FIVE SHOWS NOT TO MISS: NEW YEAR’S EVE, 2022

As much as we love the holiday season, the truth of the matter is it can become overwhelming trying to keep up with everything going on. While we can’t help you remember your cousin’s fiancé’s name at Christmas dinner or advise you on whether or not to bring up politics, we CAN lend a hand when it comes to your NYE plans. So if you’re still looking for the best ways to ring in 2023, here are five suggestions that will ensure you’re new year starts with great music.

New Year’s Eve Celebration featuring Formerly Known As and Twin Soul
Lafayette’s Music Room
6pm
$100

Lafayette’s isn’t hesitating to pull out all the stops this New Year’s to give folks the danceable grooves and pop favorites they clamor for as we wish 2022 farewell. Formerly Known As deliver on both counts, and they’ve become something of a regular attraction at Lafayette’s, to boot. Fellow Memphians Twin Soul are the throwback feature of the night, a nostalgic flashback to the halcyon days of 80s Sunset Strip hair metal. There’s zero pretension on the agenda this evening – you’re here to dance, rock out, or both, right?

Louder Than Bombs
B-Side
10pm
$10-25

Do you love The Smiths but are rightfully horrified by what’s become of Morrissey’s public persona in recent years? Then that’s exactly the sort of guilt-free listening that bands like Louder Than Bombs are made for! Heaven knows you might be miserable as 2022 turns to 2023 and the weather remains frigid and exhausting, so why not get your gloom on down at B-Side? These Memphians do more than just a passable Smiths impression, and sometimes that’s all you need to will away the late December doldrums.

Cyrena Wages NYE Bash w/ Special Guests
Bar DKDC
9pm
$10-25

If you’re up for something earthier this New Year’s Eve, then the sultry drawl of rootsy Memphian chanteuse Cyrena Wages should fit the bill nicely, and in a space as intimate as DKDC, you’re sure to find your money’s worth in the feels department, as the intersection of country and soul never sounded sweeter. This event also promises appearances by ever-mysterious ‘special guests’, so throw a little intrigue into your evening out on the town and see who turns up to join Cyrena to see 2022 out the door.

Emotions False New Year’s Eve Bash
The Hi Tone (large room)
6pm
$20

Now if you’re REALLY a New Year’s Eve live music diehard, you’re surely hunting for something that’ll truly exhaust and overwhelm you in the best way possible, and the big room at Hi-Tone’s got you covered with this Emotions False Records showcase. And what a showcase it is, featuring a whopping EIGHT bands for the evening, from afar and just up the block, from the diehard punk fervor of visiting Portland outfit Symptoms to the hooky power-pop leanings of Memphian favorites TVYellow, from Anemoia’s jam-band psych washes to the righteous snarl of Lipstick Stains and everywhere in between. After all, there’s only a few hours left in 2022 to see as many bands do their thing as possible.

NYE Bass Experience 2023
Growler’s
7:30pm
$15

If you’re geared towards the electronic end of the spectrum, look no further than Growler’s for your New Year’s Eve fix, as they’re offering this intriguing ‘audio visual experience’ in tandem with New Dream Promotions and MADD Events LLC. Lots of trippy beats and delirious cascades of synths will surely be on hand, all of it accentuated by visuals courtesy of Illumination Lights and Lasers. Send one year out the door and welcome another one in by dancing your troubles away, surrendering yourself to the relentless rhythm as you do so.

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