10 Best Concerts of the Week: LCD Soundsystem, Duran Duran, Les Claypool and More

This is the kind of concert week that is tailor-made for summertime fun. North Texans can look forward to outstanding concerts every single night this week, spread all around Dallas, Denton and Fort Worth. Looking across the breadth and depth of talent we have coming into our area in this week's Concert Calendar, there is definitely something coming that is going to feel like it's just for you. We start locally and globally with the headliner of Harry Styles' first concert as a young lad in Manchester, The Rocket Summer. Over the weekend, the Re:SET Dallas festival is the place to be for all things big and indie, but there are some small-venue shows in Dallas and Denton that can definitely compete with the talent there. Things get weird as the new week starts with shows in Fair Park, Fort Worth and Deep Ellum that are all sure to raise eyebrows if they don't raise your spirits.
The Rocket Summer
7 p.m. Thursday, June 8, Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave. $17+ at prekindle.com

Fort Worth-born emo-pop singer-songwriter Bryce Avary, better known as The Rocket Summer, is North Texas' contribution to the mainstream emo explosion of the late '00s. Avary saw three of The Rocket Summer's albums enter the Billboard 200, with his 2010 release, Of Men and Angels, reaching the No. 4 position on the Billboard rock chart when the singer was still signed to Island Def Jam. Last month, The Rocket Summer released its eighth studio album, SHADOWKASTERS. The new album finds Avary exploring a new genre of music, that of '90s-era dance-pop. It's The Rocket Summer's most experimental album to date, and much of the material on SHADOWKASTERS was created during the isolation of the pandemic. While the album, too, feels isolated from the rest of The Rocket Summer's work, it may very well be Avary's finest.
Toad the Wet Sprocket
7 p.m. Thursday, June 8, House of Blues, 2200 N. Lamar St. $49.50+ at livenation.com

If you were anywhere near a radio in the '90s, there's a very good chance you know more Toad the Wet Sprocket songs than you think. An pop rock band that emerged in the grunge era, Toad the Wet Sprocket stood apart from its Seattle counterparts with music that dared to be hopeful and even romantic. The band's breakthrough third album, Fear, spawned two such singles in "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean." Far from a one-hit, or even one-album wonder, the band released its fourth album Dulcinea, which came on strong with its lead single "Fall Down" and let you down easy with "Something's Always Wrong." The band broke up in 1998 after releasing its fifth album, Coil, but continued to play one-off shows as its members pursued other projects. Toad the Wet Sprocket reunited in 2009 and has since released two albums, including 2021's Starting Now. Late-90's radio favorite Marcy Playground opens the show.
Re:SET Dallas
5 p.m. Friday–Sunday, June 9–11, Texas Trust CU Theatre, 1001 Texas Trust Way, Grand Prairie. $99.50+ at axs.com

The first big festival of the season, Re:SET Dallas starts Friday evening. Unlike other festivals that stack the lineup from early afternoon to late evening, Re:SET will be skipping straight to the headliners with just four acts taking the stage each night. On Friday, indie-rock and hip-hop fusion artist Bartees Strange will kick the weekend off followed by bedroom pop artist Clairo, multi-instrumentalist Dijon and headliner, indie-rock supergroup boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus). Saturday starts with a set from alt-pop singer Fousheé, then chillwave artist Toro y Moi, electronic R&B producer James Blake and headliner, psychedelic soul musician Steve Lacy. Sunday will be a full day of headliners, starting with rapper Big Freedia, post-punk revival band Idles and producer Jamie XX, and culminating with what is sure to be a mind-blowing set from alt-dance band LCD Soundsystem.
Duran Duran
7 p.m. Saturday, June 10, American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. $28+ at ticketmaster.com

A leading band in the second British Invasion of the 1980s, Duran Duran changed the face of dance music one video at a time on the burgeoning MTV network. Before Duran Duran, most music videos were purely videos of a band playing a song, but when Duran Duran got a hold of the medium, they wanted their videos to have a cinematic quality. "Girls on Film," "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" earned massive video play, launching the band into superstardom seemingly overnight. While Duran Duran has alway had something of a rotating cast of musicians, the lineup North Texas will see Saturday night will consist of original keyboardist and only consistent member of the band since the beginning Nick Rhodes, longtime singer Simon LeBon, original bassist John Taylor and drummer for nine of 15 Duran Duran albums Roger Taylor. Synth-pop band Bastille and funk legends Nile Rodgers & Chic open the show.
Djunah
7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 10, Rubber Gloves, 411 E. Sycamore St., Denton. $15 at the door

Djunah (pronounced JUNE-uh) is a noise-rock duo from Chicago fronted by singer, guitarist and bass organist Donna Diane. To see her perform all three duties at once onstage is nothing short of remarkable. In late 2019, Djunah released its first album, Ex Voto, the supporting tour for which was cut short just before its first date in Denton. The band was booked to play No Coast Fest the following year, but it unfortunately had to cancel a month before the festival. Now, Djunah is booked to play a headlining show in support of its outstanding new album, Femina Furens. Influenced as much by Victorian poetry as it is by heavy metal, the album details Diane’s diagnosis and continuing recovery from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). Through mythological imagery, the album explores themes of power and control. Djunah will be back in Denton for No Coast Fest 2023, but this time around it will have local support from Smothered and Hoaries.
OTEP
7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 10, Trees, 2709 Elm St. $20 at axs.com

Heavy metal singer Otep Shamaya is the face of the aggressive art project known as OTEP. Breaking through alongside the nü metal artists of the early 2000s, OTEP's music drew from death metal in ways that nü metal's radio gods did not. OTEP blasted and growled its way onto the Ozzfest stages in 2001, being the only woman-fronted band on the bill that year. The singer remains the face of the band while its members rotate behind her, freeing Shamaya up to do whatever kind of music she wants. Earlier this year, Shamaya took a deeper dive into the hip-hop side of nü metal, releasing a four-track EP with hip-hop and metal producer Krohme. Clearly intended to be a side project and not a genre shift, Shamaya followed the EP up with her new single "You Should See Me in a Crown" (yes, by Billie Eilish) in May. OTEP will perform Saturday night in Deep Ellum with opening support from St. Louis metal band Inimical Drive.
Dikembe
7 p.m. Sunday, June 11, Andy's Bar, 122 N. Locust St., Denton. $15 at prekindle.com

Part of the emo revival of the early 2010s, Gainesville, Florida, band Dikembe is currently on tour with fellow Floridians Glazed, from Jacksonville. Dikembe maintained its studio silence since the 2020 release of its fourth full-length album Muck, which was released near the end of the first pandemic year. So, really it feels like it's been forever since we've heard from the band. Dikembe has always been known for mixing humor with heartbreak, whether releasing an 8-bit remix EP of its songs or naming an EP Chicago Bowls with all songs titles being weed-related plays on the Chicago Bulls' classic players' names — "Scottie Spliffen," "Michael Jordank," etc. That album had nothing to do with basketball. Make no mistake, however, this band is deeply emotional to the point of being aggressively cathartic. It's the kind of band that makes you happy by helping you get out all the sad. Dikembe and Glazed will have local support from Party Hats and Upsetting.
Violent J
7 p.m. Monday, June 12, The Rail Club, 3101 Joyce Dr., Fort Worth. $35 at seetickets.us

One half of the infamous Insane Clown Posse, Violent J is embarking on a solo tour with longtime friends and collaborators Esham and Ouija Macc — a trio dubbed 3 Headed Monster. The rapper is touring in support of his fourth solo album, Bloody Sunday, as well as a collaborative album the 3 Headed Monster just released on June 1, OBLITERATION. In addition to his rap career, Violent J is also a record producer, professional wrestler, actor, writer, director and founder of Psychopathic Records, which was arguably one of the most successful DIY record labels since its foundation in 1991. The other half of Insane Clown Posse, Shaggy 2 Dope, will be making his own solo tour performance in support of his new album Professor Shaggs & the Quest for the Ultimate Groove this July at Trees. The 3 Headed Monster will have opening support from rappers Seenloc, For the Enemy and Gavyn Gunn.
Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade
7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 First Ave. $29.95+ at ticketmaster.com

Best known as the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of iconic alt-metal band Primus, Les Claypool has had his hands in so many projects it's difficult to keep track. Not only has Claypool formed bands with the likes of Phish singer and guitarist Trey Anastasio (Oysterhead) and Sean Lennon (The Claypool Lennon Delirium), he has also contributed to music from Metallica, Death Grips and Tom Waits. In the early 2000s, Claypool toured with the first iteration of his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, which produced two live albums in 2001 and a studio album in 2002. This year, Claypool announced a new iteration of the Brigade, this time with Sean Lennon on guitar, Harry Waters on keyboards, Paulo Baldi on drums and Mike Dillon on percussion. Each night of the Summer of Green Tour includes a full performance of Pink Floyd's Animals. Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and Adrian Belew open the show.
The SoapGirls
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, Double Wide, 3510 Commerce St. $12 at prekindle.com

Based in South Africa, the rock band The SoapGirls consist of French-born, South African-raised sisters, guitarist Noemie (aka "Mie") and bassist Camille Debray (aka "Mille"). Mie and Mille are the only full members of the band, but they use different session drummers when they are touring or recording. A punk rock band with pop sensibilities, The SoapGirls make music that's as fun to listen as it is to move with. This is definitely not a show that will leave you just standing there watching. There will be plenty to see, though, as these sisters are known for performing topless or nearly topless without much on the bottom either. Fearless and ferocious road warriors, The SoapGirls played over 100 shows across the planet last year and come to Dallas at the beginning of a rigorous U.S. summer tour, which will turn into a rigorous European tour this fall. North Texas Ramones tribute band Mondos Bizarros opens the show.