Together Pangea @ Cobra Lounge - Chicago
Together Pangea with Sad Park + Skating Polly @ Cobra Lounge - Chicago
Together Pangea in Chicago - Photos Courtesy of Kaitlyn Johnston
Together Pangea brought their brand of loud indie punk to a sold-out crowd at Cobra Lounge on Easter weekend. Saturday’s crowd showed up early, and in a big way. The lineup for this leg of the tour seemed to be catered perfectly for Together Pangea’s die-hards to find their new favorite bands. Opening the evening was Sad Park - a young band reminiscent of if emo sweethearts Prince Daddy & the Hyena lost their hard exterior and focused on being a more palatable, radio-ready version of their best attributes. Following was Skating Polly - a band so dynamic and diverse musically that there was no time to lose interest in their 45 min set. With loads of punk energy and loud, saturated bass lines - Skating Polly took charge of the stage and claimed it as their own. Both openers did an excellent job of setting up the evening for Together Pangea. The band took the stage, and from the first note, the room exploded with energy. The California veterans tore through 19 songs quickly and without a wasted moment and left the room wanting more.
Sad Park
Skating Polly
Geographer @ Sleeping Village - Chicago
March 29th 2022: Geographer with Chong the Nomad @ Sleeping Village - Chicago
You’d never know it from the low-key exterior of Sleeping Village in Chicago, but on the evening of March 29, the inside of the venue was a glow. Geographer and Chong The Nomad as support came through with some of the best live sets I’ve ever seen.
Chong The Nomad is a name you must keep on your radar as an ethereal vocalist and jaw-droppingly talented electronic producer. Her music forces you to dance- you just can’t help it. While the crowd was small during her opening set, she performed as if it were for a festival of thousands and danced around the stage often forgetting about her own sprained ankle she mentioned at the start of her set.
The drummer and lead vocalist duo that made up Geographer’s live show also provided a beautiful performance of light and color, both sonically and visually. While simple, their production of neon glowing beams behind them set up their show for greatness, and even with just two artists gracing the stage, their presence was massive. Geographers’ sound builds within each of their individual songs but also builds throughout their set, reaching anthem-level energy even within such a small space.
The Geographer and Chong The Nomad tour wraps up this week with dates in El Paso and Tucson, and I definitely look forward to what’s to come from both of these artists.
Chong the Nomad
Matt Maltese @ Beat Kitchen - Chicago
March 27th 2022: Matt Maltese with Girl Puppy @ Beat Kitchen - Chicago
Matt Maltese - Photos Courtesy of Alana Swaringen
Matt Maltese hosted his sold-out Chicago show on March 27th at Beat Kitchen, with Girlpuppy as his support. The combination of these artists on this bill was a perfect setup, as both provide a very haunting and intimate sound but in entirely different ways. Girlpuppy gave a dreamy and melodic intro to the evening and while her soft grunge aesthetic contrasts Matt Maltese’s sound, her performance was what was needed to get the night started.
Upon reflection, this evening really caught me by surprise- Maltese’s committed fans waited outside long before doors opened, and were passionate about nailing that perfect spot to see the talented piano player and singer. What was surprising was as a performer who’s seated during his entire set, Maltese can only provide so much crowd interaction that the appeal of being close to him didn’t seem to cross my mind. But once his show began, I understood the captivation that his sound provides, the sonic energy that just pulls you in and makes you want to do anything to catch a glimpse of him moving his fingers across the piano keys. Maltese also had no lack of crowd interaction whatsoever, constantly checking in on his audience and cracking jokes. Maltese’s haunting and emotionally fueled ballads were balanced with intertwined humor. It was clear that almost everyone in the room was both moved and entertained.
Matt Maltese just completed his US run and will continue some touring in the Uk and Europe when the fall rolls around. To hold us over until we can see him live once again, check out his recent 5 song EP drop “Quiet Recordings” out now.
Girl Puppy
Kim Gordon with Bill Nace @ Webster Hall - NY
Photos and words courtesy of Edwina Hay | March 18th 2022
In September 2019, the influential musician and artist Kim Gordon released her debut solo album called No Home Record. The international tour in support of it was originally scheduled to begin in May 2020 but was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly two years later, the No Home Tour began in Boston and made its way to New York City for a performance at Webster Hall in Manhattan on Friday, March 18, 2022.
The first five dates of the tour in the US features Bill Nace as the opener, and the final two shows in Asheville and Atlanta have harpist Mary Lattimore performing before Gordon instead. Then in May, No Home Tour will make its way to Europe (the original tour in 2020 was the reverse where Gordon would start in Europe and conclude stateside).
Bill Nace started his set promptly at 8:30PM, performing seated, surrounded by foot pedals while tapping on a red lap guitar, occasionally using the pedals to distort the sounds the guitar made throughout his experimental set. His newest record, Both, was released nearly two years ago and I believe this might have been his first performance in NYC after that album came out on Drag City Records in May 2020. I’ve seen Nace perform on stage with Kim Gordon in the past as the duo Body/Head and it was fitting to see him on stage solo to warm up the crowd for Kim’s first performance under her own name years later.
Kim Gordon has a full band for The No Home Tour which includes Sarah Register on guitar (who was previously in the NYC band Talk Normal), Camilla Charlesworth on bass, and Madi Vogt on drums. Vogt was the first to appear on stage and began to play first while visuals appeared on screen at the back of the stage, until everyone was on stage to start performing “Sketch Artist,” the first track from No Home Record. Kim spent much of her performance sauntering, kneeling, and pacing the stage, absolutely owning it and giving such life to these songs.
During the concert, I realized that one of the benefits of the tour being postponed for two years is that the audience at Webster Hall had lots of time to spend with Kim’s solo album and were very eager and excited to finally hear these songs performed live. As the band played “Don’t Play It,” I observed a small section near the front of the stage jump up and down and sing along with Gordon, giving me the impression it was one of their favorites. During “Get Yr Life Back,” Webster Hall’s giant mirror ball spun around reflecting the colorful lights around the venue.
At the end of the set, there was a three song encore including a cover of “Blonde Red Head” by the no wave band DNA, and concluding with “Grass Jeans,” a single that was released by Kim in December where proceeds will be donated to Fund Texas Choice. At the close of the final song, Kim handed her guitar to people in the audience where it moved around the floor while Kim climbed on amps stationed towards the back of the stage. She then returned to the front of the stage where the guitar was passed back to her by the audience, marking the end of the concert.
The Midnight with Nightly @ Royale - Boston, MA
Photos and words courtesy of Lisa Czech | March 21st 2022
The Midnight’s sound can best be described as full-bodied dance music, peppered with a bit of 80s nostalgia. Fans couldn’t get enough of the ample saxophone solos, and the energy onstage was electric. If you love the 80s, but want a modern twist, this is the band for you.
Their sold out Boston show marked the halfway point of the tour, which began in Nashville, stretched up to Ontario, and ends in Miami on April 3rd.
Nightly opened up the show with eight catchy alt-pop songs, guaranteed to get stuck in your head.
Dashboard Confessional with Sydney Sprague @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY
Dashboard Confessional and Jimmy Eat World brought their co-headlining Surviving The Truth Tour to Louisville, KY on March 9th to a packed house! Performing at the beautiful and historic Louisville Palace Theatre, it was a beautiful setting for an incredible night of music. Starting things off this evening was Phoenix singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Sydney Sprague. Having released her debut album, maybe i will see you at the end of the world, in February of 2021, she performed plenty of tracks from the album along with a few other songs. With a really fun alternative indie rock vibe, she and her bandmates had fun together on stage and got the crowd warmed up for the evening ahead!
Taking the stage next was Dashboard Confessional, and singer Chris Carabba was all smiles as he walked out on stage. Starting things off acoustically, Chris’s band then joined him on stage for the remainder of the set- Abigail Kelly, Dane Poppin, Armon Jay, Scott Schoenbeck, and Chris Kamrada. Early in the set, after a sing song from the crowd (of which there were plenty throughout the evening!), Chris exclaimed, “It sounds like there’s 10,000 people in here! This is fantastic! Do you get to come to this theater for all of the shows? Invite me sometime! I’d love to come back!”. He then went on to say that he had put out a new record a week or so ago and wanted to just play one new song, “The Better of Me”, telling the crowd how disappointed they must feel because they were probably all hoping to hear the whole record! Chris was in great spirits this evening, laughing and joking with the crowd! After finding out it was an audience member’s birthday, he asked the crowd “How many people here have birthdays today?”, joking that that he and his band had found out months ago that it was each of their birthdays and planned the whole show for them and that it was hard to pull off! He then dedicated the next song “Saints and Sailors” to the “birthday folks”. He later noticed a to of young people in the crowd, saying “That means it must be someone’s first ever show! I remember that feeling! Welcome!”. With the setlist full of classic Dashboard songs, he had the crowd singing along all night to hits such as “Again I Go Unnoticed”, “The Brilliant Dance”, “Screaming Infidelities”, “The Good Fight”, “Hands Down”, and “Vindicated”, they gave the crowd an incredible set full of sing alongs, dancing, and a good dose of nostalgia (for us older folks!).
Headlining this evening was Jimmy Eat World! Starting things off with a bang, they had the crowd going in no time! With beautiful and, at times, dramatic lighting that seemed to correspond to the music, they were having a great time with each other on stage and feeding off of the energy of the crowd. A few songs in lead singer/guitarist Jim Adkins announced the band as Jimmy Eat World from Mesa, Arizona and asked everyone how they were doing before launching into their hit song “Bleed American”. He then told the crowd, “I heard you going off tonight during Dashboard Confessional’s set!You decided you were ready to party tonight! So are well!”. He then told the crowd, “Thank you so much for coming out! We will probably say that many more times tonight. We don’t take anything for granted anymore. The fact that we can still be here so many years later and you’re still here…thank you so much for supporting us over the years! We will be playing a lot of older songs tonight. It’s because we are old (laughs)!”. They proceeded to play hits such as “Here You Me”, “The Middle”, “Get It Faster”, “Sweetness”, and “All The Way (Stay)”. It was an incredibly fun night in a beautiful and intimate setting!
Sydney Sprague
Dashboard Confessional
Remiwolf @ Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
Photos and words courtesy of Kris Lori | Jan 24th 2022
Remiwolf is an artist that has truly exploded over the past year and is on everyone’s radar. Her performance at San Francisco’s Outside Lands, drew in one of the biggest crowds out of that weekend. She returns back to The Regency Ballroom, to kick off her latest tour in her hometown. She grew up and attended school in the bay area, so this show was going to be a solid send off for her. The venue was packed with fans and friends and it seemed the cheering never stopped throughout the night.
Clairo with Arlo Parks @ The Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
Photos and words courtesy of Gabby Ames | Feb 19th 2022
Claire Cottrill, known most well as Clairo played an incredible sold out show on her third night of the “Sling” tour. This was the first of two nights in Silver Spring, Maryland. There was a long line of fans wrapped around the building, even some who camped out all day for the show.
The show started off with support from the incredible Arlo Parks. Clairo started off the concert with “Bambi” and played other hits from her album Sling. The whole venue sang along, especially to her hits “Bags” and “Sofia”.
