The venue just outside downtown LA has a thrilling summer lineup of big-name concerts from a diverse array of talent.
LA may not have a report for springy music like Nashville or New Orleans , but the realness is that the talent in LA is on equivalence . There ’s a reason influential scenes ricochet up here , from G - Funk to Noise Rock , and that so many Angeleno instrumentalist from The Doors to 03 Greedo break out . Our best venue include stadiums , historical outside amphitheaters , and fabled minuscule indie blot . But it ’s rare when a Modern midsize music locale open , especially one in full consecrated to live medicine and purpose - built from the ground up . And it ’s even rarified to find one that a mega - corporation does n’t own . EnterThe Bellwether , a new concert venue that ’s a collaborationism betweenTeragram PresentsandAnother Planet Entertainmentthat opens this calendar week with a wild card of shows this summer .
Opening nighttime is July 11 , and they ’re starting with a bang . The venue formally opens with a carrying out by the dour , dreamy electro - pop duoPhantogram , followed by an absolutely heap initiative calendar week . They ’re put on a star - studded series of show , includingBuscabulla , Tycho , Panda Bear+Sonic Boom , andHaim , all on consecutive Nox . The hits will keep coming all through the summer and into the fall , too , with performance fromCarly Rae Jepsen , Isaiah Rashad , Wilco , and a celebratory show for the fifteenth day of remembrance ofFool ’s Gold Records .
Those fantastic acts deserve a space worthy of their talents , and on that front The Bellwether is ready to deliver . The venue has been require pattern since before the pandemic , and after several years of twists and turns , it will debut with land - of - the - art sound and faultless sight lines first and first off . The 1600 - hindquarters locale also includes four cake , a eatery , an undetermined - atmosphere terrace , a wraparound balcony , and a gorgeous wooden terpsichore floor in the main ballroom . The plan is to fit decently into the gap between midsize venue like the Fonda and the Belasco , which are slightly small-scale , and the Wiltern and the Novo on the bombastic end .
Photo by Josh Withers, courtesy of The Bellwether
The Bellwether ’s head talent buyer Nick Barrie came down from San Francisco after a long and varied runnel at Another Planet ’s venue , The Independent , where he started as a security safety and then rose to house managing director before working his elbow room around to the booking team . He describes their perspective on the buildout of this new venue as an experience - focused one instead of trying to maximise profit leeway or capacitance . “ Being an main promoter there was a lot of stuff and nonsense , like focusing on the sight crinkle , focusing on the sound , making sure the audience has a upright experience , making sure the artist is happy … that might not needfully be the focus of a more incarnate structure , ” he says .
That self-governing ethos also extends to Barrie ’s booking philosophical system for The Bellwether . The initial lineup includes rock , hip - hop , electronica , and more , but it will only get more diverse from there . “ A lot of the smaller plugger have a recess … ” Barrie says , “ but we ’ve done everything from Skrillex to the Dalai Lama . ” In particular , he say , he ’s excited to concenter on regional Mexican medicine , Reggaeton , andK - Pop , all of which are more democratic here in LA than in the Bay Area . The locus ’s inclusive and various spirit is substantive for their winner and for the vicinity , too .
The Bellwether is in an interesting part of town without much nightlife , between the high - denseness residential section of Westlake and the 110 throughway , which divide the area from downtown . It ’s not far from Echo Park , Historic Filipinotown , and MacArthur Park , but the immediate vicinity is in all probability well known for LA Center Studios , LAUSD headquarters , and the twinned high schools Belmont and Contreras . That think of parking is relatively sluttish at Nox , at least as far as downtown - adjacent areas go , but it also mean they have to ensure that they ’re a destination locus — they wo n’t be get many multitude who happen to take the air by .
To that ending , Barrie enjoin , “ We want citizenry to cognise who we are . And we do n’t require just indie rock bands … or dance bands … we require everyone to love who we are . ”
Photo by Josh Withers, courtesy of The Bellwether
