neck deep @ The Rave - Milwaukee
October 29th, 2024: neck deep @ The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
neck deep | Photos Courtesy of: Allie Loven
The iconic Welsh pop-punk band, Neck Deep, rolled into Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Tuesday evening of October 29, 20204 for one of their last stops on ‘The Dumbstruck Dumbf*ck North American Tour.’ The band arrived at The Rave with support from The Home Team and Super American participating in the venue’s “Halloween Concert Series.”
Neck Deep started their career in 2012 and released multiple EPs gaining traction quickly before officially signing with a label only a year later. Over the past 12 years of watching Neck Deep grow as musicians and performers, the band’s momentum, energy, and talent have never wavered. Neck Deep could arguably be considered one of the most influential pop-punk bands of the 2010s and is still maintaining that reputation even now, in 2024.
The room and balcony were filled to the brim with fans waiting in anticipation for Neck Deep to take the stage. They kicked off their set with “Dumbstruck Dumbf*ck” and a high energy level on stage. No matter how many times this band performs, every time they take the stage they offer something enticing and new while keeping fans remaining comfortable throughout their set. A few ways that were noted at The Rave on October 29th specifically was through the lead singer, Ben Barlow’s, fan and crowd interaction.
Not only did the band give an outstanding performance, but they dedicated “She’s a God” to being a “girl pit only.” In the music industry females being represented is always important, and covering this show for The Photo Ladies made that moment even more special. Not only were all the girls in the pit showing people what they brought to the table, or crowd at that, but it also brought a sense of comradery for girls in the pit. Whether someone was next to a stranger or a best friend, the girls were provided with a safe space to scream the lyrics to “She’s a God” with minimal fear of the physical backlash to join in. The snarky comments from the crowd about a “girl pit” only hurt the people making them. The girls in the Milwaukee, WI Neck Deep crowd made it known that women belong in a heavily male-dominated industry too. To ignore the inequalities in the music industry, especially with sexism would be complacency. Neck Deep has made it very clear they stand for equality and human rights all over social media and has been seen making very important statements at shows, but to experience and see it first hand is not only reassuring but also comforting for fans.
With the Milwaukee date being the third to last show on this leg, expectations from the band were unclear. Unsurprisingly, the band delivered a fully energetic set filled with 17 songs to the general admission fans, 14 were on their main setlist, but then the band also provided the fans with a three-song encore as well.. Neck Deep played a good variety of songs from their discography, even including releases from almost a decade ago. Fans new and old, whether it was their first time or hundredth time seeing Neck Deep, left in high spirits and feeling good about their night well spent.
SUECO @ House of Blues - Chicago
October 18th, 2024: SUECO @ House of Blues - Chicago, IL
SUECO | Photos Courtesy of: Allie Loven
On October 18th, Sueco, the LA singer/songwriter and rapper, stopped at the iconic House of Blues—Chicago. The artist has been touring North America in honor of the summer release of Attempted Lover, his third full-length album.
The tour has been doing very well with many sold-out, or almost sold-out shows.
It’s fair to say Sueco’s traction from the start on social media to constantly doing tours is phenomenal. Not only did Sueco start independently online, but Attempted Lover is his first independent record. Comparing the artist’s past shows to now, his energy is up, and so are his fans’ [and his venue capacities].
Throughout the night he engaged with fans, even having the crowd “tipping” himself and his supporting band members to “strip” after reading a fan’s sign, bringing a crowd member on stage, and getting into the crowd as well. With all of that said, beyond all the craziness within the crowd, good and bad, Sueco remained authentic and enthusiastic throughout the whole night. Something about his performances has a way of capturing his audience not only with music but personal connection as well.
He played a good mixture of his catalog, but, for clear reasons, leaned heavy on the AttemptedLover tracks. Support from Sueco fans could be felt through the movements in the floorboards. By the end of the night shouts for an encore filled the room, and as always, Sueco delivered.
Hot Mulligan (Riot Fest Aftershow) @ Metro - Chicago
September 21st, 2024: Hot Mulligan @ Metro - Chicago, IL
Hot Mulligan | Photos Courtesy of: Allie Loven
Hot Mulligan visited Chicago, Illinois for Riot Fest weekend 2024. The Lansing-based band started their weekend by playing on the Cabaret Metro Stage on Friday evening. It finished off with a bang Saturday night, September 21, 2024, with a sold-out after-show held at Metro Chicago supported by fellow Midwest locals, New Age Thief. Pulling up to the venue, there was a line full of fans, waiting in suspense for the doors to open, wrapping around the building into the alley. Hot Mulligan has remained a Chicago pop-punk favorite over the past decade, so this was no surprise.
Up-and-coming opening pop-punk band, New Age Thief, definitely brought the surprise factor though. The duo Gino Savarino and Brady Corcoran are well-known in the Midwest as well from former music, but New Age Thief is the most recent and growing project he has been a part of. These members had the perfect way of setting the tone for Hot Mulligan’s performance. It is safe to say New Age Thief is already established in Chicago and seemingly more growth is coming each day, especially after their opening set on Saturday. By the end of New Age Thief, the crowd was non-stop moving and ready for Hot Mulligan.
Once Hot Mulligan was ready to take the stage, the room quickly started to pack in even tighter. Some fans travelled over 1,000 miles for this show specifically. For a band who has been non-stop touring and doing festivals, there was impressively no lack of energy to be found. From the front of the barricade to the balcony viewing, fans filled the room screaming along to a variety of Hot Mulligan songs. The band started with three of their songs from their 2016 Album Opportunities and continued on the night with 16 more of their top hits including: “Digging In,” “SPS,” “ *Equip Sunglasses*,” and many more. Hot Mulligan never fails to provide their following with lively, upbeat performances every time they touch the stage.
New Age Thief
State Champs @ Concord Music Hall - Chicago
November 18th 2022: State Champs, Young Culture, Between You & Me, Hunny @ Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL
State Champs - Photos Courtesy of Allie Loven
State Champs stopped at Chicago, IL’s Concord Music Hall on November 18th on their kings of the New Age tour accompanied by Young Culture, Between You & Me, and Hunny.
The night started off with some dancy rock music from Young Culture. The New York based band played a variety of songs old and new. Chicago is listed as Young Culture’s top listeners on Spotify; so, it makes sense that the crowd was screaming lyrics back and moving around all throughout their set. Young Culture’s captivating performance set the bar high for the rest of the night. The crowd was packed by the end of the last two alternative rock bands Between You & Me and Hunny. The crowd was steadily moving and singing along. There was even a little bit of crowd surfing going on.
By the time State Champs was ready to start, the room was packed with excitement. As they took the stage, cheers echoed from all throughout the room. The band opened with their most recent album Kings of the New Age’s track “Just Sound.” They continued their set with a variety of pop-punk songs old and new. When Derek, lead vocals, stated they were about to play “Elevated” off of The Finer Things he also announced that the band will be doing a 10-year anniversary tour for that album next year. Since the start of their set fans were moshing and crowd surfing and they didn't let down for the remainder of the night.
Young Culture
Hunny
Between You & Me
