Cursed in Los Angeles

About Cursed

Cursed are a Canadian extreme metal band from Toronto that emerged in the early 2000s, blending black metal's raw aesthetics with death metal heaviness and grindcore's chaotic energy. The group has maintained a deliberately low profile despite cultivating a devoted following in underground circles. Their sound is intentionally abrasive and hostile, with lyrics that tend toward social criticism and nihilistic themes. Rather than chasing visibility, Cursed have built their reputation through consistent output and a refusal to compromise their approach. They've released several full-lengths that showcase their evolution from purely lo-fi beginnings into a more defined sonic identity, though they've never sacrificed heaviness or rawness. The band represents a strain of extreme metal that prioritizes substance and uncompromising artistic vision over accessibility.

Cursed shows are dense, suffocating affairs where the crowd tends toward quiet intensity rather than crowd interaction. People stand mostly still, locked in. The band doesn't engage between songs. Just relentless, punishing sets that feel more like endurance than entertainment.

Known for Confound Their Politics, Sadistical, I Abhor, Sanity Assassin, Taste the Ashes

Cursed + Los Angeles

Cursed's last LA appearance was June 28, 2005 at Chain Reaction, a venue that caught them during their most volatile period. By then, the British noise-punk outfit had already established themselves as one of the few bands willing to make genuinely unpleasant music that somehow worked. At that Chain Reaction show, they tore through their catalog of discordant guitar work and caustic vocals with the precision of a wrecking crew. The LA crowd got what they came for: abrasive, confrontational post-punk that made you feel like you'd survived something rather than merely attended a concert.

Cursed in Los Angeles News

• Random Ramsdom: Have they been “cursed” for Thursday night’s game? Turf Show Times · Dec 18, 2025
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Time Out Worldwide · May 7, 2025
• Designing illusions for 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' and 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' - Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times · Apr 22, 2025
• Theater Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Larchmont Buzz · Apr 17, 2025
• A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ The Nerds of Color · Feb 20, 2025

Live Music in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has always had a complicated relationship with noise and dissonance. While the city is known for prettier, more commercial sounds, there's a persistent underground that gravitates toward the harder edges—post-punk, noise rock, and uncompromising experimental music. Cursed fit into that vein perfectly: too challenging for mainstream playlists, but essential to the people who actually cared about pushing rock music into uncomfortable territory.

Los Angeles road trip to see Cursed?

Stay in Los Feliz, where you can walk tree-lined streets and catch views from Griffith Observatory. Dinner at Republique in the Arts District—refined French-inspired food in a restored factory space that feels more Paris than LA. Spend an afternoon at the Huntington Library in San Marino, a world-class art collection that justifies the drive. The city's recording studio history is everywhere; walk through Hollywood and you're literally surrounded by the spaces where hits were made. End the night at a jazz bar like The Fonda Theatre or catch live music on Sunset Boulevard.