Ratboys in Los Angeles

About Ratboys

Ratboys are a Chicago-based indie rock band that emerged from the city's DIY scene with a knack for turning everyday anxieties into surprisingly catchy songs. The band, anchored by Julia Steiner's direct vocals and introspective lyrics, builds their sound around tight guitar work and rhythms that burrow into your head whether you want them to or not. Their music doesn't try to transcend the mundane—instead, they mine it for honesty. Songs like "Photo ID" and "Sports" deal with small moments of social friction and self-doubt, the stuff that keeps you up at night but sounds almost funny when someone else sings about it. They've built a solid following by playing in basements, DIY venues, and gradually larger stages while keeping that scrappy, unpolished energy intact. Ratboys represent a particular strain of Midwest indie rock that feels less concerned with being impressive and more interested in being real.

Their shows feel like intimate conversations happening in front of a crowd. Steiner commands attention without trying, and the band locks in tight. You get a mix of people who arrived early and people who wandered in, all paying actual attention. The energy is focused rather than raucous.

Known for Photo ID, Sports, Curse, Here Come the Tubular Bells, Mosquito Repellent

Ratboys + Los Angeles

Ratboys rolled through The Bellwether in July with the kind of set that felt like catching them at the right moment. They led with "Making Noise for the Ones You Love" and "Morning Zoo," songs that establish their particular brand of indie rock—scrappy, earnest, built on guitars that actually breathe. "Elvis Is in the Freezer" landed somewhere in the middle of the eight-song run, a deeper cut that got the room leaning in. Closing with "Black Earth, WI" sent people out with something both wistful and grounded, the kind of ending that sticks with you. It's the sort of show that reminds you why Los Angeles still matters as a place where bands like this can find an audience that actually listens.

Ratboys in Los Angeles News

• Hear a new song from Ratboys, “What’s Right?” treblezine.com · Dec 3, 2025
• Ratboys announce new album, Singin’ to an Empty Chair treblezine.com · Oct 28, 2025
• Ratboys Announce 30-Date Tour Across U.S., Canada TicketNews · Sep 26, 2025
• Ratboys Announce 2026 Tour, Sign to New West Records Exclaim! · Sep 23, 2025
• Hear a new song from Ratboys, "Light Night Mountains All That" treblezine.com · Sep 23, 2025

Live Music in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has never been short on indie rock, but there's something about the city's current moment that suits Ratboys particularly well. The venue circuit here rewards bands that don't need to manufacture energy—just honest songwriting and the kind of guitar work that sounds like people who actually know their instruments. It's a city that still respects the craft of rock music, even when the rest of the country has moved on.

Los Angeles road trip to see Ratboys?

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.