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LIVE: together PANGEA Bring Their Bulls and Roosters Tour to Bottom Lounge
together PANGEA brought a rowdy show and a stacked line up to Chicago’s Bottom Lounge as part of their Bulls and Roosters tour this past Friday night.
Chicago’s own Lala Lala warmed up the early arrivers of the evening, kicking things off at 7PM sharp. The three piece, fronted by Lillie West, performed songs from their 2016 debut album Sleepyhead, as well as their own rendition of together PANGEA’s “Night of the Living Dummy.” As their thirty minute set came to an end, more and more people had trickled into the venue.
By the time Nashville’s Daddy Issues strolled onto stage, the room had mostly filled out. The grunge-pop trio performed songs from their 2017 album Deep Dream, telling funny anecdotes between songs, often giving a little backstory about the lyrics in each forthcoming song. Lead singer Jenna Moynihan introduced many of the tracks about being single or ending a relationship, but she also gave a shout out to Chicago’s Treehouse Records, mentioning that the band had recorded one of their songs there. As the set progressed, more and more of the audience danced and sang along to Daddy Issues’ relatable narratives, and the group left the stage to rambunctious applause.
The Argentinian rocker Tall Juan hopped up onstage next to deliver the most theatrical performance of the night. Starting the set off solo, Juan performed his first song on an acoustic guitar, but added some flavor by thrashing his hips around and kissing his microphone stand to a backdrop of a flickering spotlight. Following the opening number, Tall Juan invited an audience member to play drums on the abandoned drum set propped up next to him. The spontaneous band addition added a unique and unpredictable quality to Tall Juan’s performance. The crowd showed their appreciation for the off-the-cuff performance by beginning the evening’s crowd surfing and moshing during his set.
The same boisterous spirit transferred over to the headliner together PANGEA’s set about 15 minutes later. As soon as band hit the stage and the opening riff of their song "Alive" rang out, a surge of energy flowed through the jammed and sweaty moshpit, as the young crowd jumped around, screaming the lyrics back to the band. It only took a song or two before crowd surfers started popping up, and the energy only amplified from there. The well plotted setlist contained a solid mix of older and newer songs from the Bulls and Roosters, like “Kennmore Ave.” and “Money on It.” The wild tone of the night lulled just past 10PM, when the band completed the first part of their set and walked offstage to demands for an encore. The band obliged and came back to deliver a few more tunes. The energy quickly swept back to full force as the band performed “Night of the Living Dummy,” which lead singer William Keegan introduced as the song that Lala Lala had performed earlier in the night. Coming full circle, the ladies of Lala LaLa ran out onstage to crowdsurf during the song. The evening ended with the crowd cheering their appreciation for a show that provided the perfect weekend kickoff.
Photos of Lala Lala, Daddy Issues, Tall Juan, and together PANGEA
See the rest of together PANGEA's upcoming tour dates here, and listen to Bulls and Roosters in full below.
LIVE: Fleet Foxes and Nap Eyes at Chicago Theatre
This past Tuesday night, lingering Summer vibes clung to the air as concertgoers stepped into the Chicago Theatre to be transported to a different place, where they would spend the evening with beautiful souls and people willing to open up their hearts to music and art. Who better to facilitate the journey but the Seattle based Fleet Foxes and Nap Eyes, who set the mood with indie rock vibes all the way from Nova Scotia.
After the tone had been set, Fleet Foxes graced the stage for the first of two sold out nights at The Chicago Theatre, as part of their Crack-UP Tour. They surrounded us with those soothing folk jams, and their signature, powerful falsettos that juxtapose beautifully with a rich, full sound. To complement that all, their stage setup engulfed us in a beautiful watercolor setting with the most satisfying color pairings.
Fleet Foxes treated the crowd to half of their latest album, while also carefully taking us back to their beginnings. Frontman Robin Pecknold also indulged audience requests like "Textbook Love," a song from their self-titled EP, and even Phish snippets when someone yelled “Play more Phish songs!"
The evening felt very intimate, despite being in a spacious venue. During the encore, Pecknold performed solo, addressing the madness of the previous day: the Vegas massacre and Tom Petty’s passing. As a protest, he delivered a very touching cover of Petty's "Don’t Come Around Here No More."
Photos of Nap Eyes and Fleet Foxes
See all of Fleet Foxes' upcoming tour dates here, and listen to Crack-Up in full below.
PHOTOS: Wand at Lincoln Hall
WAND stopped by Lincoln Hall this weekend in support of their new album Plum, and their set included a few surprises. If you missed the show, check out the photo gallery of it below!
LIVE: Broken Social Scene with Frightened Rabbit and The Belle Game
Openers The Belle Game and Frightened Rabbit set the tone for a magical performance from Broken Social Scene at the Aragon Ballroom on September 29th.
With a band like Broken Social Scene you never really know what you're going to get from their show. There are constant surprises throughout their show, due to an always changing line up of artists on their touring roster. Accompanied by a wide array of instruments such as a horn section and even a Mohan Veena, Broken Social Scene possesses a powerful and unique sound during their live show.
On Friday night, the supergroup opened with their song “KC Accidental” off their 2003 album You Forgot It in People. What followed was a flowing and diverse set. Ariel Engle and the girls from The Belle Game filled in for female vocals on songs such as “7/4 (Shoreline)." Following that, they played a couple songs off their 2017 album Hug of Thunder, such as “Halfway Home” and “Protest song." Before their song “Texico Bitches," frontman Kevin Drew talked about how Chicago was very influential in their career and that he had wrote this song while here. He then hopped off the stage and performed the song along the barrier next to the crowd.
They continued playing songs off many of their albums and eventually the set seemed to be coming to a close. However, they were not done with surprises! After doing a cover of The Archies “Sugar Sugar” with original Archies band member Andy Kim, they also played “Sister OK” off Kim’s 2015 record It’s Decided. Closing out their set was a couple more hits like “Anthems For a Seventeen Year Old Girl” and “Meet Me in the Basement."
Broken Social Scene really prove that they are still a powerhouse of putting out great music and performing it live after so many years. With changes to their set lists and line up of band members they are sure to put on a great show no matter where they are. For more information about their upcoming shows click here.
While you wait for the next tour, listen to Broken Social Scene's latest album Hug of Thunder in full below!
PHOTOS: Hundred Waters with Lafawndah
If you missed out on the stunning show from Lafawndah and Hundred Waters, check out our photo gallery of the show here.
See the rest of Hundred Waters' tour date here, and listen to their new album Communicating in full below.
PHOTOS: Chicano Batman, Khruangbin, and The Shacks at Thalia Hall
The Shacks, Khruangbin, and Chicano Batman put on a mesmerizing show at a very sold out Thalia Hall. Check out the full photo gallery of the show below!
See the rest of Chicano Batman's upcoming tour dates here, and listen to their album Freedom is Free in full below!
LIVE: Glass Animals and Amber Mark at Aragon Ballroom
Glass Animals brought dance moves, pineapples, and an energetic performance to Chicago's Aragon Ballroom
New York's singer songwriter Amber Mark warmed up the sold out crowd with her lively pop and R&B fused tunes. Performing a 30 minute set composed mainly of songs off her debut EP, called 3:33AM, Mark showed off her powerful vocals while exuding a carefree and fun attitude.
Glass Animals took the fully decked out stage next, stocked with a pineapple disco ball, palm trees, and a prop TV. Hitting the stage in a blaze of energy, the British indie rockers commanded the crowd's attention and had them all echoing back the words of songs from their sophomore album How To Be A Human Being. The exuberant and dynamic set included the entirety of the band's second album, as well as a few of their most popular tracks, like "Black Mambo" and "Gooey," from their debut album ZABA. During the latter, Glass Animals' frontman Dave Bayley jumped off the stage to bring his signature dance moves directly to the crowd. Between each song, the devoted audience erupted in nearly deafening applause and cheers, and Bayley never stopped expressing the band's gratitude. The memorable performance wrapped up just before 10PM, the crowd filing out of the ballroom with infectious smiles on their faces.
If you missed out on the show, check out our gallery of Amber Mark and Glass Animals below!
Check out the rest of Glass Animals' tour dates here, and listen to their How To Be A Human Being album in full below!
PHOTOS: Cayetana Rock The Subterranean
Philadelphia rockers Cayetana took over the Subterranean earlier this week with the help of Hemming, Strange Relations, and What Gives. Check out our photo gallery featuring all of the bands below!
Check out all of Cayetana's tour dates here, and listen to their album New Kind of Normal in full below!
LIVE: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Mild High Club at Lincoln Hall
Mild High Club and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard made a perfect pairing for a double header of sold out shows at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall. The two groups created an IRL experience of "Sketches of Brunswick East" for the first time.
Mild High Club took the stage shortly after 8PM on Monday for a hometown show that featured collaborations and additional layers that brought their recorded music to life. Kicking off the collaborations, vocalist Quinn Tsan joined the group to sing alongside lead singer and frontman Alex Brettin. Shortly after Tsan left the stage to a swooping round of applause, the band added in a saxophonist for a few songs, followed by a brief guest appearance of Adam LP from new Chicago outfit wavy id. While both Sunday and Monday night’s set included popular songs like “Windowpane” and “Tessellation,” Brettin and his bandmates switched up the order of their set each nice to make their show even more dynamic. The combination of guest appearances, a refreshed setlist, and a trippy light show made for an all encompassing and captivating performance from Mild High Club.
Australian psych rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard hit the stage next with a blaze of guitar jams and pacing rhythms that never slowed down, thanks in large part to their two drummers. The seven piece group completely filled out the humble stage at the 500 capacity venue, and the crowd completely packed in to be as close as possible to stage. From the second the super group opened up with “Some Context” from their first album of 2017, Murder of the Universe, the audience and King Gizzard reciprocated one another’s energy levels. While frontman Stu MacKenzie would flip the top half of his body upside down, flail his guitar around, or flash his tongue to the crowd, the audience would thrash around in the mosh pit, which amplified in intensity as the 90 minute set progressed. The set spanned the course of several of King Gizzard’s albums, but the crowd got the rowdiest during “Rattlesnake” from Flying Microtonal Banana and “Gamma Knife” from Nonagon Infinity. At some points, a few audience members attempted to crowd surf (before being stopped by venue security). Nonetheless, the spirit of the crowd clung to the brim, never dipping as the ambitious Aussies kept up their signature pulsating pace. Just as King Gizzard’s set approached the finish line, they invited Alex and Mat of Mild High Club to join them on the stage to perform some of their collaborative album Sketches of Brunswick East, which made the stage even tighter than it already had been. The two groups performed the jazz-tinged “Countdown” and “Rolling Stoned” together before they all left the stage to a grateful and awestruck audience.
