In the fall of 2014, more specifically, October 16th, the Melvins made an always welcome visit to Seattle. More good Melvins news came out last week, when the Bumbershoot Festival 2015 lineup, including the Melvins, was announced. Special note to Buzz Osborne: Awesome evil eye top! Le Butcherettes, a Mexican trio who have a few dates opening for Faith No More, had the honor of opening for the Melvins as well.. All photos by Monica Martinez:
The Melvins
Le Butcherettes
On October 20, 2014, English band Placebo visited Seattle to play Showbox at the Market. The headlining gig was part of their 20th anniversary celebrations (the group formed in London, if you didn’t know) and have released albums nearly ever 3 years since. Over on Placebo’s site you can now listen to every album. Excellent! All photos by Nicky Andrews:
Placebo
Artist: Katy Tiz
Song: “Whistle (While You Work It)”
Why you want to watch: Katy has cartoon friends, and maybe she is a rabbit cartoon too. Maybe?
Details: British artist sings really, really well and writes some damn cool songs. Great pop music lives!
Volbeat
Volbeat is one of those shows that I look forward to every year. I first photographed them during Gigantour in 2012 when they were 3rd on the bill behind Motorhead and Megadeath. They first headlined in Seattle in 2013 at the Showbox and then again in 2014 at the Paramount.
On Wednesday, Crobot opened the night at WaMu Theater, followed by Anthrax. Scott Ian, Joey Belladonna, and the boys of Anthrax played with a super high energy performance that whipped the crowd into a massive frenzy. During the Anthrax performance, I wondered if Volbeat could bring that much energy to this boisterous Seattle crowd.
When Volbeat took the stage my concern was laid to rest. They put on a show that I had only seen in European concert videos. On Wednesday, Volbeat brought their big European stage to Seattle that I always wanted to see.
Poulsen add some light hearted fun to the show when he stated that he was “parched.” Poulsen then crowd-surfed to the bar where he quaffed a cold beer.
Volbeat absolutely killed it with a 20 song set. Michael Poulsen, Anders Kjølholm, Jon Larsen, and Rob Caggiano put on a terrific show that gets larger and larger every year. I can’t wait until next year when I wouldn’t surprised if they fill KeyArena or the Tacoma Dome.
Volbeat
Anthrax
All the way from Osaka, Japan, Shonen Knife brought their sweet sounds to the Tractor Tavern on October 12, 2014. Original member Naoko Yamano is still in the band (awesome) and bassist Ritsuko Taneda is expecting a child (also very awesome!). For Shonen Knife’s Seattle show, they had Death Valley Girls, a Los Angeles quintet who is gaining tons of new fans. All photos by Tino Tran:
Shonen Knife
Death Valley Girls
