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Photos: To Kill a King and Fours at The Garage

This past Saturday night, To Kill a King made their return to the stage in London to perform their debut album Cannibals With Cutlery in full. The performance also marked the 10-year anniversary of the band’s first album. Check out photos of the sold-out special occasion at The Garage, with support from Fours below.

Live Recap: Depeche Mode at The United Center

Depeche Mode released their 15th studio album, Memento Mori back in March of this year. The first as a duo since the passing of founding member, Andy Fletcher, as well as the first since their last album, Spirit, back in 2017. In support of the new album and to reestablish themselves as a duo they’ve been making their rounds through both Europe and the States with plans to continue on well into 2024. Making their victory lap through Chicago, the duo returned to the United Center on Monday, November 13th for fans to feast on seconds or for those of us who missed dibs on their first go around. The sound like they haven’t missed a beat and their new album although the morbidity and existentialism of its material is exciting to hear and see how the duo have breathed new life into this personally nostalgic and beloved musical estate for this longtime music fan.

Check out photos from the concert below, and see where you can catch Depeche Mode next here.

Live Recap: James Blake at The Aragon Ballroom

James Blake returned to Chicago to play a headlining show to a packed Aragon Ballroom, returning to the city for the first time since his festival set at Re:SET in June.

Blake took his place at his station onstage, surrounded by a keyboard and synthesizer, and joined by two other live bandmates—one of who goes by the alias Airhead and had opened up the show.

To kick off the show, Blake and his band performed “Asking To Break” and “I Want You To Know” from his latest album Playing Robots Into Heaven. Before playing the third song of the evening, Blake told the audience they were a sight for sore eyes, and joked “We’ll play a little bit of everything, but we’ve only got six hours.” With the third song of the setlist, we pivoted back to one of the singer’s tried and true songs that he performs; a cover of “The Limit To Your Love” by Feist. Blake makes the cover his own with a signature bass drop after the first chorus, and in a live setting, the bass was so intense and visceral that it shook both the floor and my body.

From there, Blake continued to weave between the newer material and some of the hits from his earlier discography, like “Life Round Here” and “Retrograde,” which were both clear fan favorites. Blake also took some time to express his gratitude to the audience for being receptive to his newer music, which he described as being “bouncier”—and some of the new songs definitely gave off more a club vibe than a concert ballroom vibe. The most impressive part of the show had to be that Blake and his band created all of the sounds live, rather than playing from a track. “I always wanted to play electronic music, but I wanted to play it in a band,” he told the crowd.

Near the end of the set, we got some stripped back moments of Blake solo at the piano for a cover of “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean and his 2021 single “Say What You Will.”

If you get the chance to catch the Playing Robots Into Heaven tour, you’re guaranteed to be awed by James Blakes live interpretation of his electronic-leaning tracks, intertwined with some simpler piano-driven moments. See where you can catch the tour next here, and check out photos of the evening below.

Photo Recap: The Wombats at The Vic Theatre

The Wombats returned to Chicago to perform at The Vic Theatre on Wednesday night. Check out photos of the fun-packed show below and see where you can catch the tour next here.

Live Recap: MisterWives and Bishop Briggs at Salt Shed

MisterWives and Bishop Briggs kicked off this past weekend with a bang, bringing their co-headlining show “The Don't Look Down Tour” to Salt Shed.

After a support set from Raffaella, the stage was set for Bishop Briggs. Three risers with built-in screens sat across the stage, and Briggs appeared on top of the center block amid an introduction of strobing lights and videos projected on the screens. “I have goosebumps everywhere,” the singer told the packed house after opening the show with her single “Art of Survival.” The set continued with fan favorite “Wild Horses,” which Briggs ran around the stage while performing and “Cherry On Top,” which was just released this summer on the “When Everything Went Dark” EP.

Before playing the fourth song of the evening, Briggs took a break to chat with the audience and share the backstory for “My Shine,” which includes a crush she had once upon a time in Chicago. “I was playing a show in Chicago, and I was singing ‘River.’ I got so into the song that I chipped my tooth and there was blood everywhere. Anyway, I had this night out planned with him after, and I have my front tooth completely halved. I was like ‘let’s do this! I love a challenge’ and we actually did make out that night. That was fun, but something that ended up happening with him was that on show day, he was so lovely and pulled out all the stops and then when we sort of entered into my not-shiny part of my life, he was really cold to me and would be really different. My point in telling you guys this story is that I think it’s so important to be with someone that loves all sides of you, the shiny, the not shiny, and really accepts you fully. Don’t worry, I replaced my Chicago crush. Never let anyone tell you that all facets of you are not good enough, cause that’s not true.”

Throughout the rest of her set, Bishop Briggs continued to connect with the room full of music fans both via her music and the chats she’d have between songs. Other highlights of her show included a cover of Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” and the aforementioned hit “River” that she talked about in her introduction to “My Shine.”

MisterWives closed out the entire evening, continuing to ramp up the positive vibes with their joyful and energetic performance. The band’s stage set up remained similar to Bishop Briggs’, and lead vocalist Mandy Lee began the show in same spot that Briggs had before quickly dancing her way across the front part of the stage. After opening with the introductory song of their new album Nosebleeds, “Out Of Your Mind,” Lee told the crowd they were in a safe space to dance it out, cry it out, and feel it out. “We want you to leave here feeling better than when you came here,” she said. In just a matter of moments, the energy shift in the room was palpable thanks to Lee’s infectious effervescence that radiated from the stage. With every twirl, kick, and dance move Lee made, it felt like she was emitting sprinkles of fairy dust and pure happiness throughout the room. One of my fellow photographers even said “I feel like I just had five shots of espresso” after we finished photographing the first few songs of the evening— that’s just how contagious the band’s spirit was.

Now, I’ve mentioned that Lee continued to dance, jump, kick, and twirl throughout the show, but even more impressive is that her vocal quality never faltered despite the physicality of her performance. Not only did Lee never run out of breath while she essentially did a high-impact workout onstage, she nailed every note and showcased an extensive vocal range.

A large part of the setlist that night featured songs from the Nosebleeds album, and Lee took some time to tell the audience about the experiences that led to some of the newer songs. “Rather than racing to the finish line and trying to find the answers and the silver lining, we leaned into the messy middle, and from that got comfortable in the uncomfortable. I’ve never felt more free in my life, so thank you so much for carrying this record close. In the spirit of that sentiment, this one is ‘Trip Around The Sun.’” During the performance of this song, the visuals onstage resembled a sunrise, continuing to complement the stories behind each song.

As the latter half of the show approached, Lee told the audience “I somehow have chills but I’m sweating,” which is something I think a lot of us could relate to in that moment thanks to her goosebump-inducing vocals. The chills continued when the crowd swayed their arms back and forth in unison during the performance of “Superbloom,” which is the title track of MisterWives’ 2020 album. The hits kept coming when the band performed their mega-popular song “Our Own House” next. For the live performance of the 2015 song, the band played a refreshed arrangement that featured an extended introduction. The night eventually wrapped up with the title song from their new album, “Nosebleeds.”

If you missed out on the fun evening, check out photos below and see where you can catch the tour next here.

Live Recap: Jungle with Joesef at Aragon Ballroom

This past Tuesday night, Joesef and Jungle performed to a sold-out Aragon Ballroom.

Scottish singer-songwriter Joesef warmed up the full crowd, joined onstage by his four bandmates. Joesef and his band performed their entire set on a small sliver of the stage set up in front of a red curtain that hid the elaborate stage set up for Jungle. While he may not have had much real estate on stage, that didn’t stop Joesef from commanding the room with his dreamy melodies and silky vocals. Joesef’s setlist mostly pulled from his 2023 debut album, Permanent Damage, including “It's Been a Little Heavy Lately” and “Just Come Home With Me Tonight.” He introduced the latter saying “this next song is about sleeping with my ex. Don’t judge me.” His set also included a cover of “Thinking Of You” by Sister Sledge, which was introduced by Joesef saying, “This next song is a cover. Maybe you know it, maybe you don’t. But either way, it’ll get you dancing.” The set closed out with a somewhat self-titled song simply called “Joe,” and before playing it, Joesef demoed the chorus to the crowd, asking them to join in. Joesef’s music complemented Jungle’s sound really well, but I’d also recommend adding him to your playlist if you’re a fan of Years and Years, Neil Frances or Shura.

Next up, the anticipation began to climb as fans waited for the members of Jungle to take the stage, and for the red curtain to drop. Shortly after 9PM, the audience’s wish was granted and the curtain fell to reveal a giant, lit up sign that read JUNGLE at the back of the stage. The founding members of Jungle Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland began the set stationed near the back of the stage, surrounded by their live band—which included an array of instruments from percussion, keys/synths, guitar and even a flute.

The tour was in honor of Jungle’s 2023 album Volcano, and the set began with a few tracks from the newest album, including “Us Against The World” and “Dominoes.” The band seamlessly transitioned the latter into an older track “The Heat” from Jungle’s debut self-titled album. Throughout the rest of the set, the band weaved in songs from the course of their discography, which also includes 2018’s For Ever and Loving In Stereo. At any point during the show, I was surrounded by countless people dancing and smiling along to the groovy and soulful sound that Jungle has infused with their electronic beats. Fans were soaking up every bit of the music, but highlights definitely included their single “Back On 74” and “Busy Earnin’.”

If you missed out on the fun times, check out photos of the show below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.

Live Recap: Local Natives and Chartreuse at The Riviera

Local Natives returned to Chicago on Friday, September 8th to kick off a new leg of their tour, with support from Chartreuse.

Hailing from Birmingham, England, Chartreuse is composed of Mike Wagstaff, Hattie Wilson, Perry Lovering and Rory Wagstaff, and together the quartet got the crowd primed and ready for Local Natives. Mike and Hattie switched off on vocal duties throughout their set, and their harmonies along with the synths and programing that the band used kind of gave me hints of Sylvan Esso or The Xx. Mike’s vocals also reminded me slightly of Grian Chatten from Fontaines D.C., but overall their sound channels a combination of folk, ambient and electro-pop genres. Chartreuse’s setlist included their songs “Deep Fat” and “Feed Be Fed” from their 2021 EP Is it Autumn Already?, among a few others.

The members of Local Natives made their way onto a dim stage, with giant balloons of the initials “L” and “N” planted in the background of the stage. The show commenced with Taylor Rice, Kelcey Ayer, and Ryan Hahn all huddled around a microphone near the front of the stage to perform an acoustic introduction with the title track of their latest album “Time Will Wait For No One.” (Spoiler alert- this wouldn’t be the only time that night they’d be huddled together near the front of the stage, but more on that later).

Since the tour was in honor of their most recent record, the band fittingly performed a few other newer tracks right off the jump, including “Just Before The Morning” and “Empty Mansions,” which was the live debut of that song. While other tunes from Time Will Wait For No One were sprinkled in throughout the rest of the setlist, we also heard some familiar favorites like the 2017 single “I Saw You Close Your Eyes” and “Coins” from 2016’s Sunlit Youth. The band’s first attempt at the latter was cut short by the PA temporarily blowing out, so the band passed the time with a fully acoustic and unplugged performance of “Who Knows, Who Cares” at the front of the stage, which required the crowd to quiet down.

With the PA back up and running, we got a proper redo of “Coins” before the show continued on. Before performing the Strokes-esque tune “NYE,” Rice took the time to tell the audience the backstory of the song. “Local Natives has a tradition that if one us gets married, we get to be each others’ wedding band. Ryan got married while making this album. We were playing Oasis, The Bee Gees, and this really fast Strokes song. After watching us, he kind of brought this next song to the table and we all jammed it out in the studio in two days, and that’s how ‘NYE’ came to be,” he said.

Following the song’s performance, Rice then took some time to talk about the recent 10 year anniversary of their album Hummingbird, and the band played a few songs from that album, including “Ceilings” and “Columbia.”

For the rest of the night, the energy only continued to escalate, with Rice leaving the stage to join the crowd during “Featherweight.” Fans also went wild during the performance of “Dark Days” which saw Rice and Ayer swapping places on the stage. Before the main part of the set wrapped up, Rice asked the crowd “Do you guys mind if we play ‘Who Knows Who Cares’ one more time?” and we got another full, plugged in performance of that song.

Local Natives kept the good vibes going with a three-song encore. Before performing their second to last song, “Sun Hands,” the band asked everyone to stand up and clap along, which is the least the audience could do during such an uplifting song. Speaking of uplifting, Rice ended up diving into the audience to crowd surf, which has become an epic tradition at their shows over the years. The show wrapped up with another full-house dance party to “When Am I Gonna Lose You.”

If you missed out on all the fun, check out the photo recap below, and see where you can catch Local Natives on tour next here.

Live Recap: The Future Past Tour with Duran Duran, Bastille, and Nile Rodgers & Chic

I can think of few better ways to kick off Labor Day weekend than with a show from Duran Duran, Bastille, and Nile Rodgers & Chic at Northerly Island in Chicago. And lucky for me, I was one of the several thousand fans who packed the Huntington Bank Pavilion on Friday, September 1st to attend the Future Past Tour.

The performances kicked off just before sunset with the legendary musician and producer Nile Rodgers, along with his band Chic. If you’re even a casual fan of disco or funk music, chances are you’re familiar with Chic’s hit “Le Freak,” and the band kicked off their performance with the popular track. If I’m being honest, I went into the show thinking that was the only Chic song I knew, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised when I recognized other Chic songs like “Everybody Dance” and “I Want Your Love.” Rodgers may be best known as the co-founder of Chic, but he’s also worked with countless top tier artists as a producer, so I was again pleasantly surprised to be familiar with all of the other songs performed in his set. In addition to some of Chic’s discography, Rodgers and his bandmates delivered incredible renditions of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” that had everyone standing and dancing—which is a rare sighting during the first act of a show.

Once the sun had set, Bastilletook the stage next. The British quartet of Dan Smith, Kyle Simmons, Will Farquarson and Chris "Woody" Wood were joined by touring band members Charlie Barnes and Bim Amoako to help bring their songs to life. The band kept the high energy that Nile Rodgers had set up going, opening their set with the upbeat track (if you ignore the lyrics) “Good Grief” and the guitar-driven, rambunctious “WHAT YOU GONNA DO???” The rest of their setlist spanned their entire discography, from their debut album to their most recent album, as well as standalone singles like the hit collaboration they did with Marshmello, “Happier.” During the performance of “Things We Lost in the Fire” from their first record, Smith stationed himself a floor tom drum to pack another punch of percussion in the song’s chorus. The drums came into play during a couple of their other songs like the band’s mash up of the 90’s hits “Rhythm is a Dancer” and “Rhythm of the Night,” but when Smith wasn’t drumming he was usually dancing his way across the stage. While playing “Shut Off the Lights” from Give Me the Future, Smith shimmied alongside Bim Amoako, who delivered powerhouse backing vocals throughout the show. The set wrapped up with Bastille’s epic sing-along hit “Pompeii” that had everyone up and out of their seats yet again.

From there, the energy and anticipation only continued to climb while the stage was set for the main act, Duran Duran. When it was showtime, the screen onstage cast a futuristic, sci-fi-esque video, in homage to the future part of the tour name and the band’s most recent album. Finally, the shadows of band members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor appeared in the center of the stage, their silhouettes illuminated by colored lights in the background. The crowd went wild as the band launched into “The Night Boat” from their 1981 self-titled album— as I looked around I saw nothing but pure bliss from the fans in the front section of seats.

This concert was my first time seeing Duran Duran perform, and I was immediately struck by how poised and coordinated all of the band members were, and the elevated level of camaraderie between not only the core band members, but the additional musicians performing onstage with them. Le Bon’s vocals also sounded impeccable throughout the performance and he showcased a natural showmanship with his between-song banter. Le Bon took some time to comment on the beautiful weather and bright moon before they played their hit “Hungry Like The Wolf” as the third song of the set.

Le Bon gave similar quips to set up the forthcoming songs often throughout the night, like asking the crowd “which do you prefer? Yes or no-no” before “Notorious” and asking if there were any birthdays in the house before “Anniversary,” adding “We got everyone in this place celebrating an anniversary tonight!” In addition to Le Bon’s commentary, the lights and visual projections on the stage’s screen also complemented each song performed. During “Is There Something I Should Know?” images of the band on different magazine covers in the 80’s flashed on the screen, and they started their song “Girls on Film” with flashing lights and sound effects that felt like a real-life paparazzi attack.

While a lot of Le Bon’s commentary between songs had a cheekiness about it, he also made a very heartfelt dedication before performing “Ordinary World.” “'[This song] is about bringing people together, and saying yeah, I know how how you feel. There are two dedications to this song tonight…one to the people of Maui, hold them in your hearts and help them if you can. I also would like to dedicate this song to the people of Ukraine. In their struggle, we wish them happiness and peace in their own country, in their own ordinary world,” he added.

After lots of dancing and a journey through Duran Duran’s long discography, we’d sadly reached the end of the main part of the set. Duran Duran made sure to end the night with an incredible encore that started with their song “Save a Prayer.” The band asked everyone to turn on their cell phone lights for that song, Le Bon saying, “Let’s turn this part of Chicago into the galaxy itself!” The night wrapped up with an explosive performance of their hit “Rio,” featuring a saxophone solo from Simon Willescroft. Overall, the Future Past tour packed a lot of nostalgia and a great time for all.

View photos of the evening below, and see where you can catch Duran Duran on tour next here.

Live Recap: Yoke Lore with Girlhouse at Metro

This past Tuesday night, Yoke Lore returned to Chicago to play his biggest headline show here yet—with a sold out gig at the iconic Metro.

girlhouse, the project of musician and songwriter Lauren Luiz, warmed up the crowd first. Luiz was joined by a full live band, and she told the audience she’d released four EPs this last year, so she had plenty of material to perform during her thirty-minute set. Early on in the set, a fan in the front asked if she’d be playing her single “the fatalist,” and Luiz coyly responded they’d have to wait and see. Towards the end of the set, the song was delivered and the singer told the fan “that was just for you.” girlhouse’s set wrapped up with “concussion,” which is a favorite of mine and has racked up over 10 million streams. I’d recommend adding girlhouse to your playlists if you’re a fan of Wallice, Samia, or Annie DiRusso.

Next up, the scene was set for Yoke Lore, the moniker of musician Adrian Galvin. Galvin and his band had been in Chicago earlier this year to open for Goth Babe at Salt Shed, but it was great to see him as the main event this time. All around the stage, lamps and light bulbs added a cozy vibe, which was fitting because Yoke Lore songs have such a comforting feeling about them. These light bulbs would end up changing colors and setting the tone throughout the night, adding different auras to different songs.

Galvin played through his first few songs, alternating between his signature banjo and acoustic guitar, but after performing his 2019 single “Chin Up,” Galvin took a break to speak to the crowd with a poetic introduction. He told the crowd “Hi, I’m Yoke Lore. I want to tell you what that means.” Galvin then defined the mission behind his musical project, ending the introductory speech by saying, “And music is how I use the personal to conjure the infinite.”

Galvin addressed the crowd in a similar style a few times throughout the evening, which really added a special touch to the live performance in between the songs. In addition to some of his tried and true material and fan favorites, like “Seeds” and his cover of “Truly Madly Deeply,” Galvin sprinkled in some newer music. The new songs included singles like “Hallucinate” and “Shake,” which were both released this year, as well as some unreleased songs from his upcoming debut album Toward A Never Ending New Beginning, which will be released this month. The new music had more of an electronic backbone to it, and Galvin took some time to show off his dance moves in those moments.

The main part of Yoke Lore’s set wrapped with his hit “Beige,” which was truly a beautiful moment. Galvin began standing at the edge of the stage playing the banjo, with the crowd kicking off the song in a choir-like fashion before he eventually moved back to the microphone to join them in singing.

After a very loud demand for an encore, Yoke Lore returned to the stage to perform Tom Robbins, which Galvin told the crowd is a song he only performs live and was inspired by his favorite book. The evening wrapped up with another full-venue singalong to “Goodpain.”

As I left the Metro that night, I found out the Cubs had a massive win, as I was greeted by “Go Cubs Go” cheers from Wrigley Field down the block. The victorious chants matched the euphoric energy I felt leaving the Yoke Lore show.

Check out photos from the evening below and see where you can catch Yoke Lore next here.

PHOTOS: Bastille's Bad Blood X Finale at The Wiltern

Bastille wrapped up their 10-year anniversary tour of their debut album, dubbed the Bad Blood X tour, on Friday night at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Check out the photo gallery of the evening below, and see where you can catch the band next here.