Things are starting to heat up in North Texas this week with some real legends gracing our stages this week. Thursday night kicks off this concert week with a bang as two Afropunk bands play at the same time in Deep Ellum and Denton. On Friday, indie band The Antlers returns to Dallas singing a different kind of tune, The Kessler hosts a night of grunge in Oak Cliff and Lola's in Fort Worth brings country icon Willis Alan Ramsey to the Trailer Park. Saturday, Seryn plays a hometown show in Denton and Olivia Rodrigo lights up a sold-out show in Irving. Later this weekend, LP will rock out at the House of Blues and Lily Taylor plays a free show on the Kessler Green with Black Taffy. The concert week ends with a performance from none other than Sir Paul McCartney in Fort Worth. Stay hydrated. This one is going to be a sprint.
Ho99o9
7 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at Dada, 2720 Elm St., $20 at prekindle.com
Ho99o9 (pronounced "horror") is a hip-hop/punk rock duo founded in Newark, New Jersey, in 2012. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2014, theOGM and Eaddy began collaborating with Santigold producer Ian Longwell on drums, giving the rap group its fast, hard-driving backbeat. Later that year, the band took on Black Flag drummer and Grapevine native Brandon Pertzborn and recorded their first album, United States of Horror. A breathtaking 17-track album, United States of Horror was the perfect mix of rap and punk, blending the two genres so well that it was nearly impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. The group spent much of their career as the opening act for metal acts 3Teeth, Avenged Sevenfold and The Dillinger Escape Plan, but Thursday night they make a headlining appearance at Deep Ellum's Dada with opening support from punk rapper N8NOFACE.
SOUL GLO
7 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at Andy's Bar, 122 N. Locust St., $15 at prekindle.com
Philadelphia hardcore band SOUL GLO began recording music in 2014 with a raw, 13-track album titled simply " ". The early live-recorded album showcased the full spectrum of the band's talent as it moved effortlessly through circle pit-inducing scream sessions and intensely slow hip-hop breakdowns. A Black hardcore band, SOUL GLO used its position on the hardcore stage to shout down oppressive systems and address the issues within their own community. After signing to the iconic punk label Epitaph Records in 2021, SOUL GLO released their fourth full-length album, Diaspora Problems, in late March. A sleek, 12-track album, Diaspora Problems eschews the hardcore tradition of short songs for epic, breathtaking ride-alongs through the full range of hardcore punk and rap. SOUL GLO will have local support from Flesh Born and Heavy Baby Sea Slugs.
The Antlers
7 p.m. Friday, May 13, at Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd., $20 at prekindle.com
The Antlers made their first big impression on the indie music world in 2009 when their concept album Hospice captured the ears an imaginations of listeners with a darkly romanic tale about a hospice worker and a female patient suffering from terminal bone cancer. A true masterpiece in the genre, Hospice was a tough act to follow, but The Antlers produced two stunning follow-ups before going on hiatus in 2015 after singer Peter Silberman experienced hearing loss and became unsure whether he could continue making music. In March 2021, The Antlers released their latest album, Green to Gold, after seven years of uncertainty. The Antlers have always been known for their ability to find true beauty in the darkest of moments, but Green to Gold is notable in how the band is able to find beauty in, well, beauty. NYC indie band Wild Pink opens the show supporting its third album A Billion Little Lights.
Meat Puppets
7 p.m. Friday, May 13, at The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St., $24+ at prekindle.com
Nirvana was nine songs into its legendary MTV Unplugged performance when, after a stirring rendition of "Something in the Way," singer Kurt Cobain introduced brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets to the stage to take over guitar and bass as he sang three of their songs: "Plateau," "Oh Me" and "Lake of Fire." While many view that night as Cobain's swan song, it was something of an end for Meat Puppets as well. The last of those songs, "Lake of Fire," came from Meat Puppets' iconic Too High To Die album, which was a success in its own right thanks to the extensive radio play of the single "Backwater." The band wouldn't last much longer before going on their first hiatus, which was followed by a decade of addiction and legal issues. The band has been going steady since 2006 when the original members got back together and toured with Sonic Youth. A different Seattle grunge band, Mudhoney, will be playing in support Friday night.
Willis Alan Ramsey
7 p.m. Friday, May 13, at Lola's Trailer Park, 2735 W. Fifth St., $20 at prekindle.com
There are country music stars like Luke Bryan, country music outlaws like Steve Earle, country music legends like Johnny Cash and then there are country music mythic figures like Willis Alan Ramsey. You might not know who Willis Alan Ramsey is, but we guarantee you that your favorite country music artist does, and they can probably play their favorite song from Ramsey's lone album, his 1972 self-titled debut. Ramsey has spent the last 50 years teasing his next album, Gentilly, dropping a single every decade or so. In 2019, Ramsey told the Dallas Observer that the new album would be out the following year, but that day is still to come. This Friday, however, you will have a chance to see the man who recorded one of the most flawless albums in country music. Ramsey has always been known to be an audiophile, so no matter what the artist has planned, it's sure to sound amazing.
Seryn
7 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., $15 at prekindle.com
While Seryn had unearthed two early recordings of their song “Sideways” in 2019, the future of the band was uncertain until November 2020 when the band launched their official Patreon with the promise of a new record on the way. On April 8, Seryn released the new single "Misery," the fifth in a string of singles released since the band announced their return last summer and began fulfilling this promise. Although the band is now Nashville-based, Seryn has always kept North Texas and its hometown, Denton, close to its heart. Friday night, the band will play Levitt Pavilion in Arlington, but on Saturday night, Seryn returns to its hometown of Denton for an intimate performance at Dan's Silverleaf. Seryn's former violinist Scarlett Deering was set to be opening for the band at both of its shows in North Texas this week but will now be unable to perform due to a positive COVID test.
Olivia Rodrigo
8 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, 300 W. Las Colinas Blvd., $625+ at stubhub.com
As far as pop stars go, you really can't get much bigger than Olivia Rodrigo. Maybe that's why tickets to her show at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory are going for $625+ on StubHub right now. With two No. 1 hits and three others charting high, the singer's 2021 release Sour was absolutely the biggest album of the year in terms of sales and acclaim, and it earned her three Grammys and a host of other awards around the globe. Rodrigo is touring with English indie-pop artist Holly Humberstone, who just recently inked a deal with Rodrigo's label Interscope. Like Rodrigo, Humberstone pushes the pop genre forward with intimate songwriting and experimental music choices. Unlike Rodrigo, Humberstone prefers a more atmospheric approach inspired by Bon Iver and Lorde over Rodrigo's pop-punk sensibility.
Lily Taylor + Black Taffy
6 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St., Free
Dubbed "the Texan experimental pop chanteuse" by Aquarius Records, Lily Taylor makes music that demands your attention. With a diverse mix of songs — some ambient, some pop and some just plain experimental — Taylor's music is captivating. Over the last few years, Taylor has been working with Dallas vaporwave artist Black Taffy on new material and is ready to share what they have created together. Each song explores a different world with different characters, places and experiences. When he is not performing as Black Taffy, Donovan Jones produces other artists, especially female vocalists such as Taylor, Sudie and MATTIE. The event will take place on The Green at The Kessler, which is the outdoor stage and lawn behind the theater.
LP
7 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St., $80+ at livenation.com
Long Island singer-songwriter Laura Pergolizzi, known by their stage name LP, has been writing and recording music since 2001 when their debut record Heart-Shaped Scar captured listeners' attention with gritty pop-rock guitars and the singer's softened blues-rock voice. LP has gone on to write songs for others including Backstreet Boys' "Love Will Keep You Up All Night" and Rihanna's "Cheers (Drink to That)." While always staying just out of the limelight on the American music stage, LP has seen their biggest success in Europe where LP's third album, Lost On You, went platinum on the Polish, French and Italian music charts thanks to the success of the album's title track. The song "Lost on You" became an unexpected hit across Europe and Mexico well over a year after its release, becoming the fourth most Shazamed song in the world in the summer of 2016. LP is now touring in support of their sixth album, Churches.
Paul McCartney
8 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, at Dickie's Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., $283+ at ticketmaster.com
When it comes to big names in town, it really can't get much bigger than a former Beatle, can it? Paul McCartney's status as a genre-defining songwriter is unquestionable, and his musical and humanitarian legacy is beyond reproach. A lifetime champion for human and animal rights, McCartney has supported peace-loving causes since his time with The Beatles and, in the last decade, has become a voice for environmental issues as well. It's hard to say exactly what you're going to get when you see an artist like McCartney, who has written hundreds of songs across six decades of music, but audiences can expect to hear songs from his time with The Beatles, Wings and from his solo albums. The singer's latest album, McCartney III, was released in December 2020, the last of a trilogy that began with 1979's McCartney and 1980's McCartney II, which also featured McCartney on all instruments.