Chicago – This past weekend PUP rolled into Chica… er, Palatine, Illinois, with Modern Baseball, Tiny Moving Parts, and Jeff Rosenstock, playing an all-ages sold-out show at Durty Nellie’s. Killer line-up, right? But man, a show in the suburbs! Between the show being on a school night and being in boofoo Egypt, this teacher was questioning her decisions, but more so why PUP was playing a show in Palatine, a northern suburb about forty-five minutes by car – give or take, depending on traffic – from Chicago? Well, I’ve been talking about this with friends and fellow music lovers. More and more cities are losing their artistic communities and venues thanks to gentrification, a reverse of white flight, and increased rental costs spurred by a poor housing market mixed with a deepening economic divide, along with corporations buying more and more land in urban communities. U.S. cities like Chicago, New York, Portland, and San Fransisco are seeing artists of all mediums pushed out. In 2014, several music venues in New York were shuttered. Chicago is currently facing the possible closing of the Double Door, in the almost entirely gentrified neighborhood of Wicker Park. (Not familiar with the DD? Go watch High Fidelity!) Where will all the artists go? Apparently the suburbs. But hey, I’m not here to talk economics or urban anthropology with you, so let’s get to the music. For the record though, Durty Nellie’s is a pretty awesome venue, and seeing PUP live is definitely a great decision!

In 2014, Canadian punk band PUP wowed Best New Bands, when they played Riot Fest Chicago, along with Tiny Moving Parts and Modern Baseball. The four-piece put on a killer show and guitarists Steve Sladkowski and Stefan Babcock gave a hilarious, Malört fueled interview. Would their 2015 return to Illinois this winter be just as amazing? Why, yes. Was there ever really any doubt? On top of delivering an energetic show, the band sat down for another interview, this time including drummer Zack Mykula and bassist Nestor “Mr. Fancy” Chumak for a “complete” band perspective. Stay tuned for the interview, in which the guys filled us in on their sophomore album and gave us their “Best Of 2015” picks. In the meantime, let’s talk about their set.

PUP started the night out with “Lionheart,” off their self-titled debut album. Immediately fans went wild, jumping up and down, screaming lyrics, and moshing so hard the barrier began to move forward, forcing me to move my back against the stage for a moment during “Back Against the Wall.” Stefan jumped around the stage while Steve and Nestor headbanged to the beat Zach kept with all his might. They dedicated “Dark Days” to their tourmate Jeff Rosenstock and his band, all of whom had their gear stolen recently when their van was broken into. If you’ve seen the music video, you know how fitting that was. If you haven’t, we’ve posted it below, just for you. Also, you can donate money to help Jeff Rosenstock and his band pay for new gear by clicking HERE.

During “Guilt Trip,” fans raised their hands in the air, pointing fingers to the stage, ferociously whipping their arms while singing along with Stefan, “Now that you’re gone / I’ll be back on my own,” over Steve’s amazing guitar playing. Between working their way through PUP, the guys played two new songs. One was “DVP,” which they’ve been playing throughout this tour. When PUP played the other new, yet to be named song, from their sophomore album, to be released in 2016, fans began crowdsurfing. Of course the crowdsurfing would continue well into the set, until the final song of the night, “Reservoir.  Even Stefan joined in, jumping into fans’ hands.

With their new material, PUP proved to us they have even more to deliver as a band. Surely I’m not alone in saying I’m definitely looking forward to hearing album number two from PUP. Hurry up and get here 2016! And with their strong performance, the guys showed us spending a year on the road, playing as many shows as possible, strengthens your live show one hundred percent. This teacher gives you an A+ PUP! Next time you’re in Illinois, you get a sticker and a cookie!

PUP is finishing up their tour with Modern Baseball, Jeff Rosenstock, and Tiny Moving Parts. The remaining tour dates can be found on Facebook. PUP can be purchased on iTunes.

Photos of PUP by Sarah Hess for Best New Bands

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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.

Latest posts by Sarah Hess (see all)

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