Thursday, March 6 Popscene + Rickshaw Stop present FREAK SLUG Huron John 7 pm doors $18 advance / $22 door tix all ages A visual artist and painter as well as an unconventional, self-taught songwriter and musician, everything that fuels the creative output of Manchester’s Xenya Genovese, AKA Freak Slug, is about raw, authentic, sometimes weird but always totally true self-expression. She’s not one to sugar coat things; “I’m a lot, so it’s a lot to show who I am because some people might not like it,” she accepts. But in amongst the mix of an introverted extrovert, self described “avoidant” Leo rising, lives the sort of musician who can do nostalgic, ‘90s influenced and dreamy as well as eccentric and experimental. Down there, picking through the curious mix of sounds and feelings, lives Freak Slug. The name Freak Slug encapsulates Genovese’s artistic world both perversely and perfectly. Her releases under the name so far - debut 2020 EP Videos and its viral hit “Radio” (13.5 million Spotify streams and counting), and follow-up EPs I’m In Love and Viva La Vulva - might have introduced listeners to her “more summery, happy, LA sound”, but with the advent of debut album I Blow Out Big Candles, this Slug is burrowing down into evermore unlikely places. Hugely influenced by ‘90s cult heroes like Ride and Mazzy Star, Freak Slug is all about hitting a mood. https://www.instagram.com/freakslug Recently releasing their 3rd album “Indigo Jack & The New World Border”, Huron John enters uncharted territory with no reservation. An ambitious but meditative expedition quickly alternating between colorful alternative-rock (JUST ME & FRIENDS), bouncing R&B grooves (BLOOD DIAMOND RING), nocturnal electronic (CALDERA), and more, “Indigo Jack” serves as the artist project’s defining statement. Heavily inspired by surrealism and American folk-art, specifically Leonard Knight’s “Salvation Mountain” sculpture, “IJ&TNWB” describes the journey of crossing “The World Border” - a fantasy barrier that symbolizes the complete surrender to life’s mysteries. Sonically incorporating many firsts for a Huron John project such as direct-from-vinyl sampling, orchestral sections and shoegaze-esque textures (a look into the artist project’s future), no compromises were made in its final form. https://www.huronjohn.co/