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Live Recap: Horsegirl with Lifeguard at Thalia Hall

A fellow photographer told me on August 13 that it was the most crowded he’d ever seen Thalia Hall for an all-ages event. The turnout for Horsegirl and Lifeguard’s final show of their tour was impressive, especially for a Sunday, but it made sense—both bands hail from Chicago, and many of their friends are finishing up summer break from high school or college close to home. The members of Lifeguard would soon be starting fall semester at Jones College Prep, which Horsegirl also attended.

“We love Horsegirl,” guitarist and vocalist Kai Slater said at the start of Lifeguard’s set. “It’s been amazing to tour with our best friends.”

Lifeguard’s opening set at Thalia Hall was high-energy, complete with explosive solos, raging vocals and full-body movement across the stage. The band’s setlist interwove recognizable hits with newer tracks, including several from an EP released just over a month ago. Several songs in, the band invited Horsegirl’s drummer Gigi Reece onstage.

“We’re going to play a Wipers cover, and Gigi’s going to solve a Rubik’s cube before it ends,” Slater addressed the audience. “It’s a minute and a half long. If they don’t finish in time, Horsegirl doesn’t get to play.”

Reece bopped from side to side and tinkered with the Rubik’s cube as Lifeguard surged through “Telepathic Love.” They held up the finished puzzle just as the band finished playing. Lifeguard had Reece stay on stage for the next song, “Fifty Seven,” to play maraca.

After Lifeguard’s set, Slater walked to the front of the stage and bent over to toss a couple sheets of notebook paper into the audience. His setlist fluttered into the audience, where a couple of fans snatched it and read with eager eyes.

Then Horsegirl came on stage to set up.

“I love you, Nora!” A voice shouted from the audience. The guitarist-vocalist smiled and waved.

Horsegirl brought more of a quiet brooding tone than Lifeguard. The band opened with “Bog Bog 1,” a slow and shoegazey instrumental from its 2022 album Versions of Modern Performance. The trio played a number of other hits from the LP, but they also introduced a number of new songs, including a catchy power ballad they penned in recent months. Horsegirl is in the midst of recording its next album, and the group’s set at Thalia Hall reflected more uptempo influences than those for their post-pandemic debut.

Horsegirl brought Lifeguard on stage at the end of their set for a joint encore.

“We came up with this idea yesterday,” bassist/guitarist and vocalist Penelope Lowenstein announced.

The idea was to cover “I Wanna Be Adored,” and It was hard to believe the groups hadn’t been rehearsing their performance for weeks. Nora Cheng’s voice was velvety and full, and the thick layers of guitar and bass reverberated perfectly over spacious drum lines. Concert-goers of all ages left the venue beaming.

See the full photo gallery of the show below, and see where you can catch Horsegirl next here.

PHOTOS: Whitney and Liam Kazar at Thalia Hall

Whitney returned to Thalia Hall from December 21-23rd for a three-night residency to round out 2022. Check out photos from the first of three nights, featuring support from Liam Kazar below.

Live Recap: Kevin Morby with Coco at The Vic

The Vic Theatre hosted a Halloween party with Kevin Morby and Coco this past Monday night.

Kicking off the evening, the members of Coco (Maia Friedman, Dan Molad, and Oliver Hill) took the stage with make up that paid homage to Día de Muertos. The project of Coco began in 2019 when Friedman, Molad, and Hill came together as friends to start collaborating on music, after having played in other bands separately. That same collaborative spirit carried over to their live performance, as the bandmates continued to swap instruments and rotate around the stage during their 45 minute set. Coco’s performance started off with very mellow vibes, but the energy remained dynamic and intensified towards the end. The band also shared that this was their first real tour, saying “We’re about half way through our tour opening up for Kevin Morby and it’s our first time in Chicago.” Monday’s show was my first experience with Coco, but I can’t wait to hear more from them and see what’s next.

Next up, Kevin Morby and his bandmates hit the stage to a backdrop stating “This Is A Photograph,” which is the title of Morby’s latest studio album released earlier this year. Fittingly, the first song performed was the title track of that new album, followed closely by several other tracks off the same record, like “Bittersweet, TN” and “Rock Bottom.” Between performing the newer songs, Morby took the time to share his gratitude with the crowd for showing up on such a busy night, saying, “We know there’s a lot going on tonight. It’s like a choose your own adventure, so thank you for choosing this adventure.”

The bandmates sharing the stage with Morby did a phenomenal job of breathing life into the songs, filling in the live arrangements with backing vocals as well as the flute and saxophone in addition to more traditional instruments. Morby made sure to keep the crowd not only sonically captivated, but visually captivated as he glided around the entire stage donning a gold fringe jacket and glitter face paint. During the performance of “Five Easy Pieces,” Morby made his way right to the front of the stage to closely connect with the audience, but one of his most memorable interactions of the night was when he twirled around a set of nunchucks and then proceeded to toss some candy out to the crowd in honor of Halloween.

While the setlist leaned heavy with new material for the first half, Morby made sure to sprinkle in bits of older material— such as “No Halo” from 2019’s Oh My God, which he introduced by inviting the crowd to participate in by clapping along to the beat. Another all-time fan favorite was of course “City Music,” which Morby dedicated to Chicago, saying “this is one of my favorite cities.” Speaking of Chicago and music, Morby and his bandmates concluded the main part of the set with a performance of “Goodbye to Good Times” with a guest appearance from Chicago musician Colin Croom. The evening concluded with an encore of “Beautiful Strangers” and “Harlem River.”

See where you can catch Kevin Morby on tour next here, and check out the photo recap of the evening below.

PHOTOS: Post Animal and Stuyedeyed at Metro

This past Friday night, Post Animal and Stuyedeyed kicked off the weekend with a wild show at Metro—bringing the tour in honor of Post Animal’s new album Love Gibberish to a close. In addition to being a homecoming for the headliners, the night featured a lot of new music, crowd surfing, and some special appearances from fellow Chicago musicians like Cadien Lake James and V.V. Lightbody. Check out the photo recap below, and see where you can catch Post Animal next here.

Live Recap: Dehd's Sold Out Hometown Show with Pixel Grip and 81355

There’s nothing better than a hometown show, and Dehd confirmed that with their sold out extravaganza at Metro this past Saturday night.

Even before the first act of the night 81355 (pronounced “Bless”), the venue was already packed and getting more full by the minute. Unlike most shows I go to, the band members of 81355 didn’t just come onstage when it was their time— they received a dazzling introduction from the host and MC of the evening, Alex Grelle. Grelle got the crowd going with a captivating performance of “Take My Breath Away” while the projection screen reflected the logo of Top Gun Maverick. It was an unexpected opening to the night, but it certainly grabbed mine and everyone else in the venue’s attention. When it came time for 81355 to hit the stage, the group from Indianapolis continued to captivate the room with their genre-bending performance. The collaborative collective featured a full band and a mix of rapping and singing from members Sirius Blvck, Oreo Jones, and Sedcairn Archives.

Next up, Chicago-based trio Pixel Grip geared up to take the stage— but not without a warm welcome from Grelle again. This time Grelle entertained the venue with a wet t-shirt contest, drenching himself with a pitcher of water. Again, not something you see every day at a concert, but everyone loved it. The crowd also enthusiastically enjoyed the set from Pixel Grip, which featured a swirl of bass-heavy synths, pop vocals and atmospheric electronic melodies— all complemented by moody lighting and thick fog. During their set, vocalist Rita Lukea received a tattoo onstage that read “Dehd Forver” from Emily Kempf, which was yet another unforgettable moment of the gig.

The night only continued to get more spectacular when Grelle made the final introduction of the evening— this time donning an angel costume to reprise the role of “Angela the Angel” from Dehd’s “Loner” music video. Grelle welcomed Dehd’s members Emily Kempf, Jason Balla, and Eric McGrady to the stage to close out the show, and the trio launched into their single “Loner” alongside Grelle— essentially recreating the music video IRL. The set continued on with lots of fan favorites like “Lucky” and “Haha” from Dehd’s earlier catalog, mixed in with some fresh material from their brand new album Blue Skies. My favorite song off the new record is the single “Bad Love,” which I got to hear live for the first time at the show. The track possesses a feel-good, triumphant vibe that would be perfect for the soundtrack of a coming-of-age film. It was certainly the perfect fit for a sold out gig at Metro at the start of Summer.

Dehd wrapped up the evening with an encore performance that featured Pixel Grip and 81355 rejoining them onstage to perform “Desire.”

The entire evening provided a great mix of music with a diverse line up that once again showcased what an incredible music scene we have here in Chicago. Check out photos from the evening below, and see where you catch Dehd next here.

PHOTOS: Lala Lala with Kara Jackson and Divino Niño at Thalia Hall

On Friday, October 8th, Lala Lala celebrated the release of their sophomore album, entitled I Want The Door To Open. The sold out show was truly a hometown celebration with sets from Kara Jackson and Divino Niño, as well as guest appearances from other Chicago musicians like Maria Jacobson (Fran) and Clay Frankel (Grapetooth, Twin Peaks). See the full gallery of the show below, and snag a copy of the album here.

PHOTOS: V.V. Lightbody and Ohmme at Rockwell on the River

This past Wednesday night, Chicago artists V.V. Lightbody and Ohmme delivered a beautiful performance to a packed room at Rockwell on the River.

Check out photos of the evening below, and make sure to snag tickets to Ohmme’s August 26th show at Thalia Hall here and V.V. Lightbody’s record renewal show here.

PHOTOS: Twin Peaks Play Their Biggest Headline Show Yet at The Riviera

On Friday night, hometown heroes Twin Peaks played their biggest headline show yet, selling out the historic Riviera Theatre in honor of their new album Lookout Low. Ohmme and The Nude Party opened up the post-Thanksgiving show. If you missed out on the Chicago celebration, check out our photo recap below, and see where you can catch Twin Peaks next here.

PHOTOS: Beach Bunny Headlines Thalia Hall on Halloween

Last week, we spent Halloween night at Thalia Hall catching a sold out show from Beach Bunny. The project of Chicago’s own Lili Trifilio, Beach Bunny has steadily gained traction in the city— starting off with DIY shows to now playing sold out headline shows and slots at festivals like Lollapalooza and Riot Fest. If you missed out on last Thursday’s gig, see photos below and see where you can catch Beach Bunny next here.

PHOTOS: Post Animal with Divino Niño and Paul Cherry at Metro 12.15.18

2018 has been an incredible year for Chicago’s Post Animal; From releasing their official debut album on Polyvinyl Records to playing festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, they’ve had no shortage of Special Moments this year. On Saturday, December 15th, Post Animal played their final show of the year with the help of Paul Cherry and Divino Niño, celebrating the supportive community in the Chicago music scene. If you weren’t among the packed crowd at the Wrigleyville venue this weekend, check out photos from the show below.

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