Reading music

 

It’s always a treat when I hear The Knocks are coming to town for a show. Not only are they great friends and performers, but they are always traveling with some of the best groups in music. There’s never a dull night when you have great friends and great music. As was the case February 1st, when The Knocks came in town to support Colorado homegrown trio Savoy for their live laser show at The Mid, Chicago. The night was stacking up to be a banger and if you hadn’t prepared to get inside in advance for the sold out show, you were delegated as one of the unluckies left standing out in the cold.

The Knocks
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I had the pleasure of heading over to Ben and James’ (aka The Knocks’) hotel room before the show to chat and hang out while they prepared their set and generally just lounged around. These guys are super down to earth and have a great future ahead of them, so make sure to watch for their names in 2013. Among other things, we chatted about their new single with St. Lucia (which will top the blogosphere charts when released, it’s that good), shared some new music, and helped piece together their DJ set for the night. We also had a chance to get some questions with them backstage, so watch for that interview video coming soon via our YouTube channel. We talk about their shower schedule and spirit animals.

The atmosphere was saturated with energy as we entered the Mid later that night for the sold out show. Standing room only as we nudged and elbowed our way over to the press pit, which was almost as chaotic as the floor. The opening DJs, LoBounce and Zebo, did an excellent job amping up the crowd for the NY duo, and the crowd ignited as The Knocks stepped up to the decks for their DJ set. And while it was only a DJ set, sans their usual percussion and keys, The Knocks blazed through a hyped up set that included singles such as “Dancing With The DJ” as well as some banging new grime for the masses (see The Aston Shuffle vs Tommy Trash vs Tony Romera – “Sunrise Pandor” (Tommy Trash Edit)). If anyone in the crowd came not knowing who The Knocks were, you can bet they left enlightened, probably having ‘Liked’ them on Facebook the instant they finished their set.

Savoy
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One track The Knocks never got around to playing was their smash single “The Feeling,” which was due to the fact that Savoy planned on leading their massive set off with a superb remix of the track that set the pace for the rest of their show. And so they did. Starting off strong and never backing down, the trio blasted their way through some older singles, such as “We Are The Sun” and “Under My Skin,” as well as newer stuff off their recent Personal Legend EP. Remixes of the Bingo Players’ “L’Amour” and Steve Aoki’s “Turbulence” had the crowd quivering in awe as the sound and light coalesced into sensory overload.

The talk of the show, however, had to be the lasers set to unveil on the first undulating waves of sound. Savoy had the crowd moving and sweating as minds were systematically blown by the four massive laser projectors shooting concentrated light beams to a thousand different shadowed locales. But as amazing as the strands of light were to watch, Savoy’s music stands on it’s own; proof positive when a clumsy photographer tripped over a wire and downed the lasers for a full 15 minutes. The crowd, however, didn’t miss a beat and drove forward to the inundating rhythm of the live drums and synths.

It wasn’t until almost 5 am before we left The Mid. Lights on and security pushing us out the door, it was time to head home. Savoy and The Knocks put on a fantastic show that left everyone at The Mid satisfied and in a great mood. The night was full of amazing sounds and mind blowing sights, which you can check out in our photo album over at The Sights and Sounds Facebook page. For more insight into the wild night make sure and watch the video recap for the show below, shot and edited by our good friends at Houselife.tv. See you at the next show!

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