St. Vincent. Photo by Francis Chung.MONDAY
Local goth-inspired noise-rockers Lenorable play a Halloween show at the Black Cat Backstage, with Dance for the Dying and Loose Lips. $10. 8 p.m.
>> DC9: Dead Meadow, Blackbells. $12. 9 p.m.
TUESDAY
Annie Clark’s sweet, supple voice might be the most immediately recognizable element of her recordings as St. Vincent, but no one who has seen her in concert would be surprised to hear that she considers herself “first and foremost a guitar player.” The 29-year-old Berklee College of Music dropout got back to basics while working on her latest album, Strange Mercy, crafting songs like “Cruel” from simple vocal-and-guitar rudiments before adding layers of fulminant fretwork from her “arsenal of riffs.” The result is a dazzling collection of artfully melodic, skronk-inflected compositions that may be her most compelling musical statement to date. Clark and her skilled backing band will play to a packed house at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday night, with Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon offering a supporting set. Sold out. 7 p.m.
>> Rock and Roll Hotel: Meat Puppets, Dex Romweber Duo. $14 in advance / $16 doors. 8 p.m.
>> Black Cat Backstage: Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs, The Cinnamon Band, Chris Mills. $10. 8 p.m.
>> The Birchmere: Rachael Yamagata, Mike Viola. $23. 7:30 p.m.
>> The Fillmore Silver Spring: Childish Gambino. $25. 7 p.m.
>> Red Palace: Melt Banana, Kingdom of Sharks. $14. 8:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
A duo comprised of L.A.-based singer-songwriter Lael Neale and San Francisco’s Trevor Garrod (of Tea Leaf Green), The Lever and Rail share bittersweet folk tunes at DC9, with caberet-rockers The Silent Comedy in support. $8. 9 p.m.
>> 9:30 Club: Immortal Technique. $20. 10 p.m.
THURSDAY
The two biggest names in contemporary hip-hop share the stage at Verizon Center, as Jay-Z and Kanye West arrive for the D.C. stop of their grandiloquently-titled and extravagantly-priced Watch The Throne tour. $59.50-$250. 7:30 p.m.
>> 9:30 Club: Willie Nelson. Sold out. 7 p.m.
>> Black Cat Backstage: The Glands, Romania & The Jaabs. $12. 8 p.m.
David Yow of Scratch Acid. Photo by Francis Chung.FRIDAY
Before going on become core members of The Jesus Lizard, David Yow and David Wm. Sims cut their teeth in the early to mid-1980s playing in the fondly-remembered noise-punk outfit Scratch Acid. The pair have reunited with former bandmates Brett Bradford and Rey Washam for a tour that swings through the 9:30 Club on Friday night, with Richmond’s Kepone kicking off the proceedings. $25. 7 p.m.
>> Rock and Roll Hotel: Bonjour, Ganesh!, Darlingside, Bearshark, Blue Coin. $10. 9 p.m.
SATURDAY
London/Brighton-based three-piece Peggy Sue decided go electric on their just-issued sophomore album, Acrobats, mostly leaving behind the acoustic “nu-folk” aesthetic of their 2010 debut in favor of a taut, brooding sound that occasionally evokes influences like The Breeders and PJ Harvey along with contemporaries such as Warpaint. The group kicks off a brief North American tour at Monserrat House on Saturday night, plugging in on tracks like “Cut My Teeth” and “Song and Dance”. AM & Shawn Lee — whose first album, Celestial Electric, was just issued under Thievery Corporation’s ESL Music imprint — round out the bill. Open to the public. 8 p.m.
>> Black Cat: The Sounds, Natalia Kills, The Limousines, Kids at the Bar. $20 in advance / $22 doors. 9 p.m.
>> Rock and Roll Hotel: The Blackberry Belles, The Dirty Names, The El Reys. $10. 9 p.m.
SUNDAY
Manchester, England’s enigmatic, mystique-shrouded buzz band WU LYF (World Unite! Lucifer Youth Foundation) bring their abstractly anthemic “heavy pop” to the Rock and Roll Hotel, careening their way through songs like “We Bros” and “Spitting Blood” from their highly-touted debut record, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain. Californian psych-punks Crystal Antlers open. $14. 8:30 p.m.
>> Black Cat: The Drums, True Womanhood. $12 in advance / $14 doors. 8 p.m.
>> The Fillmore Silver Spring: Anthrax, Testament. $30. 7 p.m.
