The Five Best Concerts in South Florida This Week

Bumblefest backer PureHoney Magazine is having its 100th Issue Party in West Palm Beach this weekend, when Spirit and the Cosmic Heart will be creating beautiful sonic art along with a slew of other terrific bands. The Zoo Peculiar will be bringing its sideshow act to Badfellow Tattoo in Fort Lauderdale for an in-store event that should be wonderfully strange and something you won’t want to miss.

Stay ahead of upcoming shows with New Times' South Florida concert schedule.

Spirit and the Cosmic Heart

If there is one thing I am a sucker for, it’s psych-pop that builds dreamscapes in my mind. Spirit and the Cosmic Heart are currently doing this to me with their new EP, Memories, released this past July. Songs like "Lasso" give me the feeling of throwing open the windows of a dusty home and having that fresh salt air come off the Atlantic and sweep through and restore the vibrancy of what life once was and what it could be again. If you take a look at the visuals they have to coincide with their music, you really start to get the sense they are very DIY-friendly as artists and the clips they put together for their videos are interesting snapshots from cult American films and what looks almost like old silent home videos. At a time when so many bands are copycats, it’s a relief to find such strong originality. With Pleasures, Sweet Bronco, Nervous Monks, Chaucer, and Stucco. 8 p.m. Friday, December 13, at Voltaire, 526 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-403-5603; sub-culture.org/voltaire. Tickets are $7 in advance via eventbrite.com.

The Zoo Peculiar

Speaking as someone who's spent most of my music career in places like Chicago and Berlin, I can say definitively that the Zoo Peculiar could do what they do anywhere on this blue globe or in any other galaxy and they would stand out. Their song "Phil’s Colon," off their 2019 album Limousine Time Machine, is a perfect example of a band that leans into the theatrics of performance and I can’t get enough of it. The visuals for the song are completely insane — and give me faith in the weirdness they are representing. The Zoo Peculiar may seem like a trio of freaks (and they most likely are), but if they are freaks, maybe we need to rethink what it is to be sane. Tracks like "Djinn & Tonic" have a Tom Waits feel to the songwriting that makes me smile — it just feels like they are having a good time. Whatever distant planet these musicians came from, god bless them for invading South Florida. 8 p.m. Friday, December 13, at Badfellow Tattoo, 949 NE 62nd St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-999-0259; badfellowtattoo. Admission is free.

Caracara

Caracara is an interesting band that doesn’t shy away from emotional songwriting that feels truly honest. That musical approach results in songs like "Better," off their March 2019 three-song EP Better, which starts out fairly minimalist but ultimately builds to a crescendo of indie-pop madness. But Caracara's live EP, released in October, may be my favorite. When a band puts out a live record, sometimes it's simply an effort to stay relevant during a slow year creatively — but with Caracara, it gives us a closer listen to the band's ability and also makes a connection with their energy that is found on songs like "Dark Bells." And with a track like "Evil," you get to hear Caracara build together onstage. Things start out light and slow and the lead singer's voice is full of raw emotion as he sings over the band's guitar chords with grace and dexterity. With Neil Hilborn. 7 p.m. Friday, December 13, at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-832-9999; sub-culture.org/respectable-street. Tickets are $20 via etix.com.

Disco Biscuits

Disco Biscuits has been a staple of the jam-band world since the mid '90s and over that time have shown themselves to be truly eclectic in terms of the mix of musical genres that influence their sound and the party they bring to any venue where they perform. With songs like "Portal to an Empty Head," off the 2011 album Otherwise Law Abiding Citizens, that remain classic records that millions around the world still can’t help but dance when they hear it. Disco Biscuits are known for the party they bring with them on tour, and often surprise first-time listeners with their jazz influence — something found less and less in music At the same time they are capable of bringing some serious funk to the stage when they get busy. The Disco Biscuits are the bridge between electronic music and the jam-band scene, and helped create the "trancefusion" sound; however, they have expanded on their style, as all great bands do, and as a result have become very difficult to pin down as artists. 7 p.m. Friday, December 13, and Saturday, December 14, at Revolution, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale; 954-449-1025; jointherevolution.net. Tickets start at $47.50; two-day tickets are $82 via ticketmaster.com.

The Darling Fire

The Darling Fire is made up of indie rock talents from all corners of the industry that dropped their first album as a group in July 2019, entitled Dark Celebration. It’s what you’d expect from this group of talented artists — heavy rock 'n' roll that speaks to the early 2000s. With a drummer that has spent a significant amount of time in the Metalcore scene, it shows with his prominence on percussion. As with all true rock bands, the drums lead the way. Lead singer Jolie Lindholm, formerly of Dashboard Confessional and the epitome of cool, has a great voice that is reminiscent of an era past on songs like "Omaha," where she sits in the pocket and, like a true professional, doesn’t for a second overpower the track with her voice. The video for the single "Saints in Masquerade" takes place in a smoky arcade, with the lights from the games illuminating the background, which speaks to the nostalgia of the band's music. With Royal Hearts and Twice the Former. 9 p.m. Saturday, December 14, at Lozer Lounge, 537 S. Dixie Hwy. East, Pompano Beach; lozerlounge. $5 at the door.