in 2015. As their DIY roots gave way to broader success, however, it also amplified personal struggle and inter-band turmoil, nearly ending the promising group before they really had a chance to flourish. After a year spent largely writing alone in self-reflection, frontperson Katie Monks regrouped with her bandmates, guitarist Liz Ball, bassist Jimmy Tony, and drummer Benjamin Reinhartz, to craft the album that not only kept them together, but eschewed anger and frustration for a newfound optimism and hopeful intensity, a figurative rebirth they appropriately called Heaven. Of the many groups to adopt a sort of throwback, grunge-infused sound in recent years, Dilly Dally are without a doubt one of the best (and not just because they incorporate more droning, sharp, and adventurous elements than most), and if they haven’t yet landed on your radar, give them a spin immediately.
NOBRO
Adopting a sort of disaffected, raucous, garage punk sound not a far-shot from FIDLAR, Montreal group NOBRO are another rad up and coming band you should be keeping an eye on. Bridging a sort of no-frills, classic, power punk affect with modern indie and garage rock, packing an energetic, pop-primed punch, they seem perfectly suited to get this show started, and with a new LP, Sick Hustle, apparently forth coming, it’s a cool time to catch this group in action!
FIDLAR, Dilly Dally, and NOBRO will perform tonight, Sept. 21 at Cannery Ballroom. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $25.