Filtering by Category: Photos
PHOTOS: Handsome Ghost and Flor at SubT 2/10/18
This past Saturday, Handsome Ghost and Flor played to a sold out Subterranean in Wicker Park, in celebration of their new albums. Check out photos from their feel-good and energetic sets below, and see the rest of the bands' upcoming tour dates here.
Chicago, while you wait for Handsome Ghost and Flor to come back through town, listen to their new albums in full below!
LIVE: Night Beats and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 2/10/18
Night Beats got the energy flowing at The Vic Theatre on Saturday, warming up the eager crowd full of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club fans. The band's frontman Danny "Lee Blackwell" Rajan Billingsley smoothed and swayed the crowd with his deliverance of songs like “Playing Dead," while drummer James Traeger sizzled his hi-hat and bassist Jakob Bowden kicked the air as he provided the groove of each track. The lighting complimented the trio's psychedelic garage rock sound with fading solid colors that cut through an immense fog.
Night Beats has been nonstop since their formation in 2009, up until now with their massive tour supporting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The trio surfed through hits from their 3 albums and multiple EP’s without any disappointments on Saturday night. The big bang came near the closing of their set with “Puppet On a String," which boasts echoing vocals, bass drum stomping, smooth bass licks, and twangy riffs.
After the incredible introductory set by Night Beats, strobe lights illuminated the back of the stage all while the fog continued to build upon itself. BRMC's vocalist Peter Hayes strummed his first riff of the night introducing “Spook" from their 2018 album Wrong Creatures. Leah Shapiro, drummer, beat the next the song of their set “Little Things Gone Wild” into fruition, while Robert Been dished out some spine tingling chills with his harmonica playing, completely owning “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” with deep bass chords that would scare off any demon.
Most of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s set featured new tracks from their eighth album Wrong Creatures. Some highlights included “Echo," which pulled at the heartstrings of the soul, and “King of Bones” giving the crowd fuel to strengthen their hearts, as well as the crowd loudly singing along to "Spread Your Love." The band played “Whatever Happened To My Rock and Roll” at the end of their set, leaving us to wonder, what will get from rock and roll next?Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’ and Night Beats are promising signs that rock and roll is still here to stay.
Relive the rock and roll energy of the evening with our photo galleries from the show below!
Night Beats
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Featured
LIVE: Sir Sly and K.Flay // The Every Where Is Some Where Tour
Sir Sly and K.Flay performed to a sold out Concord Music Hall at the tail end of their Every Where Is Some Where run this past Friday night
LA-based trio Sir Sly warmed up the Friday night crowd for K.Flay, kicking off their energetic set with “Astronaut” from their sophomore album, Don’t You Worry Honey. The band’s latest record focuses on frontman and lead vocalist Landon Jacobs’ deeply personal struggles over the past few years, including his divorce and his mother passing away from brain cancer. As Jacobs and his bandmates Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito performed their set, a massive light up brain backed them onstage, paying homage to Jacobs’ mother. While their lighting added another layer to Sir Sly’s live performance, the way that the three band members fed off one another, delivering a dynamic set to the Chicago crowd, made for the perfect show all in itself. On top of reworking the live arrangements for tracks like “Change” and “&Run” to build them up and flesh them out, Jacobs threw all of his energy into their 45 minute set. From his dancing around the stage to climbing up to the balcony and scaling the railing along the venue, Jacobs performed with an intense sense of conviction, never allowing a dull moment to creep into their set. Sir Sly will be performing at festivals around the country this year, from Coachella to Governors Ball, so if you get a chance to catch one of their animated performances, don’t miss it.
Kristine Meredith Flaherty, better known as K.Flay, hit the stage next with the same vivacious spirit that Sir Sly exhibited during their set. Opening with “Make Me Fade,” the LA-based, Wilmette, IL native immediately had the crowd mesmerized by her exuberant stage presence, the packed house loudly singing back her candid narratives. After the opening track from her debut album Life as a Dog, K.Flay followed up with a three song streak of tunes from her sophomore album and the namesake of the tour, Every Where is Some Where. K.Flay’s music connects so deeply with her audience based off her ability to pour herself and her experiences into her lyrics, and as the crowd got lost in the moment, you could tell that this concert was not only a cathartic moment for them, but for K.Flay as well.
Between songs, K.Flay exuded a relaxed and approachable onstage demeanor that carried the same candor of every song of hers. Before playing “Wishing It Was You” from her first record, K.Flay dedicated the song to anyone who’s ever been in unrequited love, saying “This song goes out to anybody who’s been in love with somebody who didn’t love them back.” Very few artists conduct themselves with the same level of authenticity, but K.Flay managed to break down the artist-to-fan barrier and give the feeling of an intimate performance, even in the extremely packed music hall. By the end of the night, after the last notes of the electrifying track “Blood in the Cut” rang out into the venue and K.Flay and her band left the stage, the audience pleaded for an encore performance. Their cheers flooded the Logan Square concert venue with an overwhelming demand for more of K.Flay's heartfelt music, and she obliged, closing out the explosive show with “Slow March.” Artists like K.Flay and Sir Sly amplify the music they've written and recorded during their live shows, giving their audience an absolutely stellar show and a one-of-a-kind feeling that you can't get from simply listening to their records. To get in on that magic, check out K.Flay as she continues her headlining tour in March; see tour dates here.
Relive the intense show with our photo gallery of Sir Sly and K.Flay
Related Articles
PHOTOS: Bully at The Empty Bottle
This past Monday night, Jim Beam and The Empty Bottle treated Chicago to a free show from Nashville rockers, Bully. Fans packed into the intimate Ukrainian Village venue to experience the special performance from the group, who just put out their sophomore record Losing last year. Check out some photos from the one-of-a-kind evening, and listen to the album in full below!
PHOTOS: Company of Thieves and Walk The Moon at Aragon Ballroom 1.26.18
Last Friday, we kicked off our weekend in style with a hometown show from Company of Thieves, followed by Walk the Moon. See photos from the energetic and lively performances at Aragon Ballroom below, and check out the rest of Company of Thieves upcoming tour dates here!
Company of Thieves will also have a new EP out next month. To hold you over, check out their latest single "Treasure" now!
PHOTOS: Yoke Lore at Schubas 1.23.18
Vita and the Woolf and Yoke Lore dazzled Schubas Tavern on Tuesday night this week. Check out photos from their incredible performances below!
East coast family, catch Yoke Lore live through the rest of the month...his remaining tour dates can be seen here!
Can't get enough Yoke Lore? Check out our interview with him here.
LIVE: HINDS Closed Out TNK Fest 2018 at Lincoln Hall
Madrid quartet HINDS was number one on our most anticipated acts of TNK Fest 2018, and they definitely did not disappoint during their show this past Sunday! They closed out the annual winter, multi-day and multi-venue festival at Lincoln Hall, following rowdy performances from openers Peel and Sløtface.
Bursting onto the stage to the sounds of “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate on the house speakers, the four piece immediately let the audience know that they were in for a light hearted and energetic performance filled with good vibes. The last time HINDS had played one of their endearing and energetic shows in Chicago was back in May of last year, where they packed The Empty Bottle for a free Red Bull sponsored show. The Lincoln Hall audience welcomed HINDS back to town with open arms; eagerly soaking up their irresistible and lively lo-fi rock tunes.
The band kicked off the evening with one of their most popular tracks, “Garden,” from the 2016 album Leave Me Alone, and the set that followed kept the audience engaged and enthralled from start to finish. Between playing even more crowd favorites from the same album, like “Castigadas En El Granero” and “Chili Town,” Carlotta Cosials talked about how Chicago almost felt like a second home to them, even though they came a long way from Madrid to play a small run of North American tour dates. In addition to the handful of shows HINDS have played in town, they also played an entire tour with Chicago’s Twin Peaks, and of course, Twin Peaks showed up to support their former tour mates and now friends for their show at Lincoln Hall.
The band also talked about some exciting news they had just shared earlier in the week; a new album and another expansive tour in the Spring. Accompanying the news of the album, I Don’t Run, HINDS released lead single “New For You,” which they played amongst their other setlist staples. After delivering nearly an hour of their catchy tunes at a non-stop pace, HINDS left the stage briefly, only to return for an encore that kicked off with a surprise. Twin Peaks members Clay Frankel and Colin Croom took the stage to give HINDS a hand with a cover of “Sweet Thing” from Twin Peaks’ Wild Onion LP, giving HINDS’ show in Chicago a special hometown touch.
If you missed out on this performance at Lincoln Hall, don’t sweat too much...HINDS will be back at the same venue during their upcoming tour! Grab tickets to their May 15th show here, and check out the rest of their tour dates right here.
Photo gallery of Sløtface, Peel, and HINDS by Catalina Florea
While you wait for HINDS to come play in a city near you, listen to "New For You" below, and pre-order I Don't Run here.
PHOTOS: Megabog with Destroyer at TNK Fest 2018
See the rest of Mega Bog's upcoming tour dates here, and listen to their 2017 album Happy Together in full below!
LIVE: Yoko and the Oh No's, Ron Gallo, and Diane Coffee at TNK Fest 2018
Diane Coffee’s live performances have a magical and magnetic quality to them that are nuanced to the point of almost transcending description. Their performances are immersive in the sense that the richness of it all makes it impossible for audiences to think about or focus on anything else aside from what is taking place onstage. By all means, that is a skill and a power. Such a beguiling spell was cast over the audience at Lincoln Hall last Friday, who gathered at the beloved local venue to see the band perform during the Tomorrow Never Knows Festival- an annual concert series that takes place at Lincoln Hall and its sister venue, Schubas.
Chicago's own Yoko and the Oh No’s warmed up the crowd at 9PM sharp with their lively rock tunes, unfortunately playing their last ever show to the already packed house. The announcement of the final show had been made only the day prior, and friends and fans of the group had flocked to see the final performance. The four piece, fronted by the exuberant Max Goldstein, brought every last ounce of energy they could to the Lincoln Park venue that evening. Goldstein and his bandmates remained in sync the whole time, delivering a stellar show that had the audience hooked and hoping for an eventual reunion of the band in the future.
Nashvilles' Ron Gallo kept the high spirits going when he took the stage shortly after; kicking off his set with a trumpet, he monotonously read an introduction to his band and thanked the festival while a single spotlight shone down on him. Consisting of humor and good old fashioned rock and roll, Gallo's set had the crowd entertained from start to finish. The set contained some crowd favorites from his debut album Heavy Meta, like "Put The Kids to Bed" and "Young Lady, You're Scaring Me," but it also included brand new tunes from Gallo's Really Nice Guys EP, which had just dropped that morning. The audience reciprocated the energy that Gallo and his bandmates poured out onstage; moshing and dancing along to the music. Towards the end of the rowdy and fun-spirited set, Gallo even hopped off stage to join the crowd. If given the chance to see Ron Gallo, do not miss out on his engaging and energetic performance.
After the impressive opening sets, Diane Coffee earnestly launched into “Mayflower” - a brassy, energy-charged track with lyrics that serve as a delightfully tongue-in-cheek commentary on consumerism. The savvy selection of “Mayflower” as an opener allowed its palpable energy to serve as blueprints for the remainder of the set; blueprints through which Diane Coffee crafted an incredibly memorable and engaging performance.
Diane Coffee finds their identity in their exploratory nature, both in sound and performance. Therefore, the band is able to perform a sonically diverse setlist with a clear sense of cohesion numerous styles, tones, and influences - thus giving their music a universal appeal and multi-elemental appeal. A physical testimony to this was the fact that the audience at Lincoln Hall was noticeably diverse in age. Diane Coffee’s work contains just enough classic elements to make it timeless, and the perfect amount of innovation to make it fresh and new all at once. Elements of grit, lightness, realism, fun, and innovation have a continuous presence that entirely harnessed the attention of the crowd. These creative juxtapositions are something that does not necessarily make sense, but Diane Coffee is able to seamlessly merge these elements in a manner that results in an engaging listening experience and a dynamic live set. For the entire time Diane Coffee was onstage at Lincoln Hall, nothing existed outside of the venue doors. They possess the ability to make the audience feel as if the rest of the world is melting away, and that’s a definitive nod to their talents as musicians and as a live entity.
One cannot discuss Diane Coffee without mention of enigmatic frontman Shaun Fleming. Dauntless and charismatic, Fleming embodies all it means to be an artist and an entertainer in every sense of both words. With a habit of performing in outfits just as exciting as the music he creates, Fleming excels in mastering all aspects of live performance: he engages the crowd in a manner that surpasses the traditional “How are you guys doing out there?”, performs his work with evident skill and care, and has an ability to turn each venue he performs in into something of a warm community. His performance at Lincoln Hall was certainly no exception to this magic. If Diane Coffee has proven one thing through their performance this weekend, it is that they are a group of artists who knows how to consistently deliver. That in itself is a noted key to success, and Diane Coffee has taken that key and swiftly unlocked the door.
Relive the magic of the evening by checking out our photo gallery of all three bands, shot by Rachel Zyzda.
Yoko and The Oh No's and Ron Gallo review written by Rachel Zyzda