Bad Suns with Carlie Hanson @ House of Blues, Dallas, TX
Photos and review courtesy of Sonni Nicole | March 25, 2019
This Friday was an extremely special one for me. I saw one of my favorite bands for the sixth time in the place I first saw and fell in love with their music when they opened up for The 1975 back in May of 2014. And now they’re headlining and selling out.
This was their biggest sold out show ever, and I am INCREDIBLY PROUD. These guys deserve every ounce of success and I’m so happy I’ve gotten to watch them continue to grow and succeed. Every time I’ve had the chance to see Bad Suns live, they were better than the last, and they’re only going to keep getting better and I’m happy that I get to continue to see them thrive.
They put one the best show, and are so good with drawing the crowd in and engaging with them, especially when Christo goes into the audience for a couple of songs. I always recommend catching a Bad Suns show, because they’re nothing short of incredible!
I had never seen or had the chance to listen to Carlie Hanson, but after seeing her open up for Bad Suns Friday night, she definitely gained a fan in me! She was SO energetic and such a firecracker on that stage, and was a pro in drawing the crowd (including me) in. I’d recommend seeing both of these incredible artists on the “Mystic Truth” tour if they’re stopping by anywhere near you! You will not regret it.
Catfish and the Bottlemen with The Worn Flints @ Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
Photos and review courtesy of Sydney Kobza | March 25, 2019
Welsh rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen recently stopped in Portland, OR ahead of the release of their forthcoming album, The Balance, out April 26th. The band has released three singles from The Balance, all of which still have their distinct, upbeat rock vibes. Playing a crowd-pleasing mix of songs from their first two albums, as well as the new singles, Catfish and the Bottlemen tore through their set and left the crowd breathless. The band hardly paused, choosing to keep the energy high and the night exciting. Lead singer Van McCann moved around the stage with tireless energy, one moment shredding on his guitar and the next racing back to the microphone to resume singing. Catfish and the Bottlemen definitely know how to entertain a crowd and after their amazing performance in Portland, fans are sure to be eager for the next tour to be announced. The Worn Flints opened the show with high energy and obvious inspiration from classic rock legends. Lead singer and guitarist Kenny Stiegele danced around stage, with moves and facial expressions reminiscent of Jack Black in School of Rock (in the best possible way). The band warmed the crowd up immediately and impressed everyone with their guitar solos and overall stage presence.
YOB with Voivod @ The Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
High Waisted @ Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn NY
Photos and review by Jen Meller | March 24 2019
High Waisted performed kicking off the Spectrum Concert Series celebrating Women in Music. The night was stacked with performances from Treads, Talay, and The Furies. Jessica Louise Dye, front woman for High Waisted, soaked in energy, gave an electrifying set. This performance followed their twelve show stint at SXSW. High Waisted is a four-piece surf rock group with pop sensibilities.
Catfish and The Bottlemen @ House of Blues, Dallas Texas
Photos courtesy of Jen Machuca | March 16, 2019
LEIKELI47 & Yung Baby Tate @ Subterranean, Chicago, IL
Photos and review by Victoria Sanders | March 2019
LEIKELI47 and Yung Baby Tate brought out the best of Friday night in Chicago. Folks ready to dance, show love, and form a community in the second and third floors of SubT.
Gogol Bordello @ The Space at Westbury Theater, Westbury, NY
Photos courtesy of Danielle Hyland | March 21 2019
You Me At Six @ Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
You Me At Six with support from Machineheart & DREAMERS
Photos and review by Nina Tadic | March 2nd 2019
The first time I heard You Me at Six, I was in eighth grade, and they had just released Sinners Never Sleep, and it was on a loop on my iPod Classic. There was something a little… zestier?... about it than similar albums by their American counterparts, and I loved that it had an edge. There weren’t many bands putting out songs with guest vocals from heavy metal vocalists, but You Me At Six were. They’ve always been at the forefront of trying new things, and have never been afraid to test out a new sound. That hasn’t changed.
For their current tour, the band made a stop in Chicago at the Bottom Lounge on March 3, and the entire show was more than phenomenal. The night kicked off with support from Machineheart and DREAMERS, both of which were insane.
When the lights dimmed and Machineheart hit the stage, I knew I was in for a performance. The band has this dreamy, ethereal energy about them, and boy do they know how to groove. Vocalist Stevie Scott can croon and hit notes I couldn’t reach in my wildest dreams, and she does it with poise that is indescribable.
Following Machineheart, DREAMERS took the stage, and their fans clearly made it known. Before the lights even came up, the amount of shrieking and screaming in the crowd let everyone who hadn’t heard the band know that they were going to see a great performance - which we did. DREAMERS have mastered the art of carefree and lighthearted indie-pop, which can be funky and bubblegummy at the same time, and wonderful all around.
After looking at these openers, though they were different from one another in sound, and different from You Me at Six in sound, they fit well for the bill. They were both a great way to merge into You Me at Six’s set, especially since their sound has developed in a more groovy indie-rock direction.
This indie-rock style they’ve got going - it works. It works aesthetically- in the way they carry themselves, in the tones of light and backdrop they use for their performance, in vocalist Josh Franceschi’s witty remarks. They know how to walk the walk. They also know how to talk the talk. Playing a plethora of songs off of their most recent release, VI, the band was absolutely in their element. Guitarist Max Helyer did not stop moving and grooving for a second, while fellow guitarist Chris Miller and bassist Matt Barnes both managed to look poised and cool as they jammed from one song to the next. Drummer Dan Flint may have been farther back on the stage, but his presence was through the roof as he lead each song, especially more noticeably when they played a handful of older tunes off of Hold Me Down and Sinners Never Sleep, from their more “rowdy” days, you could say.
Regardless of what the band was playing, they were holding their own on stage. The entire crowd was so captivated by every moment, every flickering light, every step everyone made - all eyes were on them. Franceschi did make sure to apologize to the crowd for spending quite a few years without a Chicago performance, and made it up by playing oldies that everyone knew. Just because this crowd had grown up, and this band has grown up, doesn’t mean the memories weren’t still there, and it showed the entire night.
