LONG LIVE FUZZ!

01/26/26

Last night I made the trek to the Bellwether in LA in my 27 year old 4Runner, check engine light on, for one band. I went by myself, not expecting to see anyone that I knew. I did expect, however, that I was going to see a f**king killer show. And right I was.

Fuzz is known by many as one of forever busy Ty Segall's side projects, but I think of it as more of a supergroup. I refuse to consider Fuzz anything other than a power trio--it's not just one member's band. Though Ty takes more of a leading role, crowned as such because he sings on a majority of the tracks, Charles Moothart writes most of the riffs and even sings on a couple tracks too. Chad Ubovich joined in 2014 on bass and contributed his vocals to several rippers on II and III. The band is made up of 3 kickass musicians, no one outshining another.

The group hadn't played in SoCal since 2022. 4 long years overdue. I was getting into Fuzz at around the same time, but I didn't go to any of the shows mostly because I wasn't cool enough. When they announced they'd be playing a small California run in 2026 I was ecstatic. I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale. 

I asked around to see if anyone wanted to go with me, to no avail. My roommate "couldn't get work off" and was "too broke to get a ticket." Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. When Friday rolled around I was left to fend for myself in LA traffic. 

I hadn't been to The Bellwether prior to seeing Fuzz. The area is surprisingly decent, despite the fact that it's in downtown LA. Parking isn't too bad. $15 in a lot right across the street. The venue itself is pretty rad on the inside. It has a cool wrap-around balcony and a huge standing GA section capped at around 1,600 people. The Bellwether has a different vibe than the management's other venues; The Teragram Ballroom and Moroccan Lounge. I would say that it feels more "modern" than the other 2. Honestly, I wished they had played at The Teragram, but the size of The Bellwether makes more sense logistically. 

As soon as I made it inside I beelined it to the merch table. Who the hell knows why, but I hadn't been thinking about merch in the weeks leading up to the show. I sorta figured they wouldn't have any because none of the members posted what they were going to have. When I saw the merch on the wall I knew I had to pick up a shirt. 

The room itself sounded ok. The mix for the opener, Lavender Flu, was weird. Maybe it was because I was all the way on the right side and getting only the bass in the overheads. I assume it would've sounded better in the booth. I moved to the middle-left in the back of the room to see if anything changed. All I got was a bit more of the guitar and it still didn't feel right. Looking back on it I think it was because they weren't that good. The poor mix definitely did not help. Lavender Flu had a few good tunes, but not enough to keep me or most of the people around me engaged.

During the turnover I stood by myself. Awkwardly. I'd never been to a show by myself before. Not counting gigs at dive bars where I knew the entire band personally. I didn't know what to do with myself. Stand there and stare at the wall, ceiling, stage, and/or my phone? I did just that. Going to shows with friends is a much better experience. I keep to myself most of the time so I didn't go out of my way to talk to anyone around me. Of course in retrospect, I shouldn't have been such a loser and made some friends while I was there.

The room filled in damn quick after Lavender Flu. You could feel the energy building. Everyone was stirring about. When Fuzz took the stage the room erupted. I was surprised at how loud the crowd was. Makes sense though. This was their first time playing in LA in 4 years. Seeing Ty and Charles for the first time in person was jarring. I couldn't believe my eyes. I met Chad in San Luis Obispo a few years ago at a Meatbodies x Pancho and the Wizards x Repeater show, but it had been a while so it was still just as rad to see him on stage. I hadn't been able to catch Ty and his band play on their last tour and Charles has been playing only bars for the last 2 years. Nothing short of elated to finally see them on stage.

They opened with "Earthen Gate" after Charles thanked all of us for being there. The crowd got moving quick. Most of the songs they played had extended jam intros. The only song I had never heard before was "Nothing People", but it melded with the rest of the hit filled setlist perfectly. I wasn't expecting them to play "Pipe" (my personal favorite Fuzz song). As soon as they started droning feedback in B, I knew what was coming. I started filming almost a full minute before they jumped into it. I waited until the middle section to jump into the pit from the back of the room. This was my one chance to crowdsurf. I climbed up the back of some guy in the pit and was soaring on the hands of peers waiting for the breakdown. I stayed up for the remainder of the song. Just as I had planned. Going into the show I had hoped they would play "Pipe", but my buddy Evan had told me previously that Chad refused because it was too hard to play the bassline and sing at the same time. Made the goddamn night for me. Between songs a few minutes later, I checked my phone and saw a text from none other than Evan a.k.a Boston Bob a.k.a the Japanese Jim Morrison. He sent a photo of me crowdsurfing from the barrier. I rushed back into the crowd to find the only person I knew who was there. I found him next to the barrier on the right side of the stage. F**k, I was glad to see someone I knew. We watched the rest of the set together in absolute awe of what was transpiring on stage. The transition into "What's In My Head" blew everyone's heads off. The chorus spilled out the lips of every person in the room. You lot know how much I love when a crowd sings. It was electric. They walked off stage to a standing ovation. There weren't any seats in the house anyway, but you get what I'm trying to say. They came back on and played a song that I didn't recognize. A cover most likely. They finished the night with their cover of "21st Century Schizoid Man". Crowd pleaser if there ever was one. Seek that cover out. It's f**king bonkers.

Fuzz was a damn good show. Watching Ty play drums has made me want to pick up the sticks and bang away. God knows I need another charge on my debit card. Charles rips. RIPS. He also plays the coolest guitar ever. A late 60s Gibson Non-Reverse Firebird III with the wear and tear to match it's age. Of course he plays through a Music Man, a 4x10 130 watt combo. He has another amp that I can't identify. But let's be honest...the Music Man is the only one that actually matters. Chad was a treat to watch thump on the bass. He rips on guitar too, but his bass playing emphasizes the importance of a solid bassline. As a 3-piece, they need to make sure they're loud as f**k AND that they have solid riffs to boot. The ranked significance of the two can be debated. 

The sound at The Bellwether was kind of shit overall honestly. The mix was not nearly loud enough for the behemoth of Fuzz. When I moved towards Evan, the sound got better. I wish I had been on the barrier the whole time but I can't deal with the moshing like I used to. Get me up for a crowdsurf and I'll retreat to the back once I inevitably get dropped on my head. 

I hope they come back sometime soon. I almost drove to SLO last night to see them again. If my car wasn't falling apart I probably would have, alas here I am working at the 22 West Radio studio at 11 AM. 

I apologize for posting so late this week. Yeesh. 3 Full days late. Shit happens I guess.

"My plastic bag, I'm wandering Jack." See you next week...

Cheers,

Jack