This past Wednesday night, Aussie indie rockers Middle Kids brought both their sincere songs and witty stage banter to Lincoln Hall’s stage as part of WKQX’s Queued Up Artist Showcase. After Chicago’s own Glyders rocked the Lincoln Park concert venue, Middle Kids kicked off their roughly hour-long set with a new track from their upcoming debut album, called “On My Knees,” before moving into “Your Love” from the band’s debut EP. The latter, like most of Middle Kids’ EP, showcases lead singer Hannah Joy’s incredible vocal range and emotive tone that adds another layer to her intricate narratives.  

Live, the band adds even more depth to their thoughtful and personal stories told in the songs, with Joy moving around on stage and jamming with bandmates Tim Fitz, Harry Day, and touring member Pete Covington. The energy built up during “Fire In Your Eyes,” which Joy told the crowd was the first song she and Fitz ever wrote, and “Old River,” which had Joy working the whole crowd and the band playing an extended jam during the bridge. The mood came to a hypnotizing lull for the next song, a piano ballad on the EP named “Doing It Right” that Joy reconstructed as a guitar ballad, performed as a solo on her part. The stripped back solo placed a weight of vulnerability on Joy, but she wrapped the crowd around her finger with the flawlessly fragile performance. The spell broke when the full band returned and Fitz delivered some banter about spit bubbles before diving into their viral track “Edge of Town,” which has been hyped by everyone...including Elton John. Joy prefaced another new song called “Don’t Be Hiding” by telling the crowd that their shows act as a little survey to test out the new ones. One final new tune trailed after “Never Start,” acting as an encore. The new song may have been the last, but instead of displaying any signs of exhaust for the prior performance, Joy’s voice remained resilient, weaving in and out of falsettos and powerful harmonies with her bandmates, while possessing a strong sense of conviction.

The Sydney trio had only made their Chicago debut earlier this year, but with the stellar show they put on at Lincoln Hall, there’s no doubt we’ll be seeing lots more of Middle Kids soon.

Check out photos of Glyders and Middle Kids at Lincoln Hall, and catch them in a city near you soon! All tour dates can be found here.

Can't get enough Middle Kids? Listen to their debut EP below, and check out our interview with Hannah Joy here.