ANCHR Magazine

Holding you down with the best new music

Filtering by Tag: Thalia Hall

Live Recap: Horsegirl with Lifeguard at Thalia Hall

A fellow photographer told me on August 13 that it was the most crowded he’d ever seen Thalia Hall for an all-ages event. The turnout for Horsegirl and Lifeguard’s final show of their tour was impressive, especially for a Sunday, but it made sense—both bands hail from Chicago, and many of their friends are finishing up summer break from high school or college close to home. The members of Lifeguard would soon be starting fall semester at Jones College Prep, which Horsegirl also attended.

“We love Horsegirl,” guitarist and vocalist Kai Slater said at the start of Lifeguard’s set. “It’s been amazing to tour with our best friends.”

Lifeguard’s opening set at Thalia Hall was high-energy, complete with explosive solos, raging vocals and full-body movement across the stage. The band’s setlist interwove recognizable hits with newer tracks, including several from an EP released just over a month ago. Several songs in, the band invited Horsegirl’s drummer Gigi Reece onstage.

“We’re going to play a Wipers cover, and Gigi’s going to solve a Rubik’s cube before it ends,” Slater addressed the audience. “It’s a minute and a half long. If they don’t finish in time, Horsegirl doesn’t get to play.”

Reece bopped from side to side and tinkered with the Rubik’s cube as Lifeguard surged through “Telepathic Love.” They held up the finished puzzle just as the band finished playing. Lifeguard had Reece stay on stage for the next song, “Fifty Seven,” to play maraca.

After Lifeguard’s set, Slater walked to the front of the stage and bent over to toss a couple sheets of notebook paper into the audience. His setlist fluttered into the audience, where a couple of fans snatched it and read with eager eyes.

Then Horsegirl came on stage to set up.

“I love you, Nora!” A voice shouted from the audience. The guitarist-vocalist smiled and waved.

Horsegirl brought more of a quiet brooding tone than Lifeguard. The band opened with “Bog Bog 1,” a slow and shoegazey instrumental from its 2022 album Versions of Modern Performance. The trio played a number of other hits from the LP, but they also introduced a number of new songs, including a catchy power ballad they penned in recent months. Horsegirl is in the midst of recording its next album, and the group’s set at Thalia Hall reflected more uptempo influences than those for their post-pandemic debut.

Horsegirl brought Lifeguard on stage at the end of their set for a joint encore.

“We came up with this idea yesterday,” bassist/guitarist and vocalist Penelope Lowenstein announced.

The idea was to cover “I Wanna Be Adored,” and It was hard to believe the groups hadn’t been rehearsing their performance for weeks. Nora Cheng’s voice was velvety and full, and the thick layers of guitar and bass reverberated perfectly over spacious drum lines. Concert-goers of all ages left the venue beaming.

See the full photo gallery of the show below, and see where you can catch Horsegirl next here.

PHOTOS: Ibeyi and Kara Jackson at Thalia Hall

PHOTOS: Jawny with Wallice at Thalia Hall

Jawny and Wallice brought the high energy to Thalia Hall on St.Patty’s Day. If you missed the sold out show, check out photos below, and see where you can catch Jawny on tour next here.

PHOTOS: New Found Glory with Leanna Firestone at Thalia Hall

Nostalgia filled Thalia Hall on Saturday, March 11th when New Found Glory put on a sold-out show with Leanna Firestone. Check out photos from the evening below, and see where you can catch New Found Glory next here.

PHOTOS: Otoboke Beaver at Thalia Hall

On Sunday, February 26th, Otoboke Beaver played a rowdy, sold out show at Thalia Hall. If you missed it, see photos below and see where you can catch them next here.

PHOTOS: Whitney and Liam Kazar at Thalia Hall

Whitney returned to Thalia Hall from December 21-23rd for a three-night residency to round out 2022. Check out photos from the first of three nights, featuring support from Liam Kazar below.

PHOTOS: Alex G and Hatchie at Thalia Hall

This week, Thalia Hall hosted two sold-out shows from Alex G and Hatchie, in honor of Alex G’s new album God Save The Animals. If you missed the shows, check out photos from the second night below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.

PHOTOS: Kurt Vile with Natural Information Society at Thalia Hall

This past weekend, Kurt Vile took over the Thalia Hall stage for three nights. If you missed out on all the fun, check out the photo recap of the evening below. See where you can catch the tour next here.

Live Recap: Thao with Becca Mancari and Why Bonnie

As Austin band Why Bonnie kicked off the show, I couldn’t help noticing there was an undeniable americana hitch to the vocals by lyricist Blair Howerton. Especially during their latest single “Galveston.” It’s emotive, it comes from the gut. More 90’s wail than coal miner’s daughter. The relaxed ease of Howerton’s stage presence echoes the authenticity of her voice, and the music dovetails with that authenticity perfectly. Why Bonnie brings a more actively impassioned approach to dreamy bedroom rock. Sometimes that passion has some punch, some anger. “Athlete” balances muscular grunge with trance-like washes. As Howerton sings “I wish I were quicker on my feet…”, things go sideways fast as the landscape bends into psych that could trip you up. But this audience is nimble, and they sway into the rock of the music. Bassist Chance Williams and Sam Houdek on guitar anchored the sides of the stage with loose limbed rhythm, letting their bodies bend and their hair fly. Why Bonnie topped off their set with “No Caves,“ the gentle rocking evolved, taking us someplace intensely emotionally raw. As Howerton wails, "I wanna take off your clothes, Set us on fire just to see where the smoke goes" the cathartic energy swept over the crowd. Leaving me lighter in the wake of their performance, and much anticipating the album they promised to release later this year. 

Becca Mancari writes music that captures emotion. It’s lyrically expressive, and yet tonally juxtaposed. The music is soothing, but the lyrics clearly tell us “I’ve got a bad bad bad feeling.” Sometimes the music shifts suddenly to more directly reflect the lyrics. It is a delicate balancing act. The band has the confident swagger to meet the talent of Mancari’s songwriting. They show the breadth of the music with the first few songs, greeting us with “Pretend,” a delightful sunny breakup song. “Hunter” was a rhythmic driving proto-alt banger. Going into her third song, “First Time,” Mancari tells us the moment that inspired this song was the catalyst for her writing her 2020 album, The Greatest Part. They dedicated it to the “queer babies” in the audience. The glistening echoing tones defied the heart-crushing lyric, “I remember the first time my dad didn't hug me back.” As the song ends and fades, somehow I was left with a sense of beauty. Mancari lifts our hearts with a breathless, "Happy pride y'all. 365." The masterful stage presence and vulnerability of the music kept the audience rapt. I got weak in the knees from the four part harmony during “Golden.” I begged for more, even as she sang, “I’m sorry I’m not done yet.”  Mancari and her band owned the stage with strength and an uplifting sense of community. 

From the moment THAO stepped on the stage in a pearlescent sequined jumpsuit, the tone was set for celebration. It was Thao Nguyen’s birthday eve, afterall. As the first song, “Departure,” built and unraveled, the audience’s enthusiasm heated up. They were surely ready for the rhythmically complex, heavy beat, and melodic exploration of Thao’s music. Finally on tour two years after the release of Temple, there was a palpable energy of a night long awaited. They warmed us up to that album with “Phenom,” bringing that edgy west coast attitude. Thao isn’t afraid to inject her music with atonal tuning which can be off-putting to American rock sensibilities. It is disruptive in the most pleasurable way possible, giving the lanky beat an off kilter bouncy house feel.

There were hoots from the audience when Thao brought out the banjo for “Holy Roller.” I was mesmerized by her standing strut. I couldn’t resist shifting my weight in concert with her. On the chorus, Thao gestured and the crowd jumped in to sing along. The band pleased dedicated fans by playing songs from across Thao’s catalog, going as far back as her 2008 track, “Feet Asleep.”  

Thao wrote “Temple” from her mother’s perspective, telling us of their flight from Vietnam, “But we found freedom, what will you do now, bury the burden baby, make us proud.” The emotion was thick as Thao moved, the sequins on her jumpsuit caught dramatic beams of light, which moved around the space like searchlights. There’s a distinct plucking style to the way Thao plays guitar, you can see the banjo/mandolin player at work. I could also see the great rhythm and blues musicians in the way she speaks through her guitar, sometimes it is harmonizing, sometimes echoing a reply, or offering a staccato exclamation point. Thao grimaced, letting her raw emotion flow through her guitar during “Guts,” and the audience threw up their arms and let their bodies move in a Woodstock-like ecstasy. Song after song showed how central the groove is to Thao’s music. She hooked us with that body moving groove and then hit us with her heart and soul. It is the perfect delivery system for a cathartically charged experience. 

All three bands in the lineup blended influences and smoothly traversed the rock landscape from Americana to psych to grunge to angular to groove. No matter the form the music took, there was an emotively raw authenticity that made me feel grateful to be there sharing that space.

All photos and words by Tina Mead

PHOTOS: Indigo De Souza and Lucy Dacus at Thalia Hall

This past Tuesday night, fans gathered at Thalia Hall for a sold out show from Indigo De Souza and Lucy Dacus. Despite having herniated discs in her back, Lucy still managed to put on an incredible performance—all from a couch that was placed on the stage before her set. The stage set up gave out cozy vibes that almost made it feel like we were watching the show from our own living rooms.

If you missed out on the gig, check out our photo recap below, and see where you can catch Lucy next here.