New York City's Hardest-Working Bands of 2024
Friends! It's that time again.... again. What time is it again.... again? It's hardest-working bands time again... again!
As you probably know if you've been following your friendly local hard-working music blob across the eras (we turned 20 YEARS OLD in October🎉⏳🙏), the two of us at OMR HQ hand-list a *lot* of shows each year (9,569 in NYC in A.D. 2024, to be exact... typed in by hand!) and we love giving a special shout to the
local rising bands who kept gracing the pages of our fine showlist over and over again throughout 2024 A.D. Thus, this annual list.
We crunched the numbers and are happy to announce
the following bands below had the most shows listed on Oh My Rockness NYC this year. +++ Not the most shows they may have played in NYC in 2024. Just the most shows we listed. +++
Props to all these bands (and all bands who are out there working hard 💪💪💪) and big thanks to all of you for going to shows and also supporting independent artists, venues and music blobs.
See you out there.
#1. SKORTS - 33 shows listed in 2024
"And the award for hardest-working band in NYC goes to…." ***
SKORTS! SKORTS IS #1!
The #4 hardest-working band of 2023 has hardly stopped working as SKORTS continued to bring the scorching (but melodic!) post ___ psych rock HEAT to cool discerning NYC show-goers like you in 2024.
If you haven't seen them live yet, go see them STAT before they go on to play bigger stages and win all the awards (including real ones!).
Keep on truckin', SKORTS. 💪
🚚
*** please note: this isn't a competition and there are no prizes, this is just for fun!
Bands they played with: Tea Eater, Two-Man Giant Squid, Pons
Most-played venues: Our Wicked Lady, Purgatory, Alphaville
#2. Femcel - 29 shows listed in 2024
Femcel is a good new band from Brooklyn that you'll be hearing lots more about in 2025 A.D. or our name ain't Oh My Rockness.
Get into their raw lo-fi punk ASAP please.
Actually, F saying please (still not sure if we can swear on our own music blob). Get into their raw lo-fi punk ASAP OR ELSE!!!
Start your sick discordant musical journey by listening to Femcel's solid album Piss Baby below.
And then you better go see them play...........please.
Bands they played with: Adult Human Females, cumgirl8, Tetchy
Most-played venues: Purgatory, The Broadway, TV Eye
#3. Genre Is Death - 24 shows listed in 2024
Genre is Death is a heavy hard-working experimental post punk band from NYC.
Get into this crushing duo's raw distorted melodic darkness AT ONCE.
Start by blasting their v. strong debut EP Talk below.
And then rustle up your courage and go see them play.
Read more about Genre Is Death here.
Bands they played with: Libby Quinn, Suburban Speed, Prints
Most-played venues: Our Wicked Lady, The Broadway, Tompkins Square Park
#4. Frida Kill - 21 shows listed in 2024
Frida Kill, the #5 hardest-working band of 2023, rose to the fourth slot this year thanks to the ruling nature of their joyful post punk rippers.
Go see them slay RIGHT AWAY. You
will have a good time at a Frida Kill show.....OR ELSE!
Read more about Frida Kill here.
Bands they played with: 95 Bulls, Shadow Monster, Spite Fuxxx
Most-played venues: TV Eye, Our Wicked Lady, The Bowery Electric
#5. Nara's Room - 21 shows listed in 2024
Nara's Room is an excellent lo-fi/shoegaze three-piece led by Brooklyn artist/guitarist/poet Nara Avakian.
They were #9 last year and jumped all the way to #5 in 2024 A.D. Must be the jams. It's gotta be the jams!
Make plans to see them POSTHASTE and listen to their solid new album
Glassy star below.
Bands they played with: Trophy Wife, fantasy of a broken heart, Laveda
Most-played venues: Baby's All Right, Baker Falls (RIP), Trans-Pecos
#6. Desert Sharks - 19 shows listed in 2024
Desert Sharks has been hard at work slinging their harmonious garage gloom punk goodness all around this wonderful town for awhile now and they're slaying.
If you've been fortunate enough to have seen them play before, you know we're speaking facts.
If you haven't seen them play yet, there's no day like TODAY (or tomorrow...or whenever they play next, check Oh My Rockness early/often/forever).
Read more about Desert Sharks here.
Bands they played with: Shilpa Ray, Nihiloceros, A Very Special Episode
Most-played venues: Main Drag Music, Purgatory, Our Wicked Lady
#7. Glimmer - 19 shows listed in 2024
Glimmer is a sludgy/bright/sludgy shoegaze band from NY.
You're gonna want to get into their dreamy reverb-y noisy goodness FORTHWITH.
Start by listening to a good jam below (more here).
And then go see them play all day!
RIYL: Nothing * Hum * Dead Stars * Dinosaur Jr *
Bands they played with: Cohort B, Silent Mass, Autumn Rhythm
Most-played venues: Alphaville, The Broadway, The Sultan Room
#8. Nite Music - 19 shows listed in 2024
Nite Music is a good old rock n' roll band
Get into their raspy rollicking jams WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.
(Too much ado and the nite becomes mourning.)
Read more about Nite Music here.
Bands they played with: The Rizzos, Peaceful, Meds
Most-played venues: Our Wicked Lady, Bar Freda, Sleepwalk
#9. Balaclava - 19 shows listed in 2024
Balaclava is a real nice n' grimy lo-fi post ___ punk band.
Consider yourself on notice to get into their scratchy/scuzzy/thrashy/trashy noise PRONTO.
Start by blasting some of their deliciously distorted jams below (or wherever you prefer blasting good jams).
And then bundle up your face and go see them play.
Read more about Balaclava here.
Bands they played with: THICK, Teenage Halloween, Dead Tooth
Most-played venues: Alphaville, The Broadway, Tompkins Square Park
#10. Shiverboard - 19 shows listed in 2024
Shiverboard is heavy.
You should get into them.
And I should mind my own business.
But moving on, warm up by blasting their grindcore goodness THIS INSTANT.
Read more about Shiverboard here.
Bands they played with: 95 Bulls, My Son The Doctor, A Very Special Episode
Most-played venues: Hart Bar, Gold Sounds, TV Eye
Rounding Out the Top 29
#11. Joudy (18 shows)
#12. Thesaurus Rex (17 shows)
#13. Starcleaner Reunion (16 shows)
#14. Big Girl (16 shows)
#15. Debbie Dopamine (16 shows)
#16. Eevie Echoes and the Locations (16 shows)
#17. Wendy Eisenberg (16 shows)
#18. Pinc Louds (16 shows)
#19. Sex Week (16 shows)
#20. Short Porch (16 shows)
#21. TV Moms (16 shows)
#22. The Dutch Kills (16 shows)
#23. Laurel Canyon (15 shows)
#24. Pop Music Fever Dream (15 shows)
#25. Mei Semones (15 shows)
#26. TDA (15 shows)
#27. Tula Vera (15 shows)
#28. Wetsuit (15 shows)
#29. OBOY! (15 shows)
Who were the hardest-working bands of 2023? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT
