Late last night, three Chicago-based bands made a stop in front of the stickered walls of Bremen Cafe, each bringing a new style to the stage for an unforgettable night of live music. With colorful disco lights all around, the set was minimal, yet still very attention-grabbing and had an overall groovy look to it.
Sweet Hudson kicked off the evening with a bang, immediately getting the crowd to their feet by the end of the first song. The band’s music was extraordinarily danceable, with each song having an easy beat or groove to settle into, along with their own stage presence that encouraged everyone to get down. By the end of their set, the crowd still hadn’t had enough, chanting, “one more song,” a couple times before the lead singer asked if the crowd liked Coldplay. Sweet Hudson played a killer rendition of “Sparks” which successfully set the tone for the rest of the night.
Following Sweet Hudson seemed a tough act to follow, but Rotundos came out loud and strong with their city-punk vibe and music, drawing in the crowd a completely different but just as successful way. The room was electric. The tunes and the directions from the band telling us to make a pit with the guitarist joining really made it so. When Rotundos rolled around to the end of their set, the crowd wanted an encore from them as well, and they delivered, leaving the audience on a high-note.
The final act, Company Calls, brought the night to a powerful close. Their opening track, “Cough Perfection” immediately captured the attention of the crowd with its anthemic and hard rocking qualities. The band portrayed an awkward charm by bantering back and forth with the audience and even letting a member of the crowd shake a maraca for one of their songs. When Company Calls hit the end of their set, the crowd yet again chanted for an encore. Though they didn’t have anything prepared, saxophonist, Luke Tinsley, leaned towards the microphone and improvised a song thanking the crowd for coming. The other members, Tommy Oeffling (bass), Caiden Dohr (guitar), and Ethan Bailey (drums), hopped on with an improvised instrumental backing that eventually morphed into a goofy cover of “Creep” by Radiohead that had the crowd going crazy.
In summary, each of these bands were able to steal the show in their own unique ways, leaving fans eagerly awaiting any of their future live shows.