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 10 weeks into the year and I have seen 33 shows.
Maddie Davis, lead singer of TUMS, had a luminous smile but also had plenty of rage. She paced and danced across the stage—my fav was the occasional elbow flapping chicken dance, juxtaposing levity against angry music. All three of the dudes on the stage with Maddie played the set a loosely, favoring force over accuracy. Sometimes, thrash music feels like it’s screaming right at me, but TUMS deliver short, fast bursts of joy. Just when my heart started to thump in time, the song would be over.
But–it left me with a smile on my face.
It felt like a left turn from overwhelming noise to melodic guitar-tickling rock, or even from loose passion to craftsmanship when Axis:Sova took the stage. Axis:Sova are backed by a drum machine, which provided a structured rhythm section. Their style of rock is usually heightened by some jamming, but for the most part they seemed to stick to the script. At times, each band member seemed in their own world, playing with their heads down in concentration. The best moments were when we got some guitar interplay between Brett Sova and Tim Kaiser. I liked Brett’s languid, drawn out style of singing. The whole crowd got behind “(Like an) Intruder.”
Denée Segall was imperious as she took the stage. When the drum machine kicked in, it had a wooden block, toy-like sound, completely different than anything a drum kit could give us. It was cold and unforgiving. And as The C.I.A. played, it was exactly right. Denée was a chameleon. She was soft and inviting, then threatening and angry, then innocent and pious. As I looked at her through my lens, I was reminded of the early work of Cindy Sherman and how she played with female identity, conveyed the threatening presences we have to endure in this world. The C.I.A.’s music expressed the fears and pain and anger we are all living with right now. Denée completely embodied that message.
Denée was so entrancing that it took a few songs before I realized that–duh–there were two bass players. No guitar. They played and wove around each other. The music was unconventional, a perfect balance of hypnotic rhythm and melodic interplay. The low end was so powerful my teeth were rattling and my heart couldn’t escape their pace. For me, the highlights of the was set were tied between “Oblivion” and “Pleasure Seeker.”
TUMS keep an eye out for them playing around town!
Axis:Sova Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
The C.I.A. Official
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