[Watch] Frank Ocean Performs Three New Songs in Munich

We already know Frank Ocean is working on the follow-up to his stunning 2012 debut Channel Orange—he confirmed this earlier this year—so it was no surprise when he debuted new material live. Fans at a show in Munich captured footage of Ocean performing three new songs, and, to our benefit, the quality is actually not bad. While the songs don't have titles, they're all really good, especially "track #4." Time to get excited for Frank Ocean again. Watch footage of all three below.

[Watch] Arctic Monkeys Perform Live at Best Kept Secret Festival

Last week we awoke on Saturday to a brand new track from Arctic Monkeys that they'd debuted in Sweden. On Wednesday the band released "Do I Wanna Know?" out of the blue ahead of more festival dates this weekend. So how about on this fine looking Saturday morning you treat yourself to some pro-shot footage of them performing at Best Kept Secret last night in the Netherlands. They even open with the new single straight off the bat. It's 30 minutes of some if their biggest hits via 3Voor12. I'm expecting an album announcement is on the not to distant horizon, but for now it's great to see these boys delivering night after night on the live circuit. Very excited to see their Glastonbury performance next weekend.

[Watch] Yeah Yeah Yeahs Bring "Despair" to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Yeah Yeah Yeahs paid Jimmy Fallon a return visit last night, supporting their latest album Mosquito with a performance on Late Night. Karen O, donning a shiny suit and a Michael Jackson t-shirt, led fellow bandmates Nick Zinner and Brian Chase through a subdued rendition of "Despair." Watch it below.

The outfit has also been busy filming a new music video for "Despair" atop the Empire State Building, making them the first band to do so. According to The New York Times, they received permission to film there in April. Funny enough, Anthony E. Malkin, the building's operator, said, "[t]he way I look at it is, why hadn’t this been done before? Credit to them for having the gumption to ask." When asked about the shoot, Karen O was left in a state of awe:

It’s definitely not just another cool day in the life of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It was definitely an iconic moment. It’s hard to do something like that and not to feel like it’s symbolic – it’s like the American dream for us, singing your song on top of the Empire State Building, feeling like: man, where were we 10 years ago, when we were sitting around in some punk rock dive bar, thinking about what to name our band, and New York City, and now here we are at the top. It really felt dreamlike."

The video will premiere next Monday, June 24th, on Noisey.

[Night Out] Big Black Delta @ Mercury Lounge 6/19/2013

image credit: @markb

Despite being well aware of this upcoming tour, somehow Big Black Delta's show at Mecury Lounge on Wednesday night completely caught me off guard in the best possible way. I wasn't ready to leave work and go directly to a show, I wasn't ready for the further-fleshed out lineup that lead singer Jonathan Bates was rocking, and I certainly wasn't ready for my heart to be won over by a couple of overly-enthusiastic BBD fans. The last time I had the pleasure of experiencing that which is Big Black Delta, they were a three-piece consisting of two drummers, which left Bates with singing, programming, and lighting duties. This time around there were a few addiitons to accompany the more complex sound featured on their recent self-titled "official" debut release, namely some guitars and a badass bassist. 

Within the first couple of songs I happened to notice that someone near me clearly had not utilized all of the BO-supressing products that our fine society has to offer. In general, I find that to be pretty rude to subject other people to unpleasant smells, and this was no exception to that rule, at least at the beginning. Upon further examination, I discovered that the gentleman next to me, who slightly resembeled Zach Galifianakis, was the culprit of the foul odor I couldn't seem to escape up in the front. As I attempted to shoot him and his boyfriend a nasty glance, I realized that my fellow show-goer was in a current state of pure joy, dancing around and singing along as much as he possibly could with his boyfriend dancing at about 50% of his intensity. I've hit many a super jaded patch with regards to music, but the sight of this guy just letting loose for the remainder of the set took me back to a time where I wasn't being bombared with a ton of emails full of bands of the millisecond. Little by little his stench was the furthest thing from my mind. It clearly was refreshing for that level of excitement at a NYC for Bates because he couldn't help but point out how awesome the couple were while sporting a huge grin on his face. I feel like moments like that shouldn't have to be the exception in NYC. It would be nice if we all could ignore even the smelliest of distractions and just be able to let ourselves go, one set at a time.  

I can't detail this experience without noting how worthy Big Black Delta was of the excited spazzing from the attendees I featured above. The band's performance was spot on. Even with the music being of an electronic nature, Bates and his band were really able to keep the sound from feeling overly digital and cold. My only complaint was that it was the early show that evening so they had to keep it short. 

If you missed out on Big Black Delta on Wednesday, the band is playing at Glasslands tomorrow night (Saturday) with Joywave and Klaus. For more information on the show, head over to Glassland's website. 

[Watch] Japandroids Tear Up the Ed Sullivan Theater, Performing "Adrenaline Nightshift" on Letterman

Rowdy Vancouver rock duo Japandroids gave the Late Show with David Letterman a shot of adrenaline, performing their Celebration Rock track "Adrenaline Nightshift." The Ed Sullivan Theater echoed with the sounds of rock and roll. Paul Shaffer even cracked a joke about the band being Japanese (haha). Check out their performance below.

[Listen] Stream Jamie xx's 30-Minute DJ Set from The xx's Night + Day Festival

The xx have been busy since releasing Coexist last September, touring extensively and headlining festivals. They've also been curating their own mini-festival, Night + Day. The first took place in Lisbon on May 5th and the second in Berlin on May 18th, and Red Bull Music Academy have posted a nice treat from the latter. Jamie xx performed a 30-minute DJ set during the mini-festivities in Berlin, including remixes of Florence and the Machine, Gil Scott-Heron and more. Stream it below.

The final Night + Day festival takes place at London's Hatfield House this coming Saturday, June 22nd.

[Watch] Chvrches - "The Mother We Share" Live on Fallon

I've had  Chvrches' track "Gun" stuck in my head for a number of weeks now, and I'm not complaining, their tunes are highly infectious and I can't wait to hear more of them. The Glasgow trio last night made their US TV debut with a performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. They performed "The Mother We Share" which is set to feature on their forthcoming album, The Bones of What You Believe. Check out their performance above and look out for their album when it's released on the 23rd of September via Virgin/Goodbye Records.

[Watch] Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Perform New Song "War Zone" on Conan

God damn, how did I almost miss this?! SKOA favorites Dale Earnardt Jr. Jr. performed on Conan last week, and it was awesome. Bringing their high-energy sound to Conan O'Brien's show, the duo performed two songs.

The first was "If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On The Dancefloor)," from their Patterns EP that released last April. It sounds fantastic live, especially with the full live suite. Next up was a web exclusive performance of a brand new song titled "War Zone." The track is from DEJJ's upcoming sophomore album and was a great showcase for their ever-expanding sound. With glittering synths, trickling guitar licks, echoing harmones and a smooth saxophone, what's not to enjoy? Check out both performances below.