Nightwatch

Hanzel und Gretyl

Don’t let the fairy-tale name fool you. Hanzel und Gretyl —
the New York -based duo of Vas Kallas and Kaiser Von Loopy —
started as a quirky futuristic vision, using a patchwork of samples,
drum loops and dirty guitars to promote their tongue-in-cheek theme of
“machines good, people bad.” Their 1995 debut, Ausegeflippt, caught the attention of Marilyn Manson, who enlisted HuG as an opening
act. HuG then hit the road with industrial-rock and metal veterans such
as Rammstein, Slipknot, Prong and Ministry. All that time on the road
with the sonic heavyweights rubbed off on the duo, as each release
became heavier, further blurring the lines between industrial-rock and
metal. On their most recent release, 2012: Zwanzig Wolf, HuG’s
sonic visions of the future have mutated into an audio holocaust, and
militancy never sounded so catchy. In the live setting, be prepared to
be taken aback by Vas Kallas shredding away on guitar while she belts
out vocals that would make some in the death-metal community blush.
September Mourning and Ludwyg open at 8 p.m. at Peabody’s (2045 E. 21st
St., 216.776.9999). Tickets: $14 advance, $16 day of show.
— Norm Narvaja

Swingin’ Utters

There’s a middle ground of punk from the late 1980s that’s easy on
the ears but still hard rockin’. The Swingin’ Utters are from that
period and offer a smidgeon of everything. The Bay area-based
five-piece has released nine records in 20 years and proven that short,
catchy songs are enduring. The guys also have an affinity for all
things Pogues, which complements their swaying sound. Expect to be
whistling a melody or two when you exit the club. Cleveland punks the
Roller Rockers throw three chords to the wind as the openers at 8 p.m.
at the Agora Ballroom (5000 Euclid Ave., 216.881.6700). Tickets: $12.50
advance, $14 day of show. — Nick DeMarino

Lenka

Lucky enough to have parents who encouraged her whimsical forays
into the arts, Australian singer-songwriter Lenka Kripac had an ideal
upbringing. At the age of 12, she went to acting school, where Cate
Blanchett was her teacher. Before long, she was touring the country in
an indie-rock outfit called Decoder Ring. “My childhood was very free
and cool,” she admits in a recent phone interview. “I’m very nostalgic
about it. I was essentially running around in the bush and talking to
the trees.” Her new self-titled album steers clear of Decoder Ring’s
ambient electronica and adopts a chamber-pop sound that’s equal parts
Rufus Wainwright and Regina Spektor. “I was very adamant that it had a
symphonic quality and used as many different instruments as possible,”
she says. “I worked with different producers and I’d always say that,
and they’d go, ‘OK’ and then really sink their teeth into it. The first
session was with Pierre Marchand in Montreal. He did the sweet ballads
and soulful stuff. For a couple of songs, I wanted something darker
thing happening, so I got Mike Elizondo who’s worked with Jay-Z and
Fiona Apple and Maroon 5. That was really cool too. I worked with a few
other producers as well. I was going through a bit of developmental
stage at the time and the album reflects that.” Lenka opens for fellow
Aussie Missy Higgins and singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka at 7:30 p.m.
at House of Blues (308 Euclid Ave., 216.523.2583). Tickets: $19.50
advance, $22 day of show.

— Jeff Niesel

Saints and Sinners Tour

If poetry is pitted against aggressive guitar solos, is it still
poetry? If religious beliefs are shrieked from the top of one’s lungs,
do they retain their core Buddhist values? Senses Fail has pondered
such musical queries for six years, one EP and three full-lengths. Much
to fans’ relief, the Jersey four-piece seems to have few definitive
answers (their 2006 sophomore effort was titled Still
Searching).Literate and introspective, the band’s influences range
from Charles Bukowski and Joseph Campbell to its own battles with
cancer and the bottom of the bottle. With a sound that’s dense,
brooding and expansive, lyricist/vocalist Buddy Nielsen and company are
never content to pass off fist-pumping, easy-to-digest pop-punk
sing-alongs as something meaningful. It’s fitting that the inaugural
Saints and Sinners tour, an offshoot of the annual two-day metal
festival of the same name, would tap Senses Fail as ambassadors of
well-meaning, if flawed, personal evolution. Hollywood Undead, Haste
the Day and Brokencyde start things off at 7 p.m. at House of Blues
(308 Euclid Ave., 216.523.2583). Tickets: $18 advance, $20 day of
show.

— Julie Seabough

Destruction

Destruction’s latest album is called
D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N., which would be funny if the German
thrashers had, in fact, returned to the grimy roots which made them
champions of the ’80s underground. But the 2008 record is melodically
impressive and rhythmically intricate. Destruction hasn’t turned into a
prog-metal act, but the bare-bones assault of albums like 2001’s The
Antichrist and 2003’s Metal Discharge has been bulked up
with a strong dose of guitar technique and lyrical surprises. The title
track recalls classic Megadeth in its cynicism and penetrating
intelligence. But the most important thing is that these old bastards
bring the riffs live; they’re a hair-pinwheeling, moshpit-starting
firestorm of classic speed metal. Check out these old-school masters at
work. Krisium, Mantic Ritual and Cellbound open at 8 p.m. at Peabody’s
(2045 E. 21st St., 216.776.9999). Tickets: $15 advance, $18 day of
show. — Phil Freeman