Today is St Patrick’s Day… fantastic… now everyone in the city who ever saw a picture of a four leaf clover or had a pint of Guinness is apparently Irish. I might just curl up in a ball and hide, but that would be a mistake, because if you can avoid all the green pavement pizzas en-route to where you’re going, there are some great shows to be seen.
5) Those Darlins, Idle Bloom, Mrs. Adam Schatz at Baby’s All Right
Remember that snowstorm back in January when we got 2 feet of snow? That was supposed to have been Those Darlins’ last time in New York before they break up and the weather inevitably put paid to that, but this rescheduled show now happens to be the band’s very last one. I always thought they were best appreciated live so this really is your last chance to reinforce that view or experience it for the first (and only) time. Support comes from fellow Nashville band Idle Bloom. Thursday 8pm
4) Purling Hiss, Foster Care, Time Evans at ALPHAVILLE
This should be an interesting one, Purling Hiss are one of the most exciting live bands I’ve seen in the last few years; if you like that Ragged Glory Neil Young-era fire to your guitars then there haven’t been any better lately. This will be a solo show, however, so it will be good to hear how the songs come across stripped back, and there is a new EP to plug called Something, which is straight up lo-fi bubblegum pop. Friday 8pm
3) Chris Forsythe & the Solar Motel Band, 75 Dollar Bill at Trans-Pecos
Come out to see the record release show of Chris Forsythe and the Solar Motel Band’s latest offering, The Rarity of Experience, (a double-album). If the track High Castle Rock is anything to go by, with its Television-esque guitar wigout, then the album will be a real treat. Local cult favourites 75 Dollar Bill will seem a little more ramshackle than the headliners, but their rough-around-the-edges approach will be equally exciting. Saturday 8pm
2) Elephant Stone, Las Rosas, Dinowalrus at Baby’s All Right
Chances are you probably haven’t seen many rock bands with sitars, but you can change all that on Sunday when Montreal’s Elephant Stone headline at Baby’s All Right. The band are about to release their 4th album, Ship of Fools, and it certainly doesn’t stray too far from their signature Byrds-meets-britpop sound, which is hardly a bad thing. Dinowalrus will be a perfect foil for the headliners with their dreamy psyche-rock, while if you have a hankering for vocal harmonies then Las Rosas are the sandwich filling for you right here. Sunday 8pm
1) Oneohtrix Point Never, Liturgy at Warsaw
Daniel Lapotin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never, released one of 2015’s best electronic albums, Garden of Delete, via Warp Records. His seventh full length, it is still filled with the ambient soundscapes you would come to expect, but also features aggressive white noise, post-rock and industrial passages, it really is a triumph. Pairing Brooklyn’s own Liturgy with OPN is quite a masterful one, with the band’s blend of experimental black metal offering a real jolt in the arm. Of course, as with all shows at Warsaw, you should come hungry to devour the pierogies, which are excellent. Thursday 8pm
