Whenever Local H plays a hometown show at everyone’s favorite “Music, Friendly, Dancing” club, the Empty Bottle, it is a must-see affair, but on Saturday, May 27 the Chicago duo pulled out all the stops to celebrate the iconic venue’s 25th anniversary. Scott Lucas and Ryan Harding went deep into their catalog to comprise a setlist virtually void of radio-friendly hits instead opting for feedback-heavy jams of their lesser known tracks… and fans loved every second of it.
A wall of delicious noise engulfed the sold-out, 400 capacity club as Lucas and Harding sculpted their distorted sounds into a perfect prelude to what was about to become a thunderous marathon of a set. They went all the way back to 1995’s Ham Fisted to kick things off, dropping the one-two punch of “Bag of Hammers” into “Scott-Rock.” The syncopated and bouncy “Freshly F*cked” had fans dancing, getting lost in the music and enjoying a respite from the world outside.
Lucas’ fierce vocals – which engrossed fans throughout the night – sliced through fuzzy distortion on tracks like “I Saw What You Did and I Know What You Are” and the melodic Hey, Killer tune, “Mansplainer,” while Harding’s relentless rhythms somehow grew louder, faster and harder as the show progressed deeper into the night. His heavy-hitting patterns reached superhuman speeds during the furious instrumental break of “The Misanthrope.”
“(Baby Want To) Tame Me” allowed Local H to push further and further into the snarling weave of sounds unfolding on stage as they increased the intensity to epic proportions during the 10-plus minute jam. A perfectly-timed break at the end of the track gave the crowd a moment of rock reflection before Lucas began to prowl the front of the stage to drop menacing solos in the faces of front row fans.
The show was held in conjunction with Empty Bottle‘s year-long EB25 series which celebrates its quarter-century anniversary and, as such, Lucas encouraged concert-goers to go back in time in honor of the occasion. “Put the phones away,” he said midway through the set. “It’s the 25th anniversary of the Empty Bottle. Let’s pretend it’s 1995 and put the f*cking phones away.” Later, he congratulated the venue on its milestone and led everyone in singing a hometown “Happy Birthday” to Harding who celebrated another year of L-I-V-I-N the previous week.
Earlier in the night, Chicago’s own Blood People warmed-up the stage with rapid-fire riffs and gnarly hooks. “Clowns,” which appears on their 2016 self-titled EP, stood out among the highlights of their set as did an earnest cover of Soundgarden’s “Ty Cobb” in honor of the recent passing of Chris Cornell.
If you missed Local H at Empty Bottle, don’t worry as the duo will be returning to the Windy City to open for a little band called Metallica at Soldier Field on June 18. For a full list of Local H’s tour dates head over to LocalH.com.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)