Though their brutal, improvised maelstroms don't have much in the way of sonic equivalents' in the Seattle underground scene, WaMü could nonetheless be lumped in with a handful of other Emerald City noisemakers like Stickers and MOUNTAINSS (to say nothing of Olympia's own Malaikat dan Singa) who treat the saxophone as less an instrument of sultry-eyed, soft-rockin' seduction and more a radio for channeling the inhuman howls of self-flagellating underworld monstrosities. That said, saxophonist Brittnie Fuller's bleating, shrieking woodwind blasts are only one aspect of WaMü's deep, heavily decibeled sound - there's also Garret Kelly's manic drumming, Rachel LeBlanc's spooky vocals, the frantic noodling of guitarist Kaz Nomura (who plays much mellower, goofier songs as PWRFL Power) and avant-violinist/experimental filmmaker Eric Ostrowski's string-shredding, tension-charged bow-slinging. WaMü's sound is legitimately - and deliberately - punishing, a freeform stew of seriously loud shit. Bring earplugs and hold on to your hat. 

[Northern, with Ya Ho Wha 33, Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat dan Singa, November Witch, 8 p.m., all ages, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia, northernolympia.org]