• Courtesy Photo
• Strangelove

Strangelove @ The Commonwealth Room 4/7
Tribute bands can be great fun as long as everybody is on the same page; the best of the best subtly acknowledge that it's clearly a ridiculous concept, but we love these songs, you love these songs, so let's do this! The more overblown and pompous the originals, the better this works. Los Angeles-based Strangelove is so great at Depeche Mode live that I would call them an essential band, full stop. Don't merely toss them in the retro-kitsch bin. Strangelove, The Depeche Mode Experience, consists of Leo Luganskiy as "Ultra Dave," Brent Meyer as "Counterfeit Martin," Julian Shah-Taylor as "Oscar Wilder," James Evans as "Inthefletch" and Chris Olivas as "Chris-Tain O-gner." "A good cover band plays songs in the way they would normally play," Shah-Tayler told Westword. "A good tribute band will emulate the band they are tributing." Not mere imitators or copycats, Strangelove will take you back to the days when DIY-punk revolutionaries played synth-rock ballads that an '80s Molly Ringwald character would listen to. Depeche Mode are one of a handful of artists who still fill arenas worldwide when they tour, and they've had a massive influence on pop music for decades, not to mention influencing many other music pioneers. Strangelove does not disappoint with the classic Depeche Mode sound, look and dynamic stage presence. Also, "Just Can't Get Enough" is an almost perfectly constructed song. Catch this show on Friday, Apr 7 at 9 p.m. General admission tickets for the 21 and over show are $31 and can be found at AXS.com (Mark Dago)

• VEVO
• Vanessa Carlton

An Evening With: Vanessa Carlton @ Urban Lounge 4/7
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn't heard Vanessa Carlton's "1000 Miles" at least once in their lives; the singer's hit single from 2002 has over 6 million streams on Spotify alone. Not only that, but the song has made many appearances in pop culture over the years; anyone who has seen 2004's White Chicks knows what I'm talking about. While Carlton is probably tired of people referencing this one song from two decades ago, it's undeniable that it made her career—and what a long one it's been. Carlton never really stopped putting out music, and her most recent album, Love is an Art, dropped in 2020, with a deluxe version following the next year including some extra demos to dive into. Listeners expecting to press play and hear similar sounds from 20 years ago definitely won't get the same experience. Instead, they'll be greeted with soothing-yet-cool indie-pop vibes showcasing Carlton's beautiful vocals, accompanied by interesting synth sounds that are easy to get lost in. If listeners want to truly relive the nostalgia from "1000 Miles," you can always go back to visit that, or the remix of the track from last year. It's slowed way down and has reverb added to it, and I'm not quite sure this version was totally necessary, because it takes away the high energy that listeners loved from the song to begin with. Anyway, come catch Carlton and some of her great tunes from the last few years on Friday, April 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $25 before, and $30 at the door at theurbanloungeslc.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

• Courtesy Photo
• Southbound

Southbound, Red Tide, Peaked in High School @ Boardwalk Sound 4/8
New to the music scene, country boys Southbound are bringing their southern flair to an epic lineup of locals at Boardwalk Sound. The Provo group jumped into the scene late in 2022, and their first song, "She's Dancing With Someone New," appeared earlier this March. It's got everything country fans are looking for: melancholy subject matter, a deep, sultry voice and a calming steel slide guitar in the background. This new single can easily fit on your playlists of country tunes from big names, and hopefully we see more from the group later this year. Joining the southern act are hard rockers Red Tide, from the same part of town. In addition to their own ripping tracks, Red Tide are known to do some great covers, like "Rooster" by Alice in Chains and "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers. It's safe to say these guys can hold their own while rocking out. Completing the lineup is Peaked in High School, another newer group on the scene. Proclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen shut your legs, and open your mouths PEAKED IN HIGHSCHOOL is finally here to give you the time of your life! Coming to a stage near you," on their Instagram last November, the group have been playing exciting shows around town since forming. Don't miss this great chance to see a fantastic lineup of locals on Saturday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. Grab tickets for the all-ages show at theboardwalksound.com. Tickets are $10 before the show and $12 at the door. (EA)

Andi, Taylor Beckett, Carrington Zane Sklar @ Kilby Court 4/9
TikTok has brought a lot of interesting trends into the zeitgeist, and even though congress has no idea how the app works (or even how Wi-Fi works, for that matter), it's made careers for many content creators, including Andi Mitchell. The singer/songwriter hit the music scene in 2020 as the world was falling apart. Like many, she came to TikTok, and instead of lurking and laughing at hilarious fails on the app, Mitchell started sharing her music—and many began listening to it. The singer now has over a million followers and even more likes on her profile. Because of her following, she's been able to steadily release singles over the past couple of years, leading up to debut album Runner Up. Mitchell's sound is vocal-based chill pop, as she put it to Our Era magazine. A lot of her songs focus on relationships and other personal experiences that many can relate to. "My music is reflective of what I'm feeling and going through in the moment that I write it," she said. "The message of each song is different, but I think overall my message is that heartbreak hurts and sucks really bad but it's not the end of the world, and you can find a positive in any situation. The feeling I want people to feel when they listen to my music is one that helps them get through tough times." Catch the viral singer with openers Taylor Beckett and Carrington Zane Sklar at Kilby Court Sunday, April 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 and can be found at kilbycourt.com. (EA)

• Rich Fury
• Billy Idol

Billy Idol @ Eccles Center 4/12
Billy Idol could be considered the epitome of punk. Gruff, belligerent and conveying an eternally antagonistic attitude, he built his reputation on a decidedly defiant stance. After initiating his career with the prefab British band Chelsea, he achieved further fame with the glam rock group Generation X before going solo in the early '80s. He subsequently scored a series of hits that made him a darling of the then-burgeoning MTV: "Dancing With Myself," "White Wedding," "Eyes Without a Face" and the insurgent anthem "Rebel Yell." At the same time, he created a striking visual persona, courtesy of his close-cropped blond hair and a muscle-rippling, bare-chested physique. He withdrew from the limelight during much of the '90s, but slowly attempted a comeback towards the latter part of the decade with a series of projects that afforded him renewed visibility, including his 2014 best-selling autobiography (titled, naturally, Dancing With Myself ), a public service campaign for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection dubbed "Billy Never Idles" and a series of headlining tours alongside various other former punk provocateurs. Then, last January, he was accorded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, proof that even as a senior citizen—aged 67, no less—this rebel yells as loud as ever.

Billy Idol and longtime guitar foil Steve Stevens join Adam Reader, the Professor Rock, to discuss the stories behind the songs and share an acoustic performance at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12. Tickets cost $110.50 - $230.50. Go to parkcityinstitute.org. (Lee Zimmerman)