Charli XCX performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on July 23, 2015. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Perhaps the point Charlotte Aitchison was trying to make at the Fox Theater in Oakland Thursday evening was one of irony–-combining grrl power anthems with faux pole dancing and flashing of the lower half…

Florence and the Machine performs at the Masonic in San Francisco on April 8, 2015. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. The time off between records and touring has done Florence Welch a lot of good. While Florence and the Machine’s sophomore effort, Ceremonials, directly followed the world tour for her debut, 2009’s Lungs, this time she had…

Pentatonix perform at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Feb. 25, 2015. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Winning a reality television competition doesn’t guarantee career success. Just ask the majority of celebrated American Idol victors. It’s even more incredible for success to a group of five musicians who don’t incorporate any instruments…

Jack White performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorim in San Francisco on Aug. 23, 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Long before the earth rattled all of the Bay Area in the wee hours of Sunday, Jack White shook the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on the second of two nights on his brief stop…

Haim performs at the Fillmore in San Francisco on April 9, 2014. Paige K. Parsons and Roman Gokhman/STAFF. “XO.” The Beyonce song was slated and typed in as the encore opener to Haim‘s short set at The Fillmore Wednesday evening. But the show had a different feel. It was…

Bastille performs at then Warfield in San Francisco on April 10, 2014. Photos courtesy: Jon Ching. Four times since July 2013, England electronic pop quartet Bastille has passed through the Bay Area. And in that time, the band’s local fan base has grown exponentially.  From a room of about 200 at…

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…

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…

Beyonce performs at the HP Pavilion in San Jose on July 2, 2013. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. She may be a married woman now, with a child and a world tour named for her family name – Mrs. Carter – but Beyonce Knowles’ biggest hit is still about being jilted. The…

Free Energy, courtesy. Many bands would use the opportunity of a light crowd to work on new songs and timing, play it safe and get back on the road quickly. Slim’s was noticeably under-attended Saturday night for Philadelphia-based power pop quintet Free Energy. That’s a bit surprising, since their 2010…