Milwaukee’s concert scene has a lot going on, so we look at the shows coming up to find the ones you’ll look back on and be glad you went. Then we add them to our weekly Milwaukee Concert Picks.
Our city’s live-music spots must know the holidays are coming up, because they’ve been cramming our weeks full of top-notch options before taking their annual end-of-year breather.
We’ll hit on a bunch of highlights toward the end, but the top of these picks belongs to Hovvdy and their Friday show at the Vivarium with openers Christian Lee Hutson.
The Austin-based duo of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor are in the class of indie-rock artists who you just know are going to deliver every time a new project comes down the pike. Hovvdy sit alongside bands like Sonic Youth, Spoon and Vampire Weekend in that regard, with most recent album Big World being the latest example of their consistent excellence.
The new record shows how Martin and Taylor can move through life’s changes and keep delivering their signature sound that lives in laid-back areas without venturing into drowsy territory. Hovvdy’s music is melodic and harmonious and insightful, with a playfulness that seems to always hum in the background.
While fans (hand raised) would love to see them achieve success that puts them in the biggest room possible, Hovvdy are built to connect with audiences in venues like the Vivarium. Whatever they choose to play from their catalog, it’s going to sound great bouncing off the walls of the East Side space, with everyone feeling like they could be within arm’s reach of the band making it happen.
If your Friday night finds you in more of a local music, Bay View state of mind, then you’ll want to be at Cactus Club as one of our favorite Milwaukee artists celebrates a new project. Allison Mahal’s Backbone EP entered the world this past September, and we were very happy to help her premiere album track “The Knife” back in June. With the record properly embedded in our brains, she’ll bring the live version to Cactus Club this Friday for a 6:30 p.m. show featuring openers Leah Jean and Whitney Fenimore.
Our final highlight has its own flavor of finality to it, as Post Animal will play The Argo on Sunday to wrap up their fall tour. Founded in Chicago, the band members scattered a bit in the decade or so since but got back in the studio to make 2025’s Iron. That gives them four studio LPs — plus a handful of EPs — to pull from as they build the setlist for the tour finale Sunday night at The Argo.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Nov. 11: Tyler Ballgame w/Evan Blix @ Vivarium, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 11: Viewfinder, Laura & The Storm, Jesse Garwood Club, Jenna Novelle @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 12: Michelle Branch @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 12: Elephonic w/Temple Kisses @ Jackalope Lounj, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 13: Hovvdy w/Christian Lee Hutson @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 13: Allison Mahal (EP release), Leah Jean, Whitney Fenimore @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- Nov. 13: Alley Eyes, Scorched Waves w/Bowvee, Fakeout @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 13: The Midnight Purchase w/Peter Thomas, Joe Jenneman @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 14: LowDown Brass Band w/Something to Do @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 14-15: Brandi Carlile @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 15: Post Animal @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 15: Mother Fortune, Casual Sex, Video Sex Priest @ Falcon Hall, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 15: Oh Geeez Not Again, Be The Young, Say What You Mean @ Anodyne, 6 p.m.
- Nov. 15: The Wood Brothers w/Amelia Day @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 16: Victoria Monét @ Fiserv Forum, 9 p.m.
