It’s no secret that Chicago harbors some of the most talented and unique artists in the industry, which includes the vastly talented electropop group, Pixel Grip. The trio wrapped up their 2024 with a sold-out hometown show at Chicago’s newest venue, Outset, last Saturday. The evening included a stacked double-feature opening bill consisting of Angry Blackmen and Soltera. With a heavily teased new album in the works and on the horizon, it was the ideal show for Pixel Grip to bridge the gap to their new era of music. Chicago truly showed out for this iconic evening of synth indulgence, which was the most ideal show for the end of this year!
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attending a Pixel Grip show, you know that their energy is truthfully unmatched. Fronted by lead singer Rita Lukea who always radiates confidence while performing; this final show was the epitome of the type of band Pixel Grip is. Bandmates Tyler Ommen and Jonathon Freund also keep up with Rita’s limitless energy they present on stage.
The openers did not fall short on matching Rita’s energy as well. Chicago-based hip-hop duo Angry Blackmenn put on one of the most hype opening sets I have caught in a long time. I was not surprised by this at all as I caught their equally hyped set at this year’s final rendition of the Pitchfork Music Festival. The duo eventually made their way into the crowd to perform some of their songs amongst the sea of people, and a lot of them knew the lyrics!
After a blur of an opening set that involved actual moshing between fans and Angry Blackmen, synth pop singer Soltera took the stage for a hypnotizingly reverbed set. Her sound is very similair to that of Pixel Grip’s, so it was more than a right fit as the supporting act for the night. After two very compelling opening acts, Pixel Grip was welcomed home by their rather devoted Chicago fanbase.
The group opened with their heavy hitting track, “Club Mania,” which sounds exactly like you’d expect it to sound and it translated flawlessly live! Their setlist contained all of their hits as well as a couple of unreleased tracks that Lukea teased would be on the new album. In addition to these mystery tracks the group also performed their 2023 single “Bet You Do,.” which is so Pixel Grip coded in terms of their signature sound that they have carefully cultivated over the last handful of years. After patiently waiting for more music from the band since this release last year, we got another single back in August, “Stamina,” which was also performed by the eclectic trio. Accompanied by a pair of pole dancers and a gimp on a leash, Pixel Grip concluded their thrilling set with their most streamed song on Spotify, “ALPHAPUSSY,” an empowering track that was the ideal sendoff for the night. The crowd left speechless as well as completely satisfied by the electrifying set put on by Pixel Grip.
I personally believe that this show was a pivotal moment for Pixel Grip as a group. I have caught their shows several times over the last few years and I came to the conclusion that this was by far their best one yet. They are more polished than ever before and you can tell that they have perfected their live performances, including Lukea’s superb vocals that seem to get better and better with every performance! Selling out Chicago’s newest venue with such a talented lineup of acts supporting this up and coming group is just the beginning for them. Mark my words when I say, Pixel Grip’s innovative music is going to make a breakthrough in one way or another.
