Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.
Ok Bucko, Wanda What
July 13
Referred to by musician and writer Eliza McLamb as “a real band’s band,” the Seattle four-piece Ok Bucko cite influences like the Cars and the Breeders and possess an irrepressible DIY punk-rock spirit. Their recent debut EP, A New Way, sizes up the current-day *gestures broadly at everything* and looks it straight in the eye. The opener, “Debt,” tackles the depressingly Sisyphean nature of finances with equal parts cynicism and self-compassion: “Who gets me better than my credit card statement / Who fucks me better than a new pair of shoes / If getting older is just writing checks / Growing up is getting over your debt.” “Window” takes aim at Seattle’s wealth disparity and affordable housing crisis, while “Strangers with Candy” explores the ups and downs of uppers and downers. They’ll headline this show at the Cha Cha Lounge with an opening set by the Los Angeles–based “dyke pop star” and former local Wanda What. (Cha Cha Lounge, 8 pm, 21+, free) JULIANNE BELL
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley
July 15
Ghanaian highlife luminary Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is known for Afrobeat tunes that blend soul, folk, and jazz with traditional African rhythms. He will bring his eight-piece band out to the Tractor to play his seminal 1975 debut album, Simigwa, in its entirety. The album was heavily influenced by the horn-heavy funk of James Brown, complete with references to being a “sex machine” and plenty of screams, shouts, and lively ad-libs. This show is a must for fans of Fela Kuti, Cymande, or Studio One compilations. (Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN
TEKE::TEKE
July 16
If you render your nom de musique in all caps and with two colons, you’d better sound pretty distinctive. Thankfully, Montreal septet TEKE::TEKE carve out a unique niche in today’s scene. Their foundation is a style of surf rock known as Eleki that uses traditional Japanese instruments; they then add trombone, flute, electric guitars, and drums to bring in elements of extravagant psychedelia and Nipponese film music of the ’60s and ’70s. The result is a swashbuckling, high-voltage sound that gives your ears vertigo, in the most exciting way imaginable. Respect to Kill Rock Stars for getting out of its comfort zone and championing this band. (Madame Lou’s, 8:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL
Matmos
July 20
America’s foremost experimental music group who also happen to be a gay married couple, Matmos have been bringing Dadaistic playfulness and conceptual rigor to their albums and mind-boggling live shows for 30 years. Every record by Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt (literature professor and music instructor, respectively) is created under clever, self-imposed limitations, to keep things fresh and surprising. For example, they generated the tracks on new album Metallic Life Review strictly from, you guessed it, metal objects, both mundane and arcane. With help from members of Horse Lords, Water Damage, Half Japanese, and the late pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn, Matmos have created a weird species of ritualistic music, often with eccentric grooves to which you can dance—if your limbs have ESP. Some may think of it as novelty music for intellectuals, but it’s still a rarefied treat. (Here-After, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL
Sister Nancy w/the Rootsonic Band, Zions Gate SoundÂ
July 20
If she’d only cut the 1982 classic “Bam Bam,” Jamaican reggae and dancehall DJ Sister Nancy would be a hall of famer. That track has been caned by DJs and copiously compiled for more than four decades (and streamed over 221 million times on a hated platform), thanks to Nancy’s bubbly cadence and silken timbre... and Robbie Shakespeare’s unstoppable bassline. Over her decades-long career, the woman born Ophlin Russell’s instantly identifiable voice has flitted gracefully from domineering to defiant to dulcet, garnering much justified praise. Following on from the 2025 Record Store Day reissue of Sister Nancy’s 100 percent fire debut LP, One, Two, this is a rare Seattle appearance by dancehall royalty. (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL
Sophie B. Hawkins
July 26
If you ask me, Sophie B. Hawkins’s “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” is one of the greatest songs of all time. The raw, unbridled emotion and fiercely vulnerable lyrics, delivered in Hawkins’s slightly raspy powerhouse voice, make the anthem one of the most indelible hits of the ’90s. It simply brims with queer yearning and topped the charts in 1992, a time when an explicitly sapphic love song had never before broken out into the mainstream. (Hawkins identifies as “omnisexual,” a term she coined to describe herself before sexual fluidity was commonly accepted, and the song’s narrator expresses the desire to rescue a woman from her abusive relationship with passion and tenderness.) I also love the similarly intense “Right Beside You” and the earnestly sweet “As I Lay Me Down.” Catch the iconic singer-songwriter’s acoustic tour, commemorating the 30th anniversary of her sophomore album, Whaler, which was released in 1994. (The Triple Door, 7:30 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL
Surprise Chef, Derya Yıldırım & Grup imek
July 29Â
Odds are, you’ve probably found yourself Shazaming at the club and receiving results that prompt you to explore certain artists further. That’s me with Surprise Chef. Thanks to cell-phone-triggered algorithms, the Australian quintet’s been nice-ing up my head for the last two years. Currently recording for Brooklyn’s outstanding Big Crown label, Surprise Chef forgo vocals in their suavely cinematic funk and soul tracks while deploying the sort of versatility and virtuosity commonly heard in the dopest library musicians of the ’60s and ’70s. An instrumental like “Consulate Case” off this year’s Superb album exemplifies the group’s ability to keep things mysterious while grooving like mofos. A hunch: Surprise Chef’s sample-worthy music will sound even hotter live. (Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL
Lifeguard
July 30
In an ever-changing world, at least one thing remains constant: Matador Records’ A&R department knows how to find very good rock bands, even when rock seems as if it’s ready to be shunted off to an assisted living facility. The latest example? Baby-faced Chicago trio Lifeguard. Their scathing and tuneful new album, Ripped and Torn, marauds with the kind of authority that make aging critics utter cringe proclamations like “the kids are all right.” But, Jah damn it, Lifeguard have that innate sonic charisma that suggests they spent their youths intently studying history’s most righteous post-punk groups, and then putting their own distinctive stamp on that style. Having played together since they were in high school, Asher Case, Isaac Lowenstein, and Kai Slater exude a natural chemistry that bands such as Wire, Mission of Burma, and Gang of Four presented way before these dudes were born. That Lifeguard’s guitar/bass/synth/drums hit with an angular force while retaining a nagging melodiousness can make even the most jaded listeners doubt their “rock is dead” dogma. (Baba Yaga, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL
More
TARBOO 2025 July 3–5, Quilcene Lantern
Pass the Aux: Parisalexa, Josiah Mekhi, Arze, Asawni July 5, Hidden Hall 8 pm, 21+
Ha Vay: Spellbound Tour July 10, Madame Lou’s, 7:30 pm
Jena Von Jupiter with Claire Morales, Calm Down Party, and Patrick Toney July 10, Baba Yaga, 7 pm, 21+
Washed Out (DJ Set) July 11, Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+
Downtown Summer Sounds July 11–Aug 28, various locations
Silversun Pickups July 13, Pier 62, 5 pm, all ages
Macy Gray: On How Life Is 25th Anniversary Tour July 15, The Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+
Carson Daniel July 18, Darrell’s Tavern, 8 pm, 21+
Caroline Rose July 18–19, Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+
Capitol Hill Block Party July 18–20, Capitol Hill, 21+
Masego July 19, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages, 7 pm
Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour July 21, Climate Pledge Arena, all ages, 7 pm
Of Montreal: The Sunlandic Twins 20th Anniversary Tour, Bijoux Cone July 22, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+
Ruthie Foster July 22–23, Jazz Alley, 7:30 pm
Mei Semones with Lionmilk July 23, Barboza, 7 pm
Devo July 23–24, Woodland Park Zoo, 6 pm, all ages
Cap’n Jazz July 25, Neumos, 8 pm, 21+
The Damned July 25, Showbox, 7:30 pm, 21+
Mannequin Pussy July 25, Spanish Ballroom, 7 pm
Timber! Outdoor Music Festival July 24–26, Tolt-Macdonald Park
Monster Planet with Young Scientist July 26, Chapel Performance Space, 8 pm
The MarĂas: Submarine Tour July 27, WAMU Theater, 8 pm
Iggy Pop July 28, Marymoor Park, all ages, 7 pm
Some Velvet Sidewalk July 31, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+
Death Cab for Cutie: Plans 20th Anniversary June 31 and Aug 2, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm, all ages
Paul Simon July 31 & Aug 2–3, Benaroya Hall, 8 pm
Pickathon July 31–Aug 3, Happy Valley, OR
Mekons Aug 2, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+
Novos Baianos Aug 3, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
THING Fest Aug 2, Aug 9, Aug 16, Aug 23, Remlinger Farms
Less Than Jake, Fishbone, the Suicide Machines, Catbite Aug 5, Showbox Sodo, 7 pm, all ages
Early Warnings
Colleen Green, Rozwell Kid Aug 6, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages
Lady Gaga Aug 6–7, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm, all ages
LCD Soundsystem, TV on the Radio Aug 7–8, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages
Dinosaur Jr., Snail Mail, Easy Action Aug 8, Chateau Ste. Michelle, 6:30 pm, all ages
Lucy Dacus, Julia Jacklin Aug 10, Remlinger Farms, 6:30 pm, all ages
Alabama Shakes Aug 16, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages
The Lumineers Aug 16, T-Mobile Park, 8 pm, all ages
Femi Kuti & the Positive Force Aug 16, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
L7 and Bratmobile at South Sound Block Party Aug 22–23, Port of Olympia, all ages
Hunx and His Punx Aug 26, Clock-Out Lounge, 8 pm, 21+
Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons Aug 29–31, Benaroya Hall, various times, all ages
Bumbershoot 2025: Arts and Music Festival Aug 30–31, Seattle Center, all ages
Wet Leg, Mary in the Junkyard Sept 1–2, Paramount Theatre, 6:30 pm, all ages
Japanese Breakfast, Ginger Root Sept 2–3, Woodland Park Zoo
Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Sep 5, Gorge Amphitheatre, 7:30 pm, all ages
Osees Sept 5–6, Neumos, times and age-ranges vary
W.I.T.C.H. Sept 8, Tractor Tavern, 7 pm, 21+
Viagra Boys Sept 12–13, Showbox SoDo, all ages
The Psychedelic Furs, Gary Numan Sept 13, Showbox, 8 pm, 21+
HAIM, Dora Jar Sept 18, WAMU Theater, 7:30 pm, all ages
Grandaddy Sept 18, Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages
Princess Nokia & Big Freedia Sept 27, Pier 62, 6:30 pm, all ages
Pup, Jeff Rosenstock, Akko Astral Oct 7, Showbox Sodo, 7:30 pm, all ages
Garbage, Starcrawler Oct 15, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
Destroyer: Dan’s Boogie Tour Oct 25, The Crocodile, 5 pm, 21+
Shonen Knife, the Pack A.D. Oct 25, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+
Freakout Festival: Melt-Banana, Liz Cooper, Wine Lips, and more Nov 6–9, various locations, 21+
Belly: 30th Anniversary of King Nov 9, The Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+
The Mountain Goats Dec 3–4, Neptune Theatre, all ages
