PHOTOS: Current Joys with Dark Tea at Thalia Hall
This past Saturday night, fans packed the house at Thalia Hall for a night of feel-good and fun tunes from Dark Tea and Current Joys. If you missed out on tickets to the sold out show, check out our photo recap and see where you can catch Current Joys on tour next here.
Live Recap: CHAI with Su Lee at Lincoln Hall
This past Friday night, Chicagoans braved the cold and snowy conditions to overflow the room at Lincoln Hall for CHAI and Su Lee. The sold out show acted as the inaugural date for CHAI’s current North American tour.
South Korea’s Su Lee kicked off the evening with a set that combined comedy with her quirky bedroom pop music. As it turns out, the Lincoln Hall show was actually Lee’s first live performance, but she easily endeared herself to the audience with her funny between-song banter and relatable song topics. Her stage set up was minimal with just a microphone, a keyboard and her laptop but her presence captivated the audience and her songs—including the vial “I'll Just Dance”— had the crowd dancing along. Lee’s set included a cover of “Cocoa Butter Kisses” by Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper and the iconic “Take On Me” by a-ha. The crowd ended up loving Su Lee so much that they chanted for an encore.
After a brief stage changeover, the time came for CHAI to hit the stage, marking their return to Chicago for the first time in over two years. Every time I’ve seen CHAI perform in the past, they always deliver an incredible element of theatrics and production, but this was the first time I’d seen them perform as headliners—which only elevated their levels of theatrics. The band members Mana, Kana, Yuuki and Yuna entered the stage decked out in matching silver capes and performed a choreographed opening dance number before launching into their single “No More Cake.” The choreography and coordination continued throughout the show as the four members of CHAI used dance movements to accentuate their music. As the group performed a mix of songs from their 2021 album Wink and earlier releases, they rotated to different instruments and places on the stage, showcasing the multiple hats that every member of CHAI wears.
Just before CHAI left the stage for an encore, they welcomed special guest Ric Wilson to sing their collaboration track “Maybe Chocolate Chips,” giving the Chicago audience a unique performance the rest of the tour won’t experience. As with any past CHAI show I’ve attended, I left the show feeling the pure jubilation that the band conjures with their bubbly spirits and effervescent tunes.
If you missed out on tickets to the show, check out the photo recap of the evening below, and see where you can catch CHAI on tour 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: SAMIA and Annie DiRusso at Thalia Hall
This past Sunday night, SAMIA and Annie DiRusso packed the house at Thalia Hall for a feel good evening that had everyone dancing and singing along. The show was so full of good vibes that it almost felt like a group therapy session. If you missed out on tickets, see photos from the evening below, and see where you can catch SAMIA next here.
PHOTOS: Neal Francis with Dos Santos at Thalia Hall
This past Friday night, Thalia Hall hosted a sold-out, hometown show with Neal Francis and Dos Santos. If you missed out on tickets, see where you can catch Neal next here, and relive the evening with our photo gallery below.
Live Recap: Beabadoobee with Christian Leave and BlackstarKids
One of my favorite things is hitting a show and finding that there really is no “headliner” and that all the bands on the roster are freaking fantastic in their own right. That’s what happened at Pittsburgh’s Stage AE last Saturday night.
First in line was Blackstarkids who, I admit, I was not prepared for and maybe that helped to make their brand of crunchy, punk-rock guitar and beats so damn amazing. Or maybe they just are amazing. Let’s go with that. Their entire 30 minute set was full of energy and movement. It was the last night of the tour and they clearly weren’t going to pack up and go home early. They’ve just released a new album this fall, Puppies Forever, and it begs to be checked out.
Next up was another pop team with a nice dash of noise, sweetness and punk rock, courtesy of Christian Leave. Another act that was so much more than I was anticipating. The group had great energy and fantastic tunes that make you want to dance or maybe just lose your mind. The music feels clever, witty and above all, catchy and fresh. Christian and the band really set it up for the headliner.
Beabadoobee. What can you say? Her understated look and demeanor belie the depths of the lyrics she writes and sounds she crafts to compose her music catalog. She, and her amazing band, just hammered the audience with sound and emotion. From her anthem “Care” to the crunch of “Back to Mars” to the sweet soft of “Cologne,” the show was just incredible. I left wanting another 30 minutes or so!
These three great bands provided very different takes on similar musical styles with acute differences. Overall, it was a great night of bands you know are going to be good going in, but are just thrilled to find they’re that good.
Check out photos from the evening below, and keep up with beabadoobee here.
All words and photos by Sarah Wilson
Live Recap: COIN and Mazie at the Roxian Theatre
ANCHR ventured out to the Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh to catch COIN’s Rainbow Dreamland tour with opener Mazie. The show was so high energy and so much fun that the floor of the Roxian was literally bouncing. Between the great music, huge energy and a packed house, Sunday in Pittsburgh took on a distinctly Saturday night vibe.
Starting with Mazie, who I can only describe as what would happen if Disney created a pop-punk princess, but in the best way! Her set, backed by two monitors playing the original animated Alice in Wonderland (which may be what triggered the Disney princess comparison?) behind her as she consistently danced, twirled and bounced on the stage. She literally danced right out of her shoes! Music that starts sweet, goes raw and back to pop princess again. Even Mazie was out of breath at times, as was the crowd who were immediately brought up in the raw energy and excitement of her set.
But that was just the start. Mazie certainly set the vibe, but it was up to COIN to keep it going…and they did. The Rainbow Dreamland tour started strong in Pittsburgh with “Into My Arms.” Front man Chase Lawrence sounded fantastic and got the crowd going, dancing, running and singing, taking up every inch of the stage that he could with an almost larger than life presence. From the flashing lights to the infectious dance beats, the show never slowed down. A strong set list ending with an encore featuring “Talk Too Much,” because really, what is a COIN show without their biggest hit (to date)?!
Check out the photo gallery of the fantastic evening below. Catch up with all things Mazie here, and see where you can catch COIN next here.
All words and photos by Sarah Wilson
