Trip Metal Fest

It was hands-down our single favorite musical event of last year, and the Wolf Eyes-curated Trip Metal Fest returns to El Club for this Memorial Day weekend with a stellar lineup. Self-described as a celebration of “twisted and beguiling avant-garde music and performance, running congruent with Movement,” this year the fest is a super-smart mixture of local and international talent. Pharmakon, Body/Head, Container, Aaron Dilloway — wow, this is seriously so good. We’ve been waiting to see Body/Head (the duo of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and percussionist Bill Nace) for years, and Pharmakon is so crazily adored right now, and for great reason. The local bookings are just as crucial. After all, it’s members of Princess Dragonmom who helped to start Noise Camp and thus to usher in the golden age of Michigan noise music some 40 years ago, so kudos for including them.