The eccentric trio that is
TV Girl made a return to Chicago Wednesday night. The guys debuted at Lincoln Hall after playing some of Chicago’s smaller venues over the past few years such as Schuba’s Tavern and Beat Kitchen which is an fantastic milestone for any band to slowly work their way up on the venue food chain. Fans seemed to be very eager for this show as the venue quickly filled up by the time the opener went out on stage.
Opening for TV Girl,
Negative Gemini set the standard up very high for a spectacular night of music. Her distorted yet dreamy vocals paired with her heavy bass backtracks blessed the audience’s ears and got the crowd amped up for TV Girl. Performing on stage seemed to be her natural habitat as she was very confident and had no trouble interacting with the crowd.
Immediately into their headlining set, TV Girl opened with two of their most acclaimed tracks: “Pantyhose” and “Birds Don’t Sing.” Both songs are upbeat and sample-heavy; perfect for any alternative music enthusiast to add to their feel-good playlists. It was almost shocking to see them open right away with two of their best songs but that did not mean the rest of their set was dry. TV Girl is a very charismatic trio, with frontman Brad Petering being very forward and open to conversing with the crowd about love, colored hair, and being afraid to be blunt about one’s own feelings. Although at times it did seem like there was a little too much talking to the audience. Regardless of this minor flaw, TV Girl still pulled out an astounding show throughout the night. Petering is an interesting guy that made his long soliloquies very much enjoyable.
This is their second time around in Chicago after the release of their third album,
Death of a Party Girl. They have certainly gained some recognition in between their Schubas set and their latest Lincoln Hall performance considering both shows were packed with dedicated fans. Hopefully, this is a trend that will continue for the quirky trio because their sound is definitely one that stands out among other indie synth-pop groups. Their whimsical sounding instrumentals yet depressing lyrics are very attractive to younger crowds thanks to their relatable and trendy atmosphere. TV Girl is slowly but surely getting the recognition they deserve and will maybe one day play a sold out Metro show.
All photos by Andrew Lagunas
