Cane Hill
By: Mary Welch
First up for the night was local Chicago rock band, El Famous. I have seen so many local bands that I cannot even fathom the number. With some you think, “I’ve never heard this band before, yet I’ve heard this band before…” El Famous absolutely does not fit under that category. I was so impressed by their sound that I picked up one of their free CD’s at the end of the show. I appreciated their nonchalant, yet passionate, stage presence. To them, it’s all about the music and nothing else, something I no longer often see artists do. Listen to them on their SoundCould here.
To be honest, I had just come for Cane Hill and to hang out with friends. After having seen so many bands before, it can be hard to keep track of all of them, but Afterlife made it easy. I loved their heavy metal style reminiscent of Slipknot. They performed their newest single, “Sacrifice,” and told us about their new album, Breaking Point, coming out on January 11th.
Up next was Baltimore-based band of five named Sharptooth, and vocalist Lauren Kashan exceeded my expectations energy-wise; hopping into the crowd, screaming along with fans, shamelessly marching around on stage, you name it.
Sadly, I was only able to get a few shots of both them and Cane Hill due to their dark lighting, but they still never disappoint. Cane Hill had a great setlist of songs, including older ones I love such as “Strange Candy,” “The New Jesus,” and “Sunday School,” but also newer ones such as “Why?,” “Hateful,” and “The End.” One of the things I looked forward to most about their set was guitarist James Barnett’s otherworldly talent. His jaw-dropping skill truly resonates with me as a guitarist myself, and if you want to read more of me gushing about how great Cane Hill is, you can check out my “It Follows” review here and Defy Tour coverage here.
