Brooklyn’s Parquet Courts set was a combination of poppy slacker rock frequently interrupted by sporadic punk riffs and completely necessary distorted feedback. The gentle head banging to two minute odes of intoxicated boredom stretched into fried out noise jams provided a perfect antidote to a scorching Chicago summer day.   

The looseness of fuzzed power chords with scattered sedated guitar solos from lead vocalists/guitarists Andrew Savage and Austin Brown was balanced by the simplistic yet intensely consistent rhythm section of bassist Sean Yeaton and drummer Max Savage, Andrew’s younger brother. The bulk of their performance were tracks off of their impressive 2012 sophomore album “Light Up Gold”, which was recorded in a mere three days and basks in influences from Pavement to Black Flag. 

Mellower songs like “N. Dakota” and “Yr No Stoner” carried an attitude like that of The Pixies, and transitioned effortlessly into the more frantic pulse driven likes of “Borrowed Time” and “Yonder is Closer to the Heart”. Occasionally it appeared as if Andrew and Austin’s intentions with their guitars were to break every string, and no matter what tempo they found themselves in, Sean steadily plucked his bass, eyes closed and head constantly on a swivel. They never looked back once they started on their extensive closer “Stoned and Starving”, a repetitive catchy eight minute build up of a tune that resulted in Andrew shoving his guitar into his amplifier microphone as the rest of his band maintained boisterous composure. 

Any nonchalant vibes brought on by Parquet Courts were quickly abandoned once UK post punk rockers Savages took stage. The band all donned in black, besides lead singer Jehnny Beth’s elegant pink heels, was led by the somber but captivating theatrics of Jehnny’s wailing crooning and abrupt hand twitches that guided the eerie reverb effects of guitarist Gemma Thompson amongst dense fog machines and strobe lighting. The texture of Gemma’s atmospheric guitar scales provided an ominous backdrop for bassist Ayse Hassan’s Dead Kennedys inspired bass riffs that clashed with the forceful cymbal crashes and driving foot pedals of drummer Fay Milton. 

You cannot underestimate Jehnny’s defiantly enraged gaze her fierce brown eyes cast upon the crowd. She doesn’t erupt in head bangs or fist pumps because her glare and hand movements are enough to make a soldier shiver. There was not one word of stage banter uttered to the audience, but Jehnny sparked crowd participation by literally grabbing a woman’s head in the front row and holding it to her crotch during the breakdown of the rampant “Hit Me”.      

With their debut album “Silence Yourself” released just last March, Savages sounded and played like a band with the confidence of a decade of performances under their belts. No hiccups emerged during a tight forty-five minute set that belted out anthems like “Shut Up”, “City’s Full”, and “She Will”.

By the time Savages ended their set with the obstinately aggressive “Husbands”, the wind had long been knocked out of our stomachs. “My room, my life, my… Husbands, husbands, husbands, husbands…” Jehnny repeated until there was no oxygen left to spare. Savages concluded an intimate evening of controlled chaos that countered the spontaneous clatter of Parquet Courts in a compatible fashion.  

For more about Parquet Courts go HERE. For more about Savages go HERE.