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Live Recap: Shura's Forevher Tour at Empty Bottle

Last Wednesday night, English singer, songwriter and producer extraordinaire Shura drew a packed house to The Empty Bottle— returning for the first time since 2016. The comeback show in Chicago was in honor of her sophomore album Forevher and marked Shura’s debut headline set in the city.

Shura’s two albums are both full of intricately produced and layered earworms, but she and her two bandmates stepped up to the challenge of recreating her complex songs in a live setting. Shura first hooked me as a listener with her relatable and vulnerable confessions in songs like “2Shy” and “Indecision,” and during her live show, she carried herself with the same honest demeanor. Whether she was poking fun of herself for her own stage banter at Austin City Limits Festival or she was breaking the fourth wall and reaching out to the audience members during “Touch”, there was constantly an air of humility that made it even easier to connect with the music.

The energy of the night culminated when Shura performed the epic “White Light,” which spans over ten minutes on her first album. During her show, Shura threw everything she had into the performance of the tune and thrashed around the stage, keeping the energy high through the end of the show.

See where you can catch Shura on tour next here, and listen to the new album in full below.

PHOTOS: Oh Sees Doubleheader at Thalia Hall October 2019

This past weekend, Oh Sees returned for yet another October show at Thalia Hall—this time taking over the venue for two sold out, back-to-back nights. We caught their second show of the weekend on Saturday night, which was full of energy both from the band and the audience. Check out our photo recap of the show below.

Live Recap: Catfish and the Bottlemen at Aragon Ballroom 10.05.19

Catfish and the Bottlemen have played just about all size and scope of shows in Chicago; From headlining venues like Schubas and House of Blues to opening up for Green Day at Wrigley Field and playing festivals like Lollapalooza, there’s been endless possibilities to see them perform here. This past Saturday, the band performed their biggest headline show to date to a packed house at Aragon Ballroom.

The venue was a room that Catfish and The Bottlemen had played on other bills before, but this time they were the main act, and their devoted fans filled the room ready to support them. Saturday’s show was also their first performance in the city proper since their third album, The Balance, was released earlier this spring (the band had played Piqniq in Tinley Park over the summer), so the setlist boasted some new material. The band balanced (pun intended) the new songs like “Longshot” and “2all” by also including fan favorites from their first two records The Balcony and The Ride. The crowd remained enthusiastic throughout the whole show, showing appreciation by screaming along to the lyrics and relentlessly cheering, but nothing quite matched the audience reactions during the classics like “Kathleen” and “Cocoon.”

Catfish and the Bottlemen is a band that has consistently delivered captivating live shows, thanks to lead singer Van McCann’s magnetic stage presence that always seems to effortlessly connect with the crowd of any size. If you missed them during this past tour, the band will return to The States for the second part of their US tour this winter—see dates here.

Purchase a copy of The Balance here, or stream it in full below.

PHOTOS: Bombay Bicycle Club with The Greeting Committee at House of Blues 10.01.19

House of Blues kicked off October with an incredible show from Bombay Bicycle Club and The Greeting Committee. Check out photos from the high energy evening below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.

Pre-Order Bombay Bicycle Club’s new album EVERYTHING ELSE HAS GONE WRONG, out January 2020, here

PHOTOS: Flor with joan and lostboycrow at Bottom Lounge 10.01.19

Flor kicked off October at Bottom Lounge with a feel-good show also featuring joan and Lostboycrow. Check out photos from the evening below.

Listen to flor’s newest album in full below, and keep up with their upcoming tour dates here.

PHOTOS: Badflower with Weathers and Dead Poet Society at Bottom Lounge 09.29.19

Badflower played a packed show at Bottom Lounge on September 29th, alongside Weathers and Dead Poet Society. Check out photos from the show below.

Listen to Badflower’s album Ok, I’m Sick in full below and see their next tour stops here.

PHOTOS: Mac DeMarco at The Riviera Theatre 09.29.19

Mac DeMarco headlined two sold out shows this past weekend at The Riviera Theatre, in honor of his new album Here Comes The Cowboy, released this Spring. Check out photos from the second night below.

Check out Mac’s upcoming tour dates here, and listen to his latest album in full below.

Live Recap: SHAED at 7th St Entry 09.30.19

SHAED’s career skyrocketed after they released their hit single “Trampoline” in June 2018; The tune can be heard playing nearly every time the radio is turned on, it’s been featured in Apple commercials, and the trio just recently re-released a new version featuring Zayn Malik. As the group continues to climb the charts, it’s certainly no surprise that their Monday night show at 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis, Minnesota was sold out.

In the moments leading up to the start of Monday’s show with opener Absofacto, excitement coursed through the room full of fans. He hyped up the crowd as fans in the audience screamed back at him after each song was over. His dance moves were electric and fun, which put a smile on many faces. He ended his 9-song set with “Dissolve,” which became a hit after appearing in videos on Tik Tok.  When it was all over, the audience began a chant for an encore.  

As the stage was getting set up for SHAED, fans were buzzing with even more anticipation. They screamed when the setlist came out and analyzed it, determining which ones they were most amped for. Then, the lights went down. A silence came over the crowd and orange lights framed the stage seconds before SHAED came on. 

They started their show off with “Just Wanna See,” the first song they ever released. As each song ended the lead singer, Chelsea Lee, lit up with a smile on her face. Her love and passion for music and performing was clearly apparent in the emotion on her face. They followed that song with “ISOU,” which was released earlier this year. Crowds already knew the words and sang along loudly and joyously. Throughout the show, Lee spoke about not being perfect but still loving yourself because no one is perfect, which resonated with the fans as they looked up to her with admiration in their eyes. 

SHAED closed out the show with their wildly popular single, “Trampoline.” The crowd was absolutely electric. They cherished every moment of that song and sang it back to SHAED with verve, and the band left everything they had on the stage. See where SHAED is off to next here






PHOTOS: Valley at House of Blues 09.22.19

Last Sunday, 9/22, ANCHR Photographer Emily Nava caught an energetic set from Valley as they warmed up the stage for The Band Camino. Check out photos from the show, and keep up with Valley’s upcoming tour dates here.

Valley on Facebook + Instagram

PHOTOS: Fontaines D.C. and Pottery at Lincoln Hall 9.15.19

Last Sunday, I wrapped up my Riot Fest weekend with a sold out double-header from Pottery and Fontaines D.C. at Lincoln Hall. If you weren’t able to snag a ticket to the packed show, check out photos from both bands below.

Upcoming Fontaines D.C. Tour Dates

Keep up with Fontaines D.C. on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Keep up with Pottery on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram