We’re in a really good place for modern EBM nowadays (at least one thing is going well in a slumping United States!). Acts like Corpse Dust, Buzz Kull, Choke Chain and Kontravoid are pushing the format forward while still staying true to the central tenet of “body music” — a pulse for bloodflow, for the heartbeat, for dancing. Possibly the wildcard of the whole scene, though, is Spike Hellis. The Los Angeles-based duo of Cortland Gibson and Elaine Chang are pure wild mercury and untrammeled id. Their performance style is less imperious scowl, more total abandon, and it’s a spirit that infects the audience fully. Spike Hellis are somewhere between Skinny Puppy and Nitzer Ebb, down to their hand-built platform to contain various synths and percussive devices. We’ve seen this spectacle ourselves and walked away floored.
9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11; Iron Cow, 2438 E. Robinson St.; facebook.com/ironcowsushilounge, $17.85.
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This article appears in Sept. 9-15, 2026.