The 10 Best Concerts in Dallas this Week, March 3 – 9

Festival season is upon us, and just because there’s no 35 Denton this year doesn’t mean things have slowed down for 2014. This week Untapped returns to Fort Worth, Three Links and Mad World Records will each celebrate their anniversaries with fests, and the inaugural ONE FEST will spend the weekend at Sons of Hermann Hall. There’s plenty of other single-headliner shows to catch as well, so good luck trying to rest up for South by Southwest.

Lorde Tuesday, March 4 at South Side Ballroom New Zealand’s Lorde is not your average pop sensation, but unless you’ve been living under a rock since last summer, you probably already knew that. Her debut mega-hit, “Royals”, has been immortalized with constant radio play, countless YouTube parodies, and even a performance on the Grammy stage. Tomorrow’s show at South Side Ballroom is already sold out.

Com Truise Tuesday, March 4 at Club Dada Former art director Seth Haley retired from the design world just before his first release under the name Com Truise. His 80’s influenced chill wave style of deejaying has garnered fans from all over the world- and he’s remixed wildly popular indie pop artists including Sky Ferreira, Neon Indian, Twin Shadow, and even Daft Punk. Fort Worth’s Ronnie Heart will open the show.

Ice Balloons Thursday, March 6 at Club Dada It’s kind of fuzzy, it’s kind of droney, kind of trippy, and the lead singer is only ever seen performing in a knitted fly mask- which makes him look like some sort of insect/human hybrid. All this and more has made Ice Balloons one of the most buzzed about bands of bands of the last year. They’ve been collaborating a lot with TV on The Radio’s Kyp Malone, who will join them at Club Dada on Thursday.

Kevin Seconds Thursday, March 6 at Three Links Kevin Seconds is front man for the seminal 80’s hardcore band 7 Seconds. This week, he brings his acoustic singer-songwriter solo material to Three Links in support of new album, Off Stockton.

Childish Gambino Friday, March 7 at South Side Music Hall In December, Childish Gambino released one of the most talked about albums in independent rap music. Because The Internet got people interested for a variety of reasons. From content, to production, to featured artists- there are plenty of reasons to give it a listen. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Childish Gambino (who you may also know as Donald Glover, one of the stars of NBC’s Community), is the raw and unmitigated honesty in his lyrics. Presale tickets have already sold out, which is a testament in itself to the rapper’s quickly growing fan base.

The Relatives Friday, March 7 at The Kessler Theater Soul and gospel crooners, The Relatives, are a Dallas treasure. Known for their high spirited and roaring good time of a live show, they have been well-known local favorites for years. This Friday, they celebrate the 70th birthday of another Dallas music veteran, Bobby Patterson.

Mad World Records 3 Year Anniversary Friday, March 7 – Saturday, March 8 at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since Denton’s Mad World Records opened on the town square. The college town’s favorite record shop carries new, used, and local stock for Denton resident’s crate digging pleasure. In a two day anniversary celebration at Rubber Gloves, they’ll host performances from The Baptist Generals, Brent Best, Bad Design, Radioactivity, Dim Locator, and more.

Three Links 1 Year Anniversary Friday, March 7 – Saturday, March 8 at Three Links One of Deep Ellum’s best new venues is celebrating an anniversary this week as well. Commemorate Three Link’s first birthday with two days of performances from some of the city’s best punk and hardcore leaning talent. Lineups include The Phuss, Pinata Protest, Svetlanas, Sealion, and many more.

One Fest Friday, March 7 – Saturday, March 8 at Sons Of Hermann Hall This inaugural metal and hardcore fest will be at Deep Ellum’s Sons of Hermann this weekend. Bring your earplugs, because two days of sets from Primitive Man, Steel Bearing Hand, Tolar, and Modern Pain might have you hearing a little less clearly on Monday.

Untapped Festival: Fort Worth Saturday, March 8 at Panther Island Pavillion Together, Spune and sponsor Paste Magazine are expanding their beer and music festival to multiple cities throughout the south. This weekend, they kick off festival season with their annual Fort Worth outing. National acts The Joy Formidable, Allen Stone, Lucius, and People Under The Stairs will round out a nice and eclectic sampling of local artists. Don’t forget your designated driver!