Live Recap: Two Feet at Metro
Last Wednesday night, The Metro kicked off the Thanksgiving weekend with an incredible performance from the musician Bill Dess, better known by his moniker of Two Feet.
Turnout is usually hit or miss with shows around the holidays, but before Two Feet even took the stage, eager fans filled in the Wrigleyville venue for a support set from the electro-pop duo Fiji Blue. The pair got the audience grooving and ready for the night with their songs like “It Takes Two” and “I Should’ve Told You.”
The first time I saw Two Feet perform, he had been the support act for Jain at Subterranean back in 2017. Since then he has played in Chicago at Lollapalooza and venues like Lincoln Hall, but his headlining performance at Metro showcased an elevation in his production and stage persona. As the stage changed over for the main event, tall light bulbs lined the stage, lending to the ambience of the evening.
Since we last saw Two Feet in Chicago, he’s released two albums, including 2020’s Pink and this year’s Max Maco is Dead Right?, the latter of which is a concept album written from the view of the title’s character, so he had plenty of new material to share with the crowd that evening. The set began with some songs from Pink, including “BBY” and “You?” and continued by weaving in the newer material with fan favorites like “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” and “Had Some Drinks.” Throughout the show, the lights that decked the stage shifted colors and added visual depth to the mix of bluesy and electronic sounds of Two Feet. For example, during “Pink,” all the lights shone pink in honor of the song name, blending the tangible element of the performance with the atmospheric tones.
The evening closed with the abrasive hit “Go Fuck Yourself,” which had the entire audience swaying to the beat and soaking in the last few moments of the show.
Two Feet recently released the single “Until I Come Home” in collaboration with grandson, and the new single leads up to the next full-length album from Two Feet, which is expected in 2022. If you missed out on this show, see where you can catch Two Feet next here, and keep and eye out for that new music by following along on Instagram and Twitter.
Photo recap of Two Feet and Fiji Blue at Metro
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: CHVRCHES Brings Screen Violence to Aragon Ballroom
Last Friday night, Scottish trio CHVRCHES hit the Aragon Ballroom stage in Chicago in celebration of their fourth studio album, Screen Violence. While it was already mid-November and many of us have moved into the festive and cheerful holiday mode, CHVRCHES brought us all right back to spooky season with this performance.
As Donna Missal warmed up the first fans to arrive to the show, more and more fans filtered in and packed the ballroom to the brim before Lauren Mayberry and Martin Doherty took the stage with their live bandmates. Just ahead of the Chicago stop, the band had announced that unfortunately Iain Cook had tested positive with Covid-19 and had to quarantine, but luckily the show was able to continue on with assistance from the group’s touring crew member, Dave Simpson.
Following an eerie and spooky introductory track that sounded like it came straight from a horror film score, the band began their cinematic performance with “He Said She Said,” the second song off the new album. I’ve always admired the fun and captivating energy that CHVRCHES, and particularly Mayberry, have presented onstage, but this return from them felt even more epic and developed than previous experiences. Mayberry kept all eyes glued on her as she twirled around the open stage while singing to the likes of “Violent Delights” and “Science/Visions” as colorful lights engulfed her and projections played out on the massive screen behind the band. Despite one of their core bandmates being unable to join them, Mayberry, Doherty, and Simpson kept their sound polished and on track the entire show.
During their set, CHVRCHES kept things extra theatrical with a couple of costume changes from Mayberry, including one where she swapped out her outfit to a t-shirt reading “FINAL GIRL,” which is the name of one of the songs on 2021’s Screen Violence. The song pays homage to the final girl troupe we see in many horror films, and to play into that sentiment, Mayberry even covered herself in fake blood after singing “Final Girl.”
Of the new album itself, Mayberry has said she went into the writing process with the idea of writing something escapist, adding, “That felt freeing initially, to have concepts and stories to weave your own feelings and experiences through but in the end, all the lyrics were definitely still personal.” While that concept comes across listening to the album, the live show from CHVRCHES truly drove home the escapist aspect as they hooked us into an entrancing production that played out in front of our eyes.
Check out our photo recap of the evening below, and see where you can catch CHVRCHES on tour next here.
PHOTOS: Kacy Hill at Schubas
Last week, Kacy Hill headlined a sold-out Schubas stage in celebration of her third album called Simple, Sweet, and Smiling. Check out our photo recap of the evening below, including support from Jack Larsen, and see where you can catch Kacy next 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: Wet at Lincoln Hall
Last Tuesday night, Brooklyn trio Wet hit the stage at Lincoln Hall for a long-awaited comeback in honor of their new album Letter Blue.
The evening began with a set from fellow New Yorker Liam Benzvi, who warmed up the crowd with some of his newer songs like “Limes” and “Hypno.” Benzvi’s music perfectly complemented Wet’s sound and had the crowd grooving along during the entire set.
Next up, Kelly Zutrau, Joe Valle, and Marty Sulkow of Wet were greeted with cheers and applause as they opened their show with new songs “On Your Side” and “Bound” from Letter Blue. While a large part of the setlist called to the newer material, fans were still treated to some familiar favorites like “You’re The Best” and “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl.” Although the Chicago tour stop was one of only a few on this run, Zutrau mentioned the band had received messages from fans who had traveled from other states in order to be there, and the band expressed their gratitude to everyone who made one of their first shows in nearly two years so special.
If you missed out of these select tour dates, be sure keep an eye out for 2022 tour updates here, and check out the photo gallery of the show below.
PHOTOS: Low Cut Connie with SUSU and Nathan Graham
Last week, Low Cut Connie took the stage at Thalia Hall by storm with a wild performance full of high kicks, piano jumps and even some shirt-tearing. In Low Cut Connie’s company, SUSU and Nathan Graham also commanded the room’s attention and support during their opening sets.
Check out photos of the evening below, and see the latest Low Cut Connie tour updates 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.
