See where you can catch Local Natives on tour next and listen to their fourth album Violet Street in full below!
Can't get enough Middle Kids? Revisit our interview with them here.
Saturday gallery featuring Hippo Campus, Middle Kids, Ron Gallo, Cage the Elephant. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and Snoop Dog.
Sunday gallery featuring Future Thieves, Mondo Cozmo, The Record Company, Lizzo, Noname, and Weezer.
The Sydney based trio Middle Kids never disappoints with their live show, always providing some engaging banter between their indie rock narratives. During their early afternoon set, bassist Tim Fitz mentioned between songs that he kept reading the crowd's t-shirts, calling attention to one that said "Science is Real." After the shirt chatter, Middle Kids played a new song from their upcoming album in addition to songs from their self-titled debut EP, like "Old River," which shows off lead singer Hannah Joy's powerful and emotive vocal range. Their viral and most-streamed song "Edge of Town" was once again the crowd favorite, with the early festival arrivers singing along and jumping around during the song's building and dynamic bridge. There's no doubt that Middle Kids will soon be playing the later slots at festivals across the country if they continue to deliver as much as they already do.
Middle Kids performing on The Enterprise Stage
Minnesota's Hippo Campus drew a large (and dedicated) crowd early on for their 2PM slot, the front few rows of the crowd screaming back the lyrics to the band. The crowd's energy amplified when the band played their most popular song "Suicide Saturday," which is already ironically upbeat, featuring a perfect sing-along melody for a festival. The title sounded even more out of place as a massive crowd danced and sang along to it with the perfect backdrop of a sunny Saturday afternoon. The band's hour long set kept the crowd engaged the entire time, lead singer Jake Luppen roaming the entire stage to jam with his bandmates and visit each side of the crowd. Live band member DeCarlo Jackson on the trumpet also added another layer to Hippo Campus's already vibrant performance.
Jake Luppen working the crowd at The Budlight Stage
The Nashville via Philadelphia rocker Ron Gallo always brings the laughs and lighthearted humor to his live show, but don't underestimate the power of his message. Although he began his set by reading the stage name and thanking other festival sponsors off a piece of paper, reciting it all in a monotone voice for comedic value, Gallo and his bandmates immediately followed up with an intense jam session, waking up any of the festival stragglers just getting there at 6PM, or reenergizing those that had been their all day. Gallo also dedicated his song "Entitled Man Keep Your Hands Down Your Pants" to all the women of the crowd, using his music to convey the message that it's never okay to assault a woman, in any way. By not taking himself too seriously, but singing about and calling attention to serious issues both onstage and on his social media, Ron Gallo makes is easy for listeners to hear his message.
Ron Gallo at the BMI Tunespeak Stage
There's never a dull moment during a Cage the Elephant show, and they proved themselves once again as they played during the sunset on Saturday night. From lead singer Matt Shultz jetting around the stage and bouncing back and forth in the manner of Mick Jagger, to his brother Brad Shultz jumping offstage and playing right at the crowd barricade in the second song, the band's energy never wavered. After playing hit after hit throughout their set, Shultz also took a moment to address the crowd about a serious issue, saying "Suicide is not cool, it should not be glorified," before telling the crowd he loved them all. The theme of the first day of Lou Fest seemed to be Rock'n'Roll with a powerful message, and Cage The Elephant delivered that ten times over.
Matt Shultz performing at sunset at The Enterprise Stage
North Carolina's indie rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise (don't let the name fool you) closed out the Tunespeak BMI stage on day one with their harmonies and dance moves. Drawing quite the crowd, their emotive and slightly theatrical set began with their popular song "Cocaine Jesus," which begins with the full band harmonousily singing a capella before launching into their full sound. Lead singer Sam Melo lent his theatrical, almost interpretive dancing style to his unique and distinguishable vocals during the entire set, hardly ever standing still for more than a second. Anything but mellow, Melo told the crowd that he likes to jump when he gets hot, and continued to zip from one end of the stage to another, spinning and using his hands to emphasize the music. In addition to the visual entertainment, the band sounded incredibly in sync and in tune.
Sam Melo of Rainbow Kitten Surprise closing out The BMI Stage.
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.
