Spring is on the way! That means a hodgepodge of bands rolling through the area. This is festival season for some—and since Lawrence is in the middle of the country, you never know who will show up. From experimental noise rock to blues legends, this is a good month to go out and expand your palette (and then wreck it at a St. Patrick’s Day show!). Here are our best bets for live music in Lawrence this March.
Bombay Bicycle Club
Liberty Hall | March 11
English indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club are back with new music this year, and they’re heading out on tour to celebrate. They took a different approach to their new EP, Fantasies, releasing only 2500 vinyl copies that they’re selling exclusively on tour. The EP is full of collaborations, including the latest single, “Willow,” featuring Lucy Rose. This continues the band’s penchant for adapting to various styles and genres of music.
You can listen to their new single, “Willow,” featuring Lucy Rose, below.
RIYL: Foals / Thimastr / Two Door Cinema Club
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears
The Bottleneck | March 13
Oh man, y’all are in for a treat. We’re counting this as our top show for the month.
We’ve been waiting for a while to see Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears come through, and this show is destined to deliver. The rambunctious blues guitarist is known for fuzzy and driving rhythms with call-out lyrics tackling the daunting daily drama of all our social anxieties. It’s like garage rock for blues fans.
RIYL: Alabama Shakes / T Bird and the Breaks / Howlin’ Wolf
St. Patrick’s Day Shows:
It’s a longtime tradition that if you’re going out in Lawrence for St. Patrick’s Day, you’re headed to a roots concert in the middle of the day as well. After the fanfare of the parade packs up, people head down to a handful of Downtown venues for various merriment and green beer (so, so much green beer). It feels like this year we have more than ever, with some of Lawrence’s finest barn burners set to take the stage. Here are some local shows we rounded up:
St. Patrick’s Day Party at Lucia with Deadman Flats / PopSkull Rebels / Branoc
Lucia | March 17
Photo: Kaw Tikis by Brian Byers
St. Patio’s Show (early and late)
The Replay | March 17
Featuring: Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers / Kaw Tikis / Old Sound / Tonganoxie Split / Catgut / Brody Buster / Howard Mahan Band
RIYL: Getting drunk with local bands
GWAR
The Granada | March 24
This show is not for the faint-of-heart.
One of the longest-running shock-metal bands is making a triumphant (and sticky) return to the Granada this month. Leave your phone at home. Don’t wear anything valuable. You will get wet.
There is absolutely no escaping the blood props of GWAR (experts of bad words, blood, and burgers, apparently). A big, if not the biggest, part of being a GWAR fan is the experience of seeing them live. They have the most theatrics, by far, out of any band on the road right now. You’ll see a lot of costumes, calamity, and blood. Soooooo much blood. There’s so much blood, in fact, that we’ve never been able to photograph them. One time, we sent a photographer to an outdoor show at Sandstone, and he photographed them from the soundboard and STILL got hit.
Anyway, this show is a riot, and everyone should experience a GWAR show at least once. But…. Prepare to be doused.
RIYL: Gross stuff, getting naaaaaaasty
Deerhoof
The Bottleneck | March 31
This is another one of those “pretty big deal” shows that we can’t believe is heading to The Bottleneck, when it could easily pack Liberty Hall (which may have been the last place we saw the band, actually).
It’s been a good few years since indie rockers Deerhoof rolled through. They’re known for chaotic and erratic rhythms, and their latest single, “Almuatin,” is no exception. This is for fans of noise-punk, high-pitched vocals, and the occasional lyrics in Japanese. If you’re into experimental music with a whimsical flair, this is the show for you.
RIYL: Melt Banana / Xiu Xiu / Stereolab
This is the place where Nirvana & Green Day played in a small, standing-room-only shack. This is the place where Janelle Monae packed in her hometown crowd. George Clinton has funked up our streets and we “fought the power” with...
