For anyone with ears, the Tomorrow Never Knows festival has arrived in our fair city like a heatwave smack dab in the middle of yet another brutal Midwestern winter. I'll be the first to say that past TNK's have been a little on the precious side, but this year's roster is uniformly kick-ass from start to finish. Tonight's show at Schubas is no different, with local sensations Meat Wave being the first of a flawless four-band bill culminating with Pup's headlining set.
If you're unfamiliar with the Toronto-based Pup, don't beat yourself up, man, they've been around for all of five minutes, but long enough to have issued their first self-titled full length LP, which was followed almost immediately by hype-worthy appearances at last year's SXSW, extensive North American tour dates, and a successful 8-date UK tour with Slaves.
The album itself is nothing new on the surface - a heady mix of sludgy Hey Mercedes-style riffs with chant-worthy choruses a la Naked Raygun - but the consistency of the material and the energy of the recorded performances makes for one helluva infectious speaker-monster.
As for Chicago's Meat Wave, their new EP Brother is the talk of not only the town but the world and the opportunity to see them in intimate venues like Schubas may soon be gone for good. Their lo-fi angst is, at first caustic and rough-edged, but after a few more listens, the melodies and dynamics reveal hidden layers beneath the initial sonic blast. Absolutely not to be missed, so get their early and wis the band well on their trip to the UK later this month!