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 48 weeks into the year and I have seen 119 shows.
It was a great turnout for a freezing snowy Wednesday night. Rightly so, The Hideout gave us a great line-up, three unique bands that are united by that perfectly elusive genre-bending art rock sound.
I was really into the happy groove created by Woongi. It would be hard not to groove when you have two basses! Wax Weckman was on the five string bass (high C five string, that is), and he almost seemed to coax the music out of his instrument, like he was wooing his bass. They were feeling and moving to that rhythm section, and the washes of keys/synth by Wavid Wurtin added a smoothness to their music. It came together in a way that was relaxing and made me smile. Amongst all these feelings of well being, the music started to get more experimental. They took us some weird places, and the audience leaned into it. I will especially look forward to the release of a new song they played, “Green M&Ms,” but you didn’t hear that from me–it’s still hush-hush.
If you like a band that both sounds great and gives you a show, The Curls is for you. On the Hideout stage, the six band members filled it to the point where vocalist Anna’s amazing dance moves were hemmed in on either side–in a good way. Their movements are reminiscent of backup singers of old, except more avant garde, bringing back the specific motions for songs and the chorus within the song. It is a bit mesmerizing. But Anna wasn’t the only one. The band all moves their bodies to the music, but instead of feeling restricted, it looked like they relished being in such tight quarters. They danced, smiled, laughed, got into each other’s space in a way that made the performance a party. If I hadn’t loved them equally on the big stage at Pitchfork this summer, I’d say they should always play a small stage. They’ve changed their drummer and bassist since August, in fact this was their first gig with both drummer Cory Brehker and bassist Matt Puhr. They were tight and would never have guessed it was a first outing. The audience called out for runaway hit “Bad Boi” and we were not disappointed (love Mick’s signature vibrato!), but my favorite was their closer, the yet to be released “Picture Frame.” Love that sax, Jenny!
Look Vibrant hail from Canada and are on one of those tours that seems to be testing your limits for handling things going wrong. Cars breaking down, amps not working, I’m sure many bands have some such tour stories. You could almost see these three guys dive into their music like they were taking refuge. It didn’t take long for them to get thawed out and relax into the music. Both vocalists took their voices into falsetto with perfect control and I loved it. The almost nasal quality of Matthew Murphy’s voice is unique in the best way. The drummer, Eli Kaufman, is violent to a point that seems almost random, but is obviously precise. They were playing new stuff that traversed between languid to angry to poppy. I am so glad they were able to make it to the show; it was a great way to end the night.
Woongi Facebook | Bandcamp
The Curls Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Look Vibrant Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
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