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Thalia Hall Crowd Marveled by Lewis Del Mar, 5.6.17

Around 9:15 this past Saturday, Danny Miller and Max Harwood of Lewis Del Mar took the stage at Thalia Hall with their band to an endless echo of welcoming cheers and applause. Kicking off their 14-song set, the band began to play “Such Small Scenes” in front of a video backdrop, which changed throughout the night during each song. “I feel fucking fearless right now,” Miller says as they finish the first song to even louder cheers than when they made their entrance. Miller also mentions that this show is the most people they’ve ever played to at a headline show the band dives into the next pair of songs, “14 Faces” and “Wave(s).”  

Before the next song of the evening, Miller mentions that he wrote it after visiting the town where his parents met, Puerto Cabezas. As the band members transition from “Puerto Cabezas, NI” into “Memories” from their debut EP, they deliver an elaborative jam session. During the jam session, Miller, Harwood, and their band mates all have the biggest smiles on their faces and it’s clear they love what they do. Miller gives more of an insight into the formation of Lewis Del Mar before they perform the song “Islands,” which he says is the first song he and Harwood ever wrote together. During the performance of “Islands,” Max had moved off drums, slowing down the pace of the evening. The mood remained mellow for the following tune, “Live That Long,” but the energy immediately amplified during the single “Painting(Masterpiece).”

As the set came near an end, the energy and the crowd response only escalated, especially during “Malt Liquor” and “Tap Water Drinking,” which both had the crowd dancing and clapping along. Before playing the latter, Miller took a moment to introduce the band and articulate how appreciative he and Harwood are to be a part of such a diverse community each night on tour. The band delivered an explosive finale of “Tap Water Drinking” before leaving the stage for a moment, with cheers and applause reaching a peak point of the evening. Following a deafening few minutes, Lewis Del Mar returned to the stage with their excellent support act, Anna The Wise, to perform a perfectly executed cover of “Runaway” by Kanye West. After the collaborative cover performance, Miller took a second to humbly address the crowd again, saying that they’ve had a hell of a first year as a band. He mentioned that after this tour they’ll be working on new music, but emphasized how grateful he is to do this with his best friend every night. The incredible evening wrapped up around 10:30 with Lewis Del Mar’s viral single “Loud(y),” which had the whole crowd loudly singing along.

Photo Gallery by Christian Heinzel


The Set List

 

  1. Such Small Scenes

  2. 14 Faces

  3. Wave(s)

  4. Puerta Cabezas, NI

  5. Jamming

  6. Memories

  7. H.D.L

  8. Islands

  9. Live That Long

  10. Painting (Masterpiece)

  11. Malt Liquor

  12. Tap Water Drinking

  13. Runaway

  14. Loud(y)


Keep up with all of Lewis Del Mar's upcoming tour dates here, and listen to their debut album below:

 

 

PHOTOS: Fenech-Soler at Lincoln Hall on 5.5.17

Photo Gallery of Fenech-Soler at Lincoln Hall on 5.5.17

Keep up with all updates from Fenech-Soler here, and listen to their brand new EP below!

PHOTOS: Overcoats at Schubas on 5.4.17

Last week, best friend duo Overcoats filled Schubas Tavern with the radiance of love and friendship. Check out our photo gallery of their magnetic performance on 5.4.17.

You can check out our interview with Overcoats here, and listen to their debut album, Young, below:

PHOTOS: White Reaper at Beat Kitchen 5.5.17

This past Friday night, Louisville band White Reaper brought their rowdy and rocking show to The Beat Kitchen. Check out our photo gallery of their performance on 5.5.17. 

You can listen to White Reaper's new album The World's Best American Band below, and check out our interview with the band here. 

Black Lips Rocked Their Tour Kick Off in Carrboro, NC

On May 2nd, The Black Lips took the stage to kick off their tour at Cat’s Cradle in the same manner in which a speeding locomotive charges down the tracks....with an insatiable amount of gusto and power. Electricity permeated the venue as the band played to a crowd of moshing fans, adding zest to what was otherwise an ordinary Tuesday evening in Carrboro, North Carolina. The Black Lips matched the degree energetic nature found in their songs in stage presence, erupting with vitality from the first note played to the last.

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Played early in the setlist was “Drive By Buddy,” a track that exudes groove from start to finish. With a slight sonic emulation of The Monkees, it succeeds in capsulating audience attention through its addictively rhythmic guitar riffs and sing-along inducing chorus (which instantaneously ensued). “Family Tree,” a track that is jam packed with dynamic variance and sonic juxtaposition followed shortly thereafter. The track kicks off with a swell of sound, complimented by a saxophone part that provides the song with an added level of distinctiveness. The song’s verses serve as a foil to its chorus, undertaking a cavernous tone before building into an exuberant and ebullient blast of sound.

The crowd at Cat’s Cradle broke into sheer pandemonium as soon as the signature resonant bass line of “O Katrina,” a notoriously upbeat track from the 2007 album Good Bad Not Evil was played. Not one stationary body was in sight as the song’s identifying crunchy, distorted guitar riffs and thunderous drum fills were played.

At the end of the night, the crowd left Cat’s Cradle sweaty, bruised, covered in a stranger’s beer, or any combination thereof. A band that does not perform with such an insatiable amount of sustained intensity simply cannot invoke that degree of reaction among audiences. However, The Black Lips did.

Live, the band is the equivalent of a blazing meteor: they’re bright, riddled with an infectious energetic power, and are so alluring and unique that they cannot be ignored. The amount of vigor they put into their live performances is so wonderfully contagious that inciting an all-encompassing electric reaction among crowd members is seemingly inevitable. That skill is not only the hallmark of a great musician, but a great artist.


Chicago, The Black Lips will be in town this weekend for not one, but two nights at The Empty Bottle. Night one is sold out, but grab your tickets to night two here. The rest of The Black Lips' tour dates can also be found here. 

You can also listen to the new album Satan's Graffiti or God's Art? below:

PHOTOS: POND at The Empty Bottle on 5.3.17

PHOTOS: Sampha at Aragon Ballroom on 5.1.17

Photo gallery of Sampha opening for The xx on their I See You Tour. 


Listen to Sampha's debut album Process here:

PHOTOS: The xx at Aragon Ballroom on 5.1.17

British trio The xx captivated their Chicago audience on Monday evening at The Aragon Ballroom, marking their triumphant return after playing a sold out show at the same venue back in 2013. Celebrating their third album I See You, this show was a part of the aptly named “I See You” Tour, which kicked off in April.

The dynamic and mesmerizing performance from The xx started with new track "Say Something Loving," the eager crowd cheering with recognition as the introductory sample of the Alessi Brothers used in the song rang out into the ballroom. The set list that followed featured an ample mix of tracks from their debut and sophomore album, like crowd favorites "Islands" and "Angels." The band kept the older content fresh by introducing new arrangements and mixes of the familiar tunes, especially with the upbeat version of "Shelter" they performed towards the end of the set. 

Throughout the set, a mutual love and appreciation radiated from the crowd to the stage. Other set highlights included the addition of "Loud Places" from Jamie xx's solo album into the set, a solo and stripped back performance of "Performance" by Romy Croft, and Oliver Sim's dedication to single people before "Dangerous."  

The electrifying evening wrapped up with a very humble and heartfelt thanks from each member of The xx, with Romy mentioning the energy of each and every fan in the venue. 


The Set List

  1. Say Something Loving

  2. Crystalised

  3. Islands

  4. I Dare You

  5. Lips

  6. Sunset

  7. Basic Space

  8. Performance

  9. Infinity

  10. VCR

  11. Dangerous

  12. Fiction

  13. Shelter

  14. Loud Places 

  15. On Hold 

  16. Intro

  17. Angels

 

Photo Gallery

Chicago! The xx will be back in August for Lollapalooza. Check out all of their tour dates here, and listen to I See You below.

ANCHR Magazine and Kickstand Productions Present: ACLU Benefit with Post Animal

Hey everyone! We're very excited to present our very first gig. Not just any gig, a benefit for the wonderful ACLU with some of our favorite bands. Come hang with us at SubT on July 10th and kill two birds with one stone by doing some good AND seeing a show from Post Animal, The Evening Attraction, Jude Shuma, and Condor & Jaybird. Grab your tickets here

PHOTOS: Record Store Day at Shuga Records

Photo gallery from Record Store Day at Shuga Records, featuring: Lucille Furs, Max Loebman, Wilem Hurricane Simmons, Hair, The Evening Attraction, Joe Bordenaro, and Cooper Atwell Guncheon.