ANCHR Magazine

Holding you down with the best new music

Filtering by Tag: Photo Gallery

Live Recap: Perfume Genius with Urika’s Bedroom at The Vic Theatre

Perfume Genius, the musical project of Michael Alden Hadreas, returned to Chicago on June 17th to play a stunning show at The Vic Theatre in honor of his new album Glory.

The night opened with Urika’s Bedroom performing a set that felt like stepping into a hazy, dreamy soundscape. Their music was delicate and ethereal, floating across the room in soft, shimmering layers. The light show added a subtle glow to their already atmospheric sound, making the room feel intimate and otherworldly — a beautiful, quiet beginning to the night.

Then came Perfume Genius, who transformed the stage into a strange, visceral, exhilarating performance space. From the start, the stage was framed by long, orange cords curled around like tendrils, hinting at the chaos to come. The set moved fluidly between tender, beautiful moments — like a lullaby rendition of “Me & Angel”, or a haunting cover of “Kanga Roo” by Big Star — to physical, kinetic displays that felt part modern dance, part raw impulse. During “It’s a Mirror,” Hadreas jumped on an exercise ball mid-song; in “No Front Teeth,” he spun wildly in a chair. At one point, during “Clean Heart,” he gathered the stage cables around himself, sat in a chair, and reached for the ball with his legs in a strange, tender moment of theatricality.

The choreography was wild and magnetic — moves like The Matrix during “Otherside”, chair dancing, leaping to the rail, then bouncing across the stage. The lighting played its part too: some songs like “Describe” glowed in eerie red, while others kept the singer backlit by towering, blinding lights, with smoke adding to the atmosphere. Perfume Genius created a show that felt entirely alive, unpredictable, and deeply human.

Check out photos of the evening below and see where you can catch the tour next here.

Photos: Jensen McRae with Lauren Juzang at Lincoln Hall

On Thursday, May 15th, singer-songwriter Jensen McRae headlined a sold-out show at Lincoln Hall in Chicago, with support from Lauren Juzang.

Check out a photo recap of the show below and see where you can catch Jensen on the road next here—including a stop at The Metro in Chicago in October.

Jensen McRae Setlist:

  1. The Rearranger

  2. My Ego Dies at the End

  3. God Has a Hitman

  4. Mother Wound

  5. Savannah

  6. Fever Dream

  7. Taken (MUNA cover)

  8. Tuesday

  9. I Can Change Him

  10. Daffodils

  11. Dead Girl Walking

  12. White Boy

  13. Thinking of You (Katy Perry cover)

  14. Good Legs

  15. If I Have a Boy

  16. Novelty

  17. Let Me Be Wrong

  18. Praying for Your Downfall

  19. I Don’t Do Drugs

  20. Massachusetts

Photos: Japanese Breakfast at The Salt Shed

Japanese Breakfast performed three back-to-back nights at The Salt Shed in Chicago this week, in honor of the new album For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) that was just released at the end of March. Check out photos of the second night, Thursday, May 1st, below and see where you can catch the tour next here.

Live Recap: Nat and Alex Wolff with Billie Eilish at The United Center

The actor/musician brother duo of Nat and Alex Wolff, FKA The Naked Brothers Band, derived their music from a  Nickelodeon show that the brothers starred in earlier in their lives.

The pair are currently on tour with Billie Eilish for her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour for a string of dates including the two-night stand in Chicago. Coming from a different generation, I wasn’t too entirely familiar with their music, but was equally excited to see what the Brothers Wolff had to offer knowing that artists put in the effort to choose their openers— I figured Billie had her reasons. I’m grateful for the phrase “ a picture is worth a thousand words” because I feel like my photos captured tens of thousands of words encapsulating the amount of entertainment to duo emitted in just the short time allotted for an opening act.

The United Center is definitely no small feat to conquer as an opener and I’ve seen many solid openers in the past not make the mark or hold the crowd’s attention, and that wasn’t the case for last night’s performance. That had a commanding presence and easily connected with the crowd, who let’s face It we know had only Billie on their minds. Some of the fans had even been camping out since Sunday and others were still in their tents on a cold rainy Chicago night for their line spot in the  morning for tonight’s show. Nonetheless, both Nat and Alex held nothing back and showcased how they’re  not only brothers or actors, but also rockstars.

Check out the full gallery of their performance below, and see where you can catch them on tour next here.

Live Recap: Mitski and Julia Jacklin at Auditorium Theatre

This past Sunday night, Mitski and Julia Jacklin closed out a sold-out, four-night run at the historic Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin took the stage at 8PM sharp to perform for the packed house. The past times I’ve seen Julia, she usually had a full band, but this run was just her and her guitar as she opened her set with “Comfort” from her 2019 album Crushing. Jacklin took a pause to address the crowd, telling us she’d had a wonderful time these past few nights in Chicago, adding “I haven’t seen anything except downtown, and it’s been really cold, but I’ve had a good time because I get to open for one of the greatest rock legends of our lives, Mitski”— which was followed by lots of cheers. As Jacklin continued her performance, I admired her commanding stage presence and ability to keep the audience completely hooked. Towards to end of the show, the singer told the theatre “I’m gonna sing a song A capella. It’s very rare that I get to sing in halls like this, so I have to take advantage” before she sang “Too In Love To Die” from her 2022 album Pre Pleasure. During that entire song, the audience remained utterly silent, soaking up Jacklin’s beautiful vocals in absolute awe. To close out her short, but sweet set, Jacklin performed a fan favorite “Pressure to Party.”

Next up, the stage was set for Mitski and her band to close it all out. The audience greeted the artist with earsplitting applause and cheers and she sauntered her way over to a dim corner of the stage. After a quick greeting, Mitski disappeared behind a giant red curtain in the center of the stage, with only her silhouette in view while she sang “Everyone”—until the curtain dropped at the end of the song.

It was fitting that this particular tour stopped at the Auditorium Theatre instead of a GA-style concert venue because Mitski’s performance was more like an orchestral broadway musical than concert. From her intricate choreography that was mapped out to every single beat to her dramatic expressions and the extraordinary lighting production, this show was a true spectacle from start to finish. Everything flowed seamlessly in the production of the performance, and Mitski let the music take care of the transitions, barely taking time to speak in between the songs on the setlist, which heavily featured songs from her 2023 album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We. A favorite moment of mine was during the performance of the very popular “My Love Mine All Mine,” Mitski stood center-stage on a platform, while strings of shimmery, butterfly-like objects dropped down from the ceiling around her— picture a mobile you’d hang above a baby’s crib… but way taller.

The entire performance was magical from start to finish, and if Mitski ever had a broadway show, I’d be there in an instant. This show proved she’s a theatrical triple threat with acting, singing and dancing chops.

See photos of the final night in Chicago below, and see where you can catch the tour next here.

PHOTOS: Future Islands and Deeper at Salt Shed

This past Sunday, Future Islands hit the Salt Shed stage for an incredible show, accompanied by Deeper. If you missed out on the show, check out photos from the evening below and see where you can catch the tour next here.

PHOTOS: The Flaming Lips at Salt Shed

The Flaming Lips celebrated Cinco De Mayo at The Salt Shed with all the lasers and confetti. If you missed out on the fun, check out photos from the sold-out show below and see where you can catch the tour next here.

PHOTOS: Bikini Kill with Ganser at Salt Shed

Fans flocked to The Salt Shed on Saturday, April 22nd to catch a show from Bikini Kill with support from Chicago’s own Ganser. If you missed the show, check out the photo gallery below and see where you can catch them on tour next here.

PHOTOS: Caroline Rose with Kairos Creature Club at Thalia Hall

Caroline Rose played a sold out show at Thalia Hall on Friday, April 21st with support from Kairos Creature Club. If you missed out on tickets, be sure to check out the photo gallery below and see where you can catch Caroline Rose on tour next here.

PHOTOS: Ibeyi and Kara Jackson at Thalia Hall