Read on for details about each of their gigs or check out Phoenix New Times’ concert calendar for more shows happening from Monday, April 24, to Thursday, April 27.
Tyler Childers
Monday, April 24Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 West Washington StreetKentucky-born singer-songwriter Tyler Childers’ latest album, 2022’s Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? Is a warm and ragged gospel music project that radiates the spirit of taking people as they are or don’t take them at all. Childers and his backing band, The Food Stamps, are anomalies in the modern country landscape. They write about contemporary issues through the lens of classic Americana music, playing a mix of bluegrass, folk, and traditional country. On the album, they bring classic gospel staples to life with horns, strings, and even DJ samples while Childers’ high and quavery voice sings about bottles and Bibles with equal conviction, yearning to be better while honestly reckoning with how it feels like to not be. With Charley Crockett; 7 p.m., tickets are available on the secondary market. Ashley Naftule
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die
Monday, April 24Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue
Clocking in at over 15 minutes long, “Infinite Josh” (the penultimate track on 2021’s Illusory Walls) has a length and grandeur equal to The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die’s name. “Our dreams get drowned in a river of present needs / The years float by like fallen leaves,” David Bello sings over a bed of sinewy, melancholic guitars and synths. What starts as a wistful meditation on the passing of time and life’s compromises builds into a triumphant crescendo of guitar solos and crashing drums. “Infinite Josh” embodies The World’s musical range: they’re as adept at plunging the depths of emo songwriting as they call up the ambition of prog and muscularity of classic arena rock. The World’s fondness for multi-parts has been a part of their work from the very beginning. Consider the shapeshifting majesty of “Heartbeat in the Brain” from 2013’s Whenever, If Ever. The emo band’s compositions are unpredictable and volatile, which is reflected in their shifting lineup — lead singers Bello and Katie Dvorak didn’t join the band until 2012, three years after the Connecticut-born band got its start. Some things about the band remain a constant like their elliptical, poetic lyrics and Chris Teti's deft production. With Worlds Greatest Dad and Dreamwell; 8 p.m., $28 via seetickets.us. Ashley Naftule
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Tuesday, April 25Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street, MesaThe Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain might not have the flashiest name, but what the 38-year-old ensemble has is earnest honesty and a sense of humor. The UOGB offers exactly what it says on their tin: a dozen musicians from the U.K. using ukuleles of varying sizes to perform tongue-in-cheek renditions of a wide range of tunes, from classical pieces to pop and rock parodies and even bits and pieces from the scores of spaghetti Western films (complete with whistling). You might even hear a few comedic songs in the mix, illustrating the fact that while they take their picking skills quite seriously, their strength often lies in doing what the audience doesn't expect. 7:30 p.m., $36-$44 via mesaartscenter.com. Benjamin Leatherman
Seal
Tuesday, April 25Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 West Washington StreetPeople love to shit on Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever, but one thing about the 1995 blockbuster is undeniable: Its soundtrack rips. Nick Cave, Smashing Pumpkins, Method Man, PJ Harvey, U2 still in their ironic alt-pop phase: Gotham City has never rocked harder. No song from that film, though, had a greater impact than Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose,” a swooning, pitched-to-the-rafters scorcher whose artistic value and legacy vastly outstripped the flick that featured it. “Kiss from a Rose” is nothing without that voice selling it. The British-born singer has pipes finely tuned for melodrama: few singers in the pop landscape of the ‘90s could do soulful and operatic as well as Seal can. The vocalist’s 1991 track “Crazy” was his calling card, establishing both his unique vocal presence and his longtime artistic partnership with producer Trevor Horn, the impresario behind so many hits in the 1980s. Seal and Horn are still working together — the latter is directing Seal’s current North American tour. With The Buggles; 7:30 p.m., $49.50-$159.50 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule
Yves Tumor
Tuesday, April 25Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, TempeSean Lee Bowie, better known as Yves Tumor, is an artist who’s been marked by rapid growth, quickly expanding beyond their origins in the experimental music world into becoming a multigenre straddling maestro. Tumor threads together R&B, electronic music, alt-rock, glam, shoegaze, and even Prince to create a unique sound that’s as inviting and catchy as it is abrasive. Drawing influences from industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey, Tumor builds their songs in a similar way — creating hypnotic patterns of sound and finding ways to disrupt & unsettle them. On 2023’s Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), Tumor turns cold synth jams into house music, shifting gears from goth to diva at the drop of a hat. “Meteora Blues” smoothly mixes in bursts of Siamese Dream style guitars over a chill bass groove, while “Echolalia" taps into a rich vein of moody funk. Oftentimes Tumor plays the introvert with their voice, letting their music grandstand and gyrate while they whisper, mumble, and purr their way through the din. With Pretty Sick, Izzy Spears; 8 p.m., $34.50-$70 via ticketweb.com. Ashley Naftule
Ozomatli
Tuesday, April 25, and Wednesday, April 26Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 East Mayo BoulevardOzomatli plays the type of music one would expect from a band that takes its name from the Nahuatl word for an Aztec astrological sign. Their mix of Latin, hip-hop, funk, rock, jazz, and reggae comes from a lineup performing traditional rock instruments and a few novelties (trumpet, saxophone, turntables). Never shying away from making a political statement, the members of Ozomatli actually met while picketing at a Los Angeles-area strike in 1995. Though their music has unmistakable protest sentiments, it is still a celebration of Latin culture and its vibrant sound — a beautiful marriage of funky Latin rock and reggae rhythms splayed under hip-hop (and often Spanish) vocals. 7 p.m., $49.50-$64.50 via mim.org. Phoenix New Times
Dying Fetus
Thursday, April 27Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street, MesaLong-running death metal fiends Dying Fetus have been equal-opportunity offenders over the past 32 years. Whether it's their horrific band name (which, according to drummer Trey Williams, was chosen “because it sounded horrid and despicable”), their sociopolitical and oftentimes profanity-laced lyrics, or their chaingun-like sound, there’s something likely to cause you to recoil in some fashion. Originally formed back in 1991, Dying Fetus have terrorized listeners on eight different full-length albums, the most recent being 2017’s Wrong One to Fuck With, and are still finding ways to remain relevant, like when their song “Second Skin” was featured in a 2019 episode of South Park. They’re currently co-headlining the Chaos & Carnage tour along with influential deathcore band Suicide Silence and are set to invade Mesa’s Nile Theater this week. With Born of Osiris, Aborted, Sanguisugabogg, Crown Magnetar, and Slay Squad; 4 p.m., $37.50 via simpletix.com. Benjamin Leatherman
