The annual Tomorrow Never Knows Fest took place from January 15th through the 19th this year at venues throughout the Chicagoland area. Created to prove that music fans will brave the cold winter to see their favorite local and nationwide indie acts, the fans did just that, traveling through bitter temps and endless snowfall.
Thursday saw London duo IDER perform in Chicago for the first time. Performing alongside them were Champaign based Zzo, Madison solo project Boy Bjorn, and the electric Chicago based SuperKnova. As the temperature got colder outside, the house quickly warmed up with all the concert goers filling the small room.
Zzo, the indie pop creation of Zoe Willott, eased the crowd into the night by performing an intimate, stripped down set that included vocals and guitar. Their sweet vocals mixed with the melodic tones helped warm up the crowd.
Boy Bjorn took the stage next, interlacing their alternative indie sounds with jokes about the Illinois and Wisconsin rival football teams. These Madison rockers exuded positive energy throughout their set, and it really resonated with the crowd that responded by bopping along to their catchy tunes.
If you haven’t heard of SuperKnova before, now is the time to get to know her. SuperKnova is an amazing solo act from Chicago, and she really got the crowd ready with her garage rock mixed with lo-fi sounds. Singing about her position in the LGBT community, covering “Seven Nation Army,” even playing a bit of the Super Mario theme song, she was electric from start to finish.
It would be hard to follow up such an amazing act such as SuperKnova, but IDER did just that. This was the London duo’s first time ever playing in Chicago, and the welcome they received was so open and warm. Often switching between playing multiple instruments, these powerful women dominated the stage and had the crowd singing right back to them. IDER proved TNK’s philosophy—that music lovers will unite regardless of the frigid temperatures.
IDER
SUPERKNOVA
BOY BJORN
Zzo
