RVA Shows You Must See This Week: December 3 – December 9
FEATURED SHOW
Friday, December 5, 5 PM
RVA Krampusnacht presents: Yuletide Monsters First Friday Kickoff, feat. Gusher, The Vulgar Bulgars, Please Don’t Tell, Madame Onca @ Gallery 5 – Free! (Donations appreciated)
I love Richmond so much. No matter how much is done to try and sanitize it, sand its edges off, and gentrify it within an inch of its life (and in case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of capitalists and real estate barons running around here trying to do just that and worse), you just can’t make this city be normal. We have all kinds of traditions that seem totally normal and like a standard part of city life until you leave and find out, oh, no one actually does this anywhere else. Krampusnacht is a great example — it’s a celebration of the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas, which is celebrated on December 6 and is the day little kids get gifts in some Christian cultures (though not in America for whatever reason — it’s been relocated to Christmas Day). Krampusnacht is sorta the Halloween to Christmas’s All Saints Day. And here in Richmond, it’s celebrated with vigorous glee each year by the forces behind RVA Krampusnacht, who have thrown Krampus celebrations on December 5 for 13 years now — since a lot of people in the local underground music scene today were still little kids.
Between the forces of RVA Krampusnacht, who have been known to terrorize the city with “Krampus walks” on the night of December 5, and the standard “highly expressive weirdo artist” energy of Gallery 5 shows in general, this one promises to be a total festival of the senses, and you can see that by taking a quick look down the list of attractions for this Krampusnacht Yuletide Monsters kickoff celebration. The evening will end with an hour of burlesque performances featuring local luminaries like Zorro Nova, Qing Blaze, and Poppy La Fae, and there will be a group art show on display in the gallery curated by Britt Austin and featuring works by over two dozen artists. There will be half a dozen vendors selling some great curios and oddities so you can stock up on stocking stuffers before Christmas gets here, and a toy drive to benefit Toys For Tots.
Most importantly (at least for our purposes), there will be music! The headlining band for the evening (which, to be clear, will still play before the burlesque) is Gusher, a scrappy postpunk quartet whose raw energy is mixed with sinister atmospherics — almost like Good Throb if they’d had a generous dollop of first-LP Christian Death stirred in. Their most recent EP, Kiissiiiiing, is an invigorating listen, and I expect this performance to be just as inspired and inspiring. The Vulgar Bulgars will bring a significantly different vibe to the proceedings, with their uptempo yet romantic take on klezmer music — the traditional folk music of the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora. If you haven’t danced to a klezmer band at an uproarious social event, you haven’t lived, so come fix that at Gallery 5 this Friday night. Charlottesville trio Please Don’t Tell are bringing yet another totally different sound to the evening, playing classic cabaret tunes on piano, violin, and cello. They’ll make you feel like you’re in a crowded roadside inn during the early scenes of a classic Disney cartoon. You know, the spooky parts you always loved as a kid? These trio has distilled that feeling and will stretch it out across a full set. The evening’s entertainment will begin with a performance by Madame Onca, who does everything from singing to in-character performances to tarot readings with her self-designed deck. What we’ll get from her on this evening isn’t certain, but it’s sure to be a delight. Now be a good little kiddie and run along to this one… wouldn’t want Krampus showing up at your house in the dead of night, would you?
Wednesday, December 3, 7 PM
Telekinetic Yeti, Thunderchief @ Cobra Cabana – $14.64 (order tickets HERE)
Serious heavyosity is afoot on this chilly late-fall evening, as a tour containing a duo of powerful ensembles pulls up to Cobra Cabana to chase away your mid-week blues. First up is Telekinetic Yeti, an Iowa-based duo whose 2022 LP, Primordial, finds them sailing the seas of majestically brutal riffage that Mastodon once prowled in search of some sort of white whale. As yet Telekinetic Yeti have shown no tendencies to sail off on a wild goose chase in pursuit of prog-rock twaddle, so unlike the aforementioned band, they remain as heavy as they ever were, strafing the listener with psychedelia-drenched guitar noise over pounding rhythms and unrelenting vocal roars. These folks are all set to pummel you into next week, so be prepared for what awaits you.
And be prepared for their tourmates, Thunderchief, who should be more familiar to all comers as they hail from here in Richmond. Another heavy-as-fuck duo, these folks carry a slightly older-school metal sensibility with them, while remaining just as heavy as their touring partners. It’s been a few years since Thunderchief released a new album, but based on recent performances, these folks remain as heavy as ever, and you should expect to be righteously blown away by their performance. Don’t headbang too hard, though — you’ll definitely want some energy left when Telekinetic Yeti follows them on. You may like one of these bands more than the other, or you may revere them equally, but one thing’s for sure about this show — the combined forces of Telekinetic Yeti and Thunderchief are sure to result in you waking up in the morning with a bangover. It’s the best reason you’ve ever had to leave the Advil on the nightstand. Get stoked.
Thursday, December 4, 7 PM
John Francis O’Mara, Rebecca Porter @ The Camel – $18.54 (order tickets HERE)
Here’s something you’re not gonna see in this column every week: me recommending that you go see an Episcopalian priest play a local club on a random weeknight. It’s not a secret that as a queer trans woman I don’t find much space for myself in the world of organized religion, and maybe you don’t either, but listen: John Francis O’Mara is still right on, and I don’t just mean as a singer-songwriter. He’s into liberation theology, and he’s getting a doctorate in theology with a social justice focus. So don’t worry, this guy being a priest doesn’t mean he’s a fan of Trump or any nonsense like that. Indeed, his newest album is entitled Forbidden Hymns — a title I wouldn’t be surprised to see on a metal album.
So what’s John Francis O’Mara’s music sound like? Well, he’s got the kind of rock-powered alt-country twang that feels like it’s become a bit of an endangered species in the era of “Americana,” when drums and distorted guitars have become very thin on the ground in this world. If you’re like me and still feel like 90s-era groups like Uncle Tupelo, Vigilantes of Love, and The Jayhawks were some of the best the alt-country genre ever had to offer, what John Francis O’Mara’s doing these days will connect with you for sure. Indeed, he even worked with former Uncle Tupelo drummer Ken Coomer, as well as former members of Marty Stuart and John Mellencamp’s bands. Maybe those aren’t big names to everyone, but they damn well are to me, and if they are to you, I know you’ll want to hear more from John Francis O’Mara. Opening up the evening will be Charlottesville singer-songwriter Rebecca Porter, who leans a bit more heavily on the twang and two-step than O’Mara but still brings a lot of great honky-tonk vibes to her music. She’ll definitely get this one started off right.
Friday, December 5, 9 PM
Erin & The Wildfire RVA Family Jam, feat. Landon Elliott, Deau Eyes, Kayden Wilborn, Luciano, Box Factory, Mo and the Truth @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
It’s been a few years now since the Camel inaugurated their year-long First Friday residencies, in which a band from somewhere relatively close by plays on the first Friday of every month for a full year. And it has been interesting to see the different ways all of the bands who’ve held this spot have made sure their sets alternate from month to month enough to keep things from getting predictable or boring for the diehard fans who come out every month. Erin & The Wildfire have handled this challenge at least as well as any other band who has done this whole thing, and their final First Friday residency show proves that in spades. Instead of an ordinary set, they’re throwing a full on “RVA Family Jam,” in which they’ll be joined by a series of talented music makers who also happen to be personal friends with the band. From pensive indie singer-songwriter Landon Elliott to erudite pop maven Deau Eyes to Weekend Plans bandleader Kayden Wilborn, all of the folks who are stopping in will add some special flavor to the evening that’s sure to take things to the highest level they’ve attained throughout Erin & The Wildfire’s residency.
Really though, this band has been steadily on an upswing throughout 2025, which has been reflected not only in their performances at The Camel each First Friday but also in their recorded output. They compiled all of the loose singles they’ve released over the past couple of years into the Sway mini-LP over the summer, and they haven’t slowed down on a creative level since, considering they’ve released yet another new single, “Spend All My Life,” since last First Friday. Their 80s-retro synth-pop mixed with classic soul vibes and full-on R&B diva moments remain absolutely peak on all the material they’ve released this year, so rest assured, Erin & The Wildfire will have one hell of a set for you on Friday night, regardless of the tunes they choose to play. Openers Mo and the Truth will lay down some fiery soul-funk sounds to get the evening started on the right foot, and the whole evening will end with a special dance set from Box Factory, previewing some coming attractions (since they’ll be the First Friday residency band in 2026). This one’s gonna be a delight. You know what to do.
Saturday, December 6, 8 PM
Disintegration, Slugg, The Treasury, Hold Me Down @ Cobra Cabana – $12
If you’ve been in the local music scene for long enough, this one might throw you off a bit, since there used to be a Richmond-based grindcore band called Disintegration. However, the headliners on this show are not that group at all — instead, this is a synth-focused gothic postpunk band from Cleveland, who are currently touring behind their debut LP, Shiver In A Weak Light. Lest the mentions of gothic synth deceive you, let me hasten to add that this is no moody shrinking violet of a band — there’s real muscle in their bass-heavy synth patterns, which are further reinforced by energetic tempos and stabbing distorted guitar accents just to add some harshness and bite to the proceedings. The real star of the show is definitely vocalist Haley Himiko, though — she has a powerful singing voice and puts her whole heart into every line she delivers. When she sings it, you’re gonna believe it, and this band is definitely going to get you both dancing and rocking out during their set.
Disintegration are joined on their current tour by fellow Clevelanders Slugg, whose name was close enough upon first glance at this flyer to Richmond noise-rock band Slump that for a second I thought BOTH of these bands carried the same name as bygone Richmond bands. Not quite, actually, but it’s close enough to make you jump (at least if your brain is immersed in local music 24/7 the way mine is). Slugg definitely have some of the same influences coursing through their music as those that fuel Disintegration — gothic mood, heavy synth vibes, intense vocals — but where Disintegration settles down and rocks out on almost all of their songs, Slugg allows themselves to sink into overwhelming atmospheres of noise and sludge, overwhelming you with concrete-thick arrangements that are still strangely atmospheric and hard to pin down. Expect an enigmatic set from this group. Local support comes from The Treasury, which is harsh gothic industrial synth pound and sting from a veteran of the Raleigh, NC punk scene; and from local industrial metal noiseniks Hold Me Down, who deliver some real Godflesh-type vibes on their recently released second LP, Devour. This one will be a blast of sheer gothic industrial postpunk dynamite. Stand within the blast radius.
Sunday, December 7, 8 PM
Flora and The Fauna, Painted World, Roslin @ Bandito’s – $12 (order tickets HERE)
It has been a long time since I have been this sincerely stoked for a new debut by a Richmond band. Ever since I first caught Flora and the Fauna live over a year ago, I’ve been thrilled about what they’re doing. As a girl who grew up in an era when all underground music played on guitars was rooted in the fertile soil of punk rock, I was a little thrown to realize just how little this group takes from that musical lineage compared to their much stronger influences from pop, soul, and romantic balladry. But once I fully wrapped my mind around where they were taking their sound, I had to admit that they were better off following their own bliss, as this group’s instincts seem to be perfect in every way. From their incredibly tuneful and memorable songs to their high-energy performances — which are always spiced up by the off-the-hook exuberance of keyboardist/sax player Valerie Jemison — this band really does have all the elements needed for musical world domination.
This performance celebrates the release of what I expect to be one of the best albums to come out of Richmond this year. I Wanna collects nine of the songs that have been set highlights for Flora and the Fauna since they started playing out, and presents them in brilliantly produced high-quality sound. You’ll get a chance to dance and rave to all of these amazing tracks at this Sunday night performance at Bandito’s, and it’s a great note on which to end your weekend. They’ll be joined on the bill by a couple of relatively new Richmond-based projects. Painted World is the latest sound from David Long, who is also a member of Knifing Around and previously played with members of Flora and the Fauna in Hot Reader. Expect total rock power from this set. As for Roslin, I haven’t heard too much from them, but the one song I’ve caught has powerful shoegaze atmosphere and a driving, intense feel. I expect these folks to start this evening off with a bang. Don’t miss it.
Monday, December 8, 7 PM
Stress Positions, Commitment, Telepathic Love, Spicy Meatball @ Cobra Cabana – $15
If the state of the world doesn’t make you absolutely furious these days, I have to wonder whether you ever wake all the way up. Chicago hardcore quartet Stress Positions are wide awake, they’re seeing what’s happening around them, and they’re wailing and screaming in fucking total fury. Considering that my brain feels just like their music sounds most of the time, I’m definitely vibing with what this band is all about. Forming out of the ashes of CHEW, this band has released three records since 2022, with the most recent, 2025’s Human Zoo, being a full-length protest against the horrific injustices taking place in Gaza right now. While previous albums were full of full-on fast hardcore rage, their most recent work interpolates moments of harsh noise feedback and atonal electronic fuzz, creating a sonic collage that is as full of terror as it is of political fury. It seems likely that Stress Positions’ live performances will remain walls of furious hardcore pummeling and screaming… and that’s definitely what we all want. So pull up at Cobra Cabana Monday night for a heaping helping.
Three other hardcore punk ragers will also be on this bill, just to make sure you get your full money’s worth of pulse-pounding terror and rage. Philadelphia’s Commitment are a new group, with only a four-song demo out thus far, but their less noisy and more brutal take on fast, old-school hardcore punk is sure to pick everyone up and drag ’em around the room. Get that pit started quick, folks — this band’s musical fury demands it. Richmonders Telepathic Love are new to me, and I have no idea who is in the band, but I do know that their demo rocks hard, taking the tempo down a bit in favor of some more danceable punk rage that’ll keep the skanking at maximum. Spicy Meatball, who open things up, have probably got the highest level of hype on the Richmond hardcore scene right now, due if nothing else to their outstanding name. But they’re not just a good gimmick; their demo nearly rips your head off with its scathing harshness and intensity. All of these bands are going to wipe the floor with all comers, so expect no less. Get fucking stoked for a Monday night for once in your life.
Tuesday, December 9, 7 PM
Agnostic Front, Raw Brigade, Violent Way, Naysayer @ The Canal Club – $25 in advance, $30 day of show (order tickets HERE… if you can get it to work)
Agnostic Front are an absolute hardcore institution. Having come together in the early 80s, when hardcore was still just beginning to distinguish itself from the wider punk rock genre and when their hometown of New York City was still an absolute warzone, Agnostic Front helped establish the sound of hardcore with early releases like United Blood (1983) and Victim In Pain (1984), ushered in the crossover era with the legendary Cause For Alarm (1986), and continued to demonstrate their brilliance on later efforts like the brilliant Something’s Gotta Give (1998) and the new-era-defining The American Dream Died (2015). Now in 2025, they’ve released their 13th album, Echoes In Eternity, and managed to synthesize the sounds of their high-speed, high-energy early era, their more metallic moments, and their football-chant punk anthems, all on one release. Sure, it’s not the best Agnostic Front album ever recorded (that’s Live At CBGB [1989], and we all know it), but it’s pretty remarkable to hear something this good from a band that’s been doing it for this long.
So hey, now’s the time! If you haven’t seen Agnostic Front before, it’s time to fix that, as they’ll be running through Richmond on a Tuesday night, and you’ve got nothing going on that could possibly be important enough to keep you away. Celebrate some of the absolute godfathers that made hardcore what it is today — come mosh it up to Agnostic Front, and stagedive during “Victim In Pain.” You know you want to. ESPECIALLY because they’ve got the one and only Raw Brigade along with them on this tour. This absolutely raging ensemble has come all the way to America from Bogota, Colombia to bring us the harsh, fast, and intense as fuck sounds they lay down with perfect aplomb on their brand new LP, 100%. Take that, ICE (and by the way, fuck you). Buffalo band Violent Way are also on the bill, and this young American band is doing their level best to recreate the classic Oi! sound of groups like The Business and Blitz, adding a tuneful undertone to crunchy guitars, gravelly angry vocals, and classic circle-pit tempos. It feels a lot heavier than groups like Cocksparrer did back in the day, but that tends to be the way of rock n’ roll-based genres over time, I’ve found. Opening this one up will be Naysayer, the legendary Richmond hardcore band with a metallic bite and an ultra-tough attack, who returned from a nearly decade-long hiatus earlier this year with an incredible new EP called Rage Dreams. Expect these guys to start the evening out by reminding everyone of exactly why we all loved them in the first place.
Email me if you’ve got any tips for me about upcoming shows (that take place after the week this column covers -– this week’s column has obviously already been written): rvamustseeshows@gmail.com
Please consider supporting my Patreon, where I’m writing crazy fiction on semi-regular schedules (complete sapphic rom-com novel available to read there — 90s period piece supernatural horror novel begins serialization in December 2025). patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
