ANCHR Magazine

Holding you down with the best new music

PHOTOS: BRONCHO at SubT 12.02.17

BRONCHO returned to Chicago this past Saturday night to play Wicker Park's Subterranean for the second time this year. Check out photos from their set below, and see the rest of their upcoming tour dates here

Keep up with BRONCHO on social media:

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

LIVE: Molly Parden and David Ramirez at Schubas 12.02.17

Molly Parden felt right at home opening up for David Ramirez at Schubas Tavern Saturday night. The two complimented each other in the most unique way. Molly's presence warms you up with soft ballads, silky measures, and heartbreakingly raw lyrics. Then, David jumps on to stretch that out, do a little yelling, and turn up the volume to make you feel emotions aplenty during their one night at arguably Chicago's most charming venue.

Molly's guitar makes way as an extension of herself carrying light chords with heavy hitting lyrics to reach every person from wall to wall, talking soul search to heartbreak. The ease on stage lent to this beautiful conversation between her, her severing sound, and the crowd in front of her. Her reflective nature makes you sink into every love lost, love gained, and love you hope to have someday away. She was joined by David's keyboardist, Matthew Wright, for the back half of her set. The pair were nothing short to an explosion of intimacy and pristine melodic banter. They shared a sort of ping pong match between Molly's daring words and Matthew's striking heartbeat through the keys. 

Molly also carried a subdued humor that set an affable tone for her show while noting her break from a contemporary Christian music upbringing, finding her space in the Nashville scene, and her ongoing new discovery of 90's music. Following that up, she surprised the crowd with her impassioned take on Gin Blossom's classic, "Found Out About You." Her music spins around very pointed moments in time, spaces and traces in a lifetime. She shared her lust for Kentucky in Kentucky, her influential Georgia roots, and just how much Chicago means to her. 

Molly Parden is a powerhouse wrapped up in a soft package; Wearing white Chuck Taylors, playing an acoustic guitar, she helps hearts navigate waves of longing and loss. Her latest transparent single, "Sail On The Water", follows her fervent 2016 With Me In The Summer album release, and she admittedly adheres to a slow moving writing process. It's hard to wait, but at least that means she nurtures these seeds with such care and grace that it is worth the passing time.

Molly will be riding along with David through December. You can follow the rest of their tour here. 

For more on Molly Parden, check out our interview with her here!

PHOTOS: Dizzy, SHAED, and Foreign Air at Beat Kitchen 11.30

The lineup at Beat Kitchen this past Thursday had the crowd dancing from start to finish. Toronto's Dizzy kicked off the night, performing their buzzy debut single "Stars and Moons," along with their latest single "Swim" and other unreleased tracks. Next, SHAED really amped up the energy and had the crowd singing almost every word along with lead singer Chelsea Lee. Lee brings powerhouse vocals with a soulful edge to the indie pop music produced by her bandmates, twin brothers Max and Spencer Ernst. SHAED's co-headliners Foreign Air closed out the night, keeping the dancing and singing streak going. The duo of Jacob Michael and Jesse Clasen performed their most popular tracks "Free Animal" and "In The Shadows," but they also incorporated their new single "Lying" into the set. See photos from the trifecta of a lineup below!

Check out the remainder of Foreign Air and SHAED's co-headlining tour with Dizzy here, and listen to Foreign Air's brand new single "Chakra Daemon" below!

PHOTOS: Beach Slang at Cobra Lounge 11.25

Beach Slang took over Cobra Lounge this weekend to deliver an incredible performance. Check out our gallery of the show below!

Beach Slang wrap up their tour this weekend--see the remaining dates here and keep up with them on social media:

Facebook // Instagram // Twitter

LIVE: Jungle and NoMBe Bring The Moves and Grooves to Metro Chicago

Los Angeles based singer, songwriter and producer NoMBe warmed up the Metro stage for Jungle this past Monday night. He hit the stage with a surge of energy and never decelerated until he left the stage, only getting increasingly amped up as his set went on. From singing directly to fans in the front row to hopping down from the stage to dance with the crowd, NoMBe stayed connected with his audience while he performed singles like "Jump Right In" and "Can't Catch Me." 

By the time Jungle hit the stage, the crowd had been loosened up and their spirits were left high after NoMBe's infectiously positive attitude. London's Jungle made their highly anticipated and long awaited return to The States when they walked onstage that night, kicking off their North American tour right here in Chicago. The last time the soulful supergroup had performed in town had been in 2015 at Concord Music Hall, but they were quickly embraced by the sold out crowd at Metro on Monday. Their roughly hour long set included old favorites like "Drops," "Busy Earning," and "Time," but it also included a few fresh tunes that had never been played in America before. Fans at this Red Bull Sound Select got an exclusive teaser of what's to come when Jungle finally releases a follow up to their 2014 self-titled debut. While the new material definitely had a new spin on it, every song that Jungle played on Monday had the crowd moving along to their jams. The band members also remained in constant motion, feeding off one another and the audience. If you missed out on the show, relive some of the magic with our gallery below, and see the rest of Jungle's upcoming tour dates here

Keep Up With Jungle on Social Media:

Facebook // Instagram

LIVE: Hockey Dad Kicks off Rowdy Night with The Frights at Lincoln Hall

Australian duo of Zach Stephenson and Billy Fleming (AKA Hockey Dad) packed a punch with their opening set at Lincoln Hall on Saturday night. Supporting Vundabar and The Frights, the pair exuded as much energy of a band twice their size, bringing the talent and banter to reel in the crowd. The crowd didn't let Hockey Dad's infectious levels of energy go unreciprocated; by the middle of the set people were stage diving and crowd surfing, despite the set being so early. Their 30 minute set included songs from their debut album, Boronia, as well as their new single "Homely Feeling." They closed out their show with the catchy single "So Tired," which had a large portion of the crowd singing along. The crowd surfing and sing alongs continued over into Vundabar and The Frights' sets that followed.

Although Saturday's performance was a rarity, since Hockey Dad seldom make it over to the states, they were so well received that they'd be welcomed back at any time. See the rest of Hockey Dad's North American tour here, and check out photos of their set below! 

While you wait for Hockey Dad to return, check out the video for their latest single below, and follow 'em on social media.

Hockey Dad: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

PHOTOS: Alex Lahey at SubT 11.24.17

Alex Lahey rocked The Subterannean this past Friday night. Check out photos from the show below, and see the rest of her upcoming tour dates here.

Can't get enough Alex Lahey? Listen to her debut album below, and check out our interview with her here!

LIVE: Maybird with The Aces and Joywave at Lincoln Hall 11.21.17

The Brooklyn-via-Rochester quartet Maybird kicked off a stacked lineup at Lincoln Hall last Tuesday, warming up the stage for The Aces and fellow Rochesterians in Joywave. Their short, but sweet set brought retro-tinged, warm tones reminiscent of 1960's and 1970's psych rock. While they jammed during songs from their latest EP, called Unraveling, the band members exuded an easygoing chemistry between one another. Although Maybird has been around for a few years, they mentioned this was their first performance in Chicago...but based on the crowd's engaged response throughout the set, they should be back soon. Check out photos of the entire show from Emily Nava below. 

Keep up to date with Maybird by following them on social media, and listen to their entire Unraveling EP below!

Maybird: Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

PHOTOS: Fiona Grey and Frenship at Schubas 11.19.17

Frenship finished up their latest tour at Schubas Tavern on Sunday night, with the help of Fiona Grey. Check out photos from both of their performances below!

Frenship will be returning with new music in the 2018. Make sure you're following them on social media to stay in the loop on the latest updates!

Frenship: Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

LIVE: Overcoats and Moonrise Nation Brought Harmonies, Friendship, and Female Empowerment to Lincoln Hall

Overcoats and Moonrise Nation played to a packed Lincoln Hall last Friday night, providing a sense of friendship, unity, and empowerment of women.


After Moonrise Nation's stunning and harmony heavy opening set, a sense of anticipation built up as a large “O” light glowed at the back of Lincoln Hall’s small stage, welcoming the duo of Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell back to the Lincoln Park venue. The pair had performed on the same stage back in January, opening for Caroline Smith as part of the annual Tomorrow Never Knows festival. Since that performance, Overcoats released their debut album and toured the country--returning to Chicago to headline Schubas and play Millennium Park. Each time, the show has evolved, and Elion and Mitchell seem to impossibly improve upon their already stunning and synchronized show, which has always been full of grace, poise, and so much talent. 

The set on Friday started with the pair of best friends and their drummer (who is gaining recognition for his solo project Soft Glas) making their way onstage to a dramatic, yet ambient entrance music, which segued into "Smaller Than My Mother" from their album Young. The first half of the set included many of the popular tracks from their album, like "Hold Me Close" and "The Fog," but each song was only expanded upon and made unique in the live sense. Overcoats brilliantly mixed electronic and organic tones on their album by working with two producers (more on that here), and they manage to transfer that mix into their show. Between "The Fog" and "23," Mitchell addressed the crowd saying, "The future is intersectional feminism"; a statement greeted with cheers from the crowd. The theme of supporting women, especially women supporting other women, held up throughout the evening, with the pair introducing another song as being about "women lifting each other up." At their Schubas show earlier this year, they had mentioned a quote about empowering friends, saying just because someone else's flame is burning bright, that doesn't take away from your own flame, and that metaphor still seemed relevant at their most recent Lincoln Hall show and in everything that the pair do. After all, the band's official merch even included a sweatshirt that reads "Women Rule."

Besides the power of friendship that radiated from the stage, and the flawless execution of their songs from the album, Overcoats also brought humor and a few surprises to their show. Their cover of Hozier's "Cherry Wine" has gone viral on Spotify, and the pair performed it at the show, but not before taking requests for other covers. The cover mashup started with "Umbrella," and a fan even handed Mitchell their umbrella for added effects. In an effort to highlight their elaborate and custom merch, which included coats thrifted by Mitchell and Elion, the pair recited a skit about staying warm in Chicago, encouraging everyone to grab a coat or crew neck from them after the show.  

The pair also displayed such gratitude to everyone involved in their show, thanking the venue staff as well as their own crew, and shouting out the new album from their drummer, advising the audience to follow him on Instagram. Their set not only included the performance of "I Don't Believe in Us," which was only released two weeks prior, but a brand new, stripped down song during their encore. After the slowed down and rare performance, they ended the night with the energy ramped up to the max, performing "Leave The Light On" (complete with coordinated dance moves). 

From the dance moves to the between-song jokes and the constant presence of friendship, each Overcoats show is just full of an infectious energy that clings to the crowd as they leave the venue. In a time where bad news fills our newsfeeds daily, artists like Overcoats help provide a shield and a light with their art and their performances...almost like they're giving us a coat (wink, wink) of armor. 

If you missed out on the stellar show from Overcoats, relive some of the magic with our gallery by Emily Nava. 

Overcoats will be back with Tennis in January. Grab tickets here, and listen to Young in full below!