My goal is to see one show per week. Yes, I might be that annoying friend that just has to tell you about the thing you missed, but I’m also catching every great show in the city of Chicago–with plenty more ahead of me. Welcome to the Chicago Concert Dispatch.
At the time of this show, it is 36 weeks into the year, and I have seen 154 shows.
Chicago show organizer, Glitter Creeps, puts together lineups that vary in the style of music, but are always queer. Tonight’s lineup turned The Empty Bottle from a rockin’ dive bar into a rave-like dance club. The party was kicked off by the duo, Magin, as they set the tone with their space age tracks. Mia Arevalo’s heavily reverb-affected vocals and the music blended together into a rhythmic wash where each different element was almost indistinguishable. Kyle Drouin danced as he created the soundscapes. As Arevalo sings, she mesmerizes with flowing arms and hips. I get the feeling that if they couldn’t dance to it, they wouldn’t play it for us. They enticed us to move, to join them and feel the music.
NONE OF YOUR CONCERN had buzz after their recent single release, “SET ME ON FIRE,” and I was not disappointed. Their stage presence was immediately transporting–there was no journey. We were dropped into a nightmare world, where we are at the mercy of these two golden-masked figures. The smoke and lighting design were unlike the usual Bottle mood, making the stage theirs. The music was defined by breathy vocals, crunchy drum machine, and kicking bass. This band took chances and crafted an experience that should be on everyone’s not-to-be-missed list, down to the literal mic drop ending.
Pixel Grip has earned their place on the iconic local bands list and then some. They have that perfect chemistry that crackles and pops in recordings and becomes incendiary live. Meastro at the electronics, Jonathan Freund, bounced as he crafted the foundation. Tyler Ommen’s drumming gave their music immediacy and connected to my gut. Vocalist, Rita Lukea, seemed to feel every element of the music, exuding all of it and demanding that we feel it with her. Her smile was luminous, her screams like joyful therapy. She demanded obedience, she welcomed us to Chicago, to the Bottle and said, “I am your mother now.”
We wanted to learn how to be such a killer rockstar. Teach us mother. So, happily we danced and screamed with her.
Magin Instagram | Bandcamp
NONE OF YOUR CONCERN Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Pixel Grip Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
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