Filtering by Category: Music
Live Recap: Glass Animals at Credit Union 1 Arena
When I think of Glass Animals, my mind immediately drifts to sunny summer days at the beach, neon lights, and bright colors. Essentially, they embody happiness and tropical vacations in a band. While this past Friday night in Chicago was chilly and rainy, the second I stepped into the Credit Union 1 arena that Glass Animals was performing at, it felt like I had entered a bubble of paradise that protected me from the gloomy outside world.
As I made my way into the main room of the arena, I spotted excited fans donning neon-colored clothes and sparkly outfits that reflected the vibes of Glass Animals’ upbeat tunes. Some crowd members had posters and balloons as well, but the best fan accessory had to be the blow up pineapple-shaped floatie that paid homage to the band’s unofficial mascot of the pineapple (which even got a shout out from singer Dave Bayley after they played “Pork Soda”).
After taking in the crowd, I soaked up the incredible set design that had been assembled onstage—at the very back of the stage, a screen that resembled a desktop computer counted down the moments until Glass Animals’ set would begin. A giant basketball hoop and palm trees stood tall on the sides of the stage, and the front of the stage was designed to look like a swimming pool, including a diving board. The theme of the stage captured the essence of summer fun and the nostalgia of being a kid.
The last time I saw Glass Animals perform had been at Lincoln Hall in March of 2020, just before the live music industry shut down, so it was incredible to see them return in such a massive way. From the size of the crowd and the intricacy of the stage design, this time around was so different. Despite the bigger crowd and bigger set up, the one thing that didn’t change between these scales of show was the amount of passion and showmanship that Bayley and his bandmates brought to the stage. Glass Animals is a band that just has that element of authentic charisma when they hit the stage, no matter what type of stage it is, you know that you’re going to witness a stellar performance. When the show began with the euphoric title track of 2020’s Dreamland, I felt an instant rush of serotonin that didn’t falter for the rest of the show.
This show was my first time hearing many of the songs from Dreamland performed live since the album came out in the summer of 2020, but the band also sprinkled in familiar favorites like “Life Itself” and “Youth” from 2016’s How To Be A Human Being and “Gooey” from 2014’s ZABA. During the set, Bayley remained fluid across the entirety of the stage, dancing and moving along as he sang their songs, but there was a moment after “Gooey” where the crowd got extra loud with their applause and cheers and Bayley paused to soak in that moment with gratitude. The high energy picked right back up and came to a peak when confetti showered the audience at the end of “Pork Soda” just before the members of Glass Animals left the stage. While the fans hollered for an encore, the computer screen backdrop held a prompt that asked if we wanted Glass Animals to continue. The resounding answer based on the intensity of the cheers was yes, so the group returned to the stage to perform “Tokyo Drifting” and their massive hit “Heat Waves,” which has been all over the radio, Tik Tok, and garnered over one billion streams on Spotify. Since it came out, “Heat Waves” has remained in my rotation because it’s one of those songs that can instantly boost my mood, and it was a wonderful experience getting to soak in the anthem with an arena full of fellow fans.
See where you can catch Glass Animals on tour next here, and relive the magic of their show with the photo recap, also featuring Sad Night Dynamite, below.
Live Recap: Thao with Becca Mancari and Why Bonnie
As Austin band Why Bonnie kicked off the show, I couldn’t help noticing there was an undeniable americana hitch to the vocals by lyricist Blair Howerton. Especially during their latest single “Galveston.” It’s emotive, it comes from the gut. More 90’s wail than coal miner’s daughter. The relaxed ease of Howerton’s stage presence echoes the authenticity of her voice, and the music dovetails with that authenticity perfectly. Why Bonnie brings a more actively impassioned approach to dreamy bedroom rock. Sometimes that passion has some punch, some anger. “Athlete” balances muscular grunge with trance-like washes. As Howerton sings “I wish I were quicker on my feet…”, things go sideways fast as the landscape bends into psych that could trip you up. But this audience is nimble, and they sway into the rock of the music. Bassist Chance Williams and Sam Houdek on guitar anchored the sides of the stage with loose limbed rhythm, letting their bodies bend and their hair fly. Why Bonnie topped off their set with “No Caves,“ the gentle rocking evolved, taking us someplace intensely emotionally raw. As Howerton wails, "I wanna take off your clothes, Set us on fire just to see where the smoke goes" the cathartic energy swept over the crowd. Leaving me lighter in the wake of their performance, and much anticipating the album they promised to release later this year.
Becca Mancari writes music that captures emotion. It’s lyrically expressive, and yet tonally juxtaposed. The music is soothing, but the lyrics clearly tell us “I’ve got a bad bad bad feeling.” Sometimes the music shifts suddenly to more directly reflect the lyrics. It is a delicate balancing act. The band has the confident swagger to meet the talent of Mancari’s songwriting. They show the breadth of the music with the first few songs, greeting us with “Pretend,” a delightful sunny breakup song. “Hunter” was a rhythmic driving proto-alt banger. Going into her third song, “First Time,” Mancari tells us the moment that inspired this song was the catalyst for her writing her 2020 album, The Greatest Part. They dedicated it to the “queer babies” in the audience. The glistening echoing tones defied the heart-crushing lyric, “I remember the first time my dad didn't hug me back.” As the song ends and fades, somehow I was left with a sense of beauty. Mancari lifts our hearts with a breathless, "Happy pride y'all. 365." The masterful stage presence and vulnerability of the music kept the audience rapt. I got weak in the knees from the four part harmony during “Golden.” I begged for more, even as she sang, “I’m sorry I’m not done yet.” Mancari and her band owned the stage with strength and an uplifting sense of community.
From the moment THAO stepped on the stage in a pearlescent sequined jumpsuit, the tone was set for celebration. It was Thao Nguyen’s birthday eve, afterall. As the first song, “Departure,” built and unraveled, the audience’s enthusiasm heated up. They were surely ready for the rhythmically complex, heavy beat, and melodic exploration of Thao’s music. Finally on tour two years after the release of Temple, there was a palpable energy of a night long awaited. They warmed us up to that album with “Phenom,” bringing that edgy west coast attitude. Thao isn’t afraid to inject her music with atonal tuning which can be off-putting to American rock sensibilities. It is disruptive in the most pleasurable way possible, giving the lanky beat an off kilter bouncy house feel.
There were hoots from the audience when Thao brought out the banjo for “Holy Roller.” I was mesmerized by her standing strut. I couldn’t resist shifting my weight in concert with her. On the chorus, Thao gestured and the crowd jumped in to sing along. The band pleased dedicated fans by playing songs from across Thao’s catalog, going as far back as her 2008 track, “Feet Asleep.”
Thao wrote “Temple” from her mother’s perspective, telling us of their flight from Vietnam, “But we found freedom, what will you do now, bury the burden baby, make us proud.” The emotion was thick as Thao moved, the sequins on her jumpsuit caught dramatic beams of light, which moved around the space like searchlights. There’s a distinct plucking style to the way Thao plays guitar, you can see the banjo/mandolin player at work. I could also see the great rhythm and blues musicians in the way she speaks through her guitar, sometimes it is harmonizing, sometimes echoing a reply, or offering a staccato exclamation point. Thao grimaced, letting her raw emotion flow through her guitar during “Guts,” and the audience threw up their arms and let their bodies move in a Woodstock-like ecstasy. Song after song showed how central the groove is to Thao’s music. She hooked us with that body moving groove and then hit us with her heart and soul. It is the perfect delivery system for a cathartically charged experience.
All three bands in the lineup blended influences and smoothly traversed the rock landscape from Americana to psych to grunge to angular to groove. No matter the form the music took, there was an emotively raw authenticity that made me feel grateful to be there sharing that space.
All photos and words by Tina Mead
Live Recap: Caroline Rose and Tōth at Lincoln Hall
ANCHR spent this last St.Patty’s Day in the ideal way—no, not by drinking green beer or seeing the Chicago River dyed green— by seeing Caroline Rose and Tōth in a sold out Lincoln Hall.
Brooklyn songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alex Toth (the namesake of Tōth) kicked off the high energy and good vibes of the evening by beginning the set donning sparkly butterfly wings. The fun continued with songs like “Turnaround (Cocaine Song)” and “Muerto,” which had some crowd members singing along. However, the biggest sing-along of the set happened when Tōth performed “Juliette” and led audience members in echoing the lines “Juliette, I’m just glad we met.”
Next up, a DIY backdrop and light set up filled the stage to mark a new era for Caroline Rose. Caroline’s highly anticipated return to Chicago was her first show here since the release of her album Superstar— which as Caroline joked was a terrible date to release music, was put out on March 6th, 2020. Caroline and her band hit the stage when the room was packed and buzzing with fans who were either eager to see them perform again, or new fans ready to experience Caroline Rose for the first time. The beginning part of the set featured some familiar favorites from 2018’s Loner, like “More of the Same” and “Jeannie Becomes A Mom” before turning to songs from the newest record. Caroline’s albums have brought me joy as a listener, but nothing compares to witnessing her perform and bring those songs to life in a completely unique light. For example, Caroline used auto-tune during one song and then broke off into a tangent of singing “Believe” by Cher. “I could be a Cher impersonator and probably make a lot more money,” she joked. At another point, Caroline turned off the DIY lighting rig and borrowed a fan in the front row’s phone to use the flashlight as a makeshift spotlight—making the already intimate show feel even more personal.
Towards the middle of the show, Caroline spoke between songs about how the pandemic has affected her approach to life, relating it to the carefree attitude our grandparents often adopt later in life (“Like when your grandparents don’t give a crap about what they do and just burp and fart in front of you”). “That sounded more poetic in my head but when I say it out loud, it didn’t sound quite as sexy,” she added. While there was obviously a joking element to that statement, the underlying sentiment is one that I personally can relate to a lot; Now that we’ve survived the devastation that the pandemic has brought on so far, it’s much easier to no longer sweat the small stuff in life. The heartbreak of the pandemic and the shut down of the music industry also made it that much easier to truly cherish and appreciate moments like this Caroline Rose concert— it was one of those shows that make you believe in rock and roll and the goodness of other humans by bringing together a room full of strangers.
The show ended with Caroline performing an extended version of “Money”— with a detour that had her climbing the amps and ad libbing whatever vocalizations came to mind. With so much going on in the world, these short moments of undistracted joy are what keeps me going.
You can catch Caroline Rose on tour this year—dates here, and check out the photo recap of the night below.
PHOTOS: Maisie Peters with Jonah Kagen at Lincoln Hall
We kicked off the month of March with a beautiful show from singer-songwriter Maisie Peters and Jonah Kagen at Lincoln Hall. If you missed out on tickets to the sold out show, check out our photo recap below, and see where you can catch Maisie Peters next here.
PHOTOS: Remi Wolf with Grace Ives at Metro
Last Friday night, Remi Wolf played a sold out show at The Metro, in celebration of her 2021 debut album Juno. If you missed out on the show, check out our photo recap of the evening, also featuring Grace Ives.
See where you can catch the tour next here, and take a listen to Juno below.
Live Recap: The Wombats with Clubhouse at Park West
This past Thursday night, The Wombats returned to Chicago on their US tour and proved that while everything may be going wrong in the world, we can still be so happy.
Despite the evening being frigid and snowy, as is typical February-in-Chicago weather, and Covid surges still going strong, fans relentlessly flocked to Park West to attend The Wombats’ tour in honor of their fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not The World. The night began with a set from Columbus’ Clubhouse, who warmed up the crowd with their fun-spirited tunes and friendly demeanor. The band performed songs from their 2021 album Are We Going Too Slow? as well as a rendition of MGMT’s hit “Electric Feel.”
The friendly tone from Clubhouse’s set lingered after they left the stage, as the audience chatted to fellow fans about their favorite track from Fix Yourself, Not the World and recollected on past experiences at Wombats’ shows. I personally ended the night we a few new concert buddies, and couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to be standing next to. By the time Matthew “Murph” Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen, Dan Haggis took the stage, it no longer felt like standing in a room full of virtual strangers because the mutual admiration for The Wombats’ music created such a connected atmosphere.
The music kicked off with the single “Flip Me Upside Down” from the new album, and from the second the song began, the problems of the outside world faded away for roughly 90 minutes as The Wombats produced a euphoric escape. The three members of The Wombats met and began making music in Liverpool, and while life has since taken them to different home locations across the globe, they managed to record the new record remotely thanks to the help of Zoom. Despite the distance they’ve faced in recent years, the bond between the trio remained as strong as ever during their live performance as they played with a sense of camaraderie that can only come from their many years of making music together.
The remainder of the set list incorporated a lot of the new material like “Wildfire,” “Method To The Madness,” and “If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You”—the latter of which Murph joked that his wife had told him in a “creepy yet endearing” way back when they were dating—however, fans were not deprived of the chance to revisit some of their older favorites from the band’s earlier days. The Wombats sprinkled in bits of each of their past albums, going all the way back to 2007’s A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation. Throughout all these years, I’ve always admired Murph’s pensive and witty lyrics that are surrounded by intricate melodies and production, but hearing these songs in a live context only elevates that magic. Familiar crowd favorites of the evening included “Techno Fan,” “Kill The Director,” “Let’s Dance To Joy Division” and “Turn” but there truly wasn’t a moment when the audience wasn’t echoing the words back to the band and dancing along. A flip was switched from the second the opening note rang out, and the lighthearted energy remained intact even after The Wombats left the stage.
If The Wombats are coming to a city near you, don’t deprive yourself of a similar experience, and be sure to snag your tickets here. Check out photos of the evening and tune into the new album below.
PHOTOS: Liz Cooper and Pearl Charles at Lincoln Hall
On Sunday night, Liz Cooper and Pearl Charles rocked the stage at Lincoln Hall, sharing lots of new music to attentive fans. Check out photos of the evening below, and keep up with upcoming Liz Cooper tour dates here.
Live Recap: Wolf Alice at The Vic
This past Monday night, Wolf Alice packed the Vic Theatre for a sold out gig in honor of the group’s third album Blue Weekend, which came out in June 2021. Though it’d been more than three years since the British quartet took the stage in Chicago, the rambunctious and eager fans greeted bandmates Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Joel Amey, and Theo Ellis with warm cheers. The reunion between Wolf Alice and all of their devoted fans felt like the kinship between old pals who can go years without seeing each other, yet they don’t miss a beat once they’re finally back together.
Going back to the earlier days of Wolf Alice, they’ve always exhibited an expansive and exploratory sound—particularly with vocalist and lyricist Ellie Rowsell’s dynamic range. For example, the hushed and melancholy tones of the title track on Wolf Alice’s 2013 "Blush” EP starkly contrast to the rowdy riffs and wailing vocals used in songs like “Fluffy” from their 2015 debut record My Love Is Cool. In their newest material, the band has honed in on that skillset and built upon their existing sound with nuanced maturity that elevated their already excellent live presence to another level.
The setlist on Monday night called back to the aforementioned debut album—including the wildly popular “Moaning Lisa Smile”— as well as 2017’s Visions Of A Life between the new songs. The perfectly crafted selection of songs allowed for fans to experience gentle and refined moments that juxtaposed moments of furious spontaneity. Wolf Alice has stated that Blue Weekend as a project is largely the product of Rowsell’s realization of the role of music in our lives, of the importance of the songs she writes. Seeing the crowd’s reaction at Wolf Alice’s live show demonstrated that importance of their music and Rowsell’s lyrics in a tangible and raw way.
If you missed out on the spectacle of Wolf Alice’s Chicago show, relive some of the magic with the photo gallery below, including the support artist Bria.
See where you can catch Wolf Alice perform next here, and pick up a copy of Blue Weekend here.
Live Recap: Michigander with Hollyy and Stay Outside
Last week, Michigander returned to Chicago to headline a sold out show at Lincoln Hall, in support of the new EP Everything Will Be Ok Eventually. I had the chance to see Michigander perform a set to a large crowd at Lollapalooza earlier this summer, but hearing the new music in one of my favorite venues felt so much more special.
The evening began with support from Chicago’s own Hollyy and Stay Outside from our neighbors in Indiana. Stay Outside had the crowd buzzing about their infectious energy and anthemic indie rock after the set, and Hollyy won the room over with their soulful crooning and layered arrangements.
When it came time for Jason Singer and his bandmates in Michigander to grace the stage, the room radiated with a familiar sense of welcoming a friend home. Despite being from Michigan, Chicago holds a lot of love for the band, and Singer even acknowledged how good the city has always been to them as he chatted between songs, recalling their first ever house show here.
The performance at Lincoln Hall followed a long string of tour dates for the band, who has been hard at work out on the road since concerts got the green light to pick back up. During the entire show, the band exuded an electrifying sense of energy and ease performing with one another, showcasing a tight-knit sound that’s only continued to evolve as they play more music together. Whether it was the band jamming out an extended arrangement on certain songs like “Circles” or them joking around with a School of Rock bit, the members of Michigander made it clear they were enjoying every second of their set.
The audience reciprocated the band’s mood by dancing and singing along, and I even overheard other fans chatting and bonding about their past experiences at Michigander shows between the different sets that evening. One particular group of dedicated fans (self-proclaimed “oldest fans”) had been following the tour around the Midwest, and they received a special shout out from Singer onstage.
While 2020 (and a large part of 2021) brought on many lows and dark times, it almost feels like Michigander summoned the light at the end of the tunnel with Everything Will Be Ok Eventually. Towards the end of their set, Singer acknowledged that title as a sort of mantra to get him through the hard times of the pandemic, and as I experienced the uplifting feeling in the room during the show, it truly felt like everything was more than ok in that moment.
Check out ANCHR’s photo gallery of the evening below, and see where you can catch Michigander on the road next here.
