By Josh Manalang //
Fcukers with Sex Week //
The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
April 3rd, 2026 //
Fcukers are everywhere. The upstart electronic duo out of NYC has already made the rounds at major festivals like Coachella (twice), Glastonbury and Primavera Sound since forming in 2022, and just last month they performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to mark their first TV appearance. There’s even a billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park promoting their debut album Ö.
So, it’s a little surprising how often I’m met with quizzical looks and blank stares when I ask folks, “Have you heard of Fcukers?” Ever since they released their lone EP Baggy$$ in 2024, Shanny Wise’s breathy vocals and Jackson Walker Lewis’ thumping production have been rattling around in my head rent-free.
Maybe it’s an age thing. Most of my peers aren’t spending their free time scanning venue calendars or plumbing through the depths of Spotify looking for new music. Or maybe it’s nostalgia. Y2K aesthetics have come roaring back: fashion, graphic design, even iPods and point-and-shoot digital cameras. The same impulse runs through music right now, and Fcukers are riding that bloghouse/indie-sleaze/electro-indie revival. Last year they toured with Tame Impala. This summer they’re serving as support for Harry Styles in São Paulo. They might be the biggest band you’ve never heard of.
Tell that to the throngs of fans lined up outside The Observatory in Santa Ana for a sold-out show last Friday, with only a few Millennials sprinkled into the crowd that skewed primarily Gen Z. As a first-time visitor, the venue’s layout stood out immediately: amphitheater-style tiered levels that wrapped around the room’s ground-floor pit as the balcony overlooks the space. With clear sight lines from nearly every angle, the design far exceeds some of its counterparts (I’m looking at you, The Novo).
Past the front doors, the energy inside was palpable. There were groups gathered in clusters and friends catching up with drinks in hand as the room steadily filled in. Girls in chunky platform boots snapped selfies. Guys double-fisted beers, shouting over the rising noise as more and more ticket holders filed into The Observatory. By the time the main floor reached capacity, the anticipation had settled into something focused and electric.
When the house lights dimmed, the restless crowd snapped to attention. Sex Week were an unexpected but compelling choice for the evening’s opening act. Fcukers lean into sexy, high-tempo and party-ready vibes, whereas the Brooklyn-based slowcore duo create something more restrained and contemplative than what would follow. Their song “Moneyman” felt like a hazy exchange between partners, dual vocals drifting over soft, textured guitar. Sex Week vocalist Pearl Amanda Dickson moved fluidly from one end of the stage to the other, while guitarist Richard Orofino transitioned to percussion midway through the set, adding a subtle shift in momentum. Live, their sound leaned heavier — featuring more distortion and more weight — than their recorded material suggests. Despite the tonal contrast, the audience remained engaged, meeting the performance with enthusiasm.
Leading up to Fcukers’ headlining set, everyone appeared to be locked in: buzzing, restless and ready to erupt. They started with their debut single “Mothers” and the reaction was immediate as the opening lines that outwardly confess “I need to feel your body all of the time / I need your touch just so I can go to bed / Night and day” feel less like lyrics and more like a shared sentiment.
Even though Fcukers present themselves officially as a duo, their live setup adds a DJ and drummer into the mix that transforms the show into something much more physical and immersive. And that’s what sets their gigs apart from others: the energy. It’s constant, kinetic and reciprocal, with a unique power to make their fans feel less like they’re at a traditional concert and more like they’re at a house party stretched to its absolute limit.
Wise and Lewis worked through tracks from their new album Ö, written in a rapid two-week sprint with producer Kenny Beats. Songs like “if you wanna party, come over to my house” sounded harder, faster, louder and more chaotic live in the best way possible. The bass thumped, the stage lights pulsed and the crowd loved every second of what they got to witness. Even amid the brief moments of reprieve, it was impossible not to get pulled in. At one point, Lewis handed his bass guitar to Wise, shifting the tone with a slower track. Later, he paused to address us directly and offer a few words about taking care of each other in these uncertain times, punctuated by a loud “FUCK ICE!” that earned a resounding cheer.
But those moments were fleeting considering the momentum rarely broke. Fcukers closed out the night with selections from Baggy$$, ending on crowd favorite “Bon Bon” that sent the room into one last burst before the house lights came on.
For a band that still draws blank stares when referenced in conversation, Fcukers don’t feel unknown onstage. Instead, they felt inevitable at The Observatory, as if they were a well-oiled machine already operating at full capacity and just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.
Because if Fcukers are indeed the biggest band you’ve never heard of, it won’t be for much longer.
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