From break-up to rebirth
Failure came up in early-90s Los Angeles, turning heavy alt-rock into spacious, melodic space-rock. After splitting in 1997, they returned in 2014 with the core of
Ken Andrews,
Greg Edwards, and
Kellii Scott, and they have stayed independent since. The current shows balance deep cuts with newer work from
Fantastic Planet,
The Heart Is a Monster, and
Wild Type Droid.
What the night might sound like
Expect staples like
Stuck on You,
Another Space Song, and
The Nurse Who Loved Me, with
All Under Heaven setting a gauzy tone before the main set. Crowds skew mixed in age, many wearing plain black tees or faded tour shirts, quietly focused during verses and opening up on big choruses. Two bits for nerds: they self-financed much of
Fantastic Planet in a rented North Hollywood room, and
The Nurse Who Loved Me found a second life via a cover by
A Perfect Circle. Take these set and staging notes as informed guesses based on recent tours, not fixed promises.
Failure's Quiet-Loud Community
Signals from the floor
The room reads like a record shop on a Friday night, with vintage
Fantastic Planet shirts next to recent
Wild Type Droid prints and a few handmade jackets. Fans trade notes about pressing variants and old venue stories, then fall quiet for verses and hum along until the chorus opens. Chant moments are rare, but the crowd often sings the hook of
Stuck on You together, a quick jolt before the band cuts it clean.
Little rituals, long memories
Merch leans simple: monochrome tees, a tidy tour poster with space-line art, and vinyl that sells fast after the set. You will spot weathered sneakers, practical layers, and a few earplugs hanging from cords, a small tell of veteran show-goers. It feels less like cosplay of the 90s and more like people who have carried the songs forward and want to hear them breathe in a room.
Failure, From Riff to Atmosphere
How the parts lock in
Ken Andrews keeps a clear, slightly dry vocal tone, while
Greg Edwards often adds low harmonies that shadow the melody rather than shine over it. Guitars stack in layers, with one part carrying the riff and another washing in delay, so the rhythm stays punchy even when the top end smears. They favor mid-tempo pacing that lets drums hit hard and bass fuzz bloom, and the band will trim outros so songs snap into the next idea.
Studio ghosts on stage
On a few numbers, they reframe parts with a baritone guitar or a bass with a pick, which tightens the attack and thickens the center. A neat quirk: they sometimes thread short noise interludes between songs, echoing the way
Fantastic Planet flows on record. Lights tend to be cool and minimal, with color shifts marking sections rather than big strobe blasts, keeping ears on the mix.
Failure's Kindred Spirits
Constellations of sound
If you are into
Hum, the thick guitars and patient song shapes will feel familiar, with both bands chasing lift without speed.
Catherine Wheel fans may connect to the shoegaze tint and big, singable hooks buried in noise. The dramatic, slow-bloom dynamics that
A Perfect Circle rides are close to how
Failure sets up tension, and there is even shared history through that cover. For a modern look at haze and heft,
Nothing brings dream-pop melodies to heavy tones, a lane that overlaps with
All Under Heaven on this bill. Across these acts, you get melody first, then muscle, and a live mix that leaves room for echoes and drone to hang in the air.
