King Krule and TOPS

 

Sandwiched between a crowd of baby hipster imports from Wicker Park, Bucktown, and the Ukrainian Village, I anxiously awaited the arrival of King Krule to Lincoln Hall's stage last week. I had heard some of his songs and found them unique - at 19 he's already a clear talent - but my urgency to see him perform was less about him and more about removing myself from the sea of skinny jeans that engulfed me. But despite my pure misery (I'm losing tolerance for rude people who constantly slam into me to get an inch closer to the stage), I have to say that he put on a great show. It's hard to pinpoint a genre for King Krule - indie of course but with elements of jazz, spoken word, blues, and punk. It's working for him. Montreal's TOPS opened. For more photos, click here.

TOPS 

King Krule 

Active Child and JMSN

Active Child (a.k.a. Pat Grossi) transported all of Lincoln Hall to his magical world of harps and tear-jerking falsettos a couple weeks ago, when he not only brought his talented band to back him, but a choir and string quartet to boot. The show was absolutely mesmerizing. Just stunning. See him. JMSN opened the evening with a really fun, high energy, and R&B-infused set. For more of my photos, click here.

JMSN 

Active Child 

Members of the string quartet 

Members of the choir 

James Blake and Nosaj Thing

Recent Mercury Prize winner James Blake put on one of his dazzling performances at the Riviera Theatre a couple weeks ago. His music is beautifully inventive and poetic, all while having a certain electronic edginess to it. I would venture to say that he's one of the strongest singer/songwriters in music right now. James' live show is as powerful and meticulously structured as his albums - so in other words he's a must see. Electronic musician and producer Nosaj Thing began the evening with an ambient DJ set that I really enjoyed. To view more of my photos, head over to BV Chicago, where I'm now a contributing photographer, by clicking here.

Nosaj Thing

James Blake