Glastonbury Festival

What the world needs now is more Fcukers & their sold-out show at The Observatory only served as further proof

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.

On their first major headlining tour, Say She She make no secret at The Belasco why the ‘discodelic soul’ group’s music is for everyone

By Josh Herwitt //

Say She She with Katzù Oso //
The Belasco – Los Angeles
February 5th, 2026 //

No matter how we feel about each of our own lives right now, it’s becoming increasingly easier to feel more disheartened about the direction of this country. If you pay attention to the news or at least read headlines on your phone, you probably know what we mean.

Because let’s face it — as democracy continues to die a slow death in the U.S. at the hands of a corrupt and autocratic administration led by one of history’s worst human beings, it can be challenging to remain optimistic about the future.

There’s no time to give up hope, though. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that live music can serve as a powerful tool to bring people together in these anxious and rather uncertain times. It has in the past and we have no reason to believe that won’t continue into the future. Nevertheless, we can’t think of a better up-and-coming act currently to carry that torch than Say She She.

The “discodelic soul” group formed by classically trained singers Piya Malik, Sabrina Cunningham and Nya Brown has the sound and spirit that should appeal to a wide demographic. Just listen to their music for a couple of minutes and its funky, feel-good vibe immediately comes through with the ability to uplift you even on a bad day.

Galactic have always been one of those bands for me, and while Say She She haven’t long been linked to the jam scene like the New Orleans funk outfit has, they fit into the same category from an emotional standpoint. I don’t know anyone — and frankly I’m not sure I would want to — who could have a strong negative reaction to what they have been doing since forming somewhat unexpectedly in 2021.

One evening in Harlem was all it took Malik, Cunningham and Brown to find lightning in a bottle when they joined forces at a house party for a spontaneous rooftop singing session. Malik and Cunningham, in fact, had already been friends for a few years who began collaborating after meeting as neighbors in the same apartment building and overhearing each other practicing their craft. But it wasn’t until Brown came into the picture that Say She She were officially born.

Connecting over a shared love for Nile Rodgers’ music, the trio started writing music and subsequently landed on the name Say She She as a tribute to 70’s disco and funk pioneers Chic before working with other musicians who were pursuing a similar sonic path in bands such as Orgone, The Dap-Kings, The Shacks and Chicano Batman. Malik, Cunningham and Brown would ultimately enlist Orgone members Dan Hastie (keyboards), Sam Halterman (drums), Dale Jennings (bass) and Sergio Rios (guitar) to be their backing band and within a stretch of 12 months were receiving critical acclaim.

Say She She’s debut LP Prism might have put them on the map in the midst of a global pandemic, but 2023’s follow-up Silver is what opened the most eyes (and ears) when public radio gave album opener “Reeling” as well as “Forget Me Not” the airtime they both deserve. With venerable stations like KCRW, KEXP and WXPN heaping praise, they would go on to be named in several “Best of” lists — including our own (see our picks here) — by year’s end and grace some of the biggest stages in the world from Glastonbury Festival to the iconic Hollywood Bowl.

The release of Say She She’s third full length Cut & Rewind back in October, meanwhile, has produced another career milestone for the Brooklyn product in the form of its first major headlining tour. Spanning 24 cities across North America with a pitstop in LA at The Belasco, we made sure to attend at least one of the five California dates. Because what remains undeniable about Say She She is the sheer joy that emanates from not only the music they make, but also the entire unit during live performances. It’s easy to tell all seven members are genuinely enjoying themselves up there, and that kind of infectious energy onstage ends up quickly extending to the crowd.

This wasn’t my first time seeing Say She She in the flesh, however. On a whim last summer I actually caught their free show at the Skirball Cultural Center that seemed to draw both young to old under the stars. Whatever age they were was inconsequential because everyone appeared to be getting down to everything the septet served up over the course of its 90-minute set.

Considering that the Orgone crew has called LA home since the 90’s, it’s certainly a little extra special to see Say She She perform in the City of Angels. In addition to nailing a number of tunes off Cut & Rewind that seamlessly coincided with their older material, they know how to work in a fun cover or two for good measure whether it’s opening with James Gang’s “Collage” or keeping Talking Heads’ “Slippery People” permanently on the setlist (you won’t hear us complain if they do).

Many of the divisions we face today are greater than they ever have been, yet in spite of that, Say She She are shining a bright light in quite a dark world as a microcosm of our current society. If closing the night with “Do All Things With Love” was any indication of where Malik, Cunningham and Brown stand with their message to anyone willing to listen, there’s no doubt they have the right charisma and recipe to bridge even our largest social gaps. Maybe it’s because they give us something to hope for when it can feel like there’s not, and that’s something a lot of folks could use at the moment.

Setlist:
Collage (James Gang cover)
Forget Me Not
Disco Life
Prism
Take It All
Under the Sun
Reeling
Cut & Rewind
Miracles
Chapters
Questions
Shop Boy
Slippery People (Talking Heads cover)
Messages From the Stars (The RAH Band cover)
Astral Plane
She Who Dares