Provoker + Death Bells

Purchase tix here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/09005AD75C10107E

Despite its eminent catchiness, Provoker’s music is not for the faint of heart. The Los Angeles band pairs post-punk aesthetics with a decidedly contemporary approach to pop-adjacent songwriting, creating something that’s equal parts addictive and melancholic. Founder Jonathon Lopez originally launched the project as a vehicle to explore composing for film, but before long it morphed into a self-sustaining entity, resulting in the 2015 debut Sneak Peek! and a double A-Side single.

After meeting Jonathon at a horror screening, vocalist Christian Petty joined the band in 2018 for their breakout Dark Angel EP. The group’s music started taking on new shapes, finding the middle ground between catharsis and despondency; at the same time, they moved their center of operations from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. Stylistically, they arrived at a masterful blend of synth-forward goth romanticism and resplendently moody R&B, animated by an electric sense of yearning. “All our songs have some sort of defeatist mentality or insecurity behind them,” said Petty. “Some deep sadness, escapism, and idealism.”

These themes continue to withstand the test of time, and Petty makes them his own by utilizing narrative elements drawn from cinema and video games, especially RPGs. Over Skype, he describes the different landscapes he had in mind when writing specific tracks. It’s clear that he and Lopez have elaborated a whole sonic world together, and now the music flows easily. With their newest work, Provoker’s meditations on loss and idealism have decidedly leveled up.

After spending the majority of 2018 in North America, Death Bells have re-emerged in their new home of Los Angeles with music on the way. From their roots in Sydney, the band has grown and transformed. A rigorous touring schedule and live appearances on KEXP, Audiotree and Part Time Punks has helped the band reshape their music by merging dark, depressive energy with a spot of enthusiasm.

Death Bells now exists as a collaboration between long-time members Will Canning and Remy Veselis, who wrote the new songs to detail the change and reflection that both members have experienced with their move 7,000 miles away from home.

Death Bells will be performing live in 2019 with a revolving lineup, featuring friends and familiar faces. Look out for the group this summer in a city near you.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Echoplex, 1822 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, United States