Regular concert-type concerts will also be happening around the Valley from Friday, April 29, to Sunday, May 1, including gigs by indie rock acts Snail Mail and Car Seat Headrest, pop-meets-soul singer Omar Apollo, and Finnish metal band Amorphis. KWSS radio host and “Scene Mom” Dani Cutler will also celebrate her 50th birthday with (what else?) a locals-only show and the annual Cinco de Mayo Phoenix Festival makes a return after a two-year absence.
Details about each of these shows and music events can be found below. And for even more concerts in the Valley this weekend, visit Phoenix New Times’ online music listings.
Snail Mail
Friday, April 29The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street, MesaTwenty-two-year-old indie rocker Lindsay Jordan started recording under the moniker Snail Mail when she was only 15. Her self-released, debut EP, Sticki, was enough to land the artist her first show at Baltimore's Unregistered Nurse, where she impressed one of the later acts, D.C. post-punk band Priests, so much that they recruited Jordan to their label Sister Polygon Records and put out her second EP, Habit. But it was Snail Mail's first full-length, Lush, that changed everything for the young singer. Met with universal acclaim for its dreamy music and deeply complex vocals, Lush was hailed as an indie-rock masterpiece and found its way onto many, many year-end, best-of lists. Somehow, Jordan avoided the dreaded sophomore slump when 2021 saw the release of her second full-length, Valentine, which flirted a bit with pop synthesizers but showed Snail Mail to be as great a songwriter as ever. Her tour in support of the album hits the Nile in Mesa on Friday night. The Goon Sax opens the 7 p.m. show. Admission is $22. David Fletcher
Dani Cutler's 50th Birthday Bash
Saturday, April 30Last Exit Live, 717 South Central AvenueKWSS radio host Dani Cutler lives and breathes local music, so much so that she’s been nicknamed “Scene Mom” by a few artists. For proof, tune into Cutler’s namesake morning show every weekday on the popular indie station, which regularly features local bands being broadcast. Her 50th birthday party this weekend at Last Exit Live will offer the same, as its all-locals lineup will include performances by such rock bands as Fire By Night, Turn Zero, The Woodworks, and Let Alone. The celebration begins at 8 p.m. and tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Benjamin Leatherman
Omar Apollo
Saturday, April 30The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren StreetPop-meets-soul singer Omar Apollo will perform at The Van Buren, on Saturday, April 30, delivering his idiosyncratic sound fusion to a packed crowd. Since his breakthrough single “Ugotme” in 2017, the Mexican-American artist, who honed his craft growing up in Indiana, has found himself touring the globe, delivering a slam-dunk of a debut effort. Apollo will be joined on the bill by singer-songwriter Deb Never. Doors are at 7 p.m. The show is officially sold out, according to The Van Buren’s website, but you can dig up tickets on the secondary market. Olivia McAuley
Black Tiger Sex Machine
Saturday, April 30Phoenix Raceway, 7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive, AvondaleCanadian trio Black Tiger Sex Machine is known for playing dark, aggressive electronic music wearing illuminated tiger helmets. Their Once Upon A Time in Cyberworld Tour, which is inspired by their recently released third album, rolls into the Valley this weekend and promises an “immersive experience” involving gigantic LED screens, loads of special effects, and plenty of ear-shaking bass. The trio’s fanbase, which is collectively known as the BTSM Church, will flock to the festival-like event, which starts at 8 p.m. with opening sets by Lucii, Kai Wachi, Vampa, Hairitage, and Swarm. General admission is $50 to $80 and VIP tickets (which include express entry, a souvenir lanyard, and other perks) are $125. David Fletcher and Benjamin Leatherman
Kevin Saunderson
Saturday, April 30Walter Where?House, 702 North 21st AvenueThis Saturday, Walter Where?House brings one of the original architects of Detroit techno to town. Kevin Saunderson was part of the first wave of techno artists in the late '80s. Along with artists like Derrick May and Juan Atkins, Saunderson helped pioneer the sound that would inspire a gazillion subgenres and musical movements over the next four decades. Later tracks like “Good Life” and “Big Fun” helped make him a household name in club culture all over the world. Although Saunderson has been in the game for more than 40 years, his modern-day sets are as far from retro. He mixes up new versions of old techno staples from his massive discography of classics amongst the latest and greatest in innovative underground artists from the genre. See a true pioneer in action this weekend along with local techno DJs like Disco Zombie and Pleasures. Doors are at 9 p.m. and tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door. Wanz Dover
Lust: Return to the End
Saturday, April 30Pub Rock Live, 8005 East Roosevelt Street, ScottsdaleWhen local fetish-oriented performance troupe The Agents of Lust put on a party, it's typically filled with messy, noisy, and chaotic fun. Equal parts industrial rock concert, debaucherous dance party, and fringe freakfest, the troupe’s events over the past decade have mixed kinky theatrics, dark sounds, scandalous activities, and libidinous thrills. If you’ve never attended one before, Saturday’s “Lust: Return to the End” at Pub Rock Live will be one of your last chances to do so. According to co-organizer Rance Granthrax Jorgensen, the Agents are planning to put on one or two more parties before disbanding at the end of 2022. They’re pulling out all the stops for this weekend’s event, which will feature dark electro-metal act Luna 13, punk/metal/electronic artist billy virus, and “contradictory sound dumpster” Acid Trash, as well as local bands S.L.U.T. and Chzbrgr Picnic. DJ Dru Tang will also perform and the Agents of Lust will add to the cacophony when they unleash showers of sparks with metal grinders. The party starts at 8 p.m. and admission is $10. Benjamin Leatherman
Trill’s Three-Year Anniversary
Saturday, April 30, and Monday, May 1Trill, 1817 East Indian School RoadPhoenix hip-hop store Trill is marking its three-year anniversary of operating at its current home with a two-day celebration, which will feature all four elements of hip-hop culture. A three-on-three b-boy battle for a $3,000 cash prize will take place on Saturday, a “controller-only” DJ battle happens on Sunday, and appearances by graf-slingers and sets by rappers are scheduled throughout the weekend. Headlining performers include MURS, Statik Selektah, J'Da Wildchild, Termanology, DJ Dynamix, Jabee, and the DJ duo of Shortkut and Lok (a.k.a. SHOK). The festivities will start at noon both days. Admission is $10 on Saturday and free on Sunday. Benjamin Leatherman
Amorphis
Sunday, May 1The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street, MesaFinnish metal band Amorphis just released Halo, its 14th album, and is bringing its melodic strain of death metal to the Nile Theater this weekend. With this show you get UADA, black metal from the Pacific Northwest; the Norwegian black gaze of Sylvaine, the one-woman project of Kathrine Shepard; and Portland dark rock duo Hoaxed. The concert is at 6 p.m. and tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. John Bear
Car Seat Headrest
Sunday, May 1The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren StreetIn the early days of his band, Car Seat Headrest, Will Toledo would often find himself screaming vocals into a microphone from the safety of a church parking lot, so as not to wake his parents, who he lived with at the time. The indie rock/lo-fi pop band’s come a long way since then and has put out a dozen albums (including the recently released Making a Door Less Open) and become critical darlings. Their latest tour comes to The Van Buren this weekend. The 13-and-up show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are only available on the secondary market. Nicholas Bostick
Cinco De Mayo Phoenix Festival
Sunday, May 1Downtown PhoenixCinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory over the French army in the 1862 Battle of Puebla. The rich history and cultural importance of America’s favorite Mexican holiday is celebrated annually downtown at the Cinco de Mayo Phoenix Festival. The event, which is returning after a two-year hiatus, will feature a plethora of traditional food, and cold Mexican beer, as well as lucha libre wrestling, lowriders, mariachi ensembles, and a kid’s zone. Live music starts at 12:30 p.m. and will be headlined by Lisa Lisa, R&B group Color Me Badd, and Chicano rock band Malo. The festival runs from noon until 10 p.m. at the intersection of Third Avenue and Washington Street. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $40 for VIP admission. Glenn BurnSilver
