Amyl and the Sniffers @ The Vic - Chicago
September 28th 2022: Amyl and the Sniffers @ The Vic - Chicago, IL
Amyl and the Sniffers. - Photos & Coverage Courtesy of Timi Ikene
Amyl and the Sniffers, hailing from Australia, burst out onto the stage with extremely high energies throughout their punchy performance. Front-woman Amy Taylor commanded the audience and the pit in a way that captivated even those who were novice fans! There wasn't a point during the show where they let up on their sound, and it was infectious.
Joywave @ House of Blues - Dallas
September 18th 2022: Joywave @ House of Blues: Dallas, TX
Paul Brenner of Joywave - Photos and Review Courtesy of: Haidyn McKenzie
If you have never seen Joywave live, I highly recommend you go and see them next time they are in your town. With crisp, colorful visuals and a great setlist, the show was captivating and could make anyone a fan. The show takes you through the carwash based on their newest album, Cleanse. A few songs progressing into the setlist take you through different parts of the car wash by using colorful and highly pleasing visuals. Not only did they make great use of their set, lighting, and visual designs, but they also had a great stage presence that got the crowd asking for more. With each song, the crowd was more excited each time they heard the first few notes. The crowd was definitely overjoyed with the setlist as they played each fan favorite song and ended with an encore of their song, Destruction. Joywave was a great addition to the Welcome To Helvetica Tour also featuring IDK HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME and with Savannah Conley as the opener.
Conan Gray @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville
September 16th 2022: Conan Gray with Kacy Hill at The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY
Conan Gray - Photos and Coverage Courtesy of: Emily May
There is something so endearing about seeing hundreds of teenagers and young adults (with a few older adults mixed in) who are so excited about a show that they are radiating pure joy and happiness. This was the case on September 16th when pop singer and songwriter Conan Gray brought his current Superache tour to Louisville, with this being the first night of the tour! And what a welcome Louisville gave him, with tickets selling out the day they went on sale! The line to get into the venue this evening stretched for what seemed like miles in both directions, and while The Louisville Palace is a seated venue, the fans were eager to get in as soon as possible to get in line to buy merch! With glittery makeup, feathered boas, and plenty of rose-adorned items of clothing and/or hair accessories, everyone was ready to have some fun! Starting out the evening was LA-based singer, songwriter, and producer Kacy Hill. With songs that mesh the sounds of indie pop, dream pop, and electronica, she quickly had the crowd cheering and singing along! Having released her first single in 2014, she later released 3 albums, the most recent being 2021’s Simple, Sweet, and Smiling. She was all smiles this evening, singing a nice selection of songs and thanking everyone for being there this evening and to Conan Gray for bringing her out on tour. At one point she told the audience “You all are so sweet! I’m getting emotional!”. With a sweet and charming personality, she performed her songs with such sincerity that the crowd couldn’t help but connect with her. It was a beautiful opening to the evening!
Next up was Conan Gray. With the stage set up with a platform at the back and a set of stairs going down the middle to the stage, he started out his set coming out onto the platform and singing his heart out for his fans who were screaming with excitement. Starting his set with “Disaster” from his latest album Superache, which was released in June of this year, he sang many songs off of the new album, including “People Watching”, “Jigsaw”, and “Astronomy”. He also performed 3 live debuts- “The Exit”, “Best Friend”, and “Movies”. It’s really special when you can see the fans deeply connecting to the music, and every time I looked out into the crowd, every person was singing along to every single word and you could see on their faces how much each song meant to them. Friends were hugging each other as they sang, and many looked to be on the verge of tears. Conan seemed just as elated to be on stage and singing for everyone, telling the crowd “It’s so good to be here! I’ve missed you guys! Thank you for coming out to the first night of my Superache Tour!”. He then, with a bit of humor, told the crowd how he had written the album during the most boring time of his life. He did periodic “wellness checks” on the crowd, asking “Are ya’ll taking care of yourselves? Are you staying hydrated?” and on a couple of occasions grabbed a fan’s cellphone and took selfies and videos of him singing before handing it back.
He was in high spirits this evening, joking with the crowd as he walked up the stairs to not look at his butt. He chatted between most songs this evening, giving the stories behind many of his songs. A really lovely moment was before he sang “Family Line” and got vulnerable with his fans. “This next song is one of my favorites, but one I was terrified to put out. I spent 2 years writing it and its subject matter is something I’m still going through and figuring out. I had a rough childhood and think that when you are a kid, it feels like your life will always be the same and that you will always be stuck in that situation. I was told I would never be anything and I believed it and have spent a lot of my life running from my past and from everything that scared me. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that my past doesn’t define me. I wrote this song to tell you that you are not defined by your past, by the mistakes you’ve made, or who your parents tell you that you are.” Ending his set with “Heather” and “Maniac”, he then gave the crowd a one-song encore, singing “Memories”. It was a really beautiful and memorable night of music that his fans won’t soon forget!
Conan Gray
Kacy Hill
Glass Animals @ The Brooklyn Mirage - Brooklyn, NY
September 8th 2022: Glass Animals @ The Brooklyn Mirage: Brooklyn, NY
Glass Animals - Photo and Show Coverage courtesy of Em Grey
Last month, English experimental indie pop group Glass Animals brought their Dreamland set to Brooklyn’s Mirage. Spanning quite a few different spaces, Glass Animals took advantage of it, providing gorgeous neon art installations in several areas of the venue for all the fans to take photos with. A dreamlike fog was pumped throughout the venue, and the whole experience was an all-encompassing artistic concept. They took full advantage of the giant LED screen the Mirage had to offer, while also incorporating a lot of their own large set pieces, which included a TV, a diving board, and the illusion of a pool. The setlist included all their greatest hits from Dreamland and How to Be a Human Being, and even included some throwbacks to the Zaba era.
This was the second night of two nights in Brooklyn, the last of the shows in the US for quite a bit according to frontman Dave Bayley, emphasizing how important the night was to him. The crowd included fans who traveled across the globe to be at this show, and it was easy to tell how important the night was to them as well. The energy of the crowd in the large venue never wavered, and even as the show ended, fans pouring out of the venue were still buzzing about the technicolor dream they had just been a part of.
Jungle @ Paristown Hall - Louisville
September 8th 2022: Jungle and Paul Cherry @ Paristown Hall - Louisville, KY
JUNGLE | Photo and Coverage courtesy of Emily May
British electronic project Jungle, founded in 2013 by producers Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, brought their current tour to Louisville, KY recently, drawing a sizeable crowd! Opening the show this evening was Chicago-based artist Paul Cherry, who came out on stage wearing a white suit covered in red cherries! Performing music that blends indie rock and elements of jazz, he had his band have the crowd dancing with their smooth sounds. Having released his latest album, Back On The Music!, in March of this year, he announced to the crowd that he would be playing a lot of new songs this evening! Skillful musicians, he and his band wowed the crowd with their amazing, multi-instrumental performance. Cherry also announced towards the end of the set that his keyboard player had lived in Louisville for 8 years! They performed a fun set that got the crowd warmed up for the evening!
Next up was Jungle. Coming out on stage to a roar of cheers and applause, they started out the set with “Keep Moving” from their latest album Loving In Stereo, released last year. With a large touring band performing a variety of instruments, they got the crowd dancing from the first note. Performing several tracks from the new album, including “All Of The Time”, “Talk About It”, “Truth”, and “Bonnie Hill”, they also performed older tracks such as “Smile”, “Happy Man”, “The Heat”, and “Time”. The stage was awash in beautiful, multi-colored lighting throughout the set, adding to the fun and energetic performance! At one point the saxophone player for Paul Cherry came out on stage for a song! With a 4-song encore this evening that included “Fire”, “What D’You Know About Me?”, and “Time”, they took the opportunity to introduce the band and thank the audience for coming out this evening before ending the set with “Busy Earnin’” from their first album, 2014’s Jungle. Between the incredible lighting, the fun interactions that the band had with each other and the crowd, and the fact that the crowd was dancing and having a great time, it was an amazing evening of music!
JUNGLE
PAUL CHERRY
Charlotte Sands @ Zanzabar - Louisville
September 6th 2022: Charlotte Sands, No Love For The Middle Child @ Zanzabar - Louisville, KY
Charlotte Sands - Photo & Write-Up Courtesy of: Emily May
Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and pop artist Charlotte Sands performed recently in Louisville, KY for the first show of her very first headlining tour! Her fans lined up well before doors opened in an effort to get as close to the stage as possible. It was a perfectly intimate setting for the evening, as Zanzabar is a small venue, with the crowd of fans eagerly awaiting her set this evening. I could hear many of her fans near me talking about the shows they had to been to previously and which shows they would be attending after Louisville, and the love with which they spoke about Charlotte is a testimony to just how much she means to her fans. Opening the show this evening was No Love For The Middle Child (Andrew Migliore), a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and emerging indie alternative artist based in LA. Having released several singles and a couple of EPs over the past 3 years, the most recent being his EP Nightmares released this year, he sang a fun and energetic set of songs and had the crowd dancing in no time! The rapport between he and his drummer and DJ was super fun, a rapport that spilled over towards the crowd and had everyone in high spirits. A classically trained cellist, he brought out his cello for a bit during their set, which made for a nice moment. They were a great start to the evening and even signed a few things for the fans at the front after their set.
Next up was Charlotte Sands. Having only seen her once before at this year’s Forecastle Festival in May, I was excited to check out her set. What struck me right away was what a lovely and genuine person she is and how much she truly loves and appreciates her fans, even recognizing a few that were at the stage and waving to them. Starting things off with “Tantrum”, “Bad Day”, and “Special”, she is a bundle of energy on stage. From bouncing around the stage, flipping her signature blue hair, and standing, sitting, and kneeling on two lit up boxes sat at each side of the front of the stage, she was incredibly engaging with the crowd throughout her entire set. Early in the set, and often throughout, she reiterated how happy and grateful she was for her fans’ support and for everyone who came out this evening, joking that she was probably annoying everyone with with how much she mentioned it! She also mentioned how grateful she was to be playing the very first show of her very first headlining tour here in Louisville, only one of three headlining shows she had performed up until this point, and that this show would always hold a special place in her heart. She humorously told the crowd that as an opener, she was used to being the hype girl that got everyone ready for the headlining act, so this was a really special night. With plenty of rocking moments, as well as some more stripped back moments, she really poured her heart and soul out on stage.
She chatted quite a bit with the crowd about the meanings of her songs, such as “Rollercoaster” that she wrote quickly while on tour previously with YUNGBLUD. Performing other hits this evening such as “All My Friends”, “Keep Me Up All Night”, and “Every Guy Ever”, she said that she might sing about how love isn’t real and doesn’t exist, but that that’s not really true because she could feel it in the room this evening. She sang a couple of acoustic songs this evening with drummer Danen Reed on guitar, singing “Want You Like That” and “Love and Other Lies”. She said that one of the perks to playing a headlining tour is that she had the time in her set to play the songs and do the the things she usually didn’t have the time to play or do in a short opening set. Ending the evening with her hit song “Dress”, she gave the crowd a really fun night of music, singing, and dancing and left everyone feeling really uplifted and buzzing with the positive energy and gratitude she exuded this evening. I’m glad I got to see her in such a small and intimate setting, as she will probably be playing larger venues on her next tour, as her popularity will no doubt keep growing!
CHARLOTTE SANDS
NO LOVE FOR THE MIDDLE CHILD
Mitski @ Radio City Music Hall - NYC
July 23rd 2022: Mitski @ Radio City Music Hall: New York City, NY
Mitski - Photos Courtesy of Em Grey
Last Friday - singer-songwriter Mitski played her largest show in NYC's iconic Radio City Music Hall, dazzling thousands of fans with her boisterous indie rock along with her emotional crooning vocals. Arriving at the venue on time, I witnessed the longest merch line I had ever seen at a Mitski show in my career; I have been lucky enough to see this very well-deserved artist garner a massive fanbase, going from DIY venues to touring with Lorde and headlining (and selling out) two nights at Radio City herself. Knowing Mitski, this is a perfect venue for her, as her shows err on the side of theatrical and emotional compared to her genremates.
Canadian folk band The Weather Station opened the night up, citing "this is the largest venue we have ever played." They delivered a beautifully composed set, with frontman Tamara Hope donning a mirrored blazer halfway through the set, providing gorgeous reflections and visuals throughout the entire hall. The crowd bobbed along excitedly, with anticipation bubbling in the crowd.
Mitski arrived on stage at 9:10, in front of a single set piece of a door in front of the stage drapes.
Opening the night with "Love Me More", the set included a wonderful blend of previous releases aside from the focus on her newest album release "Laurel Hell." The set saw many songs from "Puberty 2", "Be the Cowboy", and even "Bury Me at Makeout Creek." Her self-released albums from 2012-2013 did not make it to the setlist, though. Seeing Mitski is and always has been a magical treat; she's truly an artist I've seen in almost every format and venue size and each time felt similarly emotionally impacted. This show was packed full of female fans passionately mouthing lyrics at each other along with her, clearly having the absolute time of their lives.
My Chemical Romance @ Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia
August 29th 2022: My Chemical Romance @ Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
My Chemical Romance are indeed back, alive, and well. The energy was building amongst the eager fans as Wells Fargo Center filled up on Monday night for the long-awaited return of the Jersey boys to Philly. Gerard recounted their first ever Philly show (booked by Santigold) at The Fire when they were billed as The Chemical Brothers. If you’re from here, you know how much of an accomplishment it is to go from one of the smallest venues in the city to now headlining the largest “venue” in the city.
If you’re an avid fan you’ll have noticed on this tour that a rare occurrence is happening at each show, the setlist entirely changes. This really gives all fans a new element of surprise of which gems from the MCR catalog are coming next. The Philly setlist included:
The Foundations of Decay
Thank You for the Venom
Give ‘Em Hell, Kid
Make Room!!!!
The World Is Ugly
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)
Vampire Money
Our Lady of Sorrows
Welcome to the Black Parade
Mastas of Ravenkroft
Boy Division
Teenagers
Hang ‘Em High
Helena
I’m Not Okay (I Promise)
Famous Last Words
Vampires Will Never Hurt You
The Kids From Yesterday
