This past Thursday night, The Kooks returned to Chicago for the first time since the release of their fifth studio album, Let’s Go Sunshine.
After Future Feats opened up the show, singer-songwriter Barns Courtney warmed up the packed house, getting everyone ready for The Kooks with a blaze of energy. Courtney burst onto the stage to join his live band as they opened up with an unreleased track “Fun Never Ends.” The high energy song set up the crowd to expect a good time from Courtney’s set, and he definitely lived up to that expectation as he sang through songs from his debut album and some new singles. As Courtney sauntered across the stage and put his all into his music, an appreciative fan shouted “you’re the coolest person ever!” Based on the amount of audience members dancing and singing along, both on the floor and in the balcony, it seemed that most agreed with the enthusiastic fan. The spirit of Courtney’s set culminated during the final few songs “Kicks” and “Fire,” in which the singer first crowd surfed, and then finished out the set singing the latter in the middle of the crowd.
Needless to say, Barns Courtney’s set left the crowd buzzing and ready for The Kooks, who hit the stage performing one of their classics “Always Where I Need To Be.” From their years of playing together, the band members had a sense of chemistry and ease about them that perfectly complemented lead singer Luke Pritchard’s captivating stage presence. Alongside the band’s long history of playing together and their lengthy setlist that pulled songs from every chapter of their extensive discography, The Kooks also had an impressive light show that added another special touch to their live show without being overpowering.
While the mood remained very energetic for most of the night, allowing for Pritchard to show off his dance moves, the set did slow down during the performance of “See Me Now” from 2014’s Listen, which Pritchard dedicated to his late father. Pritchard performed the emotional song at the piano, sans his bandmates. Although a hush fell over the crowd during this song, with everyone giving their undivided attention to the stage, the energy quickly picked back up when the full band rejoined Pritchard for “Pamela” from the latest album. While the band members kept their onstage chatting to a minimum in order to focus on the music, they didn’t shy away from fleshing out their songs with special, one-of-a-kind live arrangements. During “Bad Habit,” the band extended the introduction as Pritchard and the audience members partook in a call-and-response style chant, and during “Seaside,” the audience sounded like a choir backup Pritchard’s vocals in the simple song.
Eventually the time came for The Kooks to leave the stage, but it didn’t take long for the crowd to request an encore performance. Instead of the traditional “one more song!” or “encore!” chants, the crowd asked for the band to return by chanting the vocalized introduction to “Bad Habit” once again. The band obliged and returned with “No Pressure” and “Naive.” Before they began the final song of the night, Pritchard dedicated that night’s performance of the 2006 single to fan named Jeffery, giving one lucky fan a very special memory of the evening.
The Kooks wrap up their North American tour this week— see their live dates here, and check out our photo recap of Thursday night below.
Listen to Sharon Van Etten’s latest album in full below
Roughly 15,078 km away from their home of New South Wales Australia, Hockey Dad - comprised of duo Zach Stephenson and Billy Fleming - made Subterranean feel like home with their catchy surf-rock tunes, with a set that included a stellar mix of hits off of their first two albums. Returning to the Windy City six months after their previous headlining show at Beat Kitchen, the show was twice as packed and twice as fun. The sold-out show was vibing off the band’s infectious energy, singing back lyrics and dancing to the tune of crowd favorites like “Danny,” “My Stride,” and “Sweet Release.” The duo’s set saw plenty of crowd surfers catapulting off the stage, giving the show a very punk and rowdy vibe.
The band was accompanied by post-punk, pop band HUNNY from California, whose melodious sound had the crowd jumping and the floor shaking. Hunny played a few new singles such as “Vowels (And the Importance of Being Me)” and the already beloved songs, such as “Natalie,” “Rebel Red,” and “July.” The highlight of the band’s set was when HUNNY is frontman Jason Yarger hung off the balcony rail over astonished and (only slightly) frightened fans below during the band’s last song. He made it down safely into the pit to finish off the set. Pllush ( with two ls and from San Francisco—as to not be confused from the other Plush band out there) opened up the show with their sweet shoegaze/groovy pop that was rife with heavy 90’s influenced bass lines. This being their first time in Chicago, the band was greeted with warmth from the crowd who couldn’t get enough of lead singer Karli’s sweet harmonies and vocals. The Father/Daugther records artist are absolutely on the rise and their last album Stranger to the Pain is worth a spin or two.
Listen to Hockey Dad here and visit their website for additional tour info, merch, and news.
Photos of Pllush, HUNNY, and Hockey Dad from 2.01.19
Brooklyn’s Adrian Galvin (AKA Yoke Lore) is no stranger to Chicago, having played the city several times over the past couple of years. At Schubas alone, Yoke Lore has performed there supporting Overcoats and as headliner, and this past Saturday, he returned to headline a sold out show. The TNK show, which took place on the fourth night of the annual winter festival, had sold out weeks in advance, so I knew going into the show that the room would be packed with eager fans.
After Shortly had to unfortunately cancel their set, Deanna Devore stepped in to open up the show, alongside Chicago’s Ester and Nashvilles Sontalk. The crowd of dedicated fans showed up early and listened attentively to the first three acts, and in the final moments before Yoke Lore would hit the stage, the room buzzed with anxious excitement. Finally, the lights dimmed and Galvin and his bandmate made their way up onto the dark stage. As Galvin began to strum his banjo, the lights flickered on and Yoke Lore music videos and visuals were projected on the screen set up as a backdrop. The crowd sang along to the set openers “Fake You” and “Only You,” and Galvin’s signature dance moves accompanied his ethereal vocals and twangy banjo. When it came time in the set for Yoke Lore to perform the viral cover of “Truly Madly Deeply” by Savage Garden, an audience member shouted out that the track was their wedding song, and Galvin dedicated the performance to them. The highlight of the night came when it was time for Galvin to perform the popular single “Beige,” and the echoes of every single person in the room singing along bounced around the room.
Eventually, it was time for Yoke Lore to exit the stage, but the audience begged for an encore with cheers and applause. Galvin didn’t make them wait long before he returned for a couple more songs, including the unreleased “Tom Robbins.” Before playing the final song, Galvin explained that he’ll probably never record the tune, in order to keep it as a special part of his live shows forever. “When you record a song, there’s a piece of it that gets morphed,” he said. “I want this song to be just for us,” he continued and played the song while the backdrop showed a starry night scene.
Yoke Lore’s TNK performance added another layer with the visual projections, but at its core remained the beautiful authenticity that Galvin’s art and music has always showcased. Based on the success of this show, 2019 is gearing up to be a huge year for Yoke Lore, so don’t miss him when he comes to a city near you! Check out Yoke Lore’s 2019 tour dates here.
Photos of Deanna Devore, Ester, Sontalk and Yoke Lore at Schubas Tavern
Last year, Lindsey Jordan’s project Snail Mail played a sold out headline show at Schubas as part of Chicago’s annual TNK Festival, and this year, Jordan and her band returned to do the same. Only this time, they played to about five times as many people at The Metro.
From the moment the doors opened at the Wrigleyville venue, streams of fans took their place in the packed room for a great night of music, which kicked off at 9PM sharp with Chicago’s own Varsity. The indie pop-rock five piece delivered a short, but sweet set to warm everyone up for the rest of the night. Varsity kept their between-song banter to a minimum and smoothly transitioned from song to song in order to pack in as many of their tunes as possible into their set time. The crowd sang along to a lot of Varsity’s familiar favorites, like “So Sad, So Sad,” which got a lot of cheers when the opening chords rang out. Before closing out with one of their latest singles “The Dogs Only Listen to Him,” the band tested out a brand new song on the attentive audience.
Next, it was time for Lala Lala, the project of Chicago-based singer-songwriter Lillie West. The set kicked off with the single “Water Over Sex” from Lala Lala’s second album The Lamb, which was just released in September last year, but was easily one of my top played albums of 2018. Based on the amount of people singing and dancing along, it clearly wasn’t just me who had the album on repeat. Like the album itself, the live set showcases the dynamic production and soundscapes of the songs, ranging from the jarring, percussive intro of “I Get Cut” to the mellow and slow-building “Lala Song.” Although West’s live lineup of fellow Chicago musicians often changes with different tours based on schedules, her current band had great chemistry and seamlessly flowed with one another. West and the band closed out the set on a high note, performing West and WHY?’s collaboration “Siren 042,” which had just been released the week prior. The final song of the set featured Sen Morimoto on saxophone, who will also be joining Lala Lala on their nearly two month tour that kicked off last week.
Finally, with the crowd warmed up and anxious for Snail Mail to hit the stage, the lights dimmed and Jordan made her way onstage with her bandmates. The musicians were welcomed with an overwhelming wave of cheers and applause as they began an instrumental intro, which bled into the single “Heat Wave” from Snail Mail’s 2018 debut album Lush. The crowd immediately became a choir, echoing the lyrics back to Jordan, who gave her approval with a “sounds good” and a smile. While Snail Mail may only have one album out, the band spent 2018 touring relentlessly, and the graceful and humble nature displayed by Jordan on Thursday night was that of a seasoned, veteran performer.
Throughout the rest of the set, Jordan’s humility remained, paired with an effortless and natural stage presence that kept the sold-out crowd hypnotized. Whether it was to songs from the album, like “Let’s Find An Out” and “Deep Sea,” or earlier material like “Thinning” from Snail Mail’s 2016 EP Habit, the audience never stopped singing along. When it came time for Jordan to perform the lead single from the album, “Pristine,” she invited a couple of guests up onstage to lend a hand as backing vocalists. As the night began to wind down, Jordan closed out the set sans band to give a solo performance of “Anytime” and “Stick.”
If you missed out on tickets to the memorizing TNK show, see where you can catch Snail Mail next here.
Photos of Varsity, Lala Lala and Snail Mail at TNK night two
Last Friday night, Deeper topped off a stacked bill for their winter tour kick off show at Sleeping Village, which included Mia Joy, The Hecks, and Divino Niño. Just as the music was about to kick off, friends and fans of all of the bands flocked to the Avondale venue to catch the show, creating a line out the door that signified tonight’s show would be a good one.
As everyone in the venue’s packed bar eventually filed into the music room, Mia Joy had just taken the stage with her full band, who assisted her in bringing her atmospheric indie pop tracks to life. Mia Joy’s delicate and dreamy vocals enticed the full audience, providing a comforting oasis from the chaotic scene of the crowded bar we had all just passed through. This opening set was the perfect way to reset after a long week and get ready for a full night of music.
Next up The Hecks were set to take the stage, and before they even began, the show had officially reached capacity, giving Deeper a sold out send-off show. When The Hecks started playing, it felt as if we had all been transported back to the 80’s with their throwback sound that swirls together post-punk and new wave genres and nods to influences from the likes of Talking Heads and Sonic Youth. With their bright and punchy guitar melodies, The Hecks got the energy picked up and had people dancing along to every song. During their set, the band also played some new material, which still had their signature tone of nostalgia mixed with a refreshing and unique energy.
Next up, Divino Niño delivered a sweet set packed with their Latin-tinged dreamy, indie rock tunes. The entire band exuded a relaxed and breezy vibe that enchanted the room as they played through a bunch of new material. Lead vocalist and guitarist Camilo Medina informed the audience that these new songs will be included on the band’s new album coming out this summer, and that one of the new songs would be the first single released in just a couple of weeks. The best thing about Divino Niño’s 45 minute set was that each of their songs had its own distinct and diverse stamp on it, but still flowed seamlessly with the rest of the setlist.
Closing out the night, Deeper finally made their return, playing their first headline set in Chicago since their sold out, album release show at The Empty Bottle. The set began with the lights still dimmed as the band played songs like “Should Be” and “Pink Showers” from their self-titled debut album, which was released last May via Fire Talk Records. Like The Hecks, Deeper’s post punk sound has a sense of nostalgia about it, but they put a rejuvenating spin on it to make it their own. The band members poured their energy into their playing, and the crowd reciprocated the same level of energy as they danced along throughout the set. Deeper also continued the night’s trend of playing new music and tested out some new tunes, which were well received by everyone.
If you weren’t able to make it to the show Friday, you can catch Deeper on the rest of their tour dates with the Districts, at Lincoln Hall on Valentine’s Day, or at SXSW!
Photos of Mia Joy, The Hecks, Divino Niño and Deeper
