Algiers + ONO + Bambara
October 6, Empty Bottle
The members of Algiers hail from Atlanta, Georgia, but there's not a single song on the band's self-titled debut that flirts with the tropes of "southern rock." Rather, there's a dark, foreboding quality to the angular music this trio creates, tempered with dashes of gospel ("And When You Fall") and soul ("Games"). Frontman Franklin James Fisher tackles weighty (and painfully relevant) topics like race relations and the legacy of slavery with an intensity that adds fuel to the group's frantic post-punk arrangements. It's powerful in exactly the way forward-thinking music should be. Local art punks ONO and droning Brooklyn outfit Bambara open the show. ($15, 21+)
FFS (Franz Ferdinand + Sparks) + The Intelligence
October 8, Vic Theatre
When Franz Ferdinand burst onto the scene with "Take Me Out" in 2004, Ron and Russell Mael (better known as the chameleon-like musical duo Sparks) quickly became fans of the Scottish group. As it turns out, the feeling was mutual—when Franz frontman Alex Kapranos wrote an article for NME about Sparks's Propaganda LP, the two groups fostered a friendship and began plotting a collaboration. Containing a song entitled "Collaborations Don't Work," the self-titled debut from the teamed-up acts is just as cheeky as you'd expect. Fusing Franz's dance-pop tendencies with Sparks's irreverent art-rock inclinations, these not-so-strange bedfellows sound like a match made in supergroup heaven. ($40, 18+)
Bully + Heat + Fake Limbs
October 9, Lincoln Hall
This summer, Bully pulled a fast one and played sets at Pitchfork Music Festival and Lollapalooza, becoming the only band to ever perform at both festivals in the same year. Listening to the Nashville band's debut, Feels Like, it's easy to hear why it's the kind of music that appeals to PBR sippers and Bud Light guzzlers alike. The fierce delivery of singer Alicia Bognanno possesses the visceral snarl of Joan Jett, while the band's fuzzed-out power chord melodies evoke Vivian Girls. There's a reason the group is coming through town for the fourth time this year: Bully is garage rock for the masses. Lou Reed devotees Heat and local rockers Fake Limbs support. ($12, 18+)