As discussed, Naked Raygun will be playing Metro on June 29 with The Arrivals, White Mystery, and Acidic Tree. Advance tickets are still available for that show, and they've also added a second performance, on June 28 with Zero Boys and The Crombies. Tickets for their new show are on sale now.

A couple of Naked Raygun videos are below...

Continue reading "Naked Raygun add second performance at Metro"

by Mark Cheskin

Black Moth Super Rainbow at Metro on 5.11.2013

Black Moth Super Rainbow visited Chicago this past Saturday (5/11) for a performance at Metro as part of a short spring tour. Accompanying them for the whole run are Chicago locals Oscillator Bug and The Hood Internet.

Osiclator Bug started things off with a swirl of dizzying analogue synths, that had him screaming into his mic and pounding away on his keys like a madman. Throughout the set he occasionally hung his mic around his neck in order to manually tweak his synths and drum machine on the fly. It was impressive what he could do with his analog-setup, which he made operating seem like a cakewalk.

Next up, DJ party duo The Hood Internet temporarily turned Metro into a dance club. They seamlessly threw together everything from Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)," which not only got the crowd dancing but singing as well.

Pittsburgh natives Black Moth Super Rainbow took the stage soon after looking fairly casual, except for the band's drummer who donned a slightly unsettling ski mask. Tobacco, wearing shorts, a baseball cap, and a hoodie, made a not-so-secret grin while walking towards his gear. Without saying a word he anchored himself to his prized synth vocoder and gripped the mic like a baseball bat. Black Moth played a bunch of new songs from their excellent Cobra Juicy album, as well as a few classics like "Sun Lips" while a projector provided a backdrop with some of the band's videos. Taking a whiff of the air you could smell that a few fans had secretly lit up while the band played some of their more subdued songs. Amongst the crowd, a few fans could be seen sporting their creepy Black Moth Super Rainbow masks, which were given to fans that helped crowdsource their latest album on Kickstarter. BMSR played a small encore before giving a small wave to screaming fans, leaving as quietly as they had entered.

Unfortunately, later on tour in St. Louis, someone(s) broke into their van and stole Tobacco's vocoder. The frontman then took to Twitter to say the setup "isn't too replaceable," but that he'll try. He also joked, "...if anyone finds who did it, I'll pay you to bring them to me. All in good fun."

Pictures of all three acts from the 5/11 show at Metro are below...

Continue reading "Black Moth Super Rainbow played Metro w/ The Hood Internet & Oscillator Bug (pics), got their van broken into in St. Louis"

Majical Cloudz @ a BV-presents show last night (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As discussed, Montreal's Majical Cloudz (aka the project of Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto) are currently on tour throughout North America with Youth Lagoon. That tour includes a performance at Metro on May 15, and advance tickets are still available. Majical Cloudz will also be playing an in-store at Permanent Records at 5:15PM on the 15th. Admission is free and all-ages are welcome, but space is very limited. We suggest you get there early if you plan on making it inside the small shop.

Majical Cloudz will welcome their Matador Records debut, Impersonator, on May 21. You may have already heard the LP singles "Childhood's End" and "Bugs Don't Buzz," but if not, you can take a listen to both at the bottom of this post. Impersonator is up for preorder via Matador's webstore.

All known Majical Cloudz tour dates and those song streams are below...

Continue reading "Majical Cloudz playing an in-store at Permanent Records before opening for Youth Lagoon at Metro"

Charles Bradley at Firefly 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

To all our Chicago friends, we're very sorry to inform you that we have to postpone our show at the Metro tonight [Thursday, May 9], as there's been a death in the family. We've always had an amazing time playing for you, so we hope you understand and we promise that we'll be back as soon as we can.

Tickets will of course be valid at the new Metro date (which will be announced soon), but refunds will also be available at the point of purchase. We'll give you news on the new show as soon as we're able.

Love, Charles and the Extraordinaires

Desaparecidos @ NYC's Webster Hall in February (more by Amanda Hatfield)

In 2012, Conor Oberst reformed his early 2000's punk band Desaparecidos. They continued their reunion in 2013 by touring throughout the East Coast in February, and have announced that they'll be embarking on a fall U.S. tour in October. That tour includes a performance at Metro on October 25. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (5/10) at noon CST.

All Desaparecidos // Conor Oberst solo dates and a few song streams are below...

Continue reading "Conor Oberst's Desaparecidos playing Metro on fall tour"

photos by James Richards IV, words by Milos Markicevic

Purity Ring at Metro on 5.03.2013

Purity Ring played two sold-out shows at Metro this past Friday (5/3) with fellow Canadians Blue Hawaii. Blue Hawaii's Raphaelle Standell-Preston introduced herself and told the crowd to excuse her if she didn't dance due to a back injury. She instead politely requested that the crowd dance on her behalf, which they did. Folks raised their hands in the air, as if at a rave, while Blue Hawaii effortlessly layered and looped vocals alongside airy beats. Feeding off the crowd's energy, Preston even danced a little despite her injury.

Purity Ring took the stage after a brief intermission and began their set with the wobbly "Amenamy," which made the packed venue go wild. Their pulsating cocoon lights didn't hurt either. Corin Roddick's interactive setup was also on full display, as he tapped his light-up triggers to build the beat. Meanwhile, Megan James floated around the stage looking like a ghost in her white dress. She later grabbed an industrial looking torch that illuminated her and nearby audience members, and occasionally perched herself on top of a speaker, crooning into her mic. The band performed all of Shrines, as well as a cover of Soulja Boy's "Grammy" before telling the audience, "See you in a few hours!"

A set of pictures from their 5/3 early show at Metro are in this post. More below...

Continue reading "Purity Ring & Blue Hawaii played Metro (pics, review)"

Chicago's Chance the Rapper is riding high off the release of his great new mixtape, Acid Rap, which dropped last week and has already garnered quite a bit of critical acclaim. Have you checked it out yet? If not, Acid Rap is available to stream at the bottom of this post. Today, Chance has revealed "Paranoia," a collaboration with L.A. producer Nosaj Thing, as part of Yours Truly's "Songs From Scratch" series. It might sound familiar if you've already heard the mixtape, as "Paranoia" is the secret track // second half of "Pusha Man" (it starts at 2:48). A stream of Nosaj's slightly different version and footage of the pair in the studio can also be found at the bottom of this post.

As discussed, Chance will be celebrating the release of Acid Rap with a hometown show at Metro on May 26. That show is now sold-out, but he's just added a second performance on May 25. Tickets go on sale this Friday (5/10) at noon CST. You can also catch him at Lollapalooza and/or on tour with Mac Miller this summer.

Streams of Acid Rap and "Paranoia" are below...

Continue reading "Chance the Rapper adds second show at Metro, listen to // watch his collaboration with Nosaj Thing"

Deerhunter @ Austin Psych Fest 2013 (more by Tim Griffin)

Deerhunter have announced that they'll be embarking on a North American tour in support of their new album Monomania, which hits stores today via 4AD. That tour kicks off in late-August and includes a performance at Metro on September 10. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (5/10) at noon CST.

All 2013 Deerhunter tour dates and a stream of Monomania are below...

Continue reading "Deerhunter released 'Monomania' (stream it here), playing Metro in September"

Squarepusher (aka Tom Jenkinson) welcomed his newest album, Ufabulum, last May via Warp Records. He did quite a bit of touring in support of the LP, and is set to hit the road again this summer. Jenkinson will venture stateside to perform at Camp Bisco in Mariaville, NY, and will be playing some U.S. shows surrounding that appearance. One of those gigs is a performance at Metro on July 5. Advance tickets for the Chicago show are on sale now.

All known Squarepusher tour dates and a video for "Dark Steering" from Ufabulum are below...

Continue reading "Squarepusher playing Metro in July"

Young Chicago MC Chance the Rapper has just shared his second mixtape, Acid Rap. It serves as the follow-up to 2012's 10 Day, which was well received throughout the country and not just in Chicago. If you can get down with his high-pitched, raspy voice (it's a stylistic thing, and we certainly can), Chance's verses are tightly knit and he can definitely carry a track. Download Acid Rap HERE. Check out the music video for Acid Rap's "Smoke Again," featuring Black Hippy's Ab-Soul, at the bottom of this post.

In celebration of Acid Rap, Chance will be headlining Metro on May 26. Advance tickets for his hometown show are on sale now.

Chance's video for "Smoke Again" is below...

Continue reading "Chance the Rapper released 'Acid Rap,' headlining Metro"

Trip hop heavyweight Tricky is set to welcome his new album, False Idols, on May 28 via K7 Records. The LP features some pretty exciting guest vocalists, including Francesca Belmonte, Nneka, and Antlers frontman Peter Silberman. (Tricky remixed The Antlers' "Crest" last fall.) You can take a listen to "Tribal Drums," "Nothing's Changed," and "Does It" at the bottom of this post, all of which feature Francesca Belmonte.

Tricky will be embarking on a summer U.S. tour in June. That tour includes a performance at Metro on June 17. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Saturday (5/4) at noon CST.

All known Tricky tour dates and those song streams are below...

Continue reading "Tricky playing Metro in June, releasing new LP (song streams)"

photos by James Richards IV

Cold War Kids at Metro on 4.06.2013

On Saturday night (4/6), Los Angeles-based indie rockers Cold War Kids brought their tour through Chicago for a sold-out show at Metro with Houses. The band leaned heavily on their recently released album, Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, but still made sure to perform fan-favorites like "Hang Me Up To Dry" and "Hospital Beds." Were you there? If so, what did you think? A set of pictures from their 4/6 show at Metro are in this post. More of them can be found below, along with their full setlist...

Continue reading "Cold War Kids & Houses played Metro (pics, setlist)"

photos by Greg Cristman

Diamond Rings at BV-SXSW 2013

As discussed, OMD are embarking on a spring North American tour in support of their forthcoming LP, English Electric (steam it HERE). They were originally going to play Metro on July 9 but that show has since been rescheduled for July 23. All tickets for the original show will be honored, and more are on-sale now.

Diamond Rings will join the British synthpop veterans for many of their North American tour dates, including the Chicago show. Last month, down at SXSW in Austin, TX, Diamond Rings played a BrooklynVegan day party. We've got more pictures of their set in this post.

All OMD // Diamond Rings tour dates and more pictures from BV-SXSW are below...

Continue reading "Diamond Rings played BV-SXSW (pics), touring to Chicago w/ OMD (updated dates)"

As seen on BrooklynVegan, Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg are set to embark on a fall U.S. tour. And now that he's back from his vow to "never party again," Andrew WK will be joining the Blitzkrieg as a vocalist for their full tour. That tour includes a performance at Metro on October 8. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (4/5) at noon CST.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Andrew WK singing with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg at Metro"

Chicago-based melodic punks Naked Raygun, who reunited at Riot Fest in 2006 after a 14-year hiatus, have just announced that they'll be playing Metro on June 29. Support will come from The Arrivals, White Mystery, and Acidic Tree, and tickets go on sale this Friday (4/5) at noon CST.

A few Naked Raygun song streams are below...

Continue reading "Naked Raygun playing Metro in June"

photos by Cory Dewald, words by Milos Markicevic

Alt-J at Metro on 3.28.2013

Alt-J came through Chicago last Thursday (3/28) to play a sold-out show at Metro with support from experimental pop outfit Hundred Waters. Hundred Waters took the stage at 9PM and delivered an eclectic, genre-hopping set. Amidst the the chaos of high frequency synths that bordered white noise, vocalists Nicole Miglis and Sam Moss kept things grounded with their beautiful harmonies. After a brief intermission, Alt-J entered to face a roaring crowd. Many fans raised their hands to form a triangle, the band's de-facto logo. Playing to a much bigger audience than their first visit to Chicago, the band returned with an intricate lighting setup, as well as a few smoke machines. They blazed through their debut album, An Awesome Wave, which has been rehearsed to near perfection. They also performed a new song called "Buffalo," and an acapella cover of College's "A Real Hero."

A set of pictures and the full setlist from their 3/28 performance at Metro are in this post. More below...

Continue reading "Alt-J & Hundred Waters played Metro (pics, review, setlist)"

Titus Andronicus @ Metro, November 2012 (more by Zach Pollack)

Titus Andronicus are set to head out on a spring European tour with Fucked Up and Metz surrounding their appearances at both Primavera Sound Festivals - in Barcelona and Porto. Before that happens they'll be playing a few North American dates, including a just-announced show at Metro on May 4. Tickets for the Chicago show are on sale now.

UPDATE: the So So Glos will be joining Titus for all North American tour dates. Titus will also be releasing a three-song 12" EP on Record Store Day, which features Local Business' "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter" and a pair of previously unreleased tracks - "(I've Got A) Date Tonight" and "The Dog."

All Titus Andronicus tour dates and a couple of videos are below...

Continue reading "Titus Andronicus playing Metro with So So Glos in May"

American Nightmare @ NYC's Webster Hall, July 2012 (more by Alyssa Tanchajja)

Boston hardcore punks American Nightmare (aka Give Up the Ghost) first reunited in 2011 for a pair of shows after an eight-year absence. The shows were in celebration of the Deathwish Inc. reissues of 2001's Background Music and 2003's We're Down Til We're Underground - their only full-length albums. The crew, which features vocalist Wesley Eisold (of Cold Cave), played additional reunion shows throughout 2012 and announced that they'd be releasing a reunion documentary. That last part hasn't happened yet but maybe it will soon, as American Nightmare will be playing select shows this June. One of their two announced shows will be at Metro on June 6. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (3/29) at noon CST. They'll also play Toronto on June 8.

A trailer for A.N.'s forthcoming reunion documentary and streams of their two full-length LPs are below...

Continue reading "American Nightmare (aka Give Up the Ghost) playing Metro"

photos by Zach Pollack

Low at Metro on 3.22.2013

On Friday night (3/22), Duluth, Minnesota's Low came through Chicago for a performance at Metro with local opener Geoff Farina (formerly of Karate). Much like their intimate in-store at Saki Records earlier this month, the trio played many songs from new, Jeff Tweedy-produced album The Invisible Way. Guitarist Alan Sparhawk had an appropriately gritty, commanding tone when needed, which made their already great songs that much more exciting live, and he also made sure to take a backseat to bandmates Mimi Parker and Steve Garrington. A set of pictures from their 3/22 show at Metro are in this post. More below...

Continue reading "Low & Geoff Farina played Metro (pics, setlist)"

photos by Milos Markicevic

Django Django at Metro on 3.15.2013

UK group Django Django came through Chicago last week on their current North American tour for a performance at Metro on Friday night (3/15) with Minneapolis' Night Moves. Though they only made their Chicago debut at Schubas in September, Django were able to command the much larger venue. They're also one of the few modern indie rock bands I've seen that can make the crowd dance, which is much more fun than crossed arms. Their crazy new lighting setup doesn't make things any less exciting either. A set of pictures from last week's Chicago show are in this post.

More below...

Continue reading "Django Django & Night Moves played Metro (pics)"

Flying Lotus @ NYC's Le Poisson Rouge, October 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Earlier this month, a show featuring Flying Lotus and frequent collaborator Thundercat was added to the schedule of the Red Bull Music Academy NYC series. The announcement of that show has since inspired a tour, which includes a performance at Metro on May 18. Advance tickets for the Chicago show are on sale now.

All Flying Lotus // Thundercat tour dates and FlyLo's excellent video for "Tiny Tortures" from Until The Quiet Comes are below...

Continue reading "Flying Lotus & Thundercat playing Metro in May"

Baths @ Pitchfork Festival 2011 (more by Dominic Mastrangelo)

Baths (aka Los Angeles-based producer Will Wiesenfeld) is set to release his new album, Obsidian, on May 28 via Anticon. You can check out the LP's lead single, called "Miasma Sky," at the bottom of this post. It's a synth-y track with a super catchy hook, sung by the producer himself. Obsidian's cover art and tracklisting can also be found below.

After some April dates with The Postal Service, Wiesenfeld will be embarking on a North American tour of his own in late-May. That tour includes a performance at Metro on June 7 with support from Houses and fellow Anticon artist D33J. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (3/22) at noon CST.

All Baths tour dates, a stream of "Miasma Sky," and album info. for Obsidian are below...

Continue reading "Baths playing Metro, releasing 'Obsidian' (song stream)"

Japandroids @ Metro, December 2012 (more by Matt Ziegler)

Japandroids had a huge year in 2012 and they intend to keep on keepin' on in 2013. Last week they announced a large international tour, which has now been expanded to include more North American tour dates. One of those dates is a performance at Metro on June 11. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (3/8) at noon CST.

All Japandroids dates and some footage from their show at Lincoln Hall in July are below...

Continue reading "Japandroids playing Metro in June"

photos by Milos Markicevic

Aesop Rock at Metro on 3.04.2013

Alternative hip hop heavyweight Aesop Rock brought his tour with Rob Sonic, DJ Big Wiz, and Busdriver through Chicago on Monday (3/4) for a performance at Metro. As per usual, Aesop and co. put on a great show and a lucky fan got a haircut. We've got a set of pictures from the 3/4 concert in this post.

Though Aesop released 2012's great Skelethon a meer eight-months ago, he's already set to welcome a new LP. It's a collaborative project with Kimya Dawson called The Uncluded, and their album Hokey Fright is due out on May 7 via Rhymesayers. The duo have a brand new video for Hokey Fright's "Scissorhands" and have previously shared a clip for "Earthquake." Check out both videos and more pictures from Aesop's performance at Metro below...

Continue reading "Aesop Rock played Metro with Rob Sonic, DJ Big Wiz & Busdriver (pics)"

Tyler, the Creator's new album, Wolf, is due out on April 2 via Odd Future Records. You've already seen the music video for the LP's lead single "Domo 23," and Tyler performed "TreeHome" on Fallon last week. Check out both video clips at the bottom of this post.

Tyler will be embarking on a spring North American tour in support of Wolf next week. He's just added a performance at Metro on March 13 to that tour, and advance tickets are on sale now.

All Tyler, the Creator tour dates and those videos are below...

Continue reading "Tyler, the Creator adds Metro show to 'Wolf' tour"