GROUND ZERO'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY
If I had all the words in the world, I would lavish praise on every band on this ultra-stacked lineup for the legendary Eastside all-ages space Ground Zero's 20th birthday—but since I'm on a word budget, let's keep this to the absolute must-see acts:
Iron Lung: Skull-shreddingly heavy power-violence duo who also run one of the best local punk labels, Iron Lung Records.
La Luz: Dreamy doo-wop garage group whose catchy pop songwriting is beach-readier than you are.
Dreamdecay: Strident, grave-shaking noise-rock band who not-so-quietly released one of the most surprisingly weird and excellent local records of last year, NVNVNV.
Special Explosion: Eastside natives making truly Northwest indie rock combining finely crafted hooks with whorled guitars and up-front vulnerability—one of Seattle's most promising bands.
Kithkin: Forest-dwelling, inventive weirdo-pop mavericks with a penchant for whimsical melodies—and lots and lots of drums.
Darto: Noisy, progressive, slowcore-ish post-rock trio emitting a sort of lethargic-cathartic, guitar-centered sound. This is also the record release for their upcoming second LP, Hex, on Mother Image Records.
Criminal Code: Blistering Tacoma punk trio with a furious Midwestern wall of whirl.
Additional shouts to Elch, Seacats, Thee Samedi, and Whitney Ballen on this well-curated, wide-ranging representation of local music. For the full lineup and more details on this crucial celebration of a long-standing all-ages sanctuary, visit gz.bgcbellevue.org. Ground Zero, 3 pm, $8–$10 adv/$10–$12 DOS.
FUCK BUTTONS, TOTAL LIFE
If you want to enter a chilled-out electronic bliss coma, UK two-piece Fuck Buttons just might get you there. Slow Focus, last year's dark departure from the Olympics-friendly debut that put them on the summer-festival circuit, is creepier and less triumphant—filled with bombastic, alien synth-spheres you mostly want to cower in fear of, but in an appreciative sort of way. IDM nerd-thusiasts should have no problem getting down to these somnambulant beat propulsions. On this night for strangely stark soundscapes, local opener Total Life's fogged drone should instill even more zoned-out Zen-quility. Crocodile, 8 pm, $18 adv. 
