The best albums of 2022 include Beyoncé, Gang of Youths, Weyes Blood, Rosalía, The Smile, Nas, The Weeknd, Lupe Fiasco, Spoon and Ho99o9. We’re down to the top 10 albums of the year. Before continuing, check out parts one, two, three, four and five. The conclusion includes the guitar-based rock of Gang of Youths…

Gang of Youths perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on May 16, 2022. Matthew Medina/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Why beat around the bush? I’ll just say it: Gang of Youths is probably the best all-around rock band on the planet right now. Their latest record, Angel in Realtime, released…

Insert Foot on 10/10 album reviews, Gang of Youths’ “Angel in Realtime.” My colleague Ben Schultz just gave the new Gang of Youths record, Angel in Realtime, a perfect 10 out of 10 score, which sounds pretty perfect to me. What makes a perfect record? And is there such…

Gang of Youths, “Angel in Realtime.” In 2018, David Le’aupepe’s father passed away. That loss in itself would’ve been hard to deal with; the Gang of Youths lead singer and lyricist clearly adored the man. But then the half-Samoan musician learned some long-hidden secrets—specifically, that his dad had sired…

Clockwise from top left: Sleep Waker, Heartless Bastards, Gang of Youths, Dessa, Ida Mae, Diana DeMuth and Skott. Whether you’re in the mood for a summer love pop-anthem from Dessa, an upbeat jazz-rock bop from Heartless Bastards that makes you rethink the state of the world, or even a…

Mumford & Sons perform at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sept. 19, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. SAN FRANCISCO — One year, they were playing Popscene to a couple hundred people. Fast forward a decade, and they were being handed the John Steinbeck Award by two of the Bay Area’s premier…

Santana performs at BottleRock Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Expo on May 26, 2019. Photos: Shawn Robbins. NAPA — Guitar legend Carlos Santana, closing out BottleRock Napa Valley 2019 on Sunday along with Mumford and Sons, saw it as his mission to fight fear with love. On several occasions,…

Gang of Youths perform at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on May 22, 2018. Photo: Alessio Neri. Gang of Youths’ 2015 debut record, The Positions, was a look into the depths of tragedy. David Le’aupepe, the frontman and chief songwriter for the Australian-based rock band, wrote songs…

Bonus points to whoever can guess the drummer in this Alessio Neri photo. It’s that time of year where I, like the past six years, count down my favorite musical experiences. I attended 56 concerts this year, up from 54 last year and 51 the year before. I gave up…

Gang of Youths perform at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on May 22, 2018. Alessio Neri/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — The Bottom of the Hill stage was too small for Australian rockers Gang of Youths Tuesday. The quintet, led by enigmatic Dave Leaupepe, blasted off from the very first…