Misterwives
The Vic // Chicago, IL // October 15, 2017
Want to dance? Go to a Misterwives show.
Mandy Lee is the epitome of a pop star. As the lead singer and only woman in Misterwives, she commanded the audience at The Vic with a smile on her face and a big, fluffy jacket. The band are currently on tour promoting their newest album, Connect the Dots, and the crowd went crazy the minute they came onstage and started playing their first song of the night, “Machine.” Standing on giant light-up platforms and shooting rainbow beams into the crowd, Misterwives put on a hell of a show for Chicago.
Since releasing their first EP in 2014, Misterwives have opened for such acts as Panic! at the Disco and Twenty One Pilots and headlined Chicago’s Mamby on the Beach festival in June. Their newest album, Connect the Dots, was released in May of this year and reached #19 on the alternative charts. The six-piece group combine catchy pop melodies with sprightly and complex lyrics that their audience can really connect with. Misterwives cover the gambit: relationships, love, the future, and what it means to be happy. Playing songs from their new album as well as their chart-topping debut album, Our Own House, Lee and company were in top form. Although their show had to be moved to The Vic, a slightly smaller venue than they were originally scheduled to play, this didn’t have any effect on their performance. In fact, a smaller venue was probably more fitting for Misterwives, who love to interact and sing along with their fans.
Indie rock group Smallpools opened for Misterwives and really got the crowd excited. The trio released their first studio album, Lovetap, in 2015 and have since been on a lot of people’s radar. They too have toured with Twenty One Pilots, as well as Walk the Moon and Neon Trees. Lead singer Sean Scanlon did an impressive job of wow-ing the crowd while playing the keyboards, and guitarist Mike Kamerman channeled his inner Pete Townsend (The Who), throwing his arm in a circle before strumming. Smallpools’ newest EP, The Science of Letting Go, was released in August and has a lot of personal moments for the band. “I wrote this track about my ex-girlfriend,” Scanlon said of their new single, “Mother.” “It’s about knowing the relationship isn’t working, yet you stay together.” The tune sounds like a beachy rock song with a hint of grandiose vocals and drums.
Misterwives’ 2015 hit “Reflections” has over 10 million views on YouTube and a pretty adorable music video (students rebelling against their evil teachers? I’m here for it). They played “Reflections” towards the end of the Chicago show, and everyone was dancing along. By the time they played their encore, “Our Own House,” the entire theatre was on their feet. That’s the point of Misterwives’ music–to make people dance and smile, no matter what’s going on in the world. As Lee said at the start of the show, “We’re here to make you forget about the pain outside those doors, so let’s have fun!”
