FRIDAY
BOBBY CONN
10 p.m. at Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.; $12, 773-227-4433
Most artists cringe when their albums are dismissed in favor of their live performances. Bobby Conn seems to invite and welcome such critical comparisons. The local singer-songwriter-exhibitionist’s “King for a Day” (Thrill Jockey) blossoms with orchestral flourishes and disco grooves, not to mention a lifetime’s worth of cheesy ’70s hooks. As he sees it, the campy pop and farcical lyrics are simply fodder for theatrical shows. This gig — as well as another on Saturday — are in celebration of Conn’s 40th birthday. Expect him to dish up anything-goes blowouts filled with delusions of grandeur, audience participation and drag costumes galore.
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THE BROKEN WEST
5:30 p.m. at Taste of Randolph St., 1100 W. Randolph St.; $10, 312-458-9401.
Hey, didn’t you used to be … ? Yes, the Broken West was formerly known as the Brokedown until receiving a cease-and-desist letter filed on behalf of Illinois-based punk act the Brokedowns. With that episode in the past, the newly christened Los Angeles quintet concentrates on sweeping melodies throughout “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On” (Merge). Practically shouting “C’mon, get happy!,” the group’s bounding power-pop and jangling country-rock tunes will give foodies ample opportunities to bob their heads as they nosh on delicacies from West Loop restaurants.
(Safe Bet)
SATURDAY
NOVEMBERS DOOM
9 p.m. at Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.; $12-$14, 773-489-3160.
While not as renowned as the city’s late ’80s/early ’90s indie-rock scene, Chicago was then also home to a thriving doom- and death-metal underground. Area veterans Novembers Doom continue to draw from that era on “The Novella Resevoir” (The End). The set brims with the expected low-end grunts and somber moods, yet it’s the creative balance and surprise entrance of atmospheric interjections, thrash riffs and intermittent tempo surges that puts the group ahead of a majority of its gloom-obsessed peers. Novembers Doom plays here as part of the second annual Alehorn of Power Festival.
(Safe Bet)
SUNDAY
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THE VEILS
9:30 p.m. at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave.; $10-$12, 773-276-3600.
Never underestimate what a change of scenery can do. Feeling disconnected from his previous mates and musical direction, Veils leader Finn Andrews scrapped his old band and started fresh. After moving from London to New Zealand and recruiting new members, they recorded “Nux Vomica” (Rough Trade) in Los Angeles, where, for recreation, Andrews ventured to Death Valley National Park and howled with coyotes. A similar sense of bizarre comfort informs the trio’s soulful chamber-pop and chilling folk-rock. Evoking the introspectiveness of a fraught preacher and desperation of a heartbroken drunk, Andrews’ dramatic deliveries should simmer in the live concert setting.
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THURSDAY
MELT BANANA
9 p.m. at the Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St. $10-$12. 773-478-4408.
Everyone is familiar with “Surfin’ USA.” On the surface, the Beach Boys’ summery anthem is thematically absurd — it shouldn’t even translate in places lacking large bodies of water. Yet a combination of laissez-faire reality, wishful thinking and disguised sexuality makes it irresistible. No artist taps the tune’s giddy silliness and call-into-work-sick spirit like Melt Banana, which onstage recasts it as a tribute to irreverent freedom. Fronted by pint-sized shrieker Yasuko Onuki, Japan’s noise-rock phenoms travel at warp speed. Their latest, “Bambi’s Dilemma” (A-Zap), is a mash-up of manic hardcore, spazz-attack vocals and adorable enthusiasm. But it’s got nothing on the band’s colorful concerts, hectic affairs high on unhinged fun and sweaty insanity.
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