Six Atlanta Shows to Catch This Month [July 2018]

Atlanta has tons of great shows in July to fill your hot summer nights. There are always a slew of bigger name acts that come through, but also plenty of talented and eclectic bands filling up venues all over the city, almost every night of the week. There’s nothing like catching a band at a smaller venue on their rise to stardom; tickets are cheaper and the view is a lot nicer too.

These certainly aren’t the only shows in Atlanta we are hoping to catch this month, but here are six shows we’re looking forward to over the rest of this July:

Cut Worms

9 p.m. July 13 @ The Drunken Unicorn. Tickets are $12 and can be bought here.

736 Ponce De Leon Pl. NE, Atlanta

Max Clarke is like the indie world’s Superman. Instead of taking out the “bad guys” in a back alley, his alter ego kicks ass as musician Cut Worms. New York-based (but Midwestern-raised), Cut Worms has been compared to varied performers from Leonard Cohen to the Everly Brothers; the familiarity found in his use of simple melodies and mysterious stage presence. The band’s debut album Hollow Ground (via Jagjaguwar) isn’t anything you’ve never heard before, but its collection of retro-pop and timeless grooves are perfect for a chill night.

You’ll want to be early for this one; openers include Atlanta’s own psych-folk trio Slow Parade and up-and-coming Shy Boys from Kansas City, Missouri.

Punch Brothers

8 p.m. July 14 @ The Tabernacle. Tickets start at $25 and can be bought here.

152 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta

You might have heard of this bluegrass band before, and if not, dive a little deeper than the Avett Brothers to give Punch Brothers a shot. Chris Thile, formerly of Nickel Creek, formed Punch Brothers back in 2006. Since their inception (credited to mutual heartache and too much whiskey), Punch Brothers have accumulated two EPs and four successful albums – a fifth album, All Ashore, is set to release July 20. The band plays Atlanta just a few days before that release and we’re hoping they give us a taste of the new stuff. There’s never a dull moment with these incredibly talented musicians.

June Pastel

7 p.m. July 15 @ The Bakery. Tickets are $5 at the door.

825 Warner St. SW, Atlanta

Venezuelan-American Anthony Peña is well on his way in the dream-pop world. He started the idea of June Pastel in Salt Lake City before it became a legitimate project in Baltimore – fusing indie pop with atmospheric chamber styles. June Pastel’s enchanting debut album Collages was released a couple weeks ago on June 29. The album features vivid, synthpop details and smooth landscapes that compliment the richness in his songwriting. According to Peña, “Pastel is all about community,” so come show some love for Baltimore’s experimental scene.

If you’re interested in more of June Pastel, check out his OpenEars Monomania Playlist.

Sash the Bash

8 p.m. July 16 @ The Earl. Tickets are $10 and can be bought here.

488 Flat Shoals Ave. SE, Atlanta

Atlanta resident Sasha Vallely, aka Sash The Bash, is pretty badass. Over the last decade she’s worked relentlessly on her rock credentials; she’s performed all over the globe with bands such as Midnight Larks, Spindrift, and The Silver Chords, and she’s guested with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Massive Attack, The Black Angels and many others. After the tragic loss of her own band’s drummer, Tony 2 Skulls, Sasha was joined for a brief stint by Lindsey Tulkoff. She’s recently changed things up for a new fuller, glam-punk classic rock sound and added three new members: Adam Alexander-Änzio, Cullen Curtis and Ben Davidow. We can’t wait to see how the new line-up compares to Vallely’s original sound.

Animal Collective (Performing Sung Tongs)

7 p.m. July 17 @ Atlanta Symphony Hall. Tickets start at $20 and can be bought here.

1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta

When you go to see a band live, it’s expected that they’ll play all their hits, and stitch their setlist together with deeper cuts; it’s what listeners want. After all, you don’t see this band live every year and going to shows costs money. Animal Collective, however, is venturing out of the norm: They are playing an album in its entirety, all the way through, live. The album they are on tour with is Sung Tongs, their 2004 breakthrough album. The album is full of folky, wispy melodies and celebratory chaos that we can only dream of how it translates live. Even if you’re not a diehard fan, it won’t be hard to appreciate just how special this show is.

A new double album appears to be in the works, too. As reported by Consequences of Sound, a Reddit user found a listing for an upcoming Animal Collective album to be entitled Tangerine Reef on French website Fnac. When asked about the listing, the band confirmed that the Tangerine Reef would indeed be a double-LP, to be announced on July 16th and released sometime in August.

This dreamy night will be even more special because Atlanta resident Lonnie Holley is opening the show. Holley is a celebrated visual artist who has been recently receiving acclaim as a touring musician. His music and lyrics are unusual; he improvises on the spot, producing experiences through his music that are unique from almost anything else you’ve heard. Holley recently announced his third album, MITH, due out on September 21st via Jajaguwar. This is sure to be a one-of-a-kind show you don’t want to be late for.

Shannon & The Clams

8 p.m. July 20 @ Terminal West. Tickets are $17 and can be bought here.

887 West Marietta St. NW C, AtlantaOakland’s Shannon & The Clams have gotten a boost from their latest release, Onion. The album isn’t entirely different than their four previous albums, but Onion has more of a clean, rockabilly sound. It may be because the album was produced by Dan Auerbach (via his Easy Eye Sound label), or it may just be that their hard work is starting to show through tighter instrumentation and defined hooks. Either way, we love their sweet mix of ’60s punk, garage-rock and aesthetics.

While Shannon & The Clams is reason enough to attend, the lineup also features Paint Fumes out of Charlotte with their “panic attack punk”, and our favorite nerve pop band, Small Reactions, from right here in Atlanta. It’s a stacked lineup that will have Terminal West full of energy until late into the night.

BONUS JULY FESTIVAL

Irrelevant Music Festival

July 18th – July 22nd @ 529 EAV & The Bakery. Tickets are $15 per night and can be purchased here.

The third year of Irrelevant Music Festival in Atlanta has expanded to 5 days with the first 4 days occurring at 529 in East Atlanta Village before the closing reception on Sunday night at The Bakery. Irrelevant Music Festival was founded by Irrelevant Music boss Kyle Swick, who’s really become one of the champions of the Atlanta music scene over the last few years, providing booking, promoting, artist management, and even a label. Irrelevant Music has become a strong voice for the Atlanta DIY scene, and this festival is further proof of a scene coming together.

Not only does the festival have some national touring acts playing that don’t come through Atlanta a lot, but Irrelevant Music Festival is a chance to really see many different sides of the Atlanta music scene. Throughout the lineup is talented locals from an assortment of genres, literally something for everyone. There are Atlanta locals well on their way already, there is Athens post punk legends Pylon Reenactment Society; there is punk, synth pop, folk rock, trap and more. The second night is even the official release party for the just released sophomore album from Atlanta’s mysterious glam-punks, Material Girls, who’ve been making waves around town for their live shows. Each night of Irrelevant Music Festival will be a slightly different, so pick a night (or all) to go and experience the pulse of the city. You can check out the individual day lineups on the event pages on Facebook for each night here.