Mimi Webb @ House of Blues - Chicago
April 9th: Mimi Webb @ House of Blues - Chicago
Mimi Webb in Chicago - Photos Courtesy of Ann Storlie
English pop singer-songwriter Mimi Webb made her way across the pond as opening act for Tate McRae’s North American tour at the House of Blues in Chicago. Her fans showed up in droves, as it was clear from the moment she walked on stage that Mimi Webb’s fans made up a large amount of the audience.
Hailed the “Queen of breakups” due to her mass of heartbreak ballads, Mimi Webb opened her set with “Before I Go” and “Little Bit Louder.” Her mega-watt smile and magnetic personality were on full display as she performed more tracks from her first EP Seven Shades of Heartbreak, including “Halfway,” “24/5,” and “Dumb Love.”
A memorable part of Webb’s set was when she introduced a cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You,” telling fan’s that her father encouraged her to sing the song at every family event – and reminded fans to never give up on their dreams.
Webb closed her energetic performance with her newest release “House on Fire” before slowing things down for “Good Without” – lit by the glow of a venue full of flashlights.
The Flaming Lips @ Riviera Theatre - Chicago
The Flaming Lips @ Riviera Theatre - Chicago
The Flaming Lips in Chicago - Photos Courtesy of Amanda Huerta
The Flaming Lips have always held a special place in my heart. I remember seeing them for the first time at Riot Fest in 2014, I was alone and standing in the back of the crowd, and yet watching their set still felt so intimate. The lights, the balloons, the crowd interaction, and the emotion that came through when they finished their set with Race For The Prize (something I still feel to this day) were unforgettable.
Last week The Flaming Lips made their way to Chicago’s Riviera Theatre on their ‘American Head’ tour with a special set. The Heartless Bastards were unable to perform this show due to illness, so The Flaming Lips planned an extended set for the night. Their performance consisted of hits off of American Head, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Embryonic, Soft Bulletin, and more. This concert was an explosion of excitement, they go above and beyond for their fans and it’s easy to see that. From being a die-hard fan or someone who only knows a few songs (or even someone who doesn’t know The Flaming Lips already), it would be impossible to not have the time of your life at one of their shows.
Be sure to catch The Flaming Lips on the rest of their American Head tour!
04-25 Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
04-28 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
04-29 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
04-30 Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
05-02 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
05-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
05-04 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
05-06 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
05-07 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
05-09 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
05-25 Leeds, England - Stylus
05-26 Liverpool, England - Invisible Wind Factory
05-30 Aylesbury, England - Waterside Theatre
06-01 Bexhill, England - De la Warr Pavilion
06-02 London, England - O2 Forum Kentish Town
07-22 Galway, Ireland - Galway Int’l Arts Fest
Vacations with Discuss @ Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
Vacations with Discuss and Dreamgirl @ Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
Photos and words courtesy of Gerri Fernandez | March 20th, 2022
The night began with Chicago locals Discus opening up the show to a full and excited crowd. The audience swayed to the melodic sounds and gave back the same energy Discus provided while on stage. Dreamgirl came on next with everyone singing along to the angelic voice of lead singer Lacey. There was an extra bounce in the crowd as Dreamgirl performed with screams and delighted fans throughout the set. After leaving the stage soundcheck began for the headliner and the excitement grew as smoke started to fill the air. The lights dimmed and Vacations took the stage to a roaring crowd. From the very first song, you could hear and see the joy from fans. The mood only intensified as the night went on with most people closing their eyes as they danced. Through the smoke and light show, you could feel Vacations energy as if it was the first night they played. Even after the show, you could hear people sighing in elation and commenting "what a great show."
DISCUSS
DREAMGIRL
Bitch @ Rockwood Music Hall - New York City
April 13th 2022: Bitch @ Rockwood Music Hall - New York City
Bitch in NYC - Photos Courtesy of Joseph O'Malley (they/she)
Bitch’s live show at Rockwood Music Hall could have easily come as a surprise to any fans that discovered her solely through playlists and music streaming. The night ran more like a theatrical one-woman-show than a concert, complete with props, monologues, and comedic audience participation. Thankfully, it fit right in with the downtown Manhattan crowd, many of whom were friends, and all of which felt like a warm community.
Fans laughed and sang along as Bitch told a series of autobiographical stories and played through the majority of their most recent release, Bitchcraft. They also were met with cheers for some older tracks like “Pussy Manifesto,” which reaches back to her time producing material with writing partner Animal. The synth-laden pop of Bitchcraft does stand up on its own - some highlights from the record include “You’re the Man” and “Easy Target” - but it’s clear that Bitch’s fans are in it for the long haul, and that her live persona and comedic social commentary are what keep them coming back in the long years between her music releases.
Soccer Mommy with Peel Dream Magazine @ Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY
Soccer Mommy with Peel Dream Magazine @ Headliners Music Hall-Louisville, KY
Photos and Words Courtesy of Emily May
Sophie Allison, better know by her stage name Soccer Mommy, brought her current tour to Louisville, KY recently to a packed house! Opening the show this evening was Brooklyn shoe gaze/indie-pop band Peel Dream Magazine, the brainchild of Brooklyn artist Joe Stevens. The band recently released their sophomore LP Agitprop Alterna, that pays homage to bands like My Bloody Valentine and early Stereolab, as well as Yo La Tengo and Rocketship. Performing plenty of earlier material, along with plenty of songs from the new album, the band gave the crowd a well rounded set of songs! From slower, more melodic, to faster, more pop-oriented songs, they gave the crowd a great set and warmed them up for the night ahead! Up next was Soccer Mommy, who will be releasing their new album, Sometimes, Forever, on June 24th. The anticipation and excitement were high as the band took the stage. Bathed in soft lighting, the band started things off with “Bloodstream”, performing a great set of songs that included “Circle The Drain”, “Cool”, “Lucy”, and “Night Swimming”. Early on in the set Sophie asked the crowd “Is there anyone here named Henry?”, surprised when one person raised their hand! Going onto say how she used to get a lot of yes’s, but now she mainly gets silence, she was surprised someone raised their hand. Saying this song’s for you to the Henry in the crowd, she launched into the song “Henry”! Not long after this, the band found out it was a fan’s birthday and led the crowd in a rousing rendition of the “Happy Birthday” song! Performing a few more songs, followed by a two song encore, the band gave their fans a great show and left them hoping Soccer Mommy returns to Louisville soon!
PEEL DREAM MAGAZINE
SOCCER MOMMY
Delta Spirit @ Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto
April 4th 2022 - Delta Spirit, Palm Palm @ Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto
Delta Spirit in Toronto - Photos Courtesy of Jenn Kostesky
Delta Spirit hit the stage at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern on Toronto’s bustling Queen St. West April 4th for a show 2 years in the making. The band was in the midst of a reunion tour in spring of 2020 when, like so many others, they were forced to pump the breaks and return home and wait out the global pandemic. Over the course of the following months the band released their most recent album What is There, and have since announced One is One due out May 20th on New West Records.
A palpable excitement in the air in the room of the only Canadian date on Delta Spirit’s spring tour. The set opened with “From Now On” from 2014’s into the wide and went on to span their entire discography, with every song turning into a sing along with the enthusiastic Monday night crowd. Mindset the sweet smell of incense filled the room making it feel more like watching your buddies jam in their living room rather than a well worn venue in a busy city. Being mid tour, the band was tight and fine tuned, yet loose and relaxed having clearly shaken off any rust that may have settled in during their hiatus and following lockdowns. The evening wrapped up with an extended jammed out version of “Trashcan” with everyone in the house shouting along with the band.
Delta Spirit wraps up the Eastern leg of their spring run in North Charleston before for heading West through Colorado, Washington and California in May.
J. Roddy Walston’s new project Palm Palm brought a 40 (ish) minute set of no bullshit rock and roll to open the night.
Palm Palm
Adia Victoria with Lizzie No @ Zanzabar - Louisville, KY
Adia Victoria with Lizzie No @ Zanzabar - Louisville, KY
Words and Photos Courtesy of Emily May
Nashville-based artist Adia Victoria brought her current tour to Louisville recently, performing at the cozy and intimate venue Zanzabar! Always drawing a great crowd when she performs in Louisville, this evening was no different. Opening the show this evening was New Jersey singer/songwriter/harpist/guitarist Lizzie No. There is something so powerful in the simplicity of a singer on stage with just her guitar, her harp, and her voice, and she had the crowd silent in rapt attention as she sang. It was apparent to me from her first song that she is a storyteller, weaving songs about her family, fun things like taking a much needed vacation, her love of Mythology with her song “Narcissus”, and more serious social justice issues surrounding Black lives, such as “Killing Season”, about white peoples’ insatiable urge to come after Black people, and “Sundown”, a benefit track she wrote for Black Lives Matter. Along with having songs that tell stories, Lizzie No has a great sense of humor and chatted a lot with the crowd between songs. Talking about a song of hers that was the closest thing she had to a love song, she told the crowd how people had told her that they danced to it at their wedding. Making a jokingly cringy face, as her relationship with this person didn’t work out, she said that art is in the ear of the beholder and joked that she would be happy to attend peoples’ weddings…not to sing, but to judge for herself whether or not the relationship would work out, which got quite a few laughs! She took a moment during the set to talk about how happy she was to be out on the road with Adia Victoria, whom she considers a hero of hers. She put on a fun and incredible set and I have no doubt she made many new fans this evening!
Next up was Adia Victoria, who is a force to be reckoned with on stage. Having recently released her incredible new album Southern Gothic, she and her band performed many songs off of the album this evening. Starting things off with “Dixie”, Adia truly feels the music as she sings, moving her body with the music and staring out at the crowd with wild eyes and stomping feet. Telling a story about her signature red boots, she told the crowd how she loos down a lot when singing the blues and that her grandmother bought her her signature red boots so she would have something pretty to look at and remember her power. Also mentioning the pearls she was wearing on stage, she talked about how she was told it’s ok to curse, just as long as you look like a lady while you do it! She then asked if someone who works at the venue could bring her a shot of bourbon, since she was after all in Louisville! She talked quite a bit throughout the evening, telling the stories behind her songs and joking with the crowd, making for both a serious and lighthearted set. If there is one thing that is very apparent at an Adia Victoria show, it is how much she loves the Blues. She talked a bit about her love for the Blues and how with the Blues, nothing is off limits or taboo. It lets us see all of the parts of ourselves…the parts beneath the surface that aren’t fine and that it is ok to not be fine. She went onto say, “If anyone else in the crowd is a Christian school survivor, I see you”, before launching into “Whole World Knows”.
About halfway through the set, she did a cover of the 1940 blues song “Parchman Farm”, originally by Blues singer Bukka White, in the style of Bobbie Gentry, one of her musical icons. Telling the crowd how she loves being from the south (South Carolina), she said how people in the south know how to tell stories and turn sad shit into gold. She later talked about how the tour is called the “Ain’t Killed Me Yet Tour” and how women like Nina Simone and Fiona Apple taught her that her life is hers and the only thing she can count on and that as long as she continues to be present in each moment that she’s not done yet. She went onto to talk about growing up in the evangelical church and how it messed with her head and made people scared of death, but taught that if you are good you can go to heaven and fly around in the clouds. She re-enforced her loves for the blues, in that the Blues made it comfortable to talk about death, that her pleasures and flesh were hers. She went onto perform an old Blues cover of the 1933 song “You Was Born To Die”, paying homage to her southern Black ancestors. Ending her set with the only song she released in 2020, “South Gotta Change”, it was a song she says she wrote in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the death of John Lewis. In speaking truth to power, she said she wrote the song to open her mouth and speak her truth, and that nothing changes unless we make it and how it’s time to start telling the truth, the ugly truth. After leaving the stage briefly, Adia came back out by herself to sing one more song, a song she said a woman must sing by herself. She talked about being a French major in college and studying abroad for a bit in Paris, spending the summer there working on her French and hanging out with French men. When she returned home, she found that when it came to men and women sowing their wild oats, women get shamed but that she wasn’t going to play that game. She talked about how she had fun in Paris and was not ashamed. She dedicated her final song of the night, “Heathen”, to all of the women out there who know they have the right to bodily autonomy. It was a great night of music, laughs, and storytelling that had the crowd engaged throughout both artists’ sets! A magical night indeed!
LIZZIE NO
ADIA VICTORIA
Shovels & Rope @ The Axis Club - Toronto
April 4th 2022 - Shovels & Rope, Jeremie Albino @ The Axis Club - Toronto
Shovels & Rope in Toronto - Photos Courtesy of Jenn Kostesky
Charleston based Americana power couple Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, known musically as Shovels & Rope, paid a visit to Toronto’s The Axis Club April 3 2022. The stop fell roughly midway through the duo’s tour in support of their latest LP Manticore, released February 18 via Dualtone Records.
As they are wont to do, the couple floated between instruments with each taking a turn on guitar, drums and piano. The 18 song set leaned heavily on material from Manticore as well as the couple’s first album under the moniker Shovels & Rope, O’ Be Joyful, which is celebrating a decade since its release. The couple offered up some quieter, more subdued moments throughout the set, “The Show”, “Shank Hill St.”, and “Bleed Me”, highlighting their passionate harmonies. Fan favorites “O’ Be Joyful”, “Birmingham”, “The Wire”, and ragtime inspired, piano driven version of “Ohio” had the welcoming crowd singing along with every word. Wrapping up their Sunday night set with heavy hitters “I’m Coming Out”, “Hail, Hail” and “Domino”, Shovels & Rope returned took to the stage for a 2 song encore of “Happy Birthday Who” and the Beach Boy’s “In My Room” to wind down the evening.
Toronto’s own Jeremie Albino opened the night with a solo set armed only with a guitar, harmonica and kick drum. The songwriter, who is accompanying Shovels & Rope on their North American tour, is hot off the release of his latest EP Past Dawn.
The Manticore North American tour continues through April 16 before heading to Europe in June.
Jeremie Albino
