The Front Bottoms shed the ‘boulders on [their] shoulders’ for the night at Radius
October 26, 2021
Luckily, there were no “collarbones crack[ing]” as both members of the Front Bottoms and the crowd let loose, free from the “boulders on [their] shoulders” in a recent performance in Pilsen, with the band’s signature folk-punk on full display.
Strumming madly on their guitars and singing their hearts out for all to hear, the Front Bottoms performed a set to remember. The group played their hit songs, “Be Nice to Me” as well as “Au Revoir,” plus numerous songs from their recent release “In Sickness & In Flames” and their self-titled album, “The Front Bottoms,” as colorful, dynamic strobes flashed down throughout the set.
The band also took song requests during its Friday, Oct. 15 show.
Gabby Brockman, a senior graphic design major, said she enjoyed the number of songs the Front Bottoms played.
“[The Front Bottoms] just did a really great show,” Brockman said, adding she “had a really good time going.”
Brockman also said she added music from Sydney Sprague, one of the openers, to her Spotify account after discovering her at the concert.
Sprague and her band opened up the show strumming on guitar and rocking out with bold red lights. Sprague was followed by Oso Oso, an indie band with a focus on soft vocals and guitar.
Oso Oso finished off their set with the song “gb/ol h/nf,” which is an ode to a changing relationship. A melancholy feeling ripped through the crowd until applause erupted at the end as they finished their set.
Both artists displayed a punk-infused sound that perfectly encapsulated the fast-paced energy in the room and led up to the performance of the Front Bottoms. Despite Radius, 640 W. Cermak Road, often being a venue for electronic music, each artist that performed transferred a unique, alternative sound.
The tour was initially scheduled for 2019, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Front Bottoms, along with Sydney Sprague and Oso Oso, will continue to tour through the end of October.
