Princess Nokia performs at The UC Theatre in Berkeley on March 2, 2018. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. BERKELEY — When headliner Princess Nokia was able to perform at her Noise Pop Music Festival concert at the UC Theatre Saturday night, she lived up to the lofty expectations of a very…

VHS Collection performs at The Independent in San Francisco on Mar. 2, 2019. Photos: Shawn Robbins. SAN FRANCISCO — New York synth pop band VHS Collection has a name that hearkens to a point in time where films were a thing that could be fast-forwarded or rewound, but not…

Bob Mould performs at Noise Pop at The Fillmore in San Francisco on March 2, 2019. Photos: Gary Chancer. SAN FRANCISCO — Looking a bit like a shop teacher in jeans and a flannel shirt, Bob Mould unleashed a torrent of distortion from his guitar as he launched into a…

Yuna performs at Noise Pop at the UC Theatre in Berkeley on March 1, 2019. Photos: Karen Goldman. BERKELEY — Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna returned to the Bay Area stage Friday night at Berkeley’s UC Theatre after an extended break from the road. The songstress took the opportunity to write and…

Kamaal Williams performs at Starline Social Club in Oakland on March 1, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. OAKLAND — During his Noise Pop Music Festival performance Friday, British keyboardist Kamaal Williams proved that the ghost of Miles Davis still haunts jazz. And if the capacity crowd was any indication, the…

Travis Hayes performs at Noise Pop at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on Feb. 28, 2019. Photos: Karen Goldman. SAN FRANCISCO — Fans of indie rock singer-songwriter Travis Hayes got a slightly early listen to his new album Sleepless at Bottom of the Hill on Thursday night. Hayes played the…

Actual image of editor Daniel J. Willis after his third concert in three nights. In my tireless quest to come up with a new topic every week, I’ve been lucky the past month or so. Holidays, awards shows; they’re conceptual gold. But my luck has run out. Do you…

MNEK performs at Noise Pop at The Rickshaw Shop in San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2019. Photos: Sean Liming. SAN FRANCISCO — MNEK and Raja Kumari offered a double shot of international flair at their Noise Pop Music Festival show at the Rickshaw Stop Wednesday. The paring of the…

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been a busy 12 months for Albert Hammond Jr, who began last March by releasing his fourth LP, Francis Trouble, and ended February with a Wednesday Noise Pop Music Festival concert at the Independent. Backed by a crisp four-member band, the Strokes guitarist felt loose…

Baths perform at Noise Pop at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2019. Photos: Gary Chancer. SAN FRANCISCO — It’s annoying when your laptop crashes. Now imagine it happening—repeatedly—in the middle of your set in front of a huge crowd at the Great American Music…