Category: news

Chicago’s horror pop-punk Won’t Stay Dead have been keeping busy, releasing their debut Red Scare Industries album Vindication last December and playing a slew of shows since. They will be playing their first international show for Pouzza Fest in Montreal this May!

Chicago’s own Downtown Struts are back! Besides their highly-energetic performance, the band also celebrated the 15th anniversary of their debut EP Sail the Seas Dry with a vinyl re-pressing, along with with their debut full length album Victoria! via Pirate Press Records.

I’m a fucking nerd for music gear, so let’s get that out of the way first. It might get boring; don’t feel bad about skipping to the next paragraph. The Struts and Flatfoot shared amps and drums. I didn’t recognize the badge on the drum set, and even with maximum zoom on my phone, I could not read the name. Whoever made them, they had a beautiful, sparkly gold burst finish, and the sound engineers at Reggie’s had them sounding pounding. Full of deep sustain and heavy punch in the attack. I would imagine it was the result of equal parts the quality of the kit and the talent of the engineers. Both guitars sounded perfect for the Struts’ genre. Just the right amount of distortion, not too much not too little, and a very balanced frequency response. Both guitars were going through unmarked 4×12 cabs. Rhythm was using a Mesa Triple Rec; the cab was bare wood, possibly something modern and boutique, or maybe a vintage cab with the tolex removed to show off the woodgrain. Whatever it was, even though I was right up front with it blasting loud and aimed right at my head, it sounded full, rich, and pleasant for the Struts. That is pretty damn impressive in those circumstances.

Alright, as for the actual performances, they were excellent. I had been so busy prior to the show, and in such a rush to get there, I didn’t even know who was opening. As such; I had no idea who I was listening to while the Downtown Struts were playing. The sound was familiar, though. It reminded me of a slightly less aggressive version of some of my favorite local Chicago melodic post-punk bands from the mid-to-late 2000s. And that tracks, as the band formed in 2008 in Chicago. The name is incredibly familiar, and I almost certainly saw them share a bill with one of my many favorite local bands back in the day. Before I knew their backstory, there were hints, as one of the guitar players spoke about waking up one day in your 40s, getting ready to get on stage and play music you haven’t performed since your 20s. The sentiment hit home with me in my 42nd year, still playing in a band I started when I was 15.

The guitars were hitting a distortion sweet spot, full and articulate. The chord progressions were driving. The melodies were catchy. Both guitar players traded off singing lead and playing lead. It was really cool to see them share the spotlight, and they each brought unique character to the songs, keeping things from ever getting stale. Many of the choruses featured both guitar players and the bassist singing together, and if I knew the lyrics it would have had me singing along too. The drums pounded and carried just enough finesse to hold my interest as a snooty drummer myself, without being too busy or getting in the way of the straightforward driving feel of the songs. The bass held a similar style as the drums, doing exactly what it was supposed to do. It tied all the instruments together, playing just enough melody to stay interesting without fighting the guitars for attention.

The crowd was clearly having a good time. When the band shouted, “Fuck ICE,” everyone agreed. There was a group of about 10 people in the middle of the floor having a great time dancing and singing along. Pretty safe bet they were all old fans soaking in the nostalgia, reliving the good old days. Newcomers seemed equally impressed with the band. Case in point, I had a dude come up to me after the show and tell me how great my set was. For a brief second I thought he recognized me from my show at Live Wire a few weeks prior, but I quickly realized he thought I was one of the guitar players from the Struts, and his kind words were meant for them.

Nostalgia stayed thick in Reggie’s that night as the band played many old favorites. They even brought out their old drummer of 13 years, who hasn’t played with them since 2013. Allegedly he was going on cold, without practicing. The band had asked him to sing with them, only requesting him to play drums AND sing at the last minute. I say allegedly because boy, did he nail it; he didn’t miss a beat and I easily would have believed he had rehearsed heavily before the show. Later in the set, he came back on stage just to dive off of it. He narrowly missed clipping Mary with his foot. An inch to the right and he would have kicked her camera straight into her head and I would have been carrying her out of the venue to nurse a concussion. As the band continued their set, it seemed as if the whole standing area at Reggie’s was dancing and singing along and yelling all sorts of requests from the band’s deep discography between songs. In between songs they shared more anecdotes, some specifically about life on the road. My favorite was a time they played in Germany without securing lodging before the show. They ended up sleeping on the venue floor, huddled up, “like peas in a pod,” using their stage banner as a blanket. Adorable.