Photos: Alessio Neri SAN FRANCISCO — London electronic trio The xx began its U.S. tour Saturday ( a show at Coachella the previous night notwithstanding) with the first of three shows at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium—expecting to draw around 25,000 of fans during the run—using a beautifully lit production and…

Photos: Johan Doornenbal SAN FRANCISCO — Arriving straight from SXSW with lots of  well-deserved hype, Vagabon outshined her headliner at Rickshaw Stop Thursday night. Cameroon-born producer and musician Lætitia Tamko, who plays under the moniker Vagabon, played nearly all of the songs off her debut, Infinite Worlds, some with just a guitar and synthpads.…

When Zucchero Fornaciari first visited the United States in 1984, the Italian musician was on the cusp of greatness in his native Italy. The singer-songwriter, now Italy’s most famous bluesman, was just beginning to blend the American genre into his own Mediterranean style. Zucchero 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 19 The…

Photos: Jose Saucedo SAN FRANCISCO —  Canadian ‘world music’ band Delhi 2 Dublin brought a mixture of bhangra, electronica and hip-hop to The Independent Saturday, and along with it, a ton of energy and stage presence. Though the genre may confound indie rock fans, Delhi 2 Dublin easily crossed that bridge at…

With a new album, Foxygen also bring a new sound. Wearing their oldies influence on their sleeves, Foxygen ditches the ’70s psychedelia and strikes for an even older vein: ’60s baroque-pop. Similar to Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, The Zombies and Scott Walker, Foxygen uses a wide array of instrumentation—mostly piano and…

Photos: Ian Young By all accounts 2016 was a shitty year. But amid the chaos were much needed distractions in the form of live music. This year I traveled to Iceland, Chicago, Indio, Los Angeles and Seattle to attend 110 shows and eight festivals, watching and photographing more than 250 bands. Here’s…