Ty Segall & The Muggers get weird at First Avenue

It was right around the time Ty Segall removed his man baby mask and draped an umbilical cord over my head that I knew it was going to be a weird show. That was after the opening song “Squealer” from the band’s 2016 release Emotional Mugger. He then grabbed his microphone stand by the base and pressed the mic into my face with a goofy disheveled grin. He kept pressing until I screamed out, “What up motherf@ckers?! YEAH!!” Segall and guitarist Kyle Thomas (of King Tuff) got a good laugh out of that. And then the show got weirder.

From the first note, the mostly young crowd had the floor moving with a head-banging sway. Newly assembled, The Muggers are a cast of the finest garage-rockers in Los Angeles, including Kyle Thomas from King Tuff and Emmett Kelly of the Cairo Gang on guitar, and Mikal Cronin on bass. Thomas donned bright orange mechanics overalls contrasted by Segalls blue overalls. The Muggers kicked ass all night.

This was the first time Ty Segall played First Avenue, and a good-sized crowd turned out. The set was mostly focused on Emotional Mugger, but he mixed in plenty of older tunes like the rocking groove “Thank God for Sinners” which was a huge highlight. There were speeches about eggs, begging for his mother, taunting the crowd, and plenty of other shenanigans on this night. Ty Segall & The Muggers at First Avenue was a fantastic show.

Ty Segall & The Muggers

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