The Flaming Lips perform during Halloween Blood Bath at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Oct. 31, 2013. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. The Flaming Lips are not ones to underemphasize any part of a live performance. A typical gig might include streamers, confetti, a state-of-the-art light show and a giant human hamster…

The Flaming Lips have been constantly occupied lately. “We’re in the just in the last phase of doing a final mix on this little six-song that is being released with the ‘Ender’s Game’ movie at the beginning of November,” singer and frontman Wayne Coyne said. “Just got back from playing a…

Treasure Island Music Festival jellyfish. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Every act had its own way of dealing with the biting wind and the dropping temperatures Sunday at the Treasure Island Music Festival’s indie rock day. Some bundled up, while Japandroids vocalist-guitarist Brian King stripped down to his shirt to connect with…

The Sounds perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Dec. 18, 2016. Alessio Neri/STAFF. Swedish indie rockers The Sounds’ previous album, 2011’s Something to Die For, was an exercise in electronic dance music. The band hates doing the same thing twice in a row, so rather than continue…

The Sounds, courtesy. I had a quick chat with Jesper Anderberg of Sweden’s The Sounds Monday. The quintet has a new album out in two weeks (“Weekend”) and are in the middle of a quick run of shows in the U.S. before a lengthy European tour. Read the story here. The Sounds perform…

Holy Ghost!, courtesy. Following the somewhat surprising success of their debut album and extended tour, Brooklyn’s Holy Ghost! returned home and found themselves in an unfamiliar situation. “I think Keith Richards called it post-tour depression – I read it in his book,” said Alex Frankel, half of the synthpop…

Bryan Adams, courtesy. “Summer of ’69” singer-songwriter Bryan Adams may have sold more than 65 million albums, had 21 top-10 songs (seven reaching the peak of the charts) and had his tunes featured on more than 40 movie soundtracks throughout his lengthy career, but photography has been his chief…

Little Green Cars, courtesy. They have yet to get stuck inside a giant stage prop – or be successful enough to own one – but Ireland’s Little Green Cars have definitely had their share of Spinal Tap-esque moments from their recent American travels. Little Green Cars 8 p.m., Tuesday,…

For their first show of its previous tour in the U.S., England’s much-hyped Bastille arrived in San Francisco with vocalist and band leader Dan Smith suffering with the flu. An in-store performance at Amoeba Records was canceled so Smith could save his voice for that night’s show at Popscene. It didn’t…

Noah and the Whale, courtesy. Londoner Charlie Fink, lead vocalist and guitarist of pop folk revival band Noah and the Whale, still sends his brother, Doug, his demos. Doug Fink, the band’s original drummer, left a few years ago to pursue a career in medicine. But Charlie values his…