Recap: The Orwells and Their Midwest Shitfest

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Over the weekend The Orwells played two shows at Chop Shop as part of their Midwest Shitfest event. The band was supported that night by the bands The Symposium, Post Animal, and Joe Bordenaro & The Late Bloomers.

We were present on night 2 of the Shitfest, and it felt like it didn’t matter that this was a 21+ event because that crowd acted just as rowdy for the headlining act as I would imagine the all-ages show must’ve been like. All in all, this was a can’t-miss performance not only because The Orwells are legit one of my favorites bands and I know from experience over the years that they’re killer playing live, but also because this event was put on for the band to play new tunes and preview new material that will see release in the fall.

The set list was mostly filled with Disgraceland highlights like “Southern Comfort,” The Righteous One,” “Let It Burn” and “Who Need You” (above) along with earlier material too like “Mallrats,” but it’s the new songs that caught my attention the most. While it’s cool to let loose and wild out when you hear the opening riff to a tune like “Dirty Sheets,” there’s something liberating and exciting about hearing a new song for the very first time and having your body react just as favorably as it would for personal long-time favorites. The sounds of their latest material definitely feels like they’ve matured, though not exactly evolved. And I say that as a good thing. Mario Cuomo and company have discovered a new edge to them, and it’s just as sharp and deadly as what we’ve all come to love from albums like Remember When and the aforementioned Disgraceland.

The new material (below) demonstrates that this band’s got plenty in the bank to attack your eardrums and to keep your mind obsessed. I’m a sucker for catchy bass lines, infectious riffs, and anthemic appeal… And a lot of these tracks sure as hell offer all of that in one! This is the sort of stuff that gets people moshing, crowdsurfing, and stage diving (even when there are signs all over that supposedly prohibit that)! With camera and all, I fought my way to the very front to party hard with the best of ’em, and at the same I was making sure my glasses didn’t fall or break with the surge of limbs now at eye level with every song. Needless to say, us here at POD are now anxiously awaiting to hear studio versions of the new songs we heard.

*SEE THE PICTURE GALLERY BELOW*

Best surprise of the night? Learning that this city’s Rock scene is a lot richer than I would have guessed. I will be the first to admit that we don’t do as good of a job in covering Chi Rock as we do with sharing the latest updates on our city’s booming Hip Hop industry, but it’s events like this that set us straight and add new acts to our radar so that we can support from then on. We discovered Twin Peaks like that a couple of years ago (coincidentally also an Orwells concert), and we’ve loved them ever since! So PR people, for these bands and other Chicago acts alike, hit me up with more stuff in the same plane as this!

The super chill vibes of The Symposium definitely got me craving more, particularly making me want to experience that set in a music fest or at least an outdoor gig, with the sun hitting at just the right temps and the crowd swaying with every lick. The biggest revelation for us was Joe Bordenaro & The Late Bloomers. That guy has just as many great Pop hooks as he does sweet Guitar riffs, and that’s all you want in a dope Rock song. Lastly, I can’t leave out Post Animal. They can really jam! Seeing them feels like you’ve transported to an early 70s show, where all you want to do is kick back and let the guitars do all the talking.

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