RVA Shows You Must See This Week: October 29 – November 4
FEATURED SHOW
Sunday, November 2, 7 PM
Phantom Genius, The Moment, Shormey, Good Morning Pino @ The Camel – $13.20 (order tickets HERE)
Richmond’s hip hop scene is a gift that never stops giving, and I will be eternally grateful. Phantom Genius is yet another great Richmond hip hop artist I am only now discovering despite his career going back close to a decade. And while it feels to me like he came out of nowhere, the amount of releases he has on streaming services shows that I should have been paying attention. Thankfully, it feels like I’ve caught on to what Phantom Genius is up to at just the right time. The two singles he has released thus far in 2025, “MIA” and “No Hard Feelings,” find him taking his artistry to a new level on all fronts; the beats are more complex and engaging, the lyrics are stuffed with delightful wordplay and unpredictable cultural references, and the flow is sharp, quick, and always on point.
And now, on Halloween night, only two days before this show, Phantom Genius will take things even higher with his third single of 2025, “Hit List.” I’ve only heard parts of it so far — the bits that have been leaked on Instagram — but if anything, it features rhymes that flow even more smoothly than he’s shown us already, with an energetic beat and groove that are guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing. With this show acting as a release party of sorts for the “Hit List” single, you can imagine that this tune will take an important position during Sunday night’s Phantom Genius set, and considering the kind of energy he brings to all of his performances — not to mention the live backing band he performs with, who are a powerful source of energy on their own behalf — you can expect the entire set to be absolutely incredible. Be prepared to dance, because once Phantom Genius takes the stage, you won’t be able to stop yourself.
Really, it’ll be a full night of hip hop-powered dance magic, because the other three artists on the bill are every bit as impressive as our headliner. First of the three is The Moment, a funk-soul group from Norfolk who credit James Brown and Prince as influences but also seem to me to have some elements of Rick James and George Clinton stirred in there, at least if their debut single, “Dance 4 Me,” is any indication. As for fellow Tidewater-area artist Shormey, she’s been doing her thing for a while now, and has quite a few delightful releases under her belt, but her latest single, “Aeroplane,” is a career highlight for sure, capturing her retro-techno-dance-pop sensibility to a tee. Good Morning Pino will round out the bill with some lush, sunshine-drenched synth pop-R&B grooves that are sure to make you smile. Come down to this one and end your weekend on a high note!
Wednesday, October 29, 7 PM
Dogo Du Togo & The Alagaa Beat Band @ Reveler Experiences – $25 (order tickets HERE)
In recent times, it seems like when musically voracious people get to talking about musical forms coming out of West Africa, they mostly are speaking about Tuareg musicians like Mdou Moctar and Tinariwen. You don’t often hear about Togo, a long, thin country that shares borders with Ghana and Burkina Faso, and has a southern coast on the Gulf Of Guinea. However, despite being overshadowed by music from other countries in the West African region, Togo has a strong musical culture and history all its own, which goes back decades. It is this history that Togolese musician Serge Massama Dogo, aka Dogo Du Togo (meaning Dogo from Togo, of course), is building on in his own music, incorporating strong guitar playing and modern African pop elements into the Togolese sound he and his backing group, the Alagaa Beat Band, deliver from stages all over the world.
Dogo Du Togo and the Alagaa Beat Band will be coming to Richmond tonight to enlighten us all with the sounds of their home country, and we are very privileged to have such an opportunity to see this incredible performance. Incorporating trance rhythms (“alagaa” means “trance” in the traditional Ewe language of Togo) and musical elements drawn from Voudoun rituals, Dogo Du Togo’s music is extremely danceable and a lot of fun to listen to. While it isn’t quite the same as the Tuareg guitar sound popularized by some of the artists mentioned above, there’s certainly a fair bit of cross-cultural appeal there, so if you’ve previously appreciated the music of Mdou Moctar, or the Ghanaian musical genre known as highlife, you should find a lot to enjoy in what Dogo Du Togo and the Alagaa Beat Band are bringing to the stage at Reveler — thanks once again to the essential efforts of Secret Planet Richmond, who have been doing quite a lot to bring musicians from beyond the borders of the United States here to our fair city and give us all an opportunity to hear what’s going on out there in the world. In a political moment like the horrible one we’re all stuck in, this kind of thing is a wonderful, welcome respite.
Thursday, October 30, 7:30 PM
Deathcat, Hotspit, Bucko @ Get Tight Lounge – $12.19 (order tickets HERE)
Sometimes I look at a bill that features only Richmond-based bands, all of which I’ve written about before, and think, “Should I really cover this one? Everyone already knows about these bands, right?” And usually it feels like everyone does, and they’ve all made their minds up on these bands, and they’re probably already going to the show whether I say something about it or not. Sometimes, though, the bill in question is so good that I can’t even take a small chance that someone might need to hear about it and not hear about it from me. That’s why I’m sitting here writing about this Get Tight Lounge gig featuring Deathcat, Hotspit, and Bucko, three Richmond-based bands that everyone in this town should know about by now — because every column is someone’s first, and there might still be a dozen or so readers out there who haven’t quite picked up on how great this bill truly is.
So hey, let’s talk about these three bands. The first, Deathcat, are grabbing a lot of attention around the city with their recent self-titled debut EP. It features a clutch of guitar-driven alternative rock tunes delivered with a sardonic sneer that feels derived from classic riot grrrl punk bands of the 90s, even as the melodic riffs that underpin that sneer are much closer to the crunchy alternative rock of Veruca Salt fed through the high-key attitude of Hole. If I haven’t communicated it adequately, this band is great. Hotspit approaches music from a very different origin point, combining the slowcore moodiness of classic Red House Painters and Codeine albums with a gothic lushness that enriches the atmosphere of their music. You can hear this thick musical vibe more clearly than ever on their latest single, “Bent Trees,” which was released earlier this month to the delight of Hotspit fans who’ve been waiting for new recordings for over two years. Bucko is the third of these incredible bands making waves upon the Richmond scene, and they’re doing so in a totally different manner than the other two — mainly by delving into classic country and Americana twang, then feeding those elements back through modern indie pop sensibilities to create something that’s just as much Carter Family as it is Wilco or Hop Along. These bands are all amazing; whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool fan or still eyeing the bandwagon with trepidation, this is the perfect time to take the plunge.
Friday, October 31, 8 PM
The Camel Halloween, feat. tributes to Pixies, Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Pink Floyd from members of Hardcount, Strawberry Moon, Midlife Pilot, Ten Pound Snail, Deathcat, Crush, Gawk, Dropheads, Marshall Family Values, Roughshod, and Box Factory @ The Camel – $15.41 (order tickets HERE)
I don’t hear the classic Halloween tribute show format discussed as much in recent years, and that’s a shame, because it’s always been a delightful yearly tradition, in which bands either “go in costume” to their Halloween show and play a set of covers by a particular group, or a band forms specifically for the occasion, again to perform a set of songs they love by beloved classic bands. We’ve got cases of both on this particular Halloween tribute show at The Camel, as on one hand, Midlife Pilot do a turn as Blink 182, and on the other hand, bands featuring members of various other bands come together to do sets of Pixies, Fall Out Boy, and Pink Floyd songs. Which band is going to be your most looked-forward-to tribute set will depend on a couple of different factors. For one: which of the four bands to which tribute is being paid is your favorite. For another: which members from which Richmond bands are you most excited to see take part in the festivities?
Where the first question is concerned, I’ll admit that the band I’d look forward to the most on this bill is the Fall Out Boy tribute act — especially if they stick to material from the first two albums. They’ve become a bit of a joke in recent years, but Take This To Your Grave and From Under The Cork Tree were both classics, and I’d get a big kick out of watching members of Ten Pound Snail and Deathcat, among others, bash out some of the classics. I’m sure there are others, though, who’d be way more excited about a set of material by far more universally beloved Pixies, especially since it will be members of Strawberry Moon and Hardcount, two incredibly talented bands in their own right, bringing this to us. And of course, I’m sure there are plenty of folks excited to see Pink Floyd’s music brought to life by members of Roughshod, Dropheads, and more. For myself I will say that it’s never been my favorite, but certainly it’s impressive to see people play those songs. And of course, no one would ever say Blink-182 is the most deathless classic band of all time, but the fact is we all know a whole bunch of their great catchy party-punk jams, and they’ll be a blast to sing along with and dance around to. The same could really be said about this entire show, which will certainly be a Halloween night to remember.
Saturday, November 1, 7 PM
Shagwuf, Box Factory, Dylan Barrows @ Gallery 5 – $10 in advance, $15 day of show (order tickets HERE)
Halloween may fall on a weekend this time around, but technically it’s all over by midnight on Friday night. That said, you have to expect the fun-loving river city to make the most of any holiday weekend, so the festivities are certainly continuing for at least one other night. And be SO real for me right now — would you want it any other way? Virginia’s delightful trio of sweet freaks, Shagwuf, certainly wouldn’t. These folks are the perfect band to throw down with on Halloween weekend, so therefore it’s a true holiday delight to see them headlining a gig at Gallery 5 on the Saturday after Halloween. Regardless of whether this show is taking place on All Saints Day, the folks in Shagwuf are definitely still encouraging everyone to wear costumes to this one, and you can expect a properly freaky party to erupt once they hit the stage.
Shagwuf bashes out some irreverent rock n’ roll with a tinge of celebratory queerness and a smattering of punk attitude, and that’s a great sound for a post-Halloween costume party. One could say similar about Box Factory, a psychedelic alternative rock band from right here in Richmond, whose debut EP, Feels So Far Away, finds them mixing a trippy astral ambience with rockin’ riffs and retro-futuristic keyboards. This band will certainly create a proper atmosphere to make us all feel like we’ve completely left our bodies and ascended to a party on the astral plane. The evening will begin with a set from Dylan Barrows, a laid-back local singer-songwriter of the indie-slacker persuasion, whose material should work for anyone who loves Mac DeMarco, or wishes Lance Bangs (the band, not the video director) had stuck around a bit longer. This one will be fun, so show up in costume and maximize the awesome. You’ll be glad you did!
Sunday, November 2, 7 PM
Sunami, Scowl, Nuovo Testamento, Whispers, Killing Pace @ The National – $37-$49 (order tickets HERE)
This one’s for me. I grew up going to hardcore shows like this, where you knew the pit was going to be crazy and you had to find the perfect spot to still be close enough to see, and maybe sing along, but you weren’t going to be getting spinkicked in the back of the head all night long. Sadly, I probably won’t make it to this one — the price is not cheap, and I work four different jobs just to cover my bills, so I can’t really spare it. Plus, I’m getting a little old and brittle-boned to mix it up with the kids up front and have stagedivers landing on me all night. But I know it would be a fucking blast if I could get there. And what’s really wild is that a show like this, which would have been held at a venue with a 300-person capacity back when I was growing up, is now taking place in the 1500-seat National. While Sunami and Scowl are both among the biggest bands in hardcore, they’re far from the level of Turnstile or Knocked Loose. And yet, here they are, playing one of the biggest indoor venues this city has to offer, and bringing no-holds-barred hardcore to the masses. If 21 year old me knew this was happening, her closeted heart would swell with pride (especially knowing that one of the bands is led by a queer woman).
OK, enough of my emo bullshit, let’s fucking go! Sunami is a California-based heavy hardcore band whose name points toward their origins as a joke band. A parody of classic “ignorant hardcore” tropes grew into a legitimately great hardcore band who writes both killer mosh riffs and amazing fast parts, always keeping it heavy and raging, and knowing exactly where to focus their anger. For example, their furious anthem “Contempt of Cop,” which will probably involve a room full of kids screaming along to “1-8-7 on a P-I-G!” this Sunday night. So fucking cool. As for fellow West Coasters Scowl, they’ve moved from all-fast-and-furious all-the-time ripping on their 2021 debut, How Flowers Grow, to their current sound, which mixes hardcore fury with a more anthemic punk sound that gets downright catchy at times. This probably accounts for them getting a song in a Taco Bell commercial a couple years ago, which certainly got them some heat from the scene police, but if you ask me, the more melodic material that dominates their latest LP, Are We All Angels, is the best stuff they’ve done yet. My advice: stop worrying about whether it’s punk enough. Sing along and dance. There’s plenty more excellent music to enjoy on this bill, some of which gets even further from conventional punk — Nuovo Testamento’s 80s-style gothic synth-pop, for example, which will click for all the CHVRCHES fans in the audience — and others that will make the lovers of straight-up and down mosh styles lose their minds — Bangkok-based metallic bashers Whispers, local speedcore rippers Killing Pace. All of it is sure to be a delight though, so get fucking stoked. And do a stagedive for the middle-aged lady who sent you.
Monday, November 3, 9 PM
PLAY 2 MUCH @ Reveler Experiences – $8-$12 (order tickets HERE)
Hey, remember a few years ago when The Hof was still trying to make a go of it as a part-time music venue, and the Dark Room was a legit great spot to see a show? These days it seems like the music as The Hof is mainly intended to be a soundtrack for after-work drinks, and that’s fine for what it is, but it was really a bummer to see The Dark Room go away. Fortunately, the folks who were responsible for some of the best live music events that happened over at The Dark Room have worked hard to keep the music flowing in a number of different locations around the city. In particular, the folks at Baripete Productions have kept the Play 2 Much jam sessions on Monday nights going in a few different venues, most recently Black Iris. This Play 2 Much Monday night marks the first time its happened at Reveler Experiences, but considering how well the evening fits in with Reveler’s overall vibe, I sure hope it isn’t the last.
But wait, I hear you saying. What exactly is Play 2 Much all about? I’m glad you asked! This is an event intended to act as a fun and safe space for musicians to jam and vibe with one another. Jam sessions are led by Calvin Brown, otherwise known as Calvin Presents, a local jazz pianist and singer-songwriter who graduated from the Berklee School Of Music and now teaches jazz piano at UVa, as well as working as a keyboard player for groups in a variety of genres, and performing his own jazz/neo-soul/hip hop/gospel songs with a seven-piece band. So yeah, he’s a world-class talent and a seasoned veteran of many styles of music — the perfect person to lead a night like this. At Play 2 Much, performers can bring instruments, voices, songs, poetry, or general vibes, and come join in the fun, while the audience gets to sit back and soak it all in as the folks onstage present something spontaneous and wonderful that’s never been heard before. Again, Reveler is the perfect spot for this sort of musical party, and you definitely should get in on the ground floor for this uniting of two powerful forces in local music of any and all genres.
Tuesday, November 4, 7 PM
IAMX, Club Drugs, Ionna @ The Broadberry – $34.85 (order tickets HERE)
Halloween will be over by next Tuesday, but as Ministry told us so long ago, every day is Halloween if you’re goth enough. So in that spirit, IAMX will be pulling into The Broadberry on Tuesday night, and things will be properly spooky as a result. IAMX is the solo project of Chris Corner, once a core member of 90s electronica artists Sneaker Pimps. IAMX takes a decidedly darker tone than the band that brought “6 Underground” to alternative radio back in the day, and Corner appears onstage in elaborate costumes that demonstrate a surreal, androgynous aesthetic. The music is dark, intense, and driven by moody synth stabs and pounding beats — the kind of thing that fans of Skinny Puppy or KMFDM should delight in — though Corner’s vocals tend toward a more melodic, musical presentation than one might expect from the often-growling sound of the goth-industrial genre.
The whole thing adds up to some incredibly catchy sounds for the black-clad crew, and I fully expect The Broadberry to look like Fallout added a western annex for the evening. The sounds will be fitting for that sort of vibe; IAMX is currently touring behind their 2023 and 2024 two-part album, Fault Lines, which was combined and remixed into the recently released IAMIXED: Fault Lines 1 and 2, exclusively being sold on this tour (so you fans better bring some extra cash for the merch table). This album’s spooky melodies, operatic vocals, and ultradark atmospherics should definitely draw in fans of The Cure every bit as much as fans of Sisters Of Mercy or Ministry’s early work. They’ll be joined on this tour by Chicago duo Club Drugs, whose gothic pop sound is dark and ominous, but leavened by psychedelic choruses and occasional desert-rock guitar riffing. Richmond’s own Ionna, who recently released her debut full-length, Ionnaverse, will get the evening started with some upbeat synth-driven electro-pop delights. This evening will remind us all that, despite the passing of Halloween, every day can be gothic paradise.
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
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