5 Seconds of Summer perform at Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif. on June 14, 2022. Sean Liming/STAFF. CONCORD, Calif. — New-wave pop band 5 Seconds of Summer made the East Bay the third stop of their current tour on Tuesday, playing at Concord Pavilion. The Australian quartet opened its set by performing…

Despite its delayed launch, Pale Waves’ sophomore album, Who Am I?  is not a record that was consumed by the pandemic—it was born in the face of it. The Manchester quartet stared down the barrel of death following the tour bus crash last year that could have claimed the…

The 1975 performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on April 22, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. SAN FRANCISCO — Manchester’s The 1975 provided a full sensory experience to a sold-out Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Monday night. The group began with “Give Yourself A Try” and “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME.” Striking, bold…

This is the second year the RIFF staff has compiled our weekly new music column, Tuesday Tracks, highlighting standout tunes that were, perhaps, flying under the radar. And what a productive year 2018 was. Chloe Catajan, Max Heilman, Vic Silva, Tarandeep Kaur and Matthew Eaton took shifts plunging into an ocean of songs…

England’s Pale Waves are having a big year. Riding the success of breakout single “There’s a Honey,” the Manchester quartet released its debut EP, All The Things I Never Said, along with a slew of singles in advance of full-length record My Mind Makes Noises. The band owes some of its…

Photos: Alessio Neri SAN FRANCISCO — During a firework of a headlining set that lasted just 39 minutes, Manchester’s Pale Waves ignited a nostalgic reverie at The Chapel. Singer-guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie, drummer Ciara Doran, bassist Charlie Wood and guitarist Hugo Silvani burned brightly for about 10 songs, most of which would…

AUSTIN — With 2,000 acts from more than 60 countries, SXSW may have the most intimidating music festival schedule on the planet. The festival’s mission of discovery means that each attendee’s experience varies greatly from the next—it’s simply impossible to conquer. Researching the acts in advance and choosing wisely…

Every week, there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips. Artists on platforms such as Spotify and Bandcamp are plentiful, and the radio offers a steady deluge of new singles, but who has time to sort through all that? RIFF does! We pooled our resources to find some of the best…

Photos: Gary Chancer SAN FRANCISCO — The 1975 took the stage to an near-thundering collective scream of fans, many of whom had created a line several blocks long outside the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. They brought flowers and other gifts for frontman Matthew Healy, the object of affection for…