MS MR Take Chicago By Storm

Chicago – Back in 2012, the elusive twosome MS MR revealed their fresh dream pop on a dark and quirky eye candy filled tumblr. The New Yorkers cleverly hid their identities and became a mysterious Internet sensation. Once the blog went viral, the duo ignited a musical storm with the single “Hurricane.” Soon the curious music blogosphere went searching for answers and discovered that Neon Gold co-founder Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow were responsible for the innovative blog and were the musical geniuses behind the EP Candy Bar Creep. In May of 2013 MS MR released their debit albumSecondhand Rapture through Columbia Records and have been touring like crazy ever since, selling out show after show. Thank goodness the curtain was pulled back, exposing the great and powerful MS MR because they put on one hell of a show at Chicago’s historic Metro.

The stage was dimly lit. Lizzy and Max strutted out like two towering models on a catwalk. An eerie yet sexy vibe fell upon the room. Lizzy ferociously grabbed her microphone and powerfully belted out the lyrics to “Bones.” Max danced in place while playing the keys, while Lizzy moved about, owning every inch of the stage. Their energy spread like wildfire. The whole room seemed to spark into dance. Even the bartenders were shaking their booties. Lizzy bopped frantically around stage; her magenta locks flew in every direction, shooting out like flames.

After a few songs, Lizzy stood still for a moment, smiling ear to ear. The singer giggled. Then her smoky voice exclaimed, “We are so excited to be back in Chicago playing a sold out show!” Fans cheered. A mix of pride and excitement seemed to fill Lizzy’s face. She and Max lovingly grinned at each other. The chemistry between these two is stupendous. Between their jokes and banter, the two friends make to feel as though you’re part of their inner circle. The pair played pretty much every song off of Secondhand Rapture, including fan favorites “Ash Tree Lane” and “Head Is Not My Home” and the radio hit “Think of You.”

Lizzy and Max covered the Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?” and further fueled the audience’s excitement. Afterwards Lizzy gushed: “We keep singing that hoping Alex Turner will tweet at us, and I’ll be like, ‘Where have you been my long lost boyfriend?’ Then I can be the one to drunk text him!” Laughter filled the room. Before kicking off “This Isn’t Control,” Lizzy walked over to Max and in a solemn voice said, “This is a serious one.” She and Max swayed back and forth under muted lights.

Halfway through their set, Lizzy said, “And without further ado, this is my favorite part of the night. Max has some instructions for you.” Max walked away from his keyboard, mic in hand, and addressed the room like a sassy motivational speaker: “Go back in time and find that one person who was a real asshole in your life, when you blamed yourself for the problems you two had, and realize it wasn’t you. You weren’t the problem!” Max then announced they were about to perform “Think Of You.” He ordered all the single people to sing along. The room exploded. Hands flew back and forth as people screamed, “I still think of you and all the shit you put me through.” Once they finished, both took deep breaths and said, “Okay, it’s in the fucking past. Let’s move on!”

MS MR moved on to cover LCD Soundsystem’s “Dance Yrself Clean.” Yellow lights hit Lizzy and Max. They glowed like golden gods and danced wildly. Lizzy whipped her head back and forth, making her a purplish-pink blur. A large gold hoop earring flew across the stage. She flung herself against the stage floor, singing while lying on her back, occasionally thrusting her hips. Max took center stage. He started clapping to the beat. The audience followed suit. Then Max turned his back to the crowd and wiggled his bootie. People whistled and hollered. Once the dance party ceased, Max and Lizzy announced it was time for their last song. They finished the night off with “Hurricane,” which they wrote during Hurricane Sandy back in 2011. The sentimental New Yorkers noted that this special song meant quite a lot to them and asked that everyone sing along. From the balcony to the main floor, concertgoers belted out the lyrics while bathed in blue lights.

MS MR will be playing Firefly Music Festival and a few other fests. Check out their facebook for more tour info, and keep your eyes peeled for new music from the duo because they recently told our Ilyse Kaplan that they’ve been working on their sophomore album. Click HERE to read the interview!

(Photos by Sarah Hess: smhimaging.com)

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Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

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.