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)"

Wu-Tang Clan @ Coachella 2013 (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

North Coast Music Festival 2013 is set to take place from August 30 - September 1 in Chicago's Union Park. Their initial lineup features Wu-Tang Clan performing Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in full, Nas, Purity Ring, AlunaGeorge, On An On, Flatbush Zombies, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, and many more. Three-day passes (general admission & VIP) for the fest are on sale now. Stay tuned for the second wave of artists to be announced.

The current NCMF 2013 lineup is below...

Continue reading "Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Purity Ring, AlunaGeorge, On An On & more to play North Coast Music Festival 2013"

Purity Ring @ NYC's Webster Hall in January (more by Amanda Hatfield)

As discussed, Purity Ring will make a stop at Metro on May 3 as part of their North American tour with fellow Canadians Blue Hawaii. They've now added a late show at Metro on May 3, and tickets go on sale this Friday (3/1) at noon CST. A few tickets still remain for the early show.

In related news, Blue Hawaii are streaming their forthcoming album, Untogether, at Pitchfork Advance. Untogether will hit stores on March 5 in North America via Arbutus Records. Preorder a copy of the LP via the label's webstore.

All Purity Ring tour dates and song streams from both acts are below...

Continue reading "Purity Ring add second show at Metro; Blue Hawaii streaming new LP"

This guy is pumped about the 2013 rumors. (more by James Richards IV)

Well, it's about that time of year when the Lollapalooza lineup rumors start to pour in. Fake Shore Drive points to a short list of rumored (or "leaked") acts for this year's festival, which is slated to take place from August 2nd - 4th in Grant Park, and includes The Cure, Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Blur, Skrillex, The Flaming Lips, Vampire Weekend, How To Destroy Angels, My Bloody Valentine(!), MGMT, Kendrick Lamar, Eels, Alabama Shakes, Lower Dens, Purity Ring, CHVRCHES, Alt-J, STRFKR, The Vaccines, and more. We can neither confirm nor deny the rumored acts, but it should be a good time if a few of them take the stage in Grant Park throughout the weekend. (Here's a reminder for you: in 2012, Lolla began to reveal its lineup via CTA ads.)

What do you think: is this list 100% bullshit or do some of these artists seem probable? Only time will tell. All ticketing information for the 2013 festival is forthcoming.

Check out the rumored lineup in list form below, and stay tuned for more details...

Continue reading "...and the Lollapalooza 2013 lineup rumors begin"

Tickets for Screaming Females' April 11 show at Subterranean go on sale this Saturday (2/16) at 10AM CST.

Tickets for Marnie Stern's BV Chicago-presented April 17 show at the Empty Bottle are on sale now.

Tickets for Tera Melos' April 26 show at Subterranean go on sale this Friday at noon.

Tickets for Purity Ring's May 3 show at Metro go on sale this Friday at noon.

Tickets for Generationals' May 4 show at Lincoln Hall go on sale this Friday at noon.

Tickets for Kurt Vile's May 14 show at Lincoln Hall go on sale this Friday at noon CST.

Tickets for Youth Lagoon's May 15 show at Metro go on sale this Friday at noon.

Tickets for Foals' May 18 show at the Vic go on sale this Friday at 10AM.

Tickets for Of Monsters & Men's May 22 show at Aragon Ballroom go on sale this Saturday at 10AM

Tickets for Die Kreuzen's May 25 show at the Double Door go on sale this Friday at noon.

Tickets for Bolt Thrower's June 1 show at Reggie's go on sale this Friday at noon.

Tickets for Man or Astro-Man?'s June 14 & 15 shows at the Empty Bottle go on sale this Friday at 10AM.

Purity Ring @ Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

Purity Ring have announced that they'll be embarking on a spring North American tour with fellow Canadians Blue Hawaii, which features Braids' Raphaelle Standell-Preston. That tour begins in April in Ottawa, Ontario, and will tag Chicago for a performance at Metro on May 3. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (2/15) at noon CST. All dates are listed below.

Lately, Purity Ring have been working a cover of Soulja Boy's "Grammy" into their live sets. They've just released a recorded version of the track, and I know it seems coated in irony, but I got to see them do it live and it was really great. As always, Corin Roddick's production is extremely detailed, and Megan James' voice sounds stronger (and less effected) than some of the material on their debut LP, Shrines. Take a listen to the cover at the bottom of this post.

Speaking of tourmates Blue Hawaii, they're set to welcome their debut LP, Untogether, on March 5 via Arbutus Records. The duo have built upon what they set out to accomplish with their 2010 EP Blooming Summer, and Untogether is an excellent experimental pop offering. Streams of "In Two" and "Try To Be" from the LP are below.

All Purity Ring tour dates, their cover of Soulja Boy's "Grammy," and a pair of streams from Blue Hawaii's Untogether are below...

Continue reading "Purity Ring playing Metro on tour with Blue Hawaii; covered Soulja Boy (stream it)"

Indian @ Brooklyn's Union Pool in 2011 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

today in Chicago
* Bowerbirds, Rebecca Rego @ SPACE
* Indian, Lord Dying, Atriarch @ Empty Bottle (Free Show)
* Soft Candy, Rainbow Gun Show, The Sueves, Eggs @ Township
* Netherfriends, The Inconvenience, The Embraceables @ Schubas
* Sharkula & Jams Dean, Levi Stress, Bring Yr Raygun @ The Burlington

Bowerbirds headline SPACE in Evanston tonight.

Indian, Lord Dying, and Atriarch play a free show at the Empty Bottle.

Netherfriends continues his residency at Schubas.

Chicago staple Sharkula headlines The Burlington.

Watch Purity Ring's new video for "Lofticries" below.

Follow @bvChicago on Twitter, "Like" us on Facebook.

Follow bvChicago on Instagram.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

photos by Chase Turner

Corin Roddick (of Purity Ring) @ Bottom Lounge on 7.14.2012

After the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival wound down on Saturday night (7/14), with closing sets from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Grimes, Tumblr kept things going with a party at the Bottom Lounge featuring DJ sets from Danny Brown, SKYWLKR, Corin Roddick (of Purity Ring), and LOL Boys.

Chase ventured over after the festival and you can check out more of his pictures below...

Continue reading "Danny Brown, SKYWLKR, Corin Roddick & LOL Boys DJ'd a Pitchfork Fest afterparty @ Bottom Lounge (pics)"

Odd Future are playing the Vic on September 16 as part of their "Camp Flog Gnaw" tour. Tickets go on sale this Friday (7/20) at noon CST.

Tickets for Purity Ring's September 16 show at Lincoln Hall with Evian Christ and Headaches are going on sale this Friday (7/20) at noon CST.

Tickets for David Byrne / St. Vincent's September 18 show at The Chicago Theatre are going on sale this Saturday (7/21) at 11AM CST. A JAM presale will be active from 10AM - 10PM on Friday (7/20); the password is lovethisgiant.

When we told you tickets were already on sale for Thee Oh Sees / Ty Segall's September 28 show at the Logan Square Auditorium, we did not know that was a limited presale for people who came to the Pitchfork Aftershows at the Bottle this past weekend (sorry!). Here's some good news though: Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday (7/20) at 10AM CST.

Tickets for Kathleen Edwards' October 6 show at Park West are going on sale this Saturday (7/21) at 10AM CST

Tickets for Jackson Browne's October 26 show at The Chicago Theatre with Sara Watkins are going on sale this Saturday (7/21) at 10AM CST. A JAM presale will be active from 10AM - 10PM on Friday (7/20); the password is acoustic.

Tickets for Other Lives' December 7 show at Schubas / December 8 show at Lincoln Hall / two-show pass (both are with Indians) are going on sale this Friday (7/20) at noon CST.

Tickets for the Punch Brothers' December 13 show at the Vic are going on sale this Saturday (7/21) at 10AM CST.

Purity Ring @ Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

Purity Ring, who were just in town to play the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival and an aftershow at Schubas, have announced a fall North American tour with Evian Christ and Headaches. That tour kicks off on August 24 in Cleveland, OH and will make its way to Chicago's Lincoln Hall for a September 16 performance. Tickets go on sale this Friday (7/20) at noon CST.

Purity Ring's debut LP, Shrines, hits stores next week via 4AD. Did you purchase it early at the Pitchfork Festival? You can stream Shrines in its entirety via NPR.

All Purity Ring tour dates are listed below, along with some videos.

Continue reading "Purity Ring add Lincoln Hall show to tour; streaming new LP"

photos by James Richards IV, Chase Turner & Fred Pessaro

"Vegan" (photo by James Richards IV)

"Rain controlled the tempo of Pitchfork Music Festival day one early on, but the clouds eventually gave way to sun shine and music from an eclectic and entertaining lineup of acts. At its close, Friday of Pitchfork Fest 2012 was a humid but fun time that was definitely not short on memorable moments." [LoudLoop]

"In a sharp programming shift, Day 1 went from the psychedelic pop of Olivia Tremor Control into the mixtape hip-hop of A$AP Rocky. The only similarity I can think of between the two acts is that there are higher than average odds that both their listeners partake of illicit substances." [Jim DeRogatis]

"Dirty Projectors, a six-piece New York band with some highly acclaimed albums in its resume, demonstrates seriously accomplished chops during a set full of art-pop songs. [Greg Kot]

We already posted up one set of pictures from the first day of Pitchfork Fest up on BrooklynVegan. Here is a BV Chicago exclusive set and it continues below....

Continue reading "#P4K Festival 2012 pictures (part 2) -- ASAP Rocky, Japandroids, Big K.R.I.T., Dirty Projectors, Clams Casino, Flatstock & more)"

DJ sets from Danny Brown & Skywlkr, Corin Roddick (of Purity Ring) and LOL Boys. You can RSVP HERE.

Japandroids @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (BKLYN) (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

today in Chicago
* Bitchpork @ Situations (Day 1)
* Japandroids, Ty Segall @ Lincoln Hall
* Barry Manilow @ The Chicago Theatre
* Third Coast Percussion @ Jay Pritzker Pavilion
* Death Cab For Cutie, Calexico @ Petrillo Music Shell
* High Command, Thrillage, The Fur Coats @ Township
* Beat Connection, White Arrows, Teen Daze @ Schubas
* Otter Petter, Bad Ba Meow, Landmarks @ Empty Bottle
* Delicate Steve, The Earth Is A Man, Noumenon @ Subterranean
* A Living Portrait, City of Ships, War Brides, The Gorge @ Ultra Lounge
* Distal, Megalodon, Cenob1 Te, Space Race, Ultimate Punch @ Smart Bar

Bitchpork kicks off today.

Death Cab For Cutie & Calexico play the Petrillo Music Shell as part of Taste of Chicago.

Purity Ring have a new video for "Fineshrine." Check it out below.

Watch Santigold perform "Creator" live at the recent FADER/vitaminwater 'Uncapped' show @ Marquardt Trucking Co., below....

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

Purity Ring @ Sasquatch Festival 2012 (more by Chris & Rae Graham)

Aside from the Pitchfork Fest official aftershow of Chromatics and BAIO at Lincoln Hall, two more late night events that are taking place at LH's sister venue Schubas have been revealed. Purity Ring and Born Gold, whose frontman was once a member of Purity Ring, will play Schubas on July 13. Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dirty Beaches, and A Lull will play the venue on July 15. Stay tuned for ticketing info on both aftershows. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.

As mentioned, Father John Misty also plays Schubas on July 14.

Purity Ring recently shared another track, called "Fineshrine," from their forthcoming LP Shrines (out 7/24 via 4AD). Take a listen to the song at the bottom of this post and/or head to BrooklynVegan for a download.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra put out a new single last week, called "I'll Come Back 4 U," as part of Adult Swim's Singles Program. Take a listen to the song via a widget below.

Purity Ring and Unknown Mortal Orchestra song streams below...

Continue reading "Purity Ring, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dirty Beaches & others playing Schubas during Pitchfork Fest"

The Atlas Moth @ BV-SXSW 2012 (more by Greg Cristman)

The Atlas Moth, Danny Brown, Dirty Projectors, Clams Casino, Flying Lotus, Iceage, The Men, Olivia Tremor Control, Purity Ring, Schoolboy Q, and Sleigh Bells were all just added to the lineup of Pitchfork Festival 2012, taking place in Chicago's Union Park from July 13-15. Three-day passes are now sold out, however single-day tickets are still available.

20+ acts are still TBA. Current lineup below..

Continue reading "The Atlas Moth, Danny Brown, Dirty Projectors & more added to Pitchfork Festival 2012"

DOWNLOAD: Purity Ring - "Belispeak" (MP3)

Braids, and Purity Ring (two bands we've been really digging this year) are set to release a split 7" on October 10th via Kanine/Fat Possum Records. Kanine (Braids' label) will handle digital sales, while Fat Possum will be in charge of the physical 7". Download Purity Ring's offering at the top of this post. Stream Braids' HERE.

Braids are playing Chicago's Empty Bottle on Tuesday, 9/13, with their tour-mates Pepper Rabbit and Painted Palms. Tickets are still available, and we've also got a pair to give away! Details on how to enter to win them are below.

Earlier that same day, just like Telekinesis and Marissa Nadler, Braids will play a FREE (as always) Epitonic Saki Session at Saki Records. Contact the store for more details.

Purity Ring will be in town on October 14 to open for Neon Indian at Lincoln Hall. Tickets are still available.

Contest details below...

Continue reading "Braids playing Empty Bottle (win tix!) & an Epitonic Saki Session (free!), releasing a split 7" w/ Purity Ring"

Era Extraña LP Cover

Neon Indian is set to release his (their live) new LP Era Extraña in North America on September 13th, via main-man Alan Palomo's own Static Tongues imprint of Mom + Pop Music.

Tickets have just been posted for their October 14th performance at Lincoln Hall, with support from tour mates Com Truise, and Purity Ring. Full announcement here.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, at noon CST.

UPDATE: Download Neon Indian's single "Fallout" via the widget below..