Past Performing Arts | Music

Pelada

Tobias Rochman (left) and Chris Vargas (right) lean against a wall with their shadows cast on it. Rochman, who is taller, has his hand is on his chest.
Sep 26, 2023 8:00 PM
Performance Space

$6 access (suggested)
$12 members, students, and adults 55 and over (suggested)
$18 general public (suggested)
$36 access sponsor (suggested)

We believe the arts are for everyone. 
By providing personal choice on ticket pricing, we seek to reduce barriers to the arts. Please choose the ticket price that is right for you based on your own needs. If you are able, please consider paying access sponsor pricing, which generously supports these efforts to provide access to our communities.

ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as accessible seating, CART captioning, or ASL interpretation to participate, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

Become a Member

Move your body to high-octane house beats and fierce, socially conscious vocals at the Wex debut of Montreal-based band Pelada.

Following the success of their 2019 debut, Movimiento Para Cambio (Movement for Change, which Stereogum named the #1 electronic record of the year), Pelada visits the Wex for the first time as they tour in support of a brand-new album. The duo unites punk and house influences into a seamless musical offering featuring Spanish vocals—an homage to vocalist Chris Vargas’s Colombian heritage—propelled by producer Tobias Rochman’s pounding beats. With lyrics that rail against government surveillance, the heteropatriarchy, and environmental degradation, Pelada raise a middle finger to the status quo while giving the audience the release of the dancefloor. (program approx. 60–75 mins.)

IMAGE CAPTION  
Pelada, photo: Erick Faulkner.

Know before you go

  • This performance is standing room only on the main floor. The balcony is reserved for accessible seating.
  • There will be a cash bar at this event.
  • Validation stickers for $2 parking are available only for Ohio Union South Garage due to special event parking in Arps and Ohio Union North Garages. Pick them up at the Visitor Experience Desk before the performance and present them upon leaving the garage.
"Through every track, the pair defiantly tear through the club, not looking for escape, but to restore community, and in turn form a true sense of resistance."
Stereogum

More about the artists

Pelada chevron-down chevron-up

Pelada, the duo of singer Chris Vargas (they/them) and producer Tobias Rochman (he/him), broke out of Montreal’s underground warehouse rave scene in 2014 after uploading tracks to Soundcloud that caught the attention of the global dance music scene. They spent the next five years touring the globe extensively before signing with Berlin experimental label PAN in 2019 and releasing their debut LP Movimiento Para Cambio. In addition to Stereogum’s accolade, Mixmag included the record in their “Best Albums of the Decade” list, Resident Advisor named it “One of the Best Records of 2019,” and DJ Mag asserted “they are a vital and contemporary addition to dance music’s punk cannon.” Their LP was featured twice on the godfather of punk Iggy Pop’s BBC6 radio show, where he personally told his listeners, “They always wake me up. I like this.”

Tag(s)

PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Doris Duke Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Ohio Department of Development
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Wexner Family
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Ohio Arts Council
CampusParc
Ohio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme
The Columbus Foundation
Nationwide Foundation
Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Mike and Paige Crane
Axium Packaging
Nancy Kramer
Ohio State Energy Partners
Ohio History Fund/Ohio History Connection
Larry and Donna James
Bruce and Joy Soll
Jones Day
Alex and Renée Shumate

Close

Past Performing Arts

Pelada

Sep 26, 2023 8:00 PM EST
Performance Space

$6 access (suggested)
$12 members, students, and adults 55 and over (suggested)
$18 general public (suggested)
$36 access sponsor (suggested)

We believe the arts are for everyone. 
By providing personal choice on ticket pricing, we seek to reduce barriers to the arts. Please choose the ticket price that is right for you based on your own needs. If you are able, please consider paying access sponsor pricing, which generously supports these efforts to provide access to our communities.

ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as accessible seating, CART captioning, or ASL interpretation to participate, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

Become a Member