Congratulations on making it through 2024. Yes, it was an absolute bullshit year. But you know what wasn’t? The arts. Artists always lead the way during the most tense times, and we’re thrilled to see that live music in Lawrence is still waaaaay out there.
Here’s the disclaimer we have every single year: No, we didn’t get to every single event. In fact, many events we couldn’t even cover but really wish we could have. So please take this list with a grain of salt. But from what we saw, 2024 was reason to celebrate. Here are the most badass (we said badass, not best) moments in Lawrence’s live music landscape from touring bands in 2024 (next week we’ll do the locals):
10. Twin Temple’s Slaytanic Good Time
Sundays in the Midwest are usually reserved for Church, but not here. This is Lawrence, after all. A quaint town full of heathens. So when it was announced that Twin Temple were coming through for a devilishly good time, everyone came-a-running.
If you’re not familiar with the husband-and-wife duo’s music, think Buddy Holly meets Elvira. The music is gorgeously vintage but with diabolical lyrics. When they stopped by the Granada in October, it was leather daddies and goth girls as far as the eye could see. Alexandra James’ breathy banter complimented her sultry burlesque movement as she buttered up the audience, while Zachary James worked them into a frenzy with guitar solos (the sax player also drove them pretty feral). When Alexandra asked the crowd “Who wants to have a satanic orgy?!” before diving into their song “Let’s Have A Satanic Orgy,” the fans were positively giddy over it. All their songs have delightfully punny plays on satanism (“Satan’s A Woman,” “Lucifer, My Love,” “The Devil [Didn’t Make Me Do It]”). “Lesbians love you!” someone in the crowd blurted out. What a rapport! Thank goodness Twin Temple landed in very gay Lawrence for this tour.
9. Amal and the Sniffers and Lambri Girls
The Granada became a vortex of femme-powered force this Summer when both Amyl and the Sniffers and Lambrini Girls blew through. Both matched in feral stamina, this was heaven on Earth for punk fans.
The category F4 tornado that is Amy Taylor exploded onto the stage with gale force punk, and never toned it down (not even once) for the remainder of the show. Take shelter! She’s a twister. Taylor’s feet barely touched the ground as she popped into the air throughout the night. The Australian band’s first time in Lawrence was a success, and honestly we were lucky to get this show here. There’s a reason it sold out: Amyl and the Sniffers are one of the biggest names in rock and punk right now.
Lambrini Girls opened the night and solidified themselves as one of our new favorite bands. Vocalist and guitarist Phoebe Lunny spent most of the time on the ground with the fans. While most bands try to put a bit of a barrier between themselves and the crowd, Lunny is fearless. Fans held the guitar, held the mic, and canoodled with the charismatic singer. If Amyl and the Sniffers was a tornado, Lambrini Girls was a storm you could wash yourself in and feel new again.
8. Be Your Own Pet
File this under one of those shows where if you missed it, you fucked up.
Now generally, Lawrence likes to slow down a bit in late July. Luckily, a good old fashioned rock show came along to kick everyone’s butts into gear. Nashville’s Be Your Own Pet stopped by The Bottleneck and threw down hard, proving they could maintain the momentum of a thrilling rock band even during the latter part of their tour. Jemina Pearl flung her head and neck around so much, we don’t know how it didn’t fly right off. Honestly, every member of the band carried this level of intensity. This energy was infectious and worked the crowd up continuously throughout the show. This is a band that leaves you never knowing what to expect.
7. Every show Pink Fuzz played in Lawrence this year
It was worth the wait.
Though it had been more than two years since their last appearance, Pink Fuzz’s fans remembered them fondly and turned up hard for the show they played in January (and again a few months later at the Replay). The sibling-fronted band played the crowd extremely well, constantly thrusting guitars in the air and leaning into the fans. We almost thought there wouldn’t be enough energy in that crowd left for the rest of the show (we were wrong). The Denver band is a regional treasure and will always have a home in Lawrence when they roll through.
6. Ask Carol
We always say that when a band makes the journey from overseas to little old Lawrence, go. That’s why we were thrilled to catch Ask Carol at the Replay over the weekend. This is the Norwegian version of the White Stripes. It’s hard to believe they come from a town (Auma, Norway) of about 100 people because they’ve got BIG ROCK STAR ENERGY. There’s nothing they couldn’t do. The duo juggled multiple instruments each, with the frontwoman even pulling out a sick trombone solo at one point. It’s hard not to fall head over heels for them, and such was the case with the very enthusiastic crowd in November. The energy was infectious.
5. The crowd surfing child at Better Lovers
Better Lovers could have held their own on this list, to be honest. Their show was just nonstop action, everyone was constantly in the pit throwing down, and the band (even down a drummer) was ON FIRE. But the best part of the night came when one of the many bodies crowd surfing on this night was a bit smaller than the rest.
This is not the first time we’ve seen a child crowd surfing at shows, but it’s always exciting nonetheless. It happened towards the end of the night, and everyone was rallying him on. He did this like four or three times, stage diving into the arms of his father and the crowd. That’s how you do it, Lawrence! Teach ‘em while they’re young!
4. Peelander-Z
This may have very well been the funnest show of the year. Of course it was. It’s the funnest show of the year every time Peelander-Z rolls through.
The technicolor Japanese-American punk band are known for their wild and unruly shows, saturated with neon hues and nonstop audience participation. You want to be a fly on the wall? Well tough luck, it won’t happen here! Even the shyest of folks really let their guard down by the end of the show, and everyone was taking part.
The rapid-fire songs with easy-to-echo lyrics conjured a rallying cry for every song. “Bike Bike Bike!” “Mad Tiger! Mad Tiger!” and “So Many Mike!” were just a few of the nonstop choruses fans shouted through the air (though collectively, nobody could top the volume of frontman Peelander Yellow). When Peelander Yellow yelled “How do you like your steak?!” everyone responded “MEDIUM RARE!” Then BAM. Nonstop metal riffs followed by some thrashing about.
To experience a Peelander-Z show is an absolute gift. If you attended this show in September, there’s no doubt you participated in some way. The band may have handed you some pots and pans to bang on, or you helped lead everyone in an exercise at the beginning. The really sturdy fans balanced Peelander Yellow on their shoulders or steadied the boogie board that the guitarist surfed on. Either way, a Peelander-Z show is a bit like Fight Club (if this is your first night, you HAVE to… uh… party).
3. Durand Jones at Juneteenth
There are some shows worth standing around in the heat for, and believe us when we say Durand Jones brought the HEAT.
Jones was announced as the surprise headliner for Juneteenth this year, and the event is a goldmine for fans of live music in Lawrence. The all-day lineup features a multitude of performers, then announces a surprise headliner at the last-minute, sometimes with as little as a two-weeks’ heads up. The event is free and for the community.
It took about two seconds for folks to start dancing and cutting a rug. The sax-work was to die for, and ignited a fire under the already heated crowd. Lawrence loves a good sax player, and Jones was welcomed with open arms (and shaking tushies).
2. Dorian Electra
What a time to be a queer kid in Lawrence! If you’re part of the LGBT+ community here, the world (or music scene, rather) is your oyster. Aside from PRIDE back in June, this weekend in September was likely the most exciting weekend for our queer peers, and The Bottleneck was ground zero. After a sold-out Chappell Roan themed drag show at the Bottleneck on Saturday, many attendees returned on Sunday for their lord and savior Dorian Electra.
Listen, we may never see a Chappel Roan show in Lawrence, but you will see Dorian Electra and that’s just as good in our opinion. This is where gender non-conforming friends can feel like their true authentic selves. It was a packed show for the performer, and it was definitely positive vibes only. In lieu of a band playing instruments onstage, Dorian Electra brought dancers and theatrics and sang to a mix. There was a giant puppet, a glowing ring, and all sorts of shenanigans. Several times throughout the night, the floor was just shaking due to the highly stimulated crowd. These fans knew all the words, screaming them back at the stage while trading bracelets made just for the night (a late-90’s trend we’ve been thrilled to see make its way back into live music). Believe us when we tell you it was all smiles and glitter (and fishnets).
1. Shaboozey
Shaboozey absolutely deserves to be in the number one spot on this list. We’ve never seen anything like the good vibes that erupted when he played a free show in Lawrence.
People came out en masse on Mass this September for the rising country superstar and Downtown was backed up good and early. Though his early career primarily had more of a trap-sound, the genre-blending artist is finding his best role in folk and country. This is a natural fit for him, coming from Virginia.
Just that week, he took home two awards (“New Artist” and “New Artist Song”) at the People’s Choice Country Awards. A couple of days later, he was playing a free show to a packed crowd in Downtown Lawrence as part of the Rock Chalk Block Party to celebrate KU Football. The fact that this even happened is nearly unbelievable. Shaboozey’s ever-endearing “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has held the top spot in the Billboard Hot 100 for much of the year, and if you spent any amount of time at the pool this Summer, you heard the song no less than a billion times over the speakers. Shaboozey was everywhere, and he pretty much had the song of the Summer.
And though his songs sometimes center around alcohol, Shaboozey is for the kids. Most of the crowd was made up of children. Like, itty bitty children! And they knew ALL the words, screaming them back at him throughout the show (and even singing together before Shaboozey even took the stage). We guarantee you’ll see him sweeping all the awards shows. When you watch him live, it’s easy to see why. He’s got star quality, a staggering frame that commands the stage, and a smile that lights up a room. My God, that entire crowd was wrapped around his little finger, hanging on his every word. There’s a relatable connection with Shaboozey with his “everyman” approach to lyrics and genuine demeanor. He shot to stardom so quickly this year, but it hasn’t gone to his head. Part of his relatability may also come from the fact that he embodies a bit of the American dream (hear us out). Where else can a man born to Nigerian parents become the top country star of the year and the first black man to hold the Number 1 Billboard Hot 100 and Number 1 Billboard Hot Country Song spots at the same time?
He played a shorter set than what he normally does on tour, likely due to the nature of the event, and fans dutifully hung on through the end. He disappeared for a brief moment before returning for the encore in a custom Jayhawks jersey with his name on the back. This is when the show really took off, as he performed his big hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” not once, but TWICE (TWICE!!!). The first time, he performed it onstage. The second time, he performed it in the crowd (which made everyone’s night). He’s known to perform this song twice and sometimes even thrice on tour, and it’s a testament to his quick wit and knowing how to give his fans what they want without being too “big” for stunts like this. Hell yeah, we’ll take two servings of the Bar Song! When he finished, he bolted to a portion of the fence in the back where fans didn’t have the best view, and immediately took selfies with them. Shaboozey: America’s Sweetheart.
Honorable mentions: Gangstagrass, Mannequinn Pussy, Black Joe Lewis, Postmodern Jukebox, Fontaines DC, Mitsune at Folk Alliance, David Morris’ drummer, The Velveteers.