RVA Shows You Must See This Week: January 28 – February 3
FEATURED SHOW
Saturday, January 31, 7 PM
White Beast, Rat Fight, Telepathic Love, Captain Caveman @ Bandito’s – $10 (order tickets HERE)
Most of y’all didn’t know me back then (some of you weren’t alive), but I started writing about live music in Richmond back in the late 90s. Back then, it was much more difficult to do, because most of the bands you were covering were either out-of-town groups that you may or may not have ever heard of, and local bands who might have played a lot of shows around town but were lucky to even have a demo tape out. And of course, even if every band you were covering had at least a tape out (they didn’t), chances were you hadn’t heard most of them. Way too often I was reduced to making silly quips about the band’s name or listing members’ previous bands, then just moving on. It is SO much easier to write about live music now, because pretty much any band that’s playing shows anywhere has music online that you can listen to for free. These days it is a truly rare event for me to find out that I can’t listen to a band I’m putting in the column before I write about them.
That’s pretty awesome, but what’s even more awesome is how much easier it is for bands to release music when all they really need to do is record songs (potentially on a home computer with a cheap or free recording program on it) and upload them to streaming services or websites like Bandcamp. It results in a lot of new music coming out all the time, even from relatively small bands that are still just getting started. And then you get amazing weeks like this one, where something like half of the shows that made the column are celebrations of new releases from the headlining band. This show is no exception: power duo White Beast have just released a new single, “Cooked,” which is a powerful blast of noisy, propulsive rock n’ roll, full of tension, heaviness, and forward motion. It’s a great follow-up to their 2025 EP Home Alone, the first release featuring Destructo Disk’s Molly Gordon behind the drums. This band was already very good, but they’ve only gotten better since solidifying the current lineup, and “Cooked” constitutes strong evidence that their next record is going to be on a whole new level.
This opportunity to delight in White Beast’s steamrolling rage is one you should definitely avail yourself of, especially considering that the show is a benefit for the nonprofit Richmond Community Legal Fund. We were smart enough, as a Commonwealth, to elect a Democratic governor last fall, but now with her in office it’s only a matter of time before Trump’s goon squad descends upon this city and starts trying to start a war. RCLF is already working to help people with immigration issues and civil rights cases, and we’ll only need them even more when you-know-who shows up, so donating to groups that try to help with the kinds of problems we’ll no doubt be swimming in soon enough is certainly the move. Plus we’ll get sets from melodic yet chaotic Richmond punks Rat Fight, local rockin’ rollin’ hardcore punk combo Telepathic Love, and sludgy noise-rock maniacs Captain Caveman. This is gonna be a night of rage — and right now, we all need plenty of that in our lives.
Wednesday, January 28, 8 PM
O.I.L., Thunderchief, Hellion Child @ Fuzzy Cactus – $10
Editor’s Note: This show has been cancelled due to the weather conditions, but keep this line-up in mind in case it gets rescheduled, or the bands play another show in town soon!
There was a pretty long period in the late 00s and early 10s where everyone was really into stoner doom metal — to the point where, if you ask me, it all got very played out. But what that whole movement seemed to miss entirely was the most extreme end of the earlier doom metal eras — the truly apocalyptic, crawling gasping sound of sludge. Eyehategod were just the beginning — I’m talking bands whose amps were so loud, distortion was so heavy, and riffs were so slow that sometimes the music felt like it was just stopping entirely, descending into morasses of feedback, roars, and screams. Top progenitors of this stuff during its 90s heyday included Grief, Noothgrush, and the legendary Corrupted — who once released a two-song, two-hour-long double CD. It’s these bands who seem to influence Pittsburgh band O.I.L. the most, and I for one celebrate that fact, as it has been way too long since I heard someone new attempt to wring the maximum possible amount of sonic pain out of an 80 BPM riff. And O.I.L. do this very, very well.
Prime evidence of that fact comes from their debut EP, Real Motherfucker Blues, which was released last summer and consists of five songs that last for over 35 minutes total. It’s a festival of slow-motion headbangs and depressive sentiments delivered in throat-shredding roars. It also has the only known picture of legendary Mississippi Delta bluesman Charley Patton on the cover, which wins them tons of bonus points from me (if you’ve never heard him, go listen to “Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues” right now). So yeah, if you, like me, agree that the real way doom metal should be done is as slow, sludgy, and harsh as possible, come out to Fuzzy Cactus tonight and do your best slow headbang to O.I.L. Make sure you catch the two Richmond bands chipping in local support as well. Thunderchief is a duo whose version of sludge is closer to the epic powerhouse grooves of bands like High On Fire, which means they’ll fit in well with O.I.L. while offering some much-needed contrast. Hellion Child veer back and forth from high-speed thrash-metal blasting to death-doom horror-metal, which will definitely set the mood for the evening. I have no idea whether the snow and ice will be off the roads by tonight, but if at all possible, you definitely should go to this one.
Thursday, January 29, 7 PM
Rebecca Porter, Kai Crowe-Getty @ Reveler Experiences – $17.50 (order tickets HERE)
Assuming we can all get out of the house by then, Thursday night will be a great night to come in from the cold and warm up in the homey environs of Reveler Experiences, where we’ll get the chance to experience two different incredible singer-songwriters from just up 64 toward Appalachia way. Rebecca Porter comes from Harrisonburg, and has a great country-western sound that feels much closer to the classic honky-tonk swing of legendary artists from decades past — Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and other greats from that AM radio station your grandpa used to listen to in his beat-up old truck when you were little. Rebecca’s recently released debut full-length, Roll With The Punches, is a real triumph of songwriting, performance, and production, and the live show she brings to the stage is every bit as revelatory and delightful. You won’t want to miss this one, especially if you’ve missed her previous appearances here in Richmond.
Journeying to Reveler this Thursday night along with Rebecca Porter will be Kai Crowe-Getty, a songwriter from an hour south of Harrisonburg in Nelson County. Crowe-Getty might be familiar to some as the frontman for the band Lord Nelson, but he also has a significant solo career that’s culminated in his own debut LP, 2025’s The Wreckage. On that album, Crowe-Getty’s storytelling tunes about people struggling to get by in the parts of America people with money pretend don’t exist are powerful and full of meaning. His music will definitely hit home for fans of Drive-By Truckers, Neil Young, Lucero, and Lucinda Williams. The combination of these two artists, who have a similar worldview, come from geographically similar points in Virginia, and focus on the tales of the marginalized and forgotten in America, is definitely a winning one. It is sure to add up to a wonderful night, especially at a venue that’s as consistently excellent as Reveler. Come in from the cold for this one — you won’t be sorry.
Friday, January 30, 9 PM
Belly Of the Heart, Destructo Disk, Nabeel @ The Camel – $12 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
As I said earlier, there’s new music coming out all the time from all kinds of different bands these days, and it’s really delightful. We’ve reached another record release show that falls into this week’s lineup, and while this time it’s just the vinyl release party for Belly Of the Heart’s 2025 LP Subatomic Angel, it’s still a delight to realize that we’ve all been able to listen to it on streaming for the past half-year while this band sat around waiting for all the Record Store Day order backlogs to get through the queue and make room for their lil ol’ self-released LP. Back when we used to get vinyl pressings back in six weeks, this would have been a nightmare, but these days it’s just the state of play for all pressing plants. What can you do, really?
Well, I’m not sure what you or any of us can do about interminable delays in vinyl manufacture, but now that Belly Of The Heart’s LP is here and available for purchase, we can at least all go to The Camel this Friday night and dance to this local group’s ultra-catchy dance grooves. Mixing elements of disco, postpunk, and electro-pop together into a frothy cornucopia of sounds, Belly Of the Heart’s music is a blast to listen to, and all it takes is putting it on to start an impromptu dance party. Of course, that effect is orders of magnitude more powerful when the group is live on stage in front of you, cranking out the killer tunes at top volume, so you can expect a night for the ages when you head down to The Camel with your dancing shoes on this Friday. The vibe will be strengthened by a set from goofball melodic emo-punks Destructo Disk, and Nabeel will get things started with some vaporwavey guitar-driven indie-gaze vibes. It’ll be a night of delight. Be there.
Saturday, January 31, 5:30 PM
House & Home, Suntitle, Deathcat, Autoignition, Jailbird @ The Canal Club – $15 in advance, $20 day of show (order tickets HERE)
And here’s yet another record release show, in yet another genre, at yet another location. Richmond quartet House & Home released their latest LP, I Won’t Look For You, on Open Your Ears Records at the end of last year, and now they’re coming home to the Canal Club to play us the new LP in full. A powerful record of post-hardcore riffs, melodic choruses, and driving tempos, this album also features some downright emotional moments, and should definitely connect for anyone who has enjoyed the work of Turnover, Title Fight, and Superheaven anytime in the past decade or so. The energy this band brings to their sound is sure to translate over in dramatic fashion to their onstage performance, and the whole place will be supercharged with electric emotional energy for the entirety of House & Home’s set this Saturday night.
There’ll also be a lot of great sounds to come from the bands who are warming up the stage for our hometown heroes on this fine night. Suntitle have long had a connection to House & Home, having toured with them back in 2021 when both bands were releasing their first albums. These days, they’ve settled in Richmond, and released an excellent split EP with House & Home back in 2024. Their passionate and powerful delivery will make their already excellent songs hit even harder when they take the Canal Club stage. And then there’s Deathcat, a local trio who’ve done a lot to show everyone around town how brilliant their catchy, bouncy take on indie-punk can be — especially on their 2025 debut EP, Dreamgirl. If you haven’t heard them yet, make sure you show up in time to catch their set. And while you’re at it, you’ll also want to show up early enough to catch Buffalo, NY ensemble Autoignition, whose uptempo rippers are focused on melody while bringing quite a bit of hardcore punk energy — think New Found Glory after crushing too many Red Bulls. The evening will begin with some outright hardcore fury in the form of a set from Richmonders Jailbird, whose recent five-song cassette is over in just under eight minutes. This one will go quick, so don’t blink when these boys are onstage.
Sunday, February 1, 7 PM
Reverse Yr Curse, Treasure Pains, Boy Named Sue, Hearts In Exile @ Bandito’s – $12 (order tickets HERE)
This should be a fun way to wrap up the weekend — especially since it’ll be taking place at Bandito’s (my birthday was last week and I renewed my acquaintance with their nachos. Yup, still the best nachos I’ve ever had). Get some delicious eats while you’re around, but remember the reason for the season — it is, of course, the four bands who’ll be taking the stage in the Diablo Room. At the top of that list is Reverse Yr Curse, a local postpunk/indie/post-hardcore trio who’ve done quite a bit to work their way into the hearts of any Richmonders with the good fortune to hear their tunes. There are definite 90s vibes at work here, and I can’t help but simultaneously think of the late 90s Olympia scene and the midwest emo scene of the same era when I hear these talented musicians doing their thing. This is a ringing endorsement, for those of you too young to know those incredible watershed historic eras. Get a taste of what you missed — come to Bandito’s this Sunday night and witness Reverse Yr Curse carrying the sound forward into the 21st century.
You’ll also get an incredible opportunity to see some amazing touring bands in the bargain. Treasure Pains, a quartet from Durham, North Carolina, are particularly impressive. Their alternative rock songs have a driving energy at their heart that really makes them stand out from the pack. When I listen to them I find myself thinking of long-gone post-hardcore pioneers like Jawbox and Seaweed, and the world definitely needs more bands like that. Recent Treasure Pains EPs like 2024’s Charming and their 2025 split with Spares are overlooked gems the world needs to discover ASAP, and you’ll see exactly what I mean the second they hit the Bandito’s stage. They’re joined on this jaunt one state north by fellow North Carolinians Boy Named Sue, whose sound is more melodic, more alternative rock, maybe even a slight bit more twangy — think Buffalo Tom and early Wilco. These boys will get you dancing for sure. The whole evening starts off with a set from Richmonders Hearts In Exile, whose lo-fi acoustic-driven power-pop sounds resemble Guided By Voices and Angel Dust collaborating on an LP, and are every bit as delightful as that sounds like it would be. Come early, grab some nachos, and settle in for a night of great music.
Monday, February 2, 6 PM
Shon Davis @ Reveler Experiences – $15 (order tickets HERE)
Start off next week with a little bit of soul by heading over to Reveler this Monday night and catching a solo set from Shon Davis, a vocalist with a background in soul, jazz, and gospel. Having previously played with local groups like Chkn Grese and Pretty Blvck, Shon Davis is most often found onstage these days as part of Plunky & Oneness, the long-running Richmond-based jazz ensemble led by legendary saxophonist Plunky Branch. Davis, who is currently putting together her debut solo album, has been referred to as “The Cowbell Queen,” but I can’t tell you for sure whether there will be cowbells involved in her performance this Monday night.
What I can tell you is that the evening will be lit up with the musical firepower and rich cultural tradition of jazz, soul, and R&B, and Shon Davis’s voice will be the highlight of the night. I have no idea what sorts of songs she might sing for you over the course of the evening, but frankly, my money is on a wide mix of moods, genres, and flavors, all imbued with a deep vein of soulful funk attitude. Expect to learn a lot more about a local talent who hasn’t previously stepped into the spotlight on her own all that often, but is poised to take her music to the next level in 2026. This will be Shon Davis’s year, and you can get in on the ground floor by showing up on this cold February night at Reveler Experiences.
Tuesday, February 3, 7 PM
Couch, Thumber @ The Broadberry – $36.60 (order tickets HERE)
It’s been so interesting in the last decade or so to hear more and more bands come out who remind me of the songs I used to hear on Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 back when I was 7 or 8 years old in the early 80s. Haim were probably the first group to give me that vibe, but they certainly weren’t the last. Now Couch, a seven-piece group from Boston, are the latest, and while these groups too often fail to impress me, this band is definitely an exception to that rule. Their debut LP, Big Talk, is an effervescent blast of horn-inflected dance pop that reminds me of the bands who could create flawless pop hits back before all of the sounds you heard on a record were generated by synths and computers. Couch have guitars, percussion, horns, and incredibly human vocals that captivate the listener from moment one, in a manner I haven’t heard in a long time. If anything, the 70s might be a more appropriate decade to mention, though I can’t help but also think of 90s Swedish pop geniuses the Cardigans.
If this mix of references doesn’t connect for you, that’s OK — frankly, a lot of music like this leaves me cold. Couch absolutely do not. I sort of worry what kind of hit my reputation as a tough-as-nails metal babe would take if everyone knew I actually do listen to this kind of thing on a regular basis, but at the same time… aren’t I too old to worry about such ridiculous ideas as other people’s perceptions of me? Yeah, I’d say so, which is why I’m telling you all not to get hung up on how tough you may or may not seem if you go to this show. Couch are going to delight all of your senses, get your feet moving, and put a big smile on your face. If there’s a better reason to go see a band, I don’t know what it is. California duo Thumber will get this one started with a collection of captivating electro-synth pop vibes that will definitely connect with all the black-clad postpunk dancefloor lovers out there. Show up to this one ready to move, groove, and grin the night away.
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 now. Crazy story about teenage lesbians having a sleepover currently being posted. 90s period piece supernatural horror novel begins serialization in February 2026). patreon.com/marilyndrewnecci
