This year Chicago has had a powerhouse of concerts; OFF!’s farewell show, the Jigsaw Youth/Bob Vylan combo and Knocked Loose, just to name a few. Adding to the list is the absolutely magnetic combination of garage punkers Teen Mortgage and noise-dance-punk legends Death From Above 1979 at Chicago’s Metro.
Teen Mortgage is the two-piece garage-punk band from Washington, DC that is quickly rising the ranks through the punk scene with guitarist and vocalist James Guile and drummer Edward Barakauskas.
We covered them last time from their headlining show at HI-FI Indy in Indianapolis on April 1st this year. Since then, they have released a live Audiotree album on May 22nd and new single “Burn No Bridges” via King Pizza Records on September 20th.
They also kept busy touring the UK with The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer, played music festivals Louder Than Life, Aftershock and Levitation, and more recently played some US dates with another favorite band of mine, Destroy Boys. Teen Mortgage immediately jumped from the Destroy Boys tour to the You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine 20th anniversary tour with Death From Above 1979.
Both bands being two-piece acts, noisy, with tons of distortion and face paced riffs, the Teen Mortgage/DFA1979 combo is pure raw perfection.
While Teen Mortgage is finishing up some remaining Canada dates, next year they already have some big plans: playing Germany’s Rock am Ring, UK’s Download Festival, and a stop in Dublin with Weezer.
Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Death From Above 1979 is a unique combination of Jesse F. Keeler on bass and keyboards and Sebastien Grainger on drums and lead vocals. In 2004 they released their debut album You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine and have been touring extensively this year for its 20th anniversary.
The first time I saw DFA1979 I was in complete awe of the stage productions, particularly the lights, and this show was no different. Beams of different colored lights shot through heavy fog in different directions, perfectly choreographed to every song.
With their abrasive synth and piercing screams, DFA1979 is an exemplary example of what dance punk is meant to be.
This sold-out show at Metro was part of their USA/Canada Part II tour with Teen Mortgage; Part III will begin in 2025 with San Francisco punk band Spiritual Cramp (remember them at Riot Fest this year? We do!) followed by a stint in Australia with DZ Deathrays.
Check out the full gallery below!
