Chicago – The final day of Riot Fest was a beaut! The sun was shining, the mud was drying, the temps were rising, and the legendary Jimmy Cliff graced Douglas Park with his presence. (I know, right, Jimmy effin-cliff! His set was fantastic, by the way.) More importantly, Sunday proved to be one lucky band’s day, earning them my award for Best New Band at Riot Fest 2015. In order of appearance, here are the best of the day three newbs:
Canadian five piece Alvvays was the perfect way to start the afternoon and calm a hangover. Sugary pop floated from the Rise Stage, over the baseball field, as the sun beat down, sprinkling a little bit of heaven down onto the crowd, who swayed and hummed along to goodies like “Atop A Cake” and “Archie, Marry Me.” Alvvays also played some new material, which leaned more towards rock and carried more of an edge. It also signaled another Alvvays album will soon be upon us. Their debut was one of the best releases of last summer, so the thought of what album number two might bring makes me giddy like a school girl!
I discovered Modern Chemistry last summer thanks to Instagram. It’s been fun watching this New Jersey four piece, made up of Matt Coccaro, Brendan Hourican, Jesse Slachman, and Joe Zorzi grow via social media and their visits to the Windy City. The childhood friends made their debut in Chicago over the winter, while on tour with fellow Jersey boy Frank Iero. I caught their set then, so I knew I had to see if their first full U.S. tour changed them for the better or the worse. It did them good! Their sound was much tighter. Confidence radiated from the Revolt Stage. Frontman Joe Zorzi thrashed around stage and chatted the crowd up between songs. He spotted a fan getting down hard, pointed in his direction, and said, ”Shout out to that guy who is dancing over there. You’re awesome!” The audience cheered the gentleman on. The guys performed the single “Cling,” off the EP Self Help Guide For Being Alone. They also played two new songs: “The Overthinker” and “Sleeptalker.” (Stay tuned for our up coming interview, where the guys talk about working on their debut LP!) Modern Chemistry closed their set out with “Never Scared.” The growing crowd, who was filing in to see Taking Back Sunday’s not so secret surprise set, clapped along to the beat and cheered them on. Speaking of Taking Back Sunday, Modern Chemistry are touring with the Long Island legends this week. Maybe check them out, aye?
I’ll be honest in saying I doubted that Kongos would draw a heavy crowd at this punk centered festival, but the siblings did in fact pack them in over at the Rise Stage, making me feel like a proud mamma bear. I just love this band of brothers. The South African men put on an amazing live show. Fans whistled and cheered in approval song after song, from “Come With Me Now” to I’m Only Joking.” Kongos also played a new song, with a killer bass line, titled “I Don’t Mind.” In an interview last year at Lollapalooza, the guys told us they’ve been writing new material for some time, but rumor has it they’ll soon be taking a break from touring to get back in the studio, making the long awaited follow-up to Lunatic. Hopefully they won’t be away from the road too long because they are wonderful to see live.
Well Riot Fest, it sure was swell. Can’t wait to do it all again next year. Hopefully with another dose of Foxing, please!
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
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