JPEGMAFIA
Over the course of his fourteen years of publishing music, rapper JPEGMAFIA has captured the hearts and ears of the experimental rap scene, garnering more than 1.7 million listeners across streaming platforms. Lovingly called Peggy by his fans, he has produced for names like Lil B, Denzel Curry, and Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s rap duo, ¥$. His newest album I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU incorporates all the classic JPEGMAFIA music quirks — obscure sampling, loud and aggressive lyrics, and record-breaking amounts of beat switches.
Upon walking into the Palladium, any preconceived notions about how this show would go were simultaneously confirmed and squashed: the venue stunk, every room was cloudy with various types of vapors, some distinctly more Californian than others. Fortunately, that was made up for by the most essential part of a good music venue, a stage that can actually be seen from the standing room.
As the lights dimmed and people finished funneling into the ballroom, musician Jane Remover took the stage. Her 28-minute opening performance was a heavily autotuned mish-mash of hyperpop and shoegaze, completely opposite from the performance Peggy was about to give. The crowd’s reaction varied. Many just stood there unsure of how to take in the music, but there were a few fans jumping and embracing each other among the many confused looks.
As JPEGMAFIA entered the stage, the chants of “Peggy, Peggy, Peggy, Peggy!” got so loud it was almost impossible to hear him say, “I’m here to do a few songs for you, if that’s OK.” Those few songs were an hour and a half of pure energy, beginning with his song “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot” off his album All My Heroes are Cornballs and culminating with “it’s dark
and hell is hot” off his most recent release. The crowd was a never ending mosh pit, hyped up by the man on stage himself — safe to say, bruises are included with this show. The sheer amount of energy JPEGMAFIA exudes on stage made the crowd forget about the pain in their legs, the stench of the venue getting worse, or the layer of noxious fumes settling on top of them.
Show Me The Body
The punk band Show Me the Body has come far from performing in basements and under bridge overpasses to playing historical venues in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. Throughout their fifteen years of making music, Show Me the Body has incorporated multiple genres into their sound, from collaborating with rappers like Denzel Curry and Princess Nokia to electronic producer Eartheater. Consisting of lead singer and banjoist Julian Cashwan Pratt, bassist Harlan Steed, and drummer Jack McDermott, Show Me the Body has been touring since the release of their latest mixtape CORPUS II, named after their music collective CORPUS.
It takes no genius to admire The Belasco’s intricate architecture, the frankly beautiful venue was built in 1926 and reflects a period where maximalism was the go-to, an amalgamation of Art Deco and Spanish Renaissance can make even the least artistic eye glimmer at the sight of it upon walking into the building. Like the Hollywood Palladium, the Belasco is a mostly standing venue, and like its more toned-down Hollywood Palladium’s cousin, as the stage is not only easy to see but also easy to run up onto.
A whopping five openers took the stage during this almost 5 hour-long show, all with their own unique sounds and lyrics, it ended up feeling more like a music festival than just a punk show. The lineup consisted of Omahan hardcore band Bib, New Orleanian electronic band Special Interest, Angelino power-violence band ZULU, English rock band High Vis, and American rapper Corbin A.K.A Spooky Black.
Each musician progressively got the crowd more and more hyped up. However, special attention should be given to Alli Logout, the lead singer of Special Interest who, during her set jumped into the crowd, lollipop in hand, and began pushing and moshing with those already in the mosh pit. Every band at this concert set a precedent for how the crowd should react to the next band coming on stage. ZULU’s lead singer Anaiah Muhammad exclaimed, “Get up on the stage!” to the crowd, setting a chain reaction commonly seen at hardcore shows where the audience will run on stage and attempt to crowd-surf and/or torpedo head first into the audience.
After three whole hours of openers, Show Me the Body finally entered the stage, and the already energized crowd erupted, the mosh pit intensified and only got wilder as they performed songs like “It Burns” off their most recent release CORPUS II, and a cover of Beastie Boy’s 1994 song “Sabotage”. The sheer amount of openers made the main act feel short but sweet.
What was so beautiful about this show was how respectful the audience was despite the association of punk and hardcore being an anarchic and violent genre. Everyone in the crowd looked out for each other. One minute a lanky guy could be crashing into you full force from the mosh pit but immediately after he makes sure you aren’t injured or hurt — giving you a sly thumbs up before running back into the pit. It’s a community of old and young, but they all come together to have fun and kick and punch their hearts out. Even those new to the scene or experiencing their first-ever punk show will be told “You’ve been blessed!” by the same guy who puts an arm around your shoulder and drags you into the pit.
