The Kitchen Presents Bush Tetras And Gong Gong Gong

The Kitchen presents iconic NYC post-punk band Bush Tetras in their last concert of 2018, sharing their first new music in over ten years-perhaps the most hard-hitting collection of songs of their career (December 15). Opening the evening is the Beijing-based, "transnational blues" duo Gong Gong Gong, playing material from their recent US debut album, Siren.

Bush Tetras is integral to The Kitchen's legacy of fostering long term relationships with performers who have radically responded to and rethought the culture and politics of their time. Over nearly four decades, Bush Tetras have returned repeatedly to perform at The Kitchen - having first appeared in the space in their earliest form in 1979, and then again in 1980 as part of the legendary weekend called Dubbed in Glamour curated by Edit DeAk. In 2011, they performed for the Aluminum Nights anniversary celebration, and this spring they played for The Kitchen's gala, celebrating Nan Golden and another no wave/post punk icon-Lydia Lunch.

With vocalist Cynthia Sley's shuddering power, guitar hero and LES noise guitar innovator Pat Place's distorted slide bombs, and the textures of Dee Pop and newcomer Val Vita's rhythms, the five tracks of the band's recent EP, Take the Fall, unleash a jaw-dropping energy. VICE/GARAGE writes of the "totally groovy and essentially singular" band, "With their latest EP...one finds a band that not only still has it, but can run circles around newer groups any day of the week."

Gong Gong Gong, Bush Tetras' label mates on Wharf Cat Records, places the concept of "phantom rhythm" at the core of their music: between Tom Ng's percussive guitar and Joshua Frank's melodic, charging bass, an aura of ghostly snare hits emerges over a thumping low-end pulse. Atop this framework, Ng recounts Cantonese tales of absurdity, love, and lust with fragmented, wry vision.

The concert will take place December 15 at 8pm at The Kitchen, 512 W 19th St, New York. Tickets ($20 General / $15 Members), are available online at thekitchen.org; by phone at 212.255.5793 x11; and in person at The Kitchen, Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2:00-6:00pm.

Photo Credit: Justine Kurland.