Concerts

Pitchfork Music Festival Review: Cults, Youth Lagoon, Nicolas Jaar, Hot Chip, July 14, Chicago

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Ricky in Concerts | Leave a comment

How to describe Pitchfork? By far one of my favorite festivals in Chi-town, I’ve heard it described as ‘Lollapalooza for hipsters’ and ‘the poor man’s Lollapalooza’, but it’s more than just an off-shoot: Pitchfork has an ethos all its own. This year’s Pitchfork ethos can be summed up with the following phrases: mud pits, ribbon dancing and jammin’ in a poncho. It might have rained in Chicago on Saturday, but in Union Park Mother Nature was just giving the good Pitchfork attendees more props to use whilst dancing their feelings.

The first act that I caught was Cults on the green stage. When Halley saw Cults, she summed it up as “essentially a stage full of hair” which is not untrue. Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion both have beautiful brunette locks that take up more space onstage than you would think possible. They put on a decent show, playing “Go Outside” and “Abducted”, two of my favorites from them, but I thought they could’ve done more to get the crowd excited, and I ended up drifting over to the blue stage for Youth Lagoon when they came on about a half hour later.

I didn’t know most of the bands who were playing at Pitchfork on Saturday (the only reason I ended up going was because my friend won tickets – thanks Amber!), but I youtubed around for most of the bands, and I really took a fancy to Youth Lagoon. Trevor Powers (the man behind Youth Lagoon) has a nice, mellow mix of experimental/pop/electronic/twee/Americana. Man definitely sings straight through his nose, but while in some cases that can make a body want to punch someone in the face, in his case it fit perfectly with his sound. I approve Youth Lagoon – you may continue.

I stuck around at the blue stage for American/Chilean, organic/minimalist electronic artist Nicolas Jaar. I had looked him up beforehand and was intrigued, thinking I would at least stick around for a little bit, was further intrigued when he appeared onstage in a button-up shirt and a sweater in the 90 degree and humid as-all-get-out weather, and was determined to stay when a man with a saxophone walked onstage. Five minutes later I was questioning that decision as we were still listening to the “experimental noise” intro, but five minutes after that when the band dropped their beat I was totally sold. Although their set was only 25 minutes or so because of technical problems it was probably my favorite of the fest.

At this point I could say that I made my way over to the Red stage for Hot Chip but that would be a lie. At this point what I actually did was meander over to the vegan-gluten-free-dairy-free food vendors and consume kettle corn, lemonade, a vegan reuben (which the man next to me was nice enough to point out looked like it was constructed from glue and newspaper – thank you sir!), and dairy-free chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream – all of which was surprisingly (especially in the case of the last two) delicious.

I then made my way over to the Red Stage. While Jaar might have had my favorite set of the day, Hot Chip definitely had my favorite patrons. Hot Chip is one of those bands that I have in my itunes only because my college roommate transferred all of her artists from A to J into my computer. Honestly I don’t love their recorded work, but live they were lovely – catchy and altogether endearing, and the crowd really responded to that. Highlights included three guys tying together their ponchos and jump-roping to the beat as well as a 20 foot wide, 20 foot long, 1 foot deep mud pit containing a raging dance party. It’s not the most elegant way to sum it up, but really it was just an all around good time.

I decided to leave it there. Grimes and Godspeed You! Black Emperor finished off the night for others, but I wanted to end the night with that splendid image of mud, mustaches and manic-dance-parties before my bedtime hit and I got grumpy. So until next year Pitchfork!

Concert Review: Jukebox the Ghost, Savoir Adore, Lincoln Hall, Chicago, 7/8/12

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Celeste in Concerts | Leave a comment

There are some things that just defy the limits of understanding of the mind: the boundless enormity of the universe, the diversity of life at the bottom of the ocean, the quantity of atoms that make up the entirety of the galaxy, and, most mind-bogglingly shocking of all, the fact that I can get my hands on a pair of Jukebox the Ghost tickets without literally, physically fighting somebody for them.

Whenever Jukebox rolls into town I’m sure this will be the time that every other living soul in Chicago comes to the realization that this band is the best thing since sliced bread (arguably better – who doesn’t love a good dinner roll?) and there will be riots in the streets when tickets are released. Yet somehow, every time tickets go on sale, all I have to do is click that buy button and they’re mine – In.con.ceivable. And yes, in this instance, that word means exactly what I think it means.

Their show Sunday night at Lincoln Hall was nothing short of magical, which is all that I expect from them at this point. Openers Now Now and Savoir Adore kicked off the night right, setting the mood with their particular brand of indie rock and fantasy pop. I was especially taken with ‘loveliest creatures’ by Savoir Adore, which included a synchronized dance that entailed the flapping of arms on “you are the loveliest creature that I ever did see.”

Jukebox the Ghost took the stage the way they always do – with understated good nature, smiling, waving and calling back to their fans’ cheers. There might not be riots and tear gas when tickets are released, but their fan base does appear to be growing (in terms of quantity as well as height, I swear there wasn’t a man under 6 feet in that place), and the venue was chock full of happy fans wiggling in anticipation of yet another amazing show. They weren’t disappointed.
The band started out with ‘Adulthood’, one of my favorites off of their new album ‘Safe Travels’ which was released late last month, and which half of the crowd had already bought and memorized (no shame 2012 – myself included). They also worked their way through classics such as “Victoria” “Schizophrenia” “Good Day” and their signature song “Hold it in.” There simply isn’t a song that this band plays that I dislike – slow, fast, bubbly, angry, dark, light, intense, soft, it doesn’t matter. They bring their distinctive Jukebox tint to everything they do, and with pianist Ben’s soaring falsetto, guitarist Tommy’s powerful riffs and always amusing facial expressions, and drummer Jesse’s “just happy to be here” smile and solid beat they can do no wrong.

Billboard recently did a piece on the band in which their manager is quoted as saying “these guys are honestly the hardest working band I know.” I believe it – Jukebox has come through Chicago on tour six separate times since I moved here two years ago. If they come through your part of town, go see them only if you can deal with so much happiness your head might explode. But if you’re in Chicago and you take the last ticket before I get mine, be warned that it will be on.

Concert Review: Beat Connection with White Arrows, The Drake July 8

Posted on July 13, 2012 by lauren in Concerts | Leave a comment

Sunday is the day you want to sleep off that hangover, relax and get ready for the long horrific week at work. Instead I manned up, put on my dancin’ shoes and hit The Drake Hotel for Beat Connection with White Arrows and Teen Daze. We unfortunately missed Teen Daze, sorry dudes, your recordings are pretty great and I wanted to see what you brought to your live set.

We did manage to catch White Arrows though, which was a pleasant surprise. It’s always great when you catch a band you’ve never heard of and then suddenly they make your playlist. White Arrows are based out of Los Angeles and have quite an interesting back story to them. Guitarist and vocalist Mickey Church was born blind, describing the world  as an “impressionistic smear,”  until he worked very hard with medical professionals to regain his sight at 11 years old. In a world where all your senses are heightened, music can become like magic and there began his creation of this magic. I read a review of their album in The Guardian, where the reviewer stated his disappointment with the album due to Church’s past, he had been expecting something that would sound heightened and out of this world. To this I have to say, yes, they can sound like a cross between The Strokes, and MGMT with their own little twist, yes it is not fantastical, over the top or incredibly unique. But in this decade, nothing is ever original, and with the internet as a DIY self marketing tool, anyone can be a band, book their own show, grab some electronics and call themselves a band. White Arrows were incredibly strong and tight as a band, each song started in a completely different manner, where you didn’t know what to expect. Also the world of art and music is subjective, one persons magic is not another persons.

Beat Connection have seriously upped their game since their debut Surf Noir EP, back in 2010. Previously seeing them on KEXP live, they were just a duo, manning the synth, electronics and sometimes throwing in guitar. Now they’ve expanded into a four piece, drummer, guitarist and vocals (mighty fine vocals might I add), and then beefed up, more confident sounding synth and electronics. Definitely a band that has grown and found their place in this vast music world. Their new vocalist looks like a guy you would find hanging out busking in Vancouver, or Seattle (where they’re from), singing some good ol’ fashioned blues. Funny enough he’s lending his vocals to an electronic “surf pop” type band, which in theory does not “compute”, but actually works very well. His voice is flawless actually, he didn’t miss a beat, and as they moved further into their set, the crowd picked up their feet a little more, and a little more until almost every hungover brain in there was dancing to the mood altering infectious sounds.

For the encore, Beat Connection brought Teen Daze and White Arrows on stage to do an amazing  cover of the Talking Heads “This Must Be The Place” , and yes that night, it was the place.

Roskilde Review Day 4: Nasum, H2O, Santigold, July 8, Denmark

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Paul in Concerts | Leave a comment

At one point during Machine Head’s mainstage set, frontman Rob Flynn complimented Roskilde for it’s diversity and inclusiveness, noting how all kinds of genres come together and everyone supports everyone else. He commented on how the first time they played there, the band went on right before Willie Nelson. He seemed especially impressed that Willie watched their whole set and said that they, in turn watched his.  Because he’s Willie Nelson. “That’s the power of music,” said Flynn, and it really is true. Roskilde is the kind of festival where anything goes, where toddlers and grandparents enjoy a Refused show or some teenagers take in a set by Ars Nova, a vocal ensemble dedicated to the music of composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Music is just music at Roskilde, regardless of genre divisions. That dedication to diversity meant that on the final day of the festival, I took in a bit of everything, from the choral music of Ars Nova to the swampy New Orleans funk of Dr. John to Bjork (Bjork is her own genre) to the extreme metal of resurrected grindcore legends Nasum.

The Swedes lost their vocalist Mieszko Talarcyk in the tsunami of 2004, making a true reunion impossible, and in the words of Nasum’s remaining members, it wasn’t really a reunion at all. “You thought Nasum was dead? We are. This is not resurrection. It’s farewell, for good.” So said the band in a statement announcing their farewell tour/celebration of what would have been their 20th anniversary. ‘Nuff said.  With Rotten Sound  vocalist Keijo Ninimaa taking Talarcyk’s place, the band was ready to say goodbye to their fans and apparently enjoying themselves immensely in the process. You can’t really tell from the photo above, but their guitarist is quite possibly the happiest guy in metal. He looked so excited and stoked to be playing. When he wasn’t grinning from ear to ear, he was making metal faces, licking his guitar, lifting his guitar in the air triumphantly, and often spitting in the air then trying (and always failing) to catch it in his mouth. The rest of the band was no less intense as they blew through their songs at a breakneck pace with incredible passion. I know the Refused reunion was way more heavily hyped and it’s obviously not a competition, but for the record, as much as I enjoyed Refused, as far as reunited Swedes making heavy music go, Nasum were better.

Also passionate about their music were ’90s NYHC survivors H2O, who offered up a set of catchy. positive, melodic hardcore. Echoing Rob Flynn`s comments, singer Toby Moore was preaching the power of how music, specifically hardcore in his case, can have a huge impact on the course of one’s life.  “Because of this music, I haven`t had any drugs or alcohol for 42 years. I haven’t eaten meat since 1988.” They then launched into “What Happened,” a lament for the state of punk today. A totally high energy set.

Also high energy and ridiculously fun was Santigold‘s set on the Arena Stage. This woman knows how to put on one hell of a show. Since Ricky`s already written at length about the greatness of her shows in the past, I won’t go into great detail on the specifics but based on the descriptions of those shows, it was business as usual for Santigold. Maybe even better. Santigold is an assured performer, her backup band is great, and her backup singers/dancers were, well, great. They kind of reminded me in some way of the S1W guys who used to appear onstage with Public Enemy. They somehow kept a straight face no matter how crazy their dance moves. Speaking of dance moves, the most memorable moment in Santigold’s set almost became it’s downfall. When she invited the”best dancers” in the crowd to come onstage, the obliging security crew just kept letting more and more people through. 

“Guys, no more,” she pleaded as more and more bodies flooded the stage. That said, once they did get onstage, they had some pretty impressive moves and Santi was totally feeding off their energy and really stepping up her game in response. “I remember you guys now,” she said, recalling when she played Roskilde a couple of years ago and echoed a sentiment repeated by a number of performers throughout the course of the festival – that this crowd is one of the best crowds they’ve ever played to. I know a lot of the time, they’re just saying that, but at Roskilde, I get the feeling that they’re not just saying that.

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