Bonnaroo Round Up: Our 2018 Top Picks

June 04, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

Since 2002, Bonnaroo has been bringing some of the biggest international acts and the best upcoming acts to Manchester, TN for four days of music, comedy, festivities and more. This year, thousands of music fans will return to the farm this Thursday, June 7th for another memorable 'Roo. Stay tuned for our daily coverage during the festival, but for now check out our eight must-see acts of Bonnaroo 2018 below!

POND

Last year, POND released their seventh studio album, The Weather, which is full of energetic, psychedelic tunes that will instantly sweep everyone off their feet. Their records have this incredible quality that completely engulfs listeners, creating a mystical world with entrancing synths and hypnotizing melodies, but their live show adds even more depth to their layered, multifaceted songs. Frontman Nick Allbrook hooks in audience members with his captivating stage presence, so don't miss POND on Saturday, June 9th at 2:45PM on the This Stage.

For Fans Of: Tame Impala, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Mild High Club

Start With: "Sweep Me Off My Feet," "Paint Me Silver," "30000 Megatons"

Post Animal

After steadily gaining traction in the Chicago music scene over the past couple of years, Post Animal began touring extensively, working their way up to a national act. The group is currently on tour promoting their debut album When I Think Of You in a Castle, which was released April 20th via Polyvinyl Records. Their live shows always pack in non-stop energy with intense guitar riffs and expansive arrangements, creating a completely different atmosphere from the studio recordings. This year has already seen Post Animal at SXSW and Shaky Knees Festival, but make sure you catch them at Bonnaroo so you can say you saw them at one of their first festival performances way back when. Catch them Saturday, June 9th at 9:45PM on the Who Stage.

For Fans Of: Twin Peaks, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Thee Oh Sees

Start With: "When I Get Home," "Special Moment," "Gelatin Mode"

Alex Lahey

Aussie singer songwriter Alex Lahey will instantly win you over with her lighthearted melodies and relatable lyrics. Lahey's debut EP B Grade University and debut album I Love You Like a Brother are both full of honest narratives that will have you singing along, and her authentic laid-back attitude pairs perfectly with a Summer festival. Catch her at Roo on Friday, June 8th at 2:15PM on the What Stage.

For Fans Of: Courtney Barnett, Middle Kids, Waxahatchee

Start With: "Wes Anderson," "You Don't Think You Like People Like Me," "Lotto In Reverse"

Sir Sly

Fronted by Landon Jacobs, LA based trio Sir Sly recently made an incredible comeback with their 2017 sophomore album Don't You Worry, Honey. The long awaited album came three years after their promising debut and reflects upon Jacobs' struggles of losing his mother to cancer and the end of his marriage. The new songs possess a raw vulnerability in the lyrics and see a growth in Sir Sly's production skill, and the group always delivers a vibrant live performance, with Jacobs being known to climb things mid-show. Make sure you catch them Sunday, June 10th at 4PM at the This Tent to witness all of their stage antics.

For Fans Of: Foster The People, Hippo Campus, K.Flay

Start With: "High," "&Run," "Altar"

Jade Bird

British singer songwriter Jade Bird first made waves when she dropped her debut EP Something American last year, which shows off her fiery spirit, sweeping vocal range, and twangy folk riffs. Since then, she's been hard at work on the road, playing SXSW and touring with the likes of Anderson East and First Aid Kit. This fall, Jade Bird will head out on her first headlining tour, but before then don't miss her at Bonnaroo; she's playing Thursday, June 7th at 11PM on the Who Stage.

For Fans Of: Maggie Rogers, Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers

Start With: "Lottery," "Furious," "Something American"

Ron Gallo

Nashville's Ron Gallo has been steadily touring since the release of his debut album Heavy Meta, hitting the festival circuit especially hard in 2017, with appearances at the likes of Governor's Ball and Lollapalooza. Whether he's playing on a festival stage or a club show, Gallo always brings along his quirky antics; from playing a trumpet mid-song to passing off his guitar to an audience member, there's no shortage of entertainment. Gallo managed to release an 8-song EP earlier this year in the midst of all his touring, so his recent shows have been refreshed to include new material. If you're looking to hear some great music and have a laugh, Catch Ron at the That Tent on Thursday, June 7th at 5:00 PM.

For Fans Of: White Reaper, Diane Coffee, Naked Giants

Start With: "Put The Kids To Bed," "Really Nice Guys," "Young Lady, You're Scaring Me"

Jungle

Fronted by Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson, London collective Jungle will be sure to get you dancing with their smooth mix of soul and funk grooves. It's been a while since the group released their debut, self-titled album, but they've teased their follow up with two singles this year that both contain their signature effortlessly cool touch. Get ready to move and check out their set on Sunday, June 10th on the Which Stage at 5:15PM.

For Fans Of: SBTRKT, Metronomy, TV On The Radio

Start With: "Time," "Happy Man," "The Heat"

Rag'n'Bone Man

Speaking of soul, British singer songwriter Rory Graham (better known by his moniker Rag'n'Bone Man) has garnered international attention with his booming, powerful and soulful vocals. Rag'n'Bone Man's debut record Human features a diverse mix of layered narratives that highlight Graham's flexible range; from a bluesy growl to a rich baritone and even a hip hop flow, the album truly showcases Graham's dynamic talent as a singer and writer. Live, Graham brings that all to life with a large band that distinguishes the show from the album with fleshed out arrangements. Catch Rag'n'Bone Man on Saturday, June 9th at 6:45PM at the This Tent.

For Fans Of: Bastille, Jacob Banks, Jack Garratt

Start With: "Your Way or the Rope," "Human," "Wolves"

Remember that once CenterRoo opens up on Thursday, it will remain open 24/7 until the festival ends, so make sure you check out the entire schedule here. The SuperJam lineup this year is particularly epic with members of Cage The Elephant, Wilco, Young The Giant, Sheryl Crow, Japanese Breakfast, Durand Jones & The Indications and more playing the music of Tom Petty. Keep up with it all by following us on social media throughout the fest:

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categories / Festival, Gigs
tags / POND, Post Animal, Alex Lahey, Sir Sly, Jade Bird, Ron Gallo, Jungle, Rag'n'Bone Man, Bonnaroo, Music Festival, Preview

PHOTOS: Vans House Party with Vic Mensa, The Pack, and Kami 5.31.18

June 03, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

Vic Mensa kicked off House of Vans' summer series of House Parties on Thursday, May 31st with The Pack and Kami, who Mensa had handpicked to open the show. Check out photos from the night below.

The House of Vans house parties will continue this week with Princess Nokia. RSVP here.

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categories / Photos, Gigs
tags / House of Vans, Vic Mensa, The Pack, Kami

Live Recap: The Kooks and The Academic at The Vic Theatre 5.30.18

June 01, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

This past Wednesday, The Kooks returned to Chicago for a sold out show at The Vic Theatre, returning for the first time since 2015 when they played the same stage. The show had originally been slated for October 2017, but the band pushed the gig back to May in order to work on completing their fifth studio album Let’s Go Sunshine, which will be this August.

Following a short but sweet set from The Academic that warmed up the crowd, The Kooks made their highly anticipated return to the Vic's stage, opening their set with "Eddie's Gun" from their 2006 debut album Inside In/Inside Out. The band made the wait for their comeback worth it by not only playing fan favorites like "Ooh La" and "Bad Habit" from their expansive discography, but by sprinkling in brand new songs throughout the set in order to showcase what they had been hidden away working on the past few years. Frontman Luke Pritchard expressed the band's gratitude for their fans, calling out all the different The Kooks t-shirts from the past years in the audience. When he wasn't expressing gratitude to the crowd, Pritchard often chatted between songs, providing backstories about the lyrics. During the songs, Pritchard pranced around the stage, making sure that he connected with the entire room by working his way across the whole stage.

While the set remained high energy, the mood remained dynamic with the band occasionally switching up the pace by having Pritchard perform a song at the keyboard, or by having guitarist Hugh Harris perform a song on his own. After the first part of the set, Pritchard returned on his own to sing "Seaside" as the opener of a 3-song encore, asking the crowd if they were up for a sing along before beginning. Judging by the echoes of the lyrics coming from all parts of the venue, the crowd was definitely into singing along, as they had been most of the evening. The set wrapped up on a high note with "Always Where I Need to Be" and "Naïve," the group leaving the stage to thundering applause.

Check out our photo gallery of the evening below, and see which cities The Kooks will be hitting next on this tour here.

Preorder Let's Go Sunshine here and keep up with The Kooks on Facebook + Twitter + Instagram

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categories / Photos, Reviews, Gigs
tags / The Kooks, The Academic, The Vic, Jam Productions, Photo Gallery, Live Recap, Live Review

Live Recap: Cut Worms and King Tuff at Lincoln Hall 5.25.18

May 28, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

Cut Worms and King Tuff kicked off Memorial Day weekend with an incredible show at Lincoln Hall.

The dynamic show began right at 9PM, with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sasami performing solo on a dimly lit stage. As she sang through her stripped back, personal narratives, Sasami told hilarious anecdotes between songs, warming the early crowd up for the rest of the show. Sasami would return later in the night to play in King Tuff's band, but first the Brooklyn based project of Max Clarke, Cut Worms, took the stage for a homecoming of sorts, as Clarke had previously lived in Chicago for several years. After a successful debut EP, Clarke released his debut full length album Hollow Ground earlier this month, and his 45 minute set consisted of the majority of the album. Clarke and his band members had the crowd eagerly soaking up the twang soaked mix of alt-country and indie rock tunes, which pull in just a pinch of psychedelic and folk rock influences. Clarke's refreshing spin on timeless roots had the audience dancing along to his more upbeat songs like "Don't Want To Say Good-bye," but he also kept the set versatile by slowing things down to perform a song sans band towards the end of the show.

Eventually everyone had trickled into the concert hall, the stage had been set, and King Tuff and his band graced the stage for the final act of the night. The setlist started with the hypnotizing title and opening track of King Tuff's latest album, The Other, which just came out in April. With the crowd hooked after that slightly slower tempo track, the energy ramped right back up with trippier "Raindrop Blue," laden with shredding guitar riffs. King Tuff and his band added an edge of flare to their show with flashy outfits, but they kept the focus on their musicianship by not adding in any intricate stage production. The carefully plotted setlist weaved in some older favorites between songs from the new record, like "Unusual World" from the 2012 self-titled record and "Freak Me When I'm Dead" from 2008's Was Dead record. King Tuff kept the setlist completely refreshed by even throwing in a brand new track. "They're all new, but this one is even newer," King Tuff said before playing "Portrait of God." No matter what era of King Tuff discography any of the songs came from though, each tune had the crowd grooving and moving along, which nods to the versatile and universal quality of these albums and songs.

If you missed out on the show, check out our photo gallery of the evening below.

Check out the rest of King Tuff's upcoming tour dates here, and listen to The Other in full below.

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categories / Photos, Gigs, Reviews
tags / King Tuff, Cut Worms, Sasami, Photo Gallery, Live Recap, Lincoln Hall

PHOTOS: Dirty Projectors at Thalia Hall 5.22.18

May 26, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

Dirty Projectors returned to Chicago to play the Thalia Hall stage on Tuesday, May 22nd. If you missed out on the show, check out our photo gallery below!

Check out the rest of Dirty Projectors' upcoming tour dates here, and keep up with them on Facebook + Twitter + Instagram

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categories / Gigs, Photos
tags / Dirty Projectors, Thalia Hall, Photo Gallery, Photography, Concert Photography

Live Recap: House of Vans Chicago Girls Skate Jam with The Kills

May 22, 2018 / Abraham Piña

Kickflips, grinds, chords and riffs! Chicago’s House of Vans played host to another Get on Board girls skate jam event Saturday evening. Some of Chicago’s finest skate boarders and up-and-comers tore the floor with ollies, kickflips and 180º’s. The event also featured a street market and the futuristic, interstellar and pizza-tastic artwork by Robin Eisenberg.

Later in the night, the venue transformed itself into a slew of rock riffs, power chords, and hair thrashing by the British - American indie rock band The Kills. The crowd was quickly pumped into a fever of singing and screaming at the top of the set with the hit “URA Fever." The show was always at full momentum with Alison Mosshart snake-charming the crowd with spellcasting lyrics and riveting dances moves. The air-fan on stage blew through her hair making it dance to the electric rock tunes.

Alongside Mosshart was Jamie Hince power sliding on the guitar, just making the strumming patterns look easy. Hince also accompanied the songs with cool smooth lyrics and stylish swings. The duo performed an exceptional setlist with hits from across their albums like “Black Balloon," “Baby Says," and “Doing it to Death." As the evening continued, Mosshart gave the crowd a heartfelt smile as she started singing the new tune “List of Demands." As the duo worked through their setlist, the crowd eagerly soaked up their electrifying stage presence.

The girls of skate and rock slayed the house with tricks and guitar licks leaving us all to look forward to the next one to shred again!

Photo Credit: Daniel Boczarski

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categories / Gigs, Photos, Reviews
tags / House of Vans, The Kills, Photo Gallery, Live Review

PHOTOS: This Is The Kit at Constellation 5.18.18

May 21, 2018 / Cat Florea

This Friday night, we saw This Is The Kit return to Constellation for not one, but two stunning shows. If you missed out, check out our photo gallery of the earlier show below.

This Is The Kit will be back in town on Monday, July 30th as part of the free Millennium Park concert series. Get more information on the show here, and get to know This Is The Kit better by revisiting our interview here.

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categories / Photos, Gigs
tags / This is the Kit, Constellation, Photo Set, Photo Gallery

PHOTOS: Handsome Ghost and Beta Radio at Schubas 5.17.18

May 21, 2018 / Emily Nava

This past Thursday night, Handsome Ghost returned to Chicago to play Schubas Tavern with Beta Radio. Check out photos from the show below!

Catch Handsome Ghost in a city near you- see all of their upcoming tour dates here.

Keep up with Handsome Ghost on Twitter + Facebook + Instagram

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categories / Gigs, Photos
tags / Handsome Ghost, Beta Radio, Photo Gallery, Photo Set

Live Recap: HINDS Returns to Lincoln Hall With New Material and the Same Old Spirit

May 20, 2018 / Rachel Zyzda

“This is the first time we sold out Chicago,” Hinds tells the packed house at Lincoln Hall on Tuesday night. On the Madrid quartet’s current tour, sold out shows are no rare occurrence; they’ve had a recent streak of shows that have been overflowing with eager fans. Although this last show might have been Hinds’ first official sold out show here, they’ve also had no shortage of rowdy moments in the city in the last year. Last May, they played a free show at The Empty Bottle, which had fans lined up around the block to attend, and they played Lincoln Hall earlier this year as part of the annual Tomorrow Never Knows Festival.

Back in January, Hinds had recently announced the release date of their sophomore album I Don’t Run, and dropped their first single “New For You.” While they teased the new material at that show, performing the new single, their show last week was the first time many of the songs in their set had been played in Chicago. During their 75 minute set, the band performed the majority of their second album, opening up with “The Club.” Whether they were playing the new material or old favorites like “Easy” or “Garden,” the audience remained keen to have a great time; dancing, moshing, and even crowd surfing throughout the night. Despite their intense and grueling tour schedule, accompanied with a busy press schedule, the members of Hinds burst onto stage with a surge of energy, boasting infectious smiles, and the positive vibes remained present the whole show. Whether they were dancing together or telling funny anecdotes between songs, the members of Hinds always kept the mood lighthearted.

Towards the end of the show, the momentum of the evening peaked (pun intended) when members of Twin Peaks and Goodbye Honolulu crashed the stage to give Hinds a hand in performing “Davey Crockett” from their EP The Very Best of Hinds So Far. The unruly guest appearance featured Carlotta Cosials getting on Cadien James of Twin Peaks’ shoulders, stage diving from Twin Peaks' Clay Frankel and Jack Dolan, and some champagne popping; making for an unforgettable moment in an already unforgettable show.

During the show, Carlotta had mentioned that Chicago is the closest city in America that they have to their hometown of Madrid, and another wildly successful show here proved that the city feels just as fondly about Hinds.

If you missed out on getting tickets to this show, check out photos from the evening with Bunny and Goodbye Honolulu, and see the rest of Hinds’ tour dates here.