Alexander 23 @ The Foundry - Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Carolyn Lederach | October 9th
It’s been an interesting few years for Alexander 23. I for one was super excited to finally catch one of his live shows. If his internet presence is any indication of what his shows might be like, it’s bound to be a good time.
About this time last year, we saw the rise of his lockdown love song “IDK You Yet”, which is now up to about 300 million streams. He’s also been busy not only working on his own sad bops, but also working with artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Quinn XCII, and Jeremy Zucker.
You can tell from the joy on all the fans’ faces everyone else was also beyond excited to see Alexander live. With neon sign in tow the show in the small Foundry walls became a fun sing-a-long that makes me look forward to seeing Alexander live in larger rooms in the near future.
CHVRCHES @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL
Photos and words courtesy of Emily Nava | November 19th 2021
As live music has returned to stages in the past few months, new challenges have come with it as artists strive to stay safe and healthy on the road. Shortly before the CHVRCHES concert at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on November 19th, band member Iain Cook tested positive for COVID-19. Despite this unfortunate circumstance, CHVRCHES' touring technician, Dave Simpson, filled in for the night and the show went on.
Opening act, Donna Missal, delivered a soulful and powerful performance that built up anticipation for CHVRCHES' set.
CHVRCHES opened their set with a song from their new album Screen Violence called "He Said She Said" and continued with older songs such as "Forever" and "Leave A Trace". Throughout their performance, CHVRCHES delivered high-energy but also vulnerability with their newer songs such as "Good Girls" and "Final Girl".
CHVRCHES captivated a nearly sold out crowd that night and I am sure fans would agree that Chicago cannot wait to have them back.
All Time Low @ Paristown Hall - Louisville, KY
All Time Low recently brought their current North American tour to Louisville, KY to a packed crowd! Starting the night out was pop-punk band Meet Me At The Altar. A whirl of fun and upbeat energy, they had plenty of fans in the crowd singing along from the first note! Performing a variety of songs from their catalog, including a few from their latest EP Model Citizen, they also performed a short medley of covers halfway through their set, asking “Are there any emotion kids in the building? Of course there are! We’re gonna play some covers and we want you to sing along!”. The crowd proceeded to sing along to covers from Jimmy Eat World, Limp Bizcuit, New Found Glory, and LIT. Taking about how they are an all female band, singer Edith Johnson told the crowd how growing up they didn’t see a lot of female bands and were sad about it and wondered why not do it themselves? Also this evening there was a 7 year old fan in the crowd named Zoe, whose birthday it was, so the band had everyone shout Happy Birthday! It was really fun set to start the evening out with! Next up was Nothing, Nowhere, the stage name of singer, rapper and songwriter Joseph Edward Mulherin. A mix of emo rap, trap, and indie rock, he and his band had the crowd dancing along throughout the set with their infectious energy. Moody lighting and a connection with the crowd made it a fun and engaging set!
Headlining this evening was Maryland emo pop punk band All Time Low. Having formed in 2003, they have gained a strong and loyal fan base over the years, with their 8 studio albums and fun and energetic live shows. Playing songs this evening from their extensive catalog, they also performed tracks from their latest album, 2020’s Wake Up, Sunshine. Asking the crowd if there was anyone for whom this was their first show since live shows started back, they proceeded to say “Feels good doesn’t it? Thanks for being here! It feels good to be back on a stage!”. They started things off with “Do You Want Me (Dead)?” and performed tracks throughout their set that included “Some Kind Of Disater”, ““Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)”, “Once In A Lifetime”, “Life Of The Party”, “Monsters”, and “Nightmares”. Towards the end of the evening, they talked about how there was so much love in the room this evening and how they could feel it coming off of everyone and how when they play shows, everyone in attendance becomes a collective family for a while. They then talked about how love is love no matter who you love! They ended the evening with “Dear Maria, Count Me In”, capping off the evening by shooting off a massive confetti cannon, sending colorful bits of confetti throughout the crowd! It was a fun way to end the set and left people buzzing long after the music ended!
MEET ME AT THE ALTAR
NOTHING, NOWHERE
ALL TIME LOW
Lewis Del Mar @ The Foundry - Philadelphia, PA
LANY @ The Met - Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Carolyn Lederach | October 8th
It goes without saying that LANY has been extremely busy during the COVID times with releasing not just one but two albums. Personally, mama’s boy was one of my favorite albums from 2020 so I was super excited to see some of those songs live, and Malibu Nights remains a solid pop album I still listen to frequently. Along with the new bops on gg bb xx, there were plenty of LANY classics scattered throughout the night partnered with some great graphics displays.
Philadelphia was one of the first stops on LANY’s current GG BB XX US Tour. The show certainly presented its challenges, mostly with the venue fire alarms going off not once, but seven times due to the haze machines. Despite multiple cut-offs mid-song, the crowd didn’t let it stop the songs from continuing, frequently picking up the lyrics from where the house sound got cut off, it really created some magical moments.
Glass Animals @ The Mann Center- Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Sophia Ragomo | September 28th
After missing concerts for the last year and a half, there are few things more satisfying than their return. Glass Animals at The Skyline Stage was a joyous comeback to touring that helped everyone remember how much we all love live music. Their set was high energy and captivating, and the stage was decked out with stunning lights and visuals in every color that brought each song to life. Highlights from the show included single “Tangerine,” “The Other Side of Paradise,” and “Youth.” If you are interested in catching Glass Animals live, they are playing a few dates on the West Coast before touring the UK in November.
Protomartyr with Melkbelly @ Raccoon Motel - Davenport, Iowa
Photos and words courtesy of Alyssa Leicht | October 11th 2021
The Wikipedia page for Joe Casey, lead singer of Detroit-based rock band Protomartyr, describes him as having an “anti-charismatic” stage presence. But after having witnessed his November 10th performance at the 175-cap Raccoon Motel in Davenport, Iowa, I think it’s safe to say that’s an incomplete description, at best.
Standing mostly in place, perpetually gripping a sweating can of Miller Lite, Joe Casey isn’t just anti-charisma – he’s intense and challenging, and at times engages personally with the audience, locking eyes with individuals in an artsy game of chicken. The captivating performance perfectly embodied the range and poetics of Protomartyr’s songs. Their set was fittingly bookended by the thrashing number “Processed by the Boys” and its musical opposite, the haunting elegy “Worm in Heaven.”
Melkbelly, garage-rock band from Chicago, opened the night with a grungy set that often dissolved into art-rock noise. Their style and performance gestured toward the Breeders, whose co-founder, Kelly Deal, joined Protomartyr on keys, vocals, and percussion during their set and elevated their songs through subtle textures and experimental feature parts.
The setting of Sean Moeller’s Raccoon Motel made the experience that much better for this show, providing a moody and intimate club environment packed with funky art and retro decor, and a separate bar area and listening room for a more focused and uninterrupted show experience. If you ever have a night in the quad cities, I highly recommend checking this place out, even if you don’t know the band who’s playing. They routinely have a stacked show schedule that doesn’t disappoint.
IDLES @ Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL
Photos and words courtesy of Alyssa Leicht | October 8th 2021
British-Irish punkers IDLES’ October 8th show at Riviera Theatre in Chicago was the second night of their COVID-delayed Ultra Mono tour, and the house was packed. In addition to 2020’s Ultra Mono, the band’s lengthy set spanned earlier albums and to the joy of many in the crowd, included a generous preview of their upcoming album Crawler, out in November.
A tightly packed and intensely energetic crowd moshed and nodded along to IDLES’ performance, mesmerized by the band’s beautiful ability to conjure catharsis and camaraderie in a room full of strangers. That quality was on full display as the audience shouted out lyrics in perfect unison with lead singer Joe Talbot, song after song.
Gustaf, a Brooklyn-based art-punk four-piece, brought their dancy rhythms, arch humor, and impeccable lyrics during their opening set at the beginning of the night. Lead singer Lydia Gammill has a must-see stage presence and a refreshingly original sound that feels like a combative, grimier Talking Heads but with more earnest romance. Gammill got some extra love from the crowd for her melodic flute performance in the truly beautiful number, “Happy,” a track from their debut release “Audio Drag for Ego Slobs.”
At the end of the night, the sweat-drenched crowd lost their minds to a full-ensemble iteration of IDLES’ “Rottweiler,” with Gustaf joining in and consuming the stage with a raucous tandem performance of the final number.
