Chicago – Yo New York, I’ma let you finish but you ain’t got nothing on Chicago when it comes to blizzards! Twenty inches of snow? Check. Below freezing temps? Check. Letting winter disrupt our lives? No dice! Monday night was proof Chicagoans refuse to let frigid temperatures and a little bit of snow stop the music from flowing. Fans trudged through the elements to see U.K. threesome Until The Ribbon Breaks at Schubas. Music lovers, boots, and winter coats filled the cozy, old music hall while beats from UTRB’s hip-hop and R&B inspired tunes lent some heat and a little bit sexiness to the Midwest.

The room filled with applause when drummer Elliot Wall and multi-instrumentalists Pete Lawrie Winfield and James Gordon walked on stage. The Welsh trio raised their beers to toast the crowd. Winfield spoke sincerely into the mic with a hearty accent, thanking fans for coming out on such a miserable night. Until The Ribbon Breaks has been touring with London Grammar, but with their tour mates having just played Lollapalooza over the summer, there wasn’t a Chicago date added to the North American tour. However, UTRB didn’t let LG’s contract stipulation stifle them from booking a night in the Windy City. So really, Chicagoans – or at least those who were in attendance for the avant-garde electro-pop – should be thanking Until The Ribbon Breaks for coming out (especially considering the guys’ van wasn’t enjoying the weather)!

Winfield, Gordon, and Wall started the night off with synth laden “2025.” Projections of their homemade lyric videos filled the stage. The band glowed purple, then pink and blue, setting the mood for songs like “Romeo.” The room filled with cheers when the band began to play the drum heavy “Perspective,” off their debut album, A Lesson Unlearnt (Kobalt). Fans up front balanced beers while carefully dancing around to “Spark.”

Throughout the evening, Winfield moved between guitar, trumpet, drums, and keys, showing off his musical chops. When free from instruments, the frontman moved around the stage like a seasoned MC. In a recent interview, Winfield told Best New Bands about his respect and admiration for one of his favorite MCs: El-P. The die-hard hip-hop fan collaborated with El-P and Killer Mike of Run The Jewels for “Revolution Indifference.” During the night’s performance of “Revolution Indifference,” projections of both rappers towered over UTRB. Perhaps in the future both groups will tour together and the virtual MCs won’t be needed? Fingers crossed!

At one point a woman screamed, “I just want you, Pete!” A blushing Winfield smiled, then laughed, knowing her flirtation played off the lyrics “I just want you / If you’ve had a taste of silver / Then the pennies won’t do” from “A Taste Of Silver.” The guys thanked the crowd again and again for coming out and partying it up on a Monday night, making them feel so loved while miles and miles away from home. Toward the end of the night, UTRB performed the Blondie cover “One Way Or Another,” one of their many “Re-Imaginations.” The evening ended with “Goldfish.” Projections of birds and waves flashed while Winfield belted it out on trumpet, for a triumphant finish. After a two-day snowfall, it was just what was needed!

Until The Ribbon Breaks are now on tour now with London Grammar. Click HERE for a list of performance dates. A Lesson Unlearnt is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.

Photos of Until The Ribbon Breaks by Sarah Hess

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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.

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