10 May 7-13, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | It Might Get Loud Inside Miami’s raw and unapologetic noise scene. BY FLOR FRANCESCHETTI I f Miami’s noise scene can teach us one thing, it’s that anything can be turned into a musical instrument, and we mean anything. From a baby doll to a goat skull to a chainsaw. For more than 23 years, Miami’s underground music scene has embraced noise experimentation, claiming Churchill’s Pub as ground zero. As musician, producer, and driving force behind the Magic City’s noise scene Frank Falestra (a.k.a. “Rat Bastard”) puts it: “There is no such genre called noise; therefore, genre is obsolete. The term may be used at times to give a heads-up, like the sign ‘slippery when wet.’” This spot-on analogy was shared in a work thread addressed to the venue’s internal management staff before this year’s Interna- tional Noise Conference (INC), which took place in February. Although there is a specific week each year dedicated to celebrating the unapologetic sound of self-expression, Churchill’s serves as a platform for these sonic alchemists year-round. It may be no surprise to locals, but it might come unexpectedly to outsiders or newcomers that Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth has not only spontaneously graced the INC stage on multiple occasions, but has also long been a fan of Miami’s noise scene and its founders. Earlier this year, New Times contributor Bob Weinberg spoke with Moore while he was promoting his most recent book, Now Jazz Now: 100 Essential Free Jazz and Improvisation Recordings 1960- 80. Moore then took readers down memory lane to the ‘80s and ‘90s, when he performed with Sonic Youth at South Beach venues like Cameo Theater and Club Nu. At the time, Miami’s local noise scene was taking shape thanks to Tom Smith and Fales- tra himself, whose bands included Harry Pussy and To Live and Shave in L.A. “It was Tom who sent me VHS videotapes of early Harry Pussy gigs in and around Miami, which I was able to broadcast on 120 Minutes on MTV back then,” Moore says. “He, Rat, and I had a mutual fascination with lo-fi, lo-brow, lo-down noise experimentation and Dada avant-garde everything.” “In a lot of ways,” he continues, “Miami al- ways had the weirdest, wildest purveyors of this genre, particularly Rat himself, and of course Harry Pussy, along with just about ev- ery strange-oid noisenik walking through the doors and onto the stage at Churchill’s, which Rat curated masterfully. Rat’s International Noise Conferences are legendary, and again, some of the most killer shows were Miami- based acts.” Some of the acts Moore mentioned during that con- versation continue to perform today, including Otto Von Schirach and an- other of Falestra’s projects, Laundry Room Squelchers. During the last In- ternational Noise Conference in Feb- ruary, Florida-based Cuban-American pho- tographer Hydee Mustelier captured the energy and moments that make INC — and Churchill’s in general — the place in Miami where creativity runs free, shock value earns extra points, and musicians can test whether that object they found by the train tracks can really make an interesting sound. Over the course of nine days, with an aver- age of 30 acts performing daily — you can do the math, since I’m a letters girl — Mustelier photographed both the musicians and the crowd using a DSLR and 35 mm film. Mustelier, who is a resident photographer and designer for Churchill’s Pub and Las Ro- sas, named Kae Scream, Michael Freiwald, and the Laundry Room Squelchers among her favorite acts of the latest edition: “While pho- tographing a Squelchers set, Rat somehow got me to go up onstage and play the guitar. A bunch of other people joined in as well, and I think it ended up being one of the crazier sets of the entire conference — quite a spectacle.” Although Miami’s noise scene has long centered around a few local legends, young and new musicians are always welcome, al- lowing experimentation to run free while en- suring survival and fresh sources of inspiration for anyone willing to listen, sweat, and be surprised in a judgment-free zone. Just one word of advice: don’t forget your earplugs. [email protected] ▼ Music Music Although there is a specific week each year dedicated to celebrating the unapologetic sound of self-expression, Churchill’s serves as a platform for these sonic alchemists year-round. Photo by Hydee Mustelier ALTHOUGH MIAMI’S NOISE SCENE HAS LONG CENTERED AROUND A FEW LOCAL LEGENDS, YOUNG AND NEW MUSICIANS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. Come What May Can’t-miss concerts happening in Miami this month. BY JOSE D. DURAN W ith hurricane season and the stifling humidity looming over Miami, May might be the final chance to enjoy a live concert — especially if it’s outdoors — in rela- tive comfort. Thankfully, this month is packed with stellar shows you aren’t going to want to miss. From Tallahassee native Ethel Cain taking the stage at the Fillmore Miami Beach to indie-pop icons Belle & Sebastian stopping at the Adrienne Arsht Center, you’ve got a lot to look forward to. There’s also Latin pop legends like Laura Pausini, indie sleaze goddess Santigold, and Drain Gang member Thaiboy Digital. Check out all the concerts coming to Miami in May that you’ll want to add to your calendar. Ari Lennox at the Fillmore Miami Beach R&B singer-songwriter Ari Lennox is currently on her Vacancy Tour, which stops at the Fill- more Miami Beach with openers Lekan and Phabo. The tour is in support of Lennox’s third album, Vacancy, which dropped earlier this year. According to Pitchfork’s Vrinda Jagota, Vancancy “features the most skillful vocal per- formances of Lennox’s career.” While Lennox is no longer signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Re- cords (she remains signed to Interscope), you can’t help but feel her best work is yet to come. 8 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave, Miami Beach; 305-938-2509; fill- more-miami.com. Tickets cost $62 to $103.25 via ticket- master.com. Ethel Cain at the Fillmore Miami Beach If you didn’t get your ticket for Ethel Cain’s show back when New Times called it one of the most anticipated concerts of 2026, sorry to let you know it’s sold out. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you.) Cain is com- ing off two back-to-back high-caliber albums, 2022’s Preacher’s Daughter and 2025’s Wil- loughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You, as well as the highly experimental project Perverts re- leased in early 2025. The proudly trans musi- cian has partnered with the Ally Coalition to donate $1 of every ticket sold to organizations serving the trans community. 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at the Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Wash- ington Ave., Miami Beach; fillmore-miami.com. Sold out. Thaiboy Digital at the Ground Drain Gang fans, rise up! Longtime member Thaiboy Digital is taking over the Ground in downtown Miami for his Underworld Tour. This year, he released Paradise, his first album in four years, with production by the Swedish | CROSSFADE | >> p11 MAY MIGHT BE THE FINAL CHANCE TO ENJOY A LIVE CONCERT — ESPECIALLY IF IT’S OUTDOORS — IN RELATIVE COMFORT.
