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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: Temples with Post Animal at Metro

Temples and Post Animal kicked off the weekend with a performance at Metro on Friday, June 16th. Check out photos of the show below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.

Live Recap: Fleet Foxes and Uwade at Salt Shed

Fleet Foxes and Uwade performed to a huge crowd this past Wednesday night during the Salt Shed’s inaugural week.

The show was part of Salt Shed’s “Outside the Shed” series— a string of outdoor shows taking place around the venue while the indoor space continues to be revamped. The forecast had been calling for potential thunderstorms all evening, but the musical and weather gods blessed us with a clear forecast aside from a few sprinkles of rain here and there.

Uwade kicked off the evening with a solo support set, warming up the crowd with her stunning songwriting and friendly banter. Her show opened up with her song “Nostalgia,” which the singer shared was the first song she wrote. Uwade also introduced her next song “The Man Who Sees Tomorrow” by dedicating it to her father and sharing an anecdote about him and the creation of the song. Uwade also performed her newest single “Do You See The Light Around Me?,” which was released this year by Sylvan Esso’s record label Psychic Hotline.

The crowd attentively basked in the beauty of Uwade’s original music, and fortunately her set wasn’t the only time we saw her that evening— she returned to the stage at the start of Fleet Foxe’s set to perform “Wading In Waist-Hight Water” with the band. The track from 2020’s Shore features the collaboration between the singer and Fleet Foxes, so it was incredible to hear the song brought to life as the opening tune of their show.

Fleet Foxes’ set took place as the sun began to set, casting a hazy glow on the city’s skyline while the band provided the perfect soundtrack. Fleet Foxes’ frontman Robin Pecknold took the opportunity to share his appreciation for the evening several times throughout the night, but in the very beginning of the show, he told the audience how great it was to be at the venue for the opening week and called out that the weather cooperating.

Pecknold also engaged the crowd in banter between songs, asking “did everyone get a free popsicle?” in reference to the giveaway from Salt Shed, in partnership with Pretty Cool Ice Cream. While the set weaved through fan favorites like “Can I Believe You,” “White Winter Hymnal,” and “Third of May / Ōdaigahara,” Fleet Foxes also incorporated a few covers into the mix, including “Phoenix” by Big Red Machine and “The Kiss” by Judee Sill. Before playing the latter, Pecknold performed the song “If You Need To, Keep Time on Me” on acoustic guitar, accompanied only by Casey Westcott on piano while the rest of the band took a breather. The quieter moment provided juxtaposition against the full band that played for most of the show and included everything from trumpets, trombones and tambourines alongside the more traditional guitar, bass and piano.

The Chicago audience sadly missed out on the performance of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing in the Name,” which a fan in the front had requested after seeing them cover it earlier this tour. Pecknold joked with the audience that they couldn’t perform the song because Christian [Wargo]’s mom was in attendance that night.

The evening wrapped up with an encore that once again featured the vocals of Uwade, providing a full circle moment to a wonderful night.

See photos of the show below, and see where you can catch Fleet Foxes on tour next here.

Live Recap: Beabadoobee with Christian Leave and BlackstarKids

One of my favorite things is hitting a show and finding that there really is no “headliner” and that all the bands on the roster are freaking fantastic in their own right. That’s what happened at Pittsburgh’s Stage AE last Saturday night.

First in line was Blackstarkids who, I admit, I was not prepared for and maybe that helped to make their brand of crunchy, punk-rock guitar and beats so damn amazing. Or maybe they just are amazing. Let’s go with that. Their entire 30 minute set was full of energy and movement. It was the last night of the tour and they clearly weren’t going to pack up and go home early. They’ve just released a new album this fall, Puppies Forever, and it begs to be checked out.

Next up was another pop team with a nice dash of noise, sweetness and punk rock, courtesy of Christian Leave. Another act that was so much more than I was anticipating. The group had great energy and fantastic tunes that make you want to dance or maybe just lose your mind. The music feels clever, witty and above all, catchy and fresh. Christian and the band really set it up for the headliner.

Beabadoobee. What can you say? Her understated look and demeanor belie the depths of the lyrics she writes and sounds she crafts to compose her music catalog. She, and her amazing band, just hammered the audience with sound and emotion. From her anthem “Care” to the crunch of “Back to Mars” to the sweet soft of “Cologne,” the show was just incredible. I left wanting another 30 minutes or so!

These three great bands provided very different takes on similar musical styles with acute differences. Overall, it was a great night of bands you know are going to be good going in, but are just thrilled to find they’re that good.

Check out photos from the evening below, and keep up with beabadoobee here.

All words and photos by Sarah Wilson

Pitchfork Festival 2021: Sunday Recap and Photos

Pitchfork Festival 2021 came to a close on Sunday September, 12th with more wonderful music. Read up on Day 1 and Day 2 highlights, and see what we loved on the final day below.


Tomberlin

Singer-songwriter Tomberlin filled in for the opening slot on the Green stage somewhat last minute, when Cassandra Jenkins had to cancel her current tour. Armed with solely a guitar and her voice, Tomberlin was able to captivate the building, early afternoon crowd. The stripped down performance gave everyone a chance to fully soak in and appreciate the thoughtful lyrics. 

Between her indie folk songs, Tomberlin delivered funny quips and banter to the audience. As she played, the sky remained clear with a breeze passing through Union Park, and it felt like the perfect way to ease into the final day of the festival.

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Special Interest

Special Interest followed Tomberlin on the Red Stage next, completely shaking up the mood and cranking up the volume. Combining moody electronic beats, punk riffs and an intense stage persona, the band from New Orleans put on a show that falls within my top three of the entire weekend. 

Fronted by vocalist Alli Logout, Special Interest’s show never lacked in exuberance or action. Logout swung the microphone stand around, made outlandish facial expressions and paced across the entire stage, making the full audience feel connected to the performance. The stark contrast between Special Interest and Tomberlin highlighted the incredible range of artists we’re lucky enough to see at Pitchfork every year. If you get a chance to catch a Special Interest show, don’t miss it.

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Caroline Polachek

Caroline Polachek took over the Green Stage later in the afternoon, providing a mesmerizing set filled with eloquent dance moves and a charming presence. 

As Polachek sauntered and swayed across the stage, she also showcased a phenomenal vocal range alongside her stage presence. Earlier in the afternoon, Polachek gave an interview to Pitchfork stating that she pulled influence from Celine Dion in her new material, and that inspiration definitely translated to a lot of her vocal inflection during her Pitchfork set. 

Polachek’s show delivered it all: production value, a fun and confident attitude, and electric energy from the crowd. The audience seemed especially into the performance of “Bunny is a Rider,” which Polachek released earlier this Summer, and we also got a sneak peek of an unreleased track during her show. Stay tuned for more new music from Caroline Polachek soon. 

The Weather Station

The Weather Station performed to an absolutely packed Blue Stage on Sunday afternoon, and if there was an award for best style coordination among band members, they’d differently win it. Led by singer-songwriter Tamara Lindeman, The Weather Station took the stage all donning coordinated outfits in golden earth tones.

Besides being visual stunning, Lindeman also enchanted the audience with her serene vocals. The set opened with the single “I Tried to Wear the World,” a collaboration with Jennifer Castle, before pivoting to many songs from the 2021 album Ignorance, including “Parking Lot” and “Tried to Tell You.” The full band lineup onstage (including a clarinet player) gave a richness and layered texture to the live sound of these songs.

Thundercat

Thundercat gave us another genre-defying set over at the Red Stage later on Sunday evening. The brainchild of musician and songwriter Stephen Lee Bruner, Thundercat has become known for his fun-spirited mix of funk, jazz, r&b and electronic musical stylings.

Thundercat’s performance had a sprightly energy to it, which was reciprocated by the crowd dancing along. We got to experience lots of extended jams and jazzy bass riffs to kick off the set, especially with songs like “Interstellar Love” and “I Love Louis Cole.” The set wrapped up with the hit “Funny Thing” which even had audience members all the way at the back grinning from ear to ear and grooving along. Thundercat’s set was the perfect transition into. the evening of the final day at Pitchfork.

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Check out more photos from the last day of Pitchfork below, including Tomberlin, Special Interest, The Weather Station, Caroline Polachek, Oso Oso, Thundercat, Andy Shauf, and Erykah Badu below.

Live Recap: All Time Low's Holiday Weekend Kick Off at House of Blues

All Time Low returned to downtown Chicago’s House of Blues on Friday, December 21st to kick off the holiday weekend.

Fans of all ages flocked to The House of Blues on Friday night, bustling with excitement as they filled the decadent theater from wall to wall. After an opening set from Los Angeles band The Wrecks, the sold out crowd animatedly chatted during the stage changeover. Finally, after the 30 minute stretch, the house lights dimmed and the sound of “We Will Rock You” by Queen surrounded the audience, who clapped, stomped, and sang along while they waited for the four members of All Time Low to hit the stage. Seeing as the show took place a few short days before Christmas, the Queen song transitioned into “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, teasing the crowd one more time before the band finally burst onto the stage.

Once the band members had taken their place on the dim stage, the show began with a flash of bright lights and the opening notes of “Stella” from 2009’s Nothing Personal rang out into the crowd. From the get go, lead singer Alex Gaskarth refused to remain stationary for too long, often leaving his designated spot at the center of the stage to wander closer to the edge of the stage and give attention to every corner of the room. The fans in the crowd matched the band’s lively spirit, loudly singing along and jumping to every single song, no matter if it was from the early era of the 2000’s or one of their latest singles like “Everything is Fine,” which they played second. Along with the jumping and dancing that made House of Blues’ floor bounce and shake, fans immediately began crowd surfing and they stayed up for the entire show— with some fans crowd surfing even during the band’s slower songs.

Throughout the night, the unbeatable sense of chemistry and the enthusiastic performance from the four band members kept the mood high, but between songs, the band kept the audience laughing and smiling with their humorous stage banter; with Gaskarth and guitarist Jack Barakat often firing quips back and forth or cracking jokes with audience members. Gaskarth also kept the tone of the night light-hearted by granting passes for normal security faux pas— when introducing the song “Something’s Gotta Give,” he encouraged the crowd to channel their music festival habits, saying, “I understand in this here establishment, we can’t get on shoulders, but I’m gonna need you to get on some shoulders for this.” Fans took a break from crowd surfing for this song to climb on their friends’ shoulders and sway. Things slowed down slightly for “Therapy,” which followed, but the audience’s sing a long still echoed loudly, and some fans put their phone lights or lighters in the air to keep the crowd participation levels up.

Later on in the night, an interaction between Gaskarth and a long-time fan summed up a good portion of the room’s history with the band; When a crowd surfer got pulled over the barricade right at the end of a song, she got lucky enough to catch the singer’s ear and he asked security to let her stop and introduce herself with the microphone. “I looked down and she’s just like HEY I’M CHRISTIE! I WAS 13 WHEN I FIRST SAW YOU,” Gaskarth said, filling in everyone in the balcony and the back of the venue who may have missed the beginning of the interaction. While the crowd on Friday night definitely contained teenagers and some older generations, the majority of the audience members, like Christie, were now in their 20’s and had been listening to All Time Low for more than 10 years— since they were teenagers. And luckily for the fans who have been with All Time Low for years, the setlist for the Chicago show contained a good mix of their discography, filling everyone with nostalgia during the early-day throwbacks. Further catering to the nostalgia, All Time Low ended Friday’s encore with “Jasey Rae” from their 2006 debut album and “Dear Maria, Count Me In” from their 2008 album So Wrong, It's Right. Regardless of how long you’d been listening to the band or how many years you’ve been going to their concerts, there was no denying the feel-good mood of the room and the sense of happiness everyone felt as they left the show that night.

If you missed out on the sold out show, check out photos from All Time Low’s set below.

Keep up with All Time Low on Twitter // Instagram // Facebook



PHOTOS: Oh Wonder at Upstate Concert Hall 5.24

PHOTOS: Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness at HOB Chicago 3.24.17

The final installment of photos from the Zombies in America Tour is here! Check out Emily Nava's brilliant shots from headliner Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness's set. Also be sure to check out Emily Nava's photo galleries of Andrew's tourmates Night Riots and Atlas Genius if you haven't already!

Check out all of Andrew McMahon's upcoming tour dates here. (Psst! Chicago, he'll be back for Lollapalooza). You can also listen to the latest album Zombies on Broadway here:

Top Three for Free

If you're a music fan in Chicago with an appetite for live shows, but you've got no budget for concert tickets, never fear; ANCHR is here.  As a massive music fan myself, I've learned all the best ways to catch free shows in the city. While there's a bunch of different ways to get your music fix for free, here are my three personal favorite spots.

JBTV

JBTV has been around for over 30 years, featuring interviews and performances with some of the biggest names in music.  And guess what? Every performance is taped in front of a live studio audience, and anyone can attend the tapings for free with an RSVP.  The catch? A lot of the times (not always, though) shows are filmed in the early afternoon before the band plays their full gig in the evening and usually it's an up and coming act that you might not have even heard of yet.  However, if you can use your lunch hour to swing by the studio, it's totally worth it, and it's almost guaranteed to be an "I saw ____ before they were big" moment.  Popular artists like Twenty One Pilots, Bastille, The 1975, Hozier, BANKS, Borns, and Catfish and The Bottlemen all got their starts on the JBTV stage. Sometimes, bigger artists swing by the studio, though, so always keep you eyes on JBTV's website for all the information on shows. Just yesterday, they had Arkells back in the studio, and they've had bands like Walk The Moon and The Wombats make return appearances after having major international success. There's also plenty of evening and weekend shows if you can't make the more frequent lunchtime performances. 

The Wombats at JBTV

The Wombats at JBTV

WXRT Blue Cross Blue Shield Performance Stage/ Studio X

Plenty of radio stations offer free in-studio performances from artists on their playlist rosters, but few do it as well as XRT.  Although they'll sometimes have long breaks between BCBS Performance Stage sets or Studio X sessions, this week the station is hosting three contests for free performances.  The best part is that they're all great artists, including The Lemon Twigs and Bear's Den. Like JBTV, the BCBS stage performances tend to be in the early afternoon, but in the past year or so, I've managed to win slots to see artists like Jack Garratt, Shura, Warpaint, Allen Stone, and Twin Peaks.  Then, XRT even has a separate segment called Studio X, which entails a secret, larger show at different venues around town. For New Years Eve, XRT got Houndmouth to play a free set to a packed Reggies Rock Club, and they've also had Band of Horses, James Bay, George Ezra, and Phoenix.  Stay in the loop by signing up for these performance slots on XRT's website. You do need to win a space at these performances, but all you need to do is fill out an online form (no crazy call-in contests) and they seem to do a fair job of rotating winners.

Catfish and The Bottlemen at the BCBS Stage

Catfish and The Bottlemen at the BCBS Stage

The Virgin Hotel

In general, The Virgin Hotel is one of the best places in the city...on earth, even.  I've had the luxury of actually staying at the Virgin Hotel once, but I've been there more than a couple dozen times for events over the past two years.  Besides hosting killer DJ sets from artists like Questlove, Haim,and Wild Belle, they've had plenty of live shows by the likes of The Orwells, Parquet Courts, Grizfolk, Coasts, HAELOS and Seinabo Sey...just to name a few. The shows are for the most part free with an RSVP, and most of the DJ sets happen on the rooftop, free views included.  The best part is, the hotel has all the amenities of a luxury hotel without an added snooty factor... Employees are friendly and welcoming, and they're always up for hosting non-hotel guests at their events. Next month, they're hosting a free gig on February 11th with American Grizzly, Lucille Furs, and Joe Bordenaro & The Late Bloomers.  Head to their Twitter page for all the latest details. 

Broods at Virgin Hotels Chicago

Broods at Virgin Hotels Chicago

For even more free live music in Chicago, follow local record stores, like Reckless Records and Shuga, on social media for any in-store performance opportunities, sign up for Sofar Sounds' mailing list, and text "LOUNGE" to 312-101 for updates on Sound Lounge performances at WKQX's studio (they tend to be harder to get into than the XRT ones, but good luck!) You can even sign up for street team positions at local venues to score free tickets to gigs. As always, keep your eyes on ANCHR's Twitter, as we also give away free gig tickets from time to time. 

And there you have it... your guide to seeing more live music this year!

P.S. If you're not in Chicago, you should still look into local record stores and radio stations, Sofar Sounds, and street teaming for free gig opportunities.

Words and Photos by Rachel Zyzda