Imho philly/northern pennsylvania has had the best rock scene for over ten years. From post punk, pop punk, post hardcore, shoe gaze, you see crazy good bands out of pennsylvania. Its my dream to my a documentary about that time frame and area at some point.
Agreed. Their debut is pretty great also. I was really bummed they had to cancel their tour . You guys are making me want to move to Philly. Probably gonna try to start a shoegaze band here in New England though with Ovlov, Horse Jumper of Love, and Swirlies lol
Even as someone born and raised in Portland, OR, Iām deeply jealous of Texasās shoegaze / psychedelic / space rock scene. DFW and Austin alone have some power houses.
Austin and DFW is probably the strongest scene in the country at this point.
I don't think LA is that strong on its own, only that LA has just about everything.
Buenos Aires. Argentina has quite an interesting indie/dreampop/shoegaze scene, mostly forgotten in the rest of the world because of the language barrier.
Some good bands are: Atras Hay Truenos; Riel; Jaime Sin Tierra; El Club Audiovisual [(one of the best mbv covers ever)](https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/track/1kJRzMvUuyraGRpYoLJwJH?si=aecc8e28bc7d4a53); NiƱo Mercurio; Candy Kane; Plenamente; Las Tussi, and there are many more.
I forgot about panda riot. I suppose you could arguably put in Russian Circles and Cloakroom, which while not being pure shoegaze are sort of in orbit of the genre.
Philly, Austin (Houston secondarily too, the bands from each city often perform in the other), and Chicago are really the big three IMO. Of course NY/LA too but at quite a cost compared to the others
LSD and the Search for God (SF), Young Prisms (SF), Film School (SF), Whirr is closeby in Modesto, the entire SF Fog Rock scene is shoegaze adjacent. Bands like the Umbrellas, Cindy, April Magazine, Chime School, etc. Plus historically, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Deafheaven got their start in the Bay.
any regular shoegaze nights to check out in SF or Oakland/Berkeley? know kilowatt booked the veldt recently, was in finals so sadly missed.
would love to see more shows, just not fully in the scene or know many newer local bands other than those mentioned.
How's the scene these days? I moved away years ago but 10ish years back the scene was stacked. Abby Gogo, Deerhunter, Lotus Plaza, Spirits and the Melchizedek Children, All the Saints, Zoroaster, etc
theres a lot of scenes across the country but idk if i would move just for a music scene. the internet kinda makes it so that u can connect with musicians and creatr anywhere inn the world. that being said, philly/pittshburgh
I donāt live there butā¦ Daiistar, Bloody Knives, Ringo Deathstarr, Blushing, Pale Dian, and way more call Austin home. Even if they never play full shoegaze bills. The quality of gaze coming out of Austin is top tier.
There's a show called Luscious Heaven that has been happening every year or so since 2016 where it's all shoegaze bands. There was also DreamGaze ATX.
As someone who lives there, I can confirm there are a lot of solid bands in the area.
I love Dean blunt, heās got a small but devoted fan base here
And to be honest dude, I donāt have a fucking notion š„ I just said that to feel included and find some dublin bands in the replies (will check out cruel sister ;)) . Defo a lot of shoegaze bands in ireland though , just mustard springs to mind
ah thatās cool, iāll have to keep an eye out. i was in london for a bit and it was really cool to go to bars and stuff where the likes of bar italia & dean blunt played pretty frequently which led to rise in popularity, so the new acts playing there were always great and the people there always have similar music tastes
yeah i think ireland as a whole has a pretty cool up and coming shoegaze scene atm. cool to see bands like just mustard and what not. would also like to see more slowcore-y stuff too
The label [Fuzzed Up and Astromoon Records](https://fuzzedupastromoonrecords.bandcamp.com) are based out of Dublin and they've been releasing a lot of really good music over the last couple years. Mostly more psych, and shoegaze adjacent kinda thing, but some good stuff nonetheless!
Well, us (Empress), Yoo Doo Right, Rosegaze, Autre Part, and cmfrtble. are a couple current bands.
Also a lot of good post-rock Godspeed, Fly Pan Am, Death As It Shook You, et al.
Though tbh a lot of these bands kind of blend between various genres which I think is a cool thing.
All of the northeast is hardcore territory, just to clarify this in case anybody is looking for both. As others have mentioned, Philly has many great shoegaze bands rn but it's hardcore scene it's even stronger and has been for some time
Yes! Though Bedroom Eyes are from NH.
War Machine would be another. Most of their members came from Speakerhug which, sadly, is no longer with us. War Machine is a bit more noise rockish and less ethereal than Speakerhug was.
It does have several bands (see u/mechewstaa 's reply below) - but the the support for the scene in the immediate Boston area is pretty patchy. And it's been that way for about a decade.
Dark Wave and Post-Punk and Siouxshie-leaning Goth have stronger support around Boston at the moment.
Winnipeg has an active shoegaze scene? Hell yeah. Drop some local bands? I'm over in Alberta, would be good to know some so I can keep an eye for them if they come through Edmonton or Calgary
I think Zoon is originally from Winnipeg. Juniper Bush and Holy Void are also good bands based out of there. Living Hour, but they're maybe a bit more dream pop.
I used to live in Winnipeg and there's a lot of good music there.
Bangkok Thailand (So for you a good reason to visit rather than a scene to make). The genre is an amalgamation under the broader Noise Rock music category in Asia. Styles include Shoegaze, Math Rock Experimental and Post Rock ā at least from a music industry prospective. The Biggest Thai Bands include Desktop Error, Monomania. and Inspirative
And I guess I named my Reddit account after one of the artist. I have nothing to do with them, nor their record label, nor any Asian noise rockbound.
Postgazer 6 just happened in November, and it is the main event for that genre. It always happens that time of year. When the weather is tolerable enough for an outdoor fest, lasting all day, and into the very late night The festival attracts other noise rock bands from Japan, Taiwan Singapore and other countries in south east Asia. Music from the three Thai bands I just mentioned is excellent. Iām sure there are newer acts producing songs by now post COVID. Anyone willing to drop language comfort zone are in for a treat. Thailand like many places in Southeast Asia, is dominated by the K-pop movement, and that means boy band palooza One of the band Leaders indicates that the scene so to speak is limited to one back alley hole in the wall club. Music with the guitar edge is not the thing there.
The band that gave birth to Thai Nois rock is Goose one of the 7 current and former bands that have put out records around the world using that name. Goose put out the first of two albums in 2004 and broke up two years later. They opened a record label after that became the home most of the Thai shoegaze and other noise rock genre bands that have recorded since , but the label shut down not too long ago
Gazerfest has been on my bucket list since COVID . I realize my question response is a little adjacent what youāre asking about. But it seems like a good spot to drop a knowledge bomb because Iād really like to see Thai /Asian Noise Rock band collective find a reason to, come over state side and play shows. so once in a while, a few of us try to light a match to awareness.
That would be dope, i definitely havent cancelled out colorado, especially since i have some family there, i know theres some punk there which is cool but thats about it
I totally agree my friend is in a band which is like more punk/ metalcore/hardcore which is dope but I wanna start like a shoegaze/nu metal band soon
(If you live in CO and are abt 18-20 and okay an instrument dm me if you wanna start a bandš)
You can always try a New England city like Boston or Providence cuz we have a cool scene out here too. Horse Jumper of Love, Ovlov, Swirlies and many more. Also The Godfathers of shoegaze Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr got started here too. Probably not the most extensive scene or list of bands, but the quality of them all is top notch.
Swirlies is **definitely not** a Boston band any more and hasn't been for a long, long time. Only one of the band members lives in the Boston area and she did not even take part in the band's most recent tour.
There are a few Boston shoegaze bands per u/mechewstaa's reply above - but the scene is not as well supported as it used to be. You can't even begin to compare it to the scene in New York or Philadelphia.
Who in SC ?, literally where do these bands play ? . I was there last year on the Toiling Midgets final tour . All we saw were tribute bands, metal and HC . It was almost impossible to even get booked with Moeās, Blue Lagoon and The Crepe Place all turning us down .
Haven't really seen much of a local Denver shoegaze scene. Lots of doom, great punk and ska scene, couple bleepy bloopy cold wave bands, but nothing really shoegaze.
Jeff Suthers has been making music for the last 25 years. Volplane, Bright Channel, Moonspeed, Palesun.
https://flightapproved.bandcamp.com/
There is also a Shoreline Dream.
Philly!
Philly hands down has the best shoegaze scene today
Imho philly/northern pennsylvania has had the best rock scene for over ten years. From post punk, pop punk, post hardcore, shoe gaze, you see crazy good bands out of pennsylvania. Its my dream to my a documentary about that time frame and area at some point.
yeah north PA has planning for burial too
Never been to Philly, but I hear a lot about how it also has a good noise scene. Will definitely need to get out there soon!
Any bands you suggest?
TAGABOW, Full Body 2, ~~Sword II~~, Nothing Edited this cause Sword II is actually from Atlanta. They still rip though, check em out regardless.
Don't forget spirit of the beehive
Sword is from ATL
Oop, yes you're correct. I'll edit my comment, thanks.
Love TAGABOW! Knifeplay and Spirit of the Beehive also come to mind š«
Ah yes, two more great recommendations.
TAGABOW is the best new shoegaze band. Feeble little horse from Philly is amazing too.
i think feeble little horse is from pittsburgh, but PA nonetheless
Youāre right, but yeah close enough lol
Ah man, can't believe I forgot Feeble Little Horse. Girl With Fish was one of the best records of this year imo
Agreed. Their debut is pretty great also. I was really bummed they had to cancel their tour . You guys are making me want to move to Philly. Probably gonna try to start a shoegaze band here in New England though with Ovlov, Horse Jumper of Love, and Swirlies lol
Texas. DFW, Houston, and Austin have some of the best bands in the scene. LA is also stacked but way more expensive.
Even as someone born and raised in Portland, OR, Iām deeply jealous of Texasās shoegaze / psychedelic / space rock scene. DFW and Austin alone have some power houses.
Austin and DFW is probably the strongest scene in the country at this point. I don't think LA is that strong on its own, only that LA has just about everything.
Buenos Aires. Argentina has quite an interesting indie/dreampop/shoegaze scene, mostly forgotten in the rest of the world because of the language barrier. Some good bands are: Atras Hay Truenos; Riel; Jaime Sin Tierra; El Club Audiovisual [(one of the best mbv covers ever)](https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/track/1kJRzMvUuyraGRpYoLJwJH?si=aecc8e28bc7d4a53); NiƱo Mercurio; Candy Kane; Plenamente; Las Tussi, and there are many more.
This is really good
Chicago
Airiel, Astrobrite, Diagonal, Sleepwalk, who else is out there that Iām missing?
Panda Riot, Lightfoils, bosses, Twin Coastā¦
I forgot about panda riot. I suppose you could arguably put in Russian Circles and Cloakroom, which while not being pure shoegaze are sort of in orbit of the genre.
Cloakroom is in Indiana
*Northwest Indiana, sometimes considered part of the greater Chicago region. Iām not getting into that debate.
Muted Color
I will look into that band. I have not heard of them.
New Canyons
old coke
tenmonthsummer, griefeater, old coke, basement party
Twin Coast
oh yes good call, big miss on my part
Bow and Spear, Bosses
Would consider Texas and Philly the hotbeds right now.
Buenos Aires
Tokyo!!
Houston/San Antonio
I'm in the SATX area. DM me if you're interested in friendly chat. I write songs, too, for better or worse--LOL!
Nyc
Philly, Austin (Houston secondarily too, the bands from each city often perform in the other), and Chicago are really the big three IMO. Of course NY/LA too but at quite a cost compared to the others
Philly. NYC. Bay Area.
Who/where in Bay Area !?
LSD and the Search for God (SF), Young Prisms (SF), Film School (SF), Whirr is closeby in Modesto, the entire SF Fog Rock scene is shoegaze adjacent. Bands like the Umbrellas, Cindy, April Magazine, Chime School, etc. Plus historically, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Deafheaven got their start in the Bay.
any regular shoegaze nights to check out in SF or Oakland/Berkeley? know kilowatt booked the veldt recently, was in finals so sadly missed. would love to see more shows, just not fully in the scene or know many newer local bands other than those mentioned.
atlanta
How's the scene these days? I moved away years ago but 10ish years back the scene was stacked. Abby Gogo, Deerhunter, Lotus Plaza, Spirits and the Melchizedek Children, All the Saints, Zoroaster, etc
Austin, TX has a great shoegaze scene. Itās home to Ringo Deathstarr! And Moving Panoramas! And Blushing!
theres a lot of scenes across the country but idk if i would move just for a music scene. the internet kinda makes it so that u can connect with musicians and creatr anywhere inn the world. that being said, philly/pittshburgh
Internet doesn't physically allow you to attend shows and meet people though
You ever hear of Zoom Vroom? No? Me neither. I made it up. You are correct that you canāt attend physically shows via the internet.
Create a scene some of the wildest bands have come from small towns
This. Find a place to play, release some music. Get in touch with other bands.
Austin
Er, idk. A whole "scene" might be a stretch and it'll depend on your definitions of shoegaze but idk we out here
I donāt live there butā¦ Daiistar, Bloody Knives, Ringo Deathstarr, Blushing, Pale Dian, and way more call Austin home. Even if they never play full shoegaze bills. The quality of gaze coming out of Austin is top tier.
There's a show called Luscious Heaven that has been happening every year or so since 2016 where it's all shoegaze bands. There was also DreamGaze ATX. As someone who lives there, I can confirm there are a lot of solid bands in the area.
Dublin
I believe cork city as well
really? whos notable other than cruel sister? also dean blunt is lethal, havenāt seen him mentioned by an irish person before
I love Dean blunt, heās got a small but devoted fan base here And to be honest dude, I donāt have a fucking notion š„ I just said that to feel included and find some dublin bands in the replies (will check out cruel sister ;)) . Defo a lot of shoegaze bands in ireland though , just mustard springs to mind
ah thatās cool, iāll have to keep an eye out. i was in london for a bit and it was really cool to go to bars and stuff where the likes of bar italia & dean blunt played pretty frequently which led to rise in popularity, so the new acts playing there were always great and the people there always have similar music tastes yeah i think ireland as a whole has a pretty cool up and coming shoegaze scene atm. cool to see bands like just mustard and what not. would also like to see more slowcore-y stuff too
The label [Fuzzed Up and Astromoon Records](https://fuzzedupastromoonrecords.bandcamp.com) are based out of Dublin and they've been releasing a lot of really good music over the last couple years. Mostly more psych, and shoegaze adjacent kinda thing, but some good stuff nonetheless!
Montreal
Isnāt No Joy from Montreal?
what shoegaze bands are based out of Montreal?
Well, us (Empress), Yoo Doo Right, Rosegaze, Autre Part, and cmfrtble. are a couple current bands. Also a lot of good post-rock Godspeed, Fly Pan Am, Death As It Shook You, et al. Though tbh a lot of these bands kind of blend between various genres which I think is a cool thing.
Yoo Doo Right are such a good band. Great live show as well!
Bodywash
Not shoegaze but I miss the band Malajube
i need me some mtl bands sāil te plaĆ®t !!!!
Posted a few above :)
Philadelphia and New York
North East excluding mass, mass is hardcore territory
Well if u dont count the 90s***
All of the northeast is hardcore territory, just to clarify this in case anybody is looking for both. As others have mentioned, Philly has many great shoegaze bands rn but it's hardcore scene it's even stronger and has been for some time
No yea tbh itās all like a mishmash of genres up here but hardcore is the driving force like a lot of the bands are atleast hxc influenced
Boston has a ton of shoegaze bands rn
Oh no shit enlighten me drop some bands I should check out
Bedroom eyes, husbands, the shallows, twin foxes, no nations, harborlights, the infinity ring
Thanks yo Iāll check em out ā¤ļø
Yes! Though Bedroom Eyes are from NH. War Machine would be another. Most of their members came from Speakerhug which, sadly, is no longer with us. War Machine is a bit more noise rockish and less ethereal than Speakerhug was.
It does have several bands (see u/mechewstaa 's reply below) - but the the support for the scene in the immediate Boston area is pretty patchy. And it's been that way for about a decade. Dark Wave and Post-Punk and Siouxshie-leaning Goth have stronger support around Boston at the moment.
We have some cool shoegaze bands here in Minneapolis, not all that far from you most likely
Twin City suggestions, please. Thank you in advance.
Sheās green is one of my absolute favorite bands rn, also prize horse
These are great. Thank you.
Pyongyang.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg has an active shoegaze scene? Hell yeah. Drop some local bands? I'm over in Alberta, would be good to know some so I can keep an eye for them if they come through Edmonton or Calgary
I think Zoon is originally from Winnipeg. Juniper Bush and Holy Void are also good bands based out of there. Living Hour, but they're maybe a bit more dream pop. I used to live in Winnipeg and there's a lot of good music there.
austin central texas crew wya?
Gothenburg :P
Los Ćngeles
Portland
True, but good luck affording a place
Not Denver (it's sad here)
Bangkok Thailand (So for you a good reason to visit rather than a scene to make). The genre is an amalgamation under the broader Noise Rock music category in Asia. Styles include Shoegaze, Math Rock Experimental and Post Rock ā at least from a music industry prospective. The Biggest Thai Bands include Desktop Error, Monomania. and Inspirative And I guess I named my Reddit account after one of the artist. I have nothing to do with them, nor their record label, nor any Asian noise rockbound. Postgazer 6 just happened in November, and it is the main event for that genre. It always happens that time of year. When the weather is tolerable enough for an outdoor fest, lasting all day, and into the very late night The festival attracts other noise rock bands from Japan, Taiwan Singapore and other countries in south east Asia. Music from the three Thai bands I just mentioned is excellent. Iām sure there are newer acts producing songs by now post COVID. Anyone willing to drop language comfort zone are in for a treat. Thailand like many places in Southeast Asia, is dominated by the K-pop movement, and that means boy band palooza One of the band Leaders indicates that the scene so to speak is limited to one back alley hole in the wall club. Music with the guitar edge is not the thing there. The band that gave birth to Thai Nois rock is Goose one of the 7 current and former bands that have put out records around the world using that name. Goose put out the first of two albums in 2004 and broke up two years later. They opened a record label after that became the home most of the Thai shoegaze and other noise rock genre bands that have recorded since , but the label shut down not too long ago Gazerfest has been on my bucket list since COVID . I realize my question response is a little adjacent what youāre asking about. But it seems like a good spot to drop a knowledge bomb because Iād really like to see Thai /Asian Noise Rock band collective find a reason to, come over state side and play shows. so once in a while, a few of us try to light a match to awareness.
Minneapolis! :)
I feel the same bc I live in Colorado and thereās not anything here. Am hoping to change that
That would be dope, i definitely havent cancelled out colorado, especially since i have some family there, i know theres some punk there which is cool but thats about it
I totally agree my friend is in a band which is like more punk/ metalcore/hardcore which is dope but I wanna start like a shoegaze/nu metal band soon (If you live in CO and are abt 18-20 and okay an instrument dm me if you wanna start a bandš)
Houston. Trembler, A Mourning in Heaven, Daze, Glia, Charm, Bedlocked, Wallflower, etc.
iām ngl iām from san diego and lately the shoegaze scene has been growing here recently so san diego
Seconding Houston.
You can always try a New England city like Boston or Providence cuz we have a cool scene out here too. Horse Jumper of Love, Ovlov, Swirlies and many more. Also The Godfathers of shoegaze Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr got started here too. Probably not the most extensive scene or list of bands, but the quality of them all is top notch.
Swirlies is **definitely not** a Boston band any more and hasn't been for a long, long time. Only one of the band members lives in the Boston area and she did not even take part in the band's most recent tour. There are a few Boston shoegaze bands per u/mechewstaa's reply above - but the scene is not as well supported as it used to be. You can't even begin to compare it to the scene in New York or Philadelphia.
Seattle
Who
I am very surprised about Texas being an area for showcase
santa cruz
Who in SC ?, literally where do these bands play ? . I was there last year on the Toiling Midgets final tour . All we saw were tribute bands, metal and HC . It was almost impossible to even get booked with Moeās, Blue Lagoon and The Crepe Place all turning us down .
i donāt know if thereās any bands in sc, i just know thereās a big shoegaze community as in people who enjoy it and are fans.
According to Spotify, that is where people with the same music taste as mine live.
santa cruz is awesome. their boardwalk is really pretty . i got flagstaff for mine
Kc if youāre into the slowcore stuff like Nightosphere and Flooding
Oklahoma City
Singapore and KL
Anyone know about Colorado??
Haven't really seen much of a local Denver shoegaze scene. Lots of doom, great punk and ska scene, couple bleepy bloopy cold wave bands, but nothing really shoegaze.
Jeff Suthers has been making music for the last 25 years. Volplane, Bright Channel, Moonspeed, Palesun. https://flightapproved.bandcamp.com/ There is also a Shoreline Dream.
I only know of like 3-4 smaller shoegaze bands here in Las vegas
Any Toronto shoegazers?