Chicago – Lincoln Hall was packed with men and women donning leather jackets, and black skinny jeans. The music hall was a sea of long hair and tattoos. Not a usual sight for the Lincoln Park venue. But then again, Toronto rockers METZ aren’t your stereotypical noise rock band either. Fans packed the main floor
Chicago – Blue and purple lights danced around stage. The men of Mini Mansions glowed turquoise, indigo, and cyan while singing, “Do you want to have fun / Do you want a good time?” Surely everyone at The Riviera Theatre was down for both, and thanks to LA three-piece Mini Mansions, an entertaining evening was
Chicago – The guys of Heaters, along with Chicago bands Bleach Party and Uh Bones, lit a surf rock, psychedelic fire Thursday night. Watching Heaters on stage at Schubas, you’d think the three lanky psych rockers resided in Sunny California where bands like The Growlers, Shannon and the Clams, the Ty Segall Band have made
Chicago – U.K. five-piece Joanna Gruesome built a heavy fan base with their 2013 debut Weird Sister. Their fuzzy noise pop had critics drooling, while feminists worldwide applauded them for being outspoken on misogyny in music, putting a definite pressure on Alanna McArdle (vocals), Owen Williams (guitar, vocals), Max Warren (bass), George Nicholls (guitar), and
Chicago – Over the last several years, Nashville’s music scene has been reborn. The city that was once known as a Country Mecca has now become the new hub for modern music, from punk and garage rock to indie and pop. It’s become the home for big dogs like Kings of Leon, Jack White, and
Chicago – Since forming in 2011, U.K. six-piece Fat White Family has become known for wild, outlandish live performances complete with nudity, blood, and butchered animal parts. All things considered, this week’s Chicago show at Lincoln Hall was rather tame, but FWF still entertained. Frontman Lias Saoudi climbed speakers and strutted around stage, bathed in
Chicago – This past weekend, Brooklyn trio The Antlers opened two sold-out shows for Death Cab For Cutie at the historic Chicago Theatre. Best New Bands was fortunate to take in the Friday night performance. We last caught The Antlers over the summer at Lincoln Hall, in support of Familiars (ANTI-). Their Friday night visit
Chicago – Milky Chance first stole hearts with their irresistible single “Stolen Dance.” Then came the release of their debut album, Sadnecessary, through their label Lichtdicht Records. Now the German duo is seizing emotions and selling out shows, touring the world. Singer and guitarist Clemens Rehbein and producer slash percussionist Philipp Dausch, along with guitarist
Chicago – U.K. duo Nai Harvest is back with LP number two, or what guitarist Ben Thompson calls their “proper” debut. Hairball (Top Shelf Records) is a change of pace for Nai Harvest, previously known for making emo girls swoon with 2013’s Whatever (Dog Knights Productions). Thompson and drummer Lew Currie held on to that
Chicago – Last weekend marked the seventh annual Chicago International Movies & Music Festival, better known as CIMMfest, and as usual, close to a hundred bands filled the city with amazing music. Saturday night, Best New Bands made sure to catch the CIMMfest show at The Empty Bottle, which featured one of the best line-ups