Geekin' Out—A Monthly Queer Variety Show @ DLC 10/13
With some of the sassiest drag queens, talented queer musicians and comedians in town, this month's Queer Variety Show at the DLC will be an event show goers won't want to miss. The stunning Sequoia hosts the event. Well-known in the drag scene, she performs regularly around SLC, serving marvelous looks with her outfits. This queen also has a voice of gold, slaying songs like "Jolene" by the iconic Dolly Parton. Special guests at the event include Marrlo Suzzanne, The Pho3nix Child, Corbin Bronson, Brandi the Kween, Craig Sorensen and Suchii. Cassie Houston, A.K.A The Phoe3nix Child, a self-described "non-binary, femme-presenting, bi-polar poet, rapper and dancer from Salt Lake," they told SLUG Soundwaves in February of this year. "I feel like it's important to show face as a queer, femme-presenting person in Salt Lake, especially with the scene just being so masculine," they said. "There's not many of us, you know." Pop artist Suchii has also made a splash on the local music scene with his debut EP Summer on Venus. His new track "Fila Fila" was made with the queer community in mind, each verse including a different pronoun so everyone has a song to sing to the ones they love. This queer extravaganza features music, comedy, drinks, giveaways and performances from some of the best drag queens in town. The show begins at 8:30 p.m. and tickets for the 21+ event are $12. Find tickets at quartersslc.com. (Emilee Atkinson)
Panic! At the Disco @ Vivint Smart Home Arena 10/14
Embarking on tour once more, iconic pop-punk act Panic! At the Disco will stop in SLC on their extensive fall tour entitled Viva Las Vengeance, echoing the title of their recently-released seventh studio album. Viva Las Vengeance showcases a new process for frontman/songwriter Brendan Urie: He cut everything live at home with his friends/production partners at his side. The cinematic musical journey is about the fine line between taking advantage of your youth, seizing the day and burning out. The songs take an introspective look into his relationship with his decade-plus career, including love, fame and growing up in Las Vegas. "I wanted to step away from production styles I had done in the past. I've kind of started drifting further and further away from over-production and this whole album was recorded to an 8-track tape machine. It was like, 'Just figure it out and record it in the moment,'" Urie told Audacy in September. While writing the title track, Urie describes having a melody stuck in his head, but needing inspiration for lyrics. "I went in my notes app and I was just scrolling through and was like, 'Oh Yeah! This 'Viva Las Vengeance,' that came from a movie. I was watching this horror movie, Army of the Dead. Dave Bautista's character, he's this ex-Marine and his jacket has a patch that says 'Viva Las Vengeance' so I was like, 'Oh, great!' And it makes sense for me being from Vegas," he said. Catch this iconic band on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $26-$126 with VIP packages ranging from $241-$427. Buy tickets at vivintarena.com. (EA)
In This Moment @ The Complex 10/15
For nearly two decades, frontwoman Maria Brink has been on the forefront of leading ladies in rock and metal. The L.A.-based metal group have been consistently pumping out heavy tracks since their inception, creating a strong and dedicated fanbase. In This Moment's shows are as theatrical as they are heavy; the stage is always decked out with props, the band has wicked face paint and costumes, and Brink is typically flanked by masked dancers who add to the creepy and heavy vibe that the band gives off. Even though the band can look rough and spooky, they're extremely down-to-earth, and are very kind during meet and greets. In This Moment is gearing up to release their newest work, Blood 1983, commemorating the 10-year anniversary of their 2012 album Blood. "We are excited to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of our album Blood by bringing this new EP to life. Blood changed our lives and shifted our career in a way we will never forget," said Brink. "We created this reimagined version because we wanted to give our beautiful fans something to be excited about. Blood 1983 is just that. We can't wait for the world to hear it." In This Moment will be joined by a lineup of guests including Nothing More, Sleep Token and Cherry Bombs. Catch this all-ages metal performance on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be bought at thecomplexslc.com. (EA)
MUNA @ The Depot 10/17
After a period of uncertainty and difficulty, indie-pop group MUNA are making a return. Their latest self-titled album is a forceful, deliberate dimensional output from a band that has nothing to prove to anyone except themselves. Though they were dropped by their label, RCA, during the pandemic, they managed to get picked up by Saddest Factory Records with label head Phoebe Bridgers, and now MUNA has found a new home. Their track "Silk Chiffon," became a cult smash online, gleaning critical acclaim from publications like Pitchfork, NPR and Rolling Stone. For Naomi McPherson, MUNA's guitarist and producer, it's a "song for kids to have their first gay kiss to." And several thousand unhinged Twitter and TikTok memes bloomed. With their place secured, and their self-titled album out, the band is hitting the road to share their infectious live energy with the world. "The album is kind of disparate sonically, disparate in terms of what the songs are saying, but the connective tissue is self-definition and agency and identity and interrogating those things," McPherson told The New York Times in June. "And also knowing that nothing is fixed." The trio have gone through a lot, but they're not letting go of the past. "I don't want this era to be, 'Oh, we used to be one way, and now we're another way, and everything's great now,'" she said. "We are who we are, but it's the compassion we have for ourselves, the awareness we have," bassist Katie Gavin told The New York Times. This indie-pop trio will be at The Depot on Monday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $30 and can be found at livenation.com. (EA)
Monolink @ The Complex 10/19
Many artists blend different genres to create a personal and unique sound, something that becomes their own. German musician Monolink does this with seemingly contradictory genres: EDM and singer/songwriter type music. "To many that might sound like two very different aspects of modern sound culture—which in turn makes Monolink a fascinating character, because he's both rolled into one. His style seamlessly connects the narrative structure of a song with the compelling forward thrust of electronic rhythms," says his online bio. "Guitar chords merge into synthetic pad sounds, hypnotic bass vibrations meet emotional vocal parts, passionate physicality meets sublime stimulation for the mind." In 2021, Monolink released his latest album Under Darkening Skies, for which the tour is named. "Under Darkening Skies is an album that's connecting different dots in my life, representing phases or moments I went through. I wanted to go back to writing actual songs again instead of adding vocals to a beat, which gave me the freedom to express more musical facets of myself," says Monolink in a statement. "Eventually it became the most diverse record I have made so far, influenced by a time of global social and economic uncertainty at an ever-increasing tempo of change. Like a dark cloud approaching," Monolink told We Rave You back in June 2021 when the album was released. Catch this unique act on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $25 and can be found at thecomplexslc.com. (EA)