Entering Provoker Zone at Pappy and Harriet’s

Enter the world of Provoker – an LA based post-punk band who’s created a musical landscape of their own, in what seems sometimes like a sea of familiar driving baselines and repetitive synth. The project was originally created by lead guitarist Jonathan Lopez, who, with the help of frontman and lyricist Christian Crow Petty, and bassist Will Palacios, took Lopez’s original idea of writing horror soundtracks, and made it into a musical project that offers a nostalgic, sci-if take on dark-wave, backed by a modern beat that makes you want to dance. For the 2026 tour, which mixes songs from their old discography and their third studio album Mausoleum, drummer Kevin Allen joins the trio bringing tight live percussion to a set that last year used drum machines. For this intimate show, the band played with HotlineTNT, a shoegazey alt-rock band created by Will Anderson and hailing from New York City.

Though they were nearing the end of their second tour with this material, it still felt impressive that Provoker was able to take what was written by Petty in an isolated Echo Park attic and turn the small venue we were at, (Pappy and Harriet’s, an iconic desert venue located in the middle-of-nowhere Pioneertown, CA) into a bumping and swaying goth club. The venue was packed before the show, and with most people having traveled hours to get there, anticipation was tangible. Next to me, die-hard fans were asking their neighbors “What’s your favorite song?” and sharing which off-album track they hoped might be played. It was already clear: in Provoker’s club, we’re all family. On the dot, lights went down, and when the title song Mausoleum started with its desperate spoken-word intro, we were instantly transported to the band’s fictional, haunted cinema.

Through the set, Petty’s voice easily transitioned from airy, RnB style vocals, to raspier and deeper gothic melodies. This blend seemed to float through and over Lopez’s poignant guitar riffs and Palacio’s full and consistent baselines, presenting a balance of meshed genres one only creates from something authentic. A unique combined sound, with lyrics reflecting post-mortems of moments within relationships lost, loneliness, and self sabotage. Between Petty’s notoriously passionate performance, and the solidity of his stoic band mates, together they built emotional levels, constructed musical builds, and took the crowd on a journey into this altered place of self-reflection, where our own tales of how grief made us ghosts could be resurrected, and re-lived together.

Looking around, as we all danced in the dark to their encore song Sex With My Ex from their “Dark Angel” EP (which Petty playfully let the crowd choose in a poll), you couldn’t help but feel awe for a band who has seamlessly transitioned from an off-beat horror concept, to a fully fledged cult project. We’ll all stay dancing with our demons, and waiting to see where Provoker leads us in their story next.

Provoker has 3 shows left in their tour. Tonight 5/26 at The Lowbrow Place in El Paso TX, 5/27/26 at La Rosa in Tuscon AZ both shows played with HotlineTNT, as well as a sold-out show on 5/28 at Glasshouse in Pomona, played with Glixen.

Listen to “Mausoleum” by Provoker here

Photos by: Hollie Might
Review by: Hollie Might