ROYAL TRUX
LIGHTNING BOLT
RYLEY WALKER
RANGDA
BLANCK MASS
NITE FIELDS
THRILL JOCKEY DJs
Levitation Chicago’s Friday lineup is a generally pretty rockin’, guitar-oriented night that will be sure to satisfy the tastes of thrashers and zoners alike. The night starts off with a set from Australian group Nite Fields. If their last album Depersonalisation is anything to go by, we’ll be treated to some intriguing contemporary post-punk with a heavy dose of early goth/80’s 4AD sounds. Throughout the night the Chicago heavyweight label Thrill Jockey will be spinning in between sets- we can definitely trust them to set the tone right. After Nite Fields, Blanck Mass, the beautiful solo project of Benjamin Jon Power from Fuck Buttons, is set to perform. His 2015 album Dumb Flesh brought a smart, intense and rhythmic listen to experimental electronic fans, and no doubt his performance will entrance us even further.
Experimental supergroup Rangda will take the stage halfway through the night. Composed of avant-folk icon Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), legendary guitarist/occultist Sir Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls) and prolific percussion veteran Chris Corsano, the absurd amount of talent on that stage will surely be heard and felt. We can expect them to weave through everything from Middle Eastern melodies to surf-rock textures, all through the lens of well-honed psych rock.
One of the sets we’re personally most excited for is the up-and-coming Chicago folk-rocker Ryley Walker. His sound harkens back to the fertile ground where the 1960s UK folk revival met psychedelia and jazz, and while his playing and singing is undoubtedly inspired by the likes of Bert Jansch and John Martyn, he’s not a mere revivalist. His excellent 2015 Dead Oceans debut Primrose Green updated his timeless inspirations with tight full-band fractal jams and feedback explorations. His live sets seem to be super versatile, but considering the context, I think we can expect this performance to have its sights set for the cosmos.
Shaking things up after Walker’s set will be the loud-as-hell seminal noise rock duo Lightning Bolt. Non-stop, loud af, effects-heavy bass guitar and crazy tight and bombastic drums will flood Thalia Hall from the middle of the crowd outward (LB are known to eschew the stage, preferring to be in the middle of the madness). With Brian Chippendale’s insane drumming, Brian Gibson’s frantic cello-tuned banjo string bass, and the trademark telephone receiver ski mask mic for Chippendale’s vocals, we’ll all get a hell of a show.
Royal Trux continue their reunion touring by headlining Friday night at Levitation Chicago. Duo and former couple Neil Michael Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema are the original members of the band, but have recorded and toured with several others- who knows which 90s weirdo veterans might creep up to the stage on Friday. These OG lo-fi alt rockers are sure to bring some freaky throwback vibes from the heroin-fueled music scene of the 90s. It’ll be perhaps one of the less heady moments of the weekend, which might be a good thing: Saturday is going to be an absolute mind-ripper of a lineup. Check back tomorrow for our writeup on that!!
You can find more information on Levitation Chicago and links to the artists’ works here!
