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PHOTOS: Dem Yuut and Now, Now at Lincoln Hall 7/7
Minneapolis based bands DEM YUUT and Now, Now shared the Lincoln Hall stage this past Friday evening to deliver a rare performance on their short cross-country tour. New project DEM YUUT kicked off the evening, bringing their unique and experimental sound to the Chicago venue. Members of DEM YUUT later joined Now, Now for one of their first live shows in three years. Check out the photo gallery of the evening and stay tuned for an interview with DEM YUUT.
Now, Now continues their US tour throughout the week, with shows still left on the east and west coasts. Check out all of the remaining dates and grab tickets here. Now, Now will also return to Illinois for Pygmalion Fest in September. Get ready for their upcoming shows by listening to their newest single, SGL.
PHOTOS: Wolf Alice at Schubas Tavern
Wolf Alice made their live comeback in Chicago, after taking a hiatus from the road to write and record their new album Visions of a Life. Their intimate set at Schubas Tavern included brand new, live debuts of a few songs from the upcoming album. Check out the photo gallery and the set list from the night!
The Set List
- Don't Delete The Kisses
- Bros
- You're a Germ
- Yuk Foo
- Lisbon
- Planet Hunter
- Visions of a Life
- Blush
- Beautifully Unconventional
- Heavenward
- Silk
- Fluffy
- Giant Peach
- Moaning Lisa Smile
PHOTOS: Summerfest July 5th
We headed back to Milwaukee for Summerfest on Wednesday, July 5th. Check out the photo gallery featuring Girl Talk and Felly.
7 Must-See Acts To Catch at Pitchfork
Headliners Solange, A Tribe Called Quest, and LCD Soundsystem close out each night at this year's Pitchfork Music Festival. While we're excited to see these incredible acts who all contribute their own artistry in addition to great music, we're equally as excited to catch these seven non-headlining acts during the annual Pitchfork Fest next week. With so many talented musicians playing over the course of three days, it's hard to narrow down our picks, but these are the acts on the very top our list.
Francis and the Lights
If you couldn't tell from our Eaux Claires highlights, we're big fans of Francis Farewell Starlite and his work. Certain parts of his debut album may be an acquired taste, but once you dive into Farewell, Stalite! it's hard to come up for air from the addictive melodies and Starlite's distinct vocals, which have drawn some comparisons to Peter Gabriel. In recent years, Francis has also collaborated with Kanye, Justin Vernon, and Chance The Rapper. Besides his massive stage presence and smooth dance moves, you may just want to catch Francis's set for the possibility of guest performers. Chance has been showing up during his set at festivals throughout the summer, and at Eaux Claires, Francis invited some of the crowd up onstage to have a dance with him. To make sure you're in on all the fun, catch him Saturday at 5:15 on The Blue Stage.
Credit: Rachel Zyzda
For Fans Of: Bon Iver, James Blake, Blood Orange
Start With: "See Her Out (Thats Just Life)" and "May I Have This Dance"
NE-HI
It's been a whirlwind of a year for the Chicago four-piece NE-HI...putting out their sophomore album Offers in February (including an exclusive vinyl version at Shuga Records), performing on JBTV, and now playing one of the biggest festivals in their hometown after touring consistently. The group effortlessly encapsulates the vintage, fuzzy rock sound and feel-good melodies that has become such a signature feel of Chicago rock'n'roll music. That sound coupled with their high energy performances makes them a must-see on the final day of Pitchfork. Catch them Sunday at 2:30 on The Green Stage. They'll also be playing a special Pitchfork after show at Lincoln Hall on July 15th. Grab tickets here.
Credit: Bryan Allen Lamb
For Fans Of: The Walters, Twin Peaks, White Reaper
Start With: "Stay Young" and "Sisters"
Priests
This post-punk group from Washington, D.C always pushes the limits on their sound, delivering a refreshing and sonically diverse debut album Nothing Feels Natural this past January. Since then, Priests has been perfecting their high energy set while touring relentlessly. Catch them bright and early Friday at 1:45 on The Green Stage. They'll also be performing Saturday, July 15th at Schubas Tavern; grab your tickets here.
Credit: Audrey Melton
For Fans Of: Chastity Belt, Sheer Mag, Bully
Start With: "JJ" and "Appropriate"
Frankie Cosmos
Fronted by Greta Kline, who has adopted the stage name Frankie Cosmos, this outfit from NYC craft dreamy, indie pop tunes perfect for a festival. The upbeat melodies paired with Kline's ethereal vocals on songs from their two albums Zentropy and Next Thing will be sure to get the crowd dancing. Don't miss them on Friday at 5:15 on The Blue Stage. Frankie Cosmos will also be performing alongside Hoops at The Virgin Hotels on Friday evening. Get the scoop on that show here.
Credit: Matthew James-Wilson
For Fans Of: Japanese Breakfast, Alvvays, Diet Cig
Start With: "Young" and "Fool"
Pinegrove
Another east coast group, Pinegrove, has been all over the place this year, touring in support of their 2016 record Cardinal. The album features a raw approach to capturing frontman Evan Stephens Hall's vocals; their sound standing out from other indie rock outfits thanks to their slight country twang. The New Jersey band has also become known for their evolving live lineups consisting of many of their multi-talented bandmates, like Nandi Rose Plunkett, who fronts her own project called Half Waif. Regardless of their set up, their show at Pitchfork is one you won't want to miss. Catch them Sunday at 5:15 on The Blue Stage.
Courtesy of Brace Yourself PR
For Fans Of: (Sandy) Alex G, LVL UP, Whitney
Start With: "Old Friends" and "New Friends"
Angel Olsen
The Chicago via St. Louis singer-songwriter Angel Olsen puts a raw and retro spin on her building and often brooding narratives. Her newest album My Woman has received rave reviews from both fans and critics, and Olsen has just announced another tour in the Fall to follow up her current festival run. Her show at Pitchfork will undoubtedly be one of the most captivating performances of the festival. Catch Olsen's performance Saturday at 6:15 on The Green Stage.
Credit: Amanda Marsalis
For Fans Of: Mitski, Molly Burch, Big Thief
Start With: "Unfucktheworld" and "Shut Up Kiss Me"
Vagabon
With her soft yet powerful vocals that instantly hook listeners, Lætitia Tamko (aka Vagabon) will be sure to deliver a compelling set at Pitchfork. Although it's only eight tracks long, the New York based multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter takes listeners on a winding sonic journey during her latest album Infinite Words. You can experience these visceral songs by catching Vagabon on Saturday at 1:00 at The Green Stage. Vagabon will also be performing at The Beat Kitchen on July 15th (tickets here) and The Virgin Hotel on July 16th.
Katie Thompson
For Fans Of: Jay Som, Daughter, Girlpool
Start With: "Fear & Force" and "Cold Apartment"
Check out the entire schedule for Pitchfork Festival here to plan out your entire weekend, and don't forget to check our gig calendar for all of the after shows too! 3 day passes for Pitchfork are still on sale, starting at $175. Grab them here.
Summerfest Highlights: July 1st
With so many acts over the course of nearly two weeks, the highlights reel of Summerfest is endless. The festival kicked off June 28th, and headliners range from classics like Paul Simon and Tom Petty to new popstars like The Chainsmokers and Alessia Cara. With over ten stages, those are just the tip of the iceberg.
This past Saturday, we traveled to Milwaukee to get in on some of the fun by checking out the likes of The Naked and Famous and Bleachers. In case you missed it, here are the top three moments of that day, as well as the full photo gallery!
Flint Eastwood Called The Crowd Out
I've only had to privilege of seeing Flint Eastwood perform twice now, but both times, she's blown me away with her endless supply of positive energy. Some performers, especially those at festivals, accept the fact that the whole crowd isn't there to see them, but Jax Anderson (Flint Eastwood's real name) doesn't let anyone use that as excuse to not get involved with the music. "Nobody is too cool for this," Anderson addressed the Milwaukee crowd, encouraging everyone to stand up, put their hands up, and sing the hook of her song "Monster" back to her. "We're going for loud, not pretty," Anderson also told the Summerfest audience, encouraging everyone to give as much energy as possible. By the end of the set, everyone had loosened up and reciprocated the energy that Anderson exudes during every single one of her shows.
MUNA Performed New Songs
The trio MUNA were everywhere last summer, playing major festivals like Lollapalooza and touring with Børns...and it doesn't seem to be slowing down this year. Fronted by Chicagoan Katie Gavin, the now LA-based group also consisting of Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson are on the road with Bleachers currently, and they will be out with Harry Styles in the fall (no big deal). Despite their insane touring schedule, Gavin introduced two of their songs performed during Summerfest as new ones, called "In My Way" and "Loser." MUNA's debut album just came out in February, so as a big fan of their work, it's pretty exciting to hear there's already new material in the works.
Bleachers Reminisced...and Then Stripped
Shortly before Jack Antonoff's band Bleachers took the stage as headliners on Saturday night, Michelle from FM 1021 (the local alternative station) introduced them, reminding the crowd that Bleachers had played one of their first ever shows at Summefest 2014. Well, Michelle isn't the only one that remembers that performance...about halfway through their set, Antonoff recalled bandmate Mikey taking his sweatshirt off during the 2014 set and the crowd going wild. Mikey proceeded to take off his jacket, getting the same rowdy response this time around. The band also performed new songs from the latest Bleachers album, Gone Now.
Photo gallery of The Naked and Famous, Flint Eastwood, Calum Scott, MUNA, and Bleachers.
Summerfest is still going on through July 9th. Grab tickets and checkout the lineup here.
PHOTOS: Lola Marsh at Schubas Tavern 6.29.17
Tel Aviv group Lola Marsh played their first ever show in Chicago on Thursday night at Schubas Tavern. Check out the full gallery of their captivating and charismatic set.
Listen to Lola Marsh's debut album Remember Roses below.
Can't get enough of Lola Marsh? Check out our interview with them here.
PHOTOS: Big Thief at Tralf Music Hall 6.29.17
Photo gallery of Big Thief at Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo New York on June 29th, 2017.
Listen to Big Thief's new album Capacity in full below. Chicago, catch them at Millennium Park on July 17th, as part of the free summer concert series.
Can't get enough Big Thief? Check out our review of their set at TNK Fest 2017 here.
LIVE: (Sandy) Alex G with Japanese Breakfast and CENDE at Bottom Lounge
Collaborations and (unexpected) crowd surfing seemed to be a common theme at Wednesday night’s sold out (Sandy) Alex G concert at Bottom Lounge. Kicking things off, Brooklyn based CENDE got the early crowd warmed up. Towards the tail end of their set, they brought out Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast for the first cross-lineup collaboration of the evening.
After CENDE left the stage, the room continued to fill in as Zauner and her band quickly set up for their own set. When 7:30 struck, an undeniable wave of energy swept through the room during the first notes of Japanese Breakfast’s introductory song. The crowd remained attentive and supportive as the band moved through their performance of old favorites and new tunes taken from the upcoming album Soft Sounds From Another Planet, out July 14th on Dead Oceans. Zauner introduced one of the new ones, “Road Head,” about halfway through the set, which got the crowd cheering and intrigued by the title. Zauner also set the scene for Japanese Breakfast’s latest single “Boyish”, telling the crowd to imagine you were at prom with a disco ball illuminating the room, and your crush makes a beeline for you...only to pick the person next you. During this friend-zone anthem, Zauner’s dreamy vocals rang out, her blunt and relatable lyrics echoing through the venue. The mellow mood picked back up with the viral song “Everybody Wants To Love You,” with the crowd screaming along to the call-and-response style chorus and moshing. As Zauner gave a shout out to CENDE and (Sandy) Alex G for being the best tour mates before leaving the stage, the crowd displayed an unwavering display of appreciation for Zauner’s heartfelt narratives and easygoing stage presence.
Lightening things up and taking the energy to another level, (Sandy) Alex G and his band took the stage to “Life is a Highway” around 8:30PM, and the crowd packed in even closer to the stage. “Judge” from the new album Rocket led the formal setlist of the evening, with Giannascoli (the full name behind ‘G’) starting off standing center stage with his guitar. The violinist of the group joined Giannascoli in his center-stage spot during the third song of the evening “Bobby,” which he released as a co-lead single with “Witch” back in March. Shortly after performing both of these debut singles from Rocket, Giannascoli moved over to the keyboard posted up next to his mic stand to perform a few tracks from his 2015 album Beach Music, like "Bug" and "Kicker." As the set progressed, the energy of the crowd only amplified, with Giannascoli hopping down from the stage at one point to join his fans in the pit, and some of the audience crowd surfing. Although he has diverse sonic range that goes everywhere from lo-fi to country, an Alex G concert is one of the last shows you’d expect to see crowd surfers. The performance drafted such an electric energy that it didn't exactly feel out of place, though.
At just about 9:30, Giannascoli and his bandmates left the stage, part one of the set drawing to a close. The group soon returned for a request-based encore, including crowd favorite “Brite Boy,” which guest starred Zauner of Japanese Breakfast again. The fact that the group is able to take requests and keep the setlist fresh for each show displays their raw talent and steep musicianship.
To ensure you don’t miss out on your own unique (Sandy) Alex G set, spiked with collaborations from the equally brilliant Japanese Breakfast and CENDE, head here to get tickets to the remainder of the tour! To hold you over until these bands make their return to Chicago, check out the photo galleries below.
Japanese Breakfast
(Sandy) Alex G
Listen to Rocket here:
PHOTOS: Mamby On The Beach Saturday Highlights
We got to attend the beautiful Mamby on the Beach Festival 2017 with our pals at JBTV. Check out the highlights of Day 1, featuring SHAED, Phoebe Ryan, Raury, Local Natives, and MGMT...as well as the stunning atmosphere and friendly people at the fest!
You can view these photos on JBTV's Facebook Page as well!
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