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Last night Foals, along with openers Freelance Whales and The Naked and Famous, played to a sold out crowd surprisingly composed of the largest group of non-hipsters Wrigleyville has probably seen in years.

The Naked and Famous, playing their first show in Chicago, started off a little stiff but okay.  As time went by the more confusing it got about what kind of music this band wanted to play.  The Freelance Whales started off fun but after a few songs, the crowd was just not feeling their heavier material.  Their niche is definitely within the upbeat tunes.

Foals were met with roars and even a few squees from the audience.  The band’s lead singer, Yannis Philippakis, sounds a lot like Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin as do both bands hail from the United Kingdom.  That’s where the similarities between the two bands end though.  This band is not like one that you’d hear on the radio but trust me, that’s a good thing.  It’s not so different that you hear it and hate it immediately because it’s out of your musical comfort zone but their music is diverse and a friendly way to prove that there is still good music being made out there.  They definitely know how to get the crowd moving with great energy and upbeat music.  Even the men in the crowd danced a bit.  Not the head bobbing that we are used to, but actual dancing to the beat!  The crowd sure needed tunes like “Total Life Forever” and “Afterglow” to make them put their iPhones down and they got it with Foals.

Be sure to check out the band at www.foals.co.uk .

Aktar Aktar is four young men from Chicago who are exploring the boundaries of danceable rock music. They first released a self-titled album which pushed them out of the dingy dive bars where they found their original following. With a core group of high energy fans they had the privilege to play some of the greatest venues Chicago has to offer. Touring all throughout the Midwest at a feverish pace, recently headlining Chicago's legendary Metro last November, Aktar Aktar now brings their unique sound and high-energy stage show to Reggie’s Rock Club this Friday night, January 28^th as the band battles for a spot in SXSW. In the meantime, they are also working on their next EP with high hopes of grabbing the attention of a manager/booking agent that will push their careers into deeper waters.

Having recently enjoyed the band’s music for the first time, I contacted bassist, Bradley Haptas, to find out more about the band.

Buzz - What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

Bradley - I would say indie rock, but it’s really hard to try to categorize the music with one name. Every one of our songs has a life of its own and sometimes that means moving outside one genre and into another. We all have our own “loves” when it comes to influences; I would say right now that Motown is quickly stealing my heart.

Buzz - What can fans take home with them from your live show?

Bradley - Hopefully they buy a CD! You can really see our personalities come through in our live performance so people will get to know us a little better. You might wake up sore from all the dancing that goes on at our shows.  We just want everyone to have a good time. We really enjoy bringing people together.

Buzz - When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

Bradley - Aktar Aktar started about 3 years ago as a 2 piece with Jake Swearson and Jake hoefnagel. They were playing a lot of house parties and smaller bars when they started getting larger and larger crowds every show. I remember Swearson saying he wanted to have a fuller sound, that’s when Tim and I joined. We recently we got a new drummer, Mr. Wes Kosakowski, after Jake H’s departure. We all had the same idea of what we wanted to do musically and the more we did together and the better we became as musicians it just felt right. Now there’s no turning back.

Buzz - Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?

Bradley - We have played all over in Chicago from the Metro to Elbo Room. We did Summerfest in Milwaukee last summer, which was one hell of a time.  I don’t know if I have a favorite or least favorite venue. They are just buildings with stages inside to me, what makes the show is the people and magic that happens inside. We are playing at Reggies Rock Club on Jan 28th, it’s a battle of the bands to get into SXSW. After that all we have lined up is time in the studio and hopefully we will be heading to Austin in March.

Buzz - Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?

Bradley - Jake and Wes have been building chord progressions and the basic outline of songs and then we all get together to finish them. I would say, if anything, freedom. Its so open ended we can really develop ideas from it. I’m sure it will change over time.

Buzz - How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

Bradley - We are coming up with better concepts and ideas for our songs. When you have really good ideas you can really push yourself to see what’s behind all the doors. Every door you hit is a challenge you need to overcome, and by confronting these challenges, you evolve as musicians.

Buzz - How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?

Bradley - We have a Myspace, a Facebook, and our older music is on ITunes.

Buzz - Is there anyone you'd like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?

Bradley - We would love some financial support! We would thank the shit out of 'em. All our families rule. They are always at our shows doing whatever they can to help. It’s really nice to have people around you that know your dream and will do anything it takes to achieve that dream.
  

Buzz - Do you have a record label? Are you a member of any music organizations?

Bradley - We do not have a record label or any musical affiliations. We have had companies offer us some things but nothing that we felt would be beneficial at the time. We are going to be pushing to build a team once we finish this new record.

The band is:

Jacob Swearson – guitar/vocals

Timmy Maguire – lead guitar/vocals

Bradley Haptas – bass

Jake Hoefnagel – drums

To find out more about Aktar Aktar visit www.myspace.com/aktaraktar or look for them on Facebook.

What an exciting sold out Yeasayer show at the Metro Thursday night. After Slieghbells finished their set and the sound crew completed what they were doing, the audience slowly got louder as the lights dimmed – Yeasayer was about to take the stage. Yeasayer walked to their positions and began singing, “We are children and we’ll give you trouble if we don’t like what you’re doing…” But trouble is not what the “children” of Yeasayer gave to their audience that night. What they did give was a quality performance with jivey feel-good music. The lyrics mentioned earlier are from the song The Children, which is the first track from their second album, entitled “Odd Blood”, released in February of this year. Since the majority of their songs are lively and upbeat, the ominous tone of The Children was a good choice for the outset of the performance. Other songs played from their “Odd Blood” album include O.N.E., Mondegreen, and Ambling Alp.

Half-way into their performance, Chris Keating (lead vocals) thanked the other bands (Chandeliers and Slieghbells) for playing and said that, “They fucking rock!”. During this time, Keating mentioned that he lived near the Metro in the past and pointed to his upper right (at the balcony) claiming he sat there during a performance years ago. Keating did not make clear which performance he saw because he was apparently embarrassed about it. Later on he made a joke and said that it was “Nickelback” he saw - after which the crowd “Boo’d” and some flaunted their thumbs in the down position, others laughed.  Closer to the end of their performance, Keating suggested (more earnestly) that it was a Slayer/Megadeth show that he attended.  Keating also stated several times, throughout the performance, that he was thankful to play in Chicago and was having fun.

The singles played from their debut album “All Hour Cymbals” (2007), included Wait for the Summer, 2080, and perhaps most notably Sunrise, which closed the show as Yeasayer’s encore. Sunrise created a memorable scene – many people raised their hands in the air while rhythmically clapping to the jam-band like beat of the song. In fact, all of the music that Yeasayer played enticed many people to either clap or dance. The sound of their performance was definitely outstanding. The vocals almost mirrored their studio produced sound as did many of the instruments. The Metro is a great place and Yeasayer played fantastically. However, if you decide to see a show at the Metro and plan to buy beverages, be sure to bring cash because at the bar they did not accept cards the night I was there. I would certainly revisit the Metro and if Yeasayer ever comes back to play in Chicago I will absolutely attend.

Riding a wave of buzz created by their excellent third LP, Teen Dream, Baltimore’s Beach House visited Chicago Friday night for a sold-out show at Metro. The night began with a solid set of fuzzy indie-electro by New Zealand’s Bachelorette (aka Annabel Alpers). The crowd sufficiently warmed up and packed onto Metro’s overcrowded-as-always main floor, Beach House took the stage at precisely 10:15. The duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally was joined on stage by drummer Daniel Franz, and played a set that covered most of Teen Dream as well as a smattering of tunes from the group’s self-titled debut and 2008’s breakthrough Devotion.

The energy in the crowd was high, especially given the generally understated sound of the headlining act, and the audience was treated to a strong, surprisingly loud show. Concerns that Beach House’s cavernous recorded sound would be difficult to reproduce in a live setting were allayed by the pristine mix at Metro. The band’s albums are intricately layered with echo and subtle instrumentation, and each sonic facet was clear and defined. Scally’s guitar provided a nice skeletal framework for songs like Teen Dream’s epic opener “Zebra” and “Ten Mile Stereo,” and added the occasional riff as on Devotion fan favorite “Gila.” Legrand, aside from being the group’s lead vocalist and de facto spokesperson, augmented the sound with tasteful keyboard textures and what could be assumed was a pre-programmed bass track. Franz was a welcome addition throughout the set, his pounding percussion adding a dimension that is occasionally missing from the band’s dreamy, swirling recordings. 

The stage show was a surprise, and was apparently themed as a Teen Dream of sorts. An amused onlooker noted that the stage “look(ed) like a goddamned high school prom,” and the assessment wasn’t far off. Garlands of metallic pompons bordered both sides of the stage, and giant reflective diamond-shaped piñata-like objects stood on crude motion-activated platforms at various points. The band’s dark, cheap-chic lighting seemed designed specifically to light the diamonds rather than the musicians, and for most of the show the musicians were only sort of visible amongst the shining stage adornments and the thick dry ice haze that hung about them for the duration of the set. Adding to the feel of an 80s semi-formal dance was a white suit jacket worn by Legrand that strongly recalled James Spader’s Steff character in “Pretty In Pink.”

Without disregarding the energy of the crowd, wonderful instrumental accompaniment, and ambitious stage setup, the undisputed star of the show was Legrand’s voice. Though compelling on record, nothing could prepare the listener for the power and beauty of the singer’s live performance. Teen Dream standout “Silversoul” served as a particularly fitting showcase for Legrand’s multifaceted ability, her voice taking on a booming quality and filling the entire venue during the song’s swells and displaying surprising vulnerability during quieter moments. Legrand’s focus was evident as she stayed mostly still during vocal sections of Beach House’s songs, and her delivery was rewarded with rapt attention from the audience. Her flawless in-song execution was accompanied by levity - remarking on the heightened energy in the venue perhaps brought on by the first days of spring in Chicago, Legrand announced that it was “baby-making time.”

Clocking in at just over an hour and ten minutes, the set was brief. While this could potentially be cause for complaint about a headlining act, it made sense in this circumstance. There is a hazy similarity to most of the group’s songs, and an overlong set would run the risk of detracting from each tune’s impact. Beach House chose to mold their performance in the spirit of the “teen dream” invoked by the group’s album title – fleeting, perhaps, but no less memorable and powerful.

The Fleet Foxes have changed. Last summer they were good live, but they were timid and withdrawn. Saturday night at the Metro was a different band playing the same songs and a few more. A year on the road has taught the Foxes how to have confidence, and that folk songs can rock.

Opening for the Fleet Foxes was Dungen from Sweden, a psychedelic-folk-rock band who seemed surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. They said, “You guys are here to see the Fleet Foxes, right?” before beginning their encore.