It’s a bit difficult for me to believe that it took me nearly three months to see some live music this year, but it’s true. January and February were filled with crazy work schedules that weren’t conducive to making a trip even an hour’s drive away to see any bands or performers.
That all changed with getting to see Shopping, Tyvek,and Ganser at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen two nights ago. I’d been keen on catching Shopping since hearing their newest album, The Official Body. I knew nothing about Tyvek and Ganser going in, apart from a few video clips and digital tracks here and there. Tyvek was loud and brash garage punk. Ganser was darker and local post-punk. This was also my first time at the Beat Kitchen. It’s a nice, small venue, and the food there looked pretty good.
One thing I’ve discovered about Chicago shows is that, for the most part, the set start times are rigid. Ganser kept up this tradition by starting at promptly 8:00pm. They played an impressive set to a hometown crowd that included multiple tracks from their upcoming album Odd Talk. Their stuff was sassy, jagged, and assertive. Odd Talk should be a fine record based on what I heard at the Beat Kitchen.
Up next were Detroit’s / Philadelphia’s Tyvek. They were as loud and hammering as I’d expected, and throwing saxophone riffs into the mix only made it better. Lead singer / guitarist Kevin Boyer‘s axe looked like it had been bounced off a few floors and used as a cutting board, and the blaring chords he drew out of it only seemed to confirm my suspicions.
Shopping had a large crowd by the time they took the stage. I was glad to see so many people for the U.K. band that had spent most of the last couple months zig-zagging across the U.S. They had the crowd jumping almost from the first note, and encouraged dancing throughout their entire set. They sounded great. Rachel Aggs‘ gets notes of her guitar that jump like water across a hot griddle. Every song had a bouncing energy to it that was inescapable. Highlights from the set included “The Hype,” “Wild Child,” and “My Dad’s a Dancer.”
The best way I can sum up their set is by what a woman yelled out from the crowd between songs: “You guys are so fun!” Bassist Billy Easter said, “Thanks. It’s fun being up here, too.”
Shopping set the bar high for live bands to follow this year. Catch them if you can. You need to get in on the fun they’re delivering.
Keep your mind open.
[Thanks to Sam McAllister from Pitch Perfect PR for hooking me up with a press pass for the show.]