On a Tuesday night in an unassuming bar on Belmont Avenue, you probably wouldn’t guess there would be a packed back room full of people going hard at an emo show, but that’s what I love about live music—it brings people together for a break from the monotony of the work week. Tuesday, October 29th brought a stacked lineup of bands to the Beat Kitchen including Muncie, Indiana’s Leisure Hour, Baltimore’s Combat, as well as Chicago-natives Sweet Bike and headliner Arcadia Grey. I might have missed the memo on dressing up, but much of the crowd (and some of the bands) donned Halloween costumes, making an already lively show that much more whimsical.
Pictured: Leisure Hour
Sweet Bike opened up the show, and I only managed to catch the tail end of their last song thanks to the tight turnaround between my last class of the night and the start of the show. What little I did see piqued my interest, and I am now looking for my next opportunity to see them play a full set. Leisure Hour played next, and I have nothing but good things to say about their set. They were everything you could hope for in a live band: great energy, great crowd work, and most importantly, great music. If you’re not familiar, check out their newest album The Sunny Side, and try to catch them live when you can.
The next band to take the stage, Combat, came dressed as The Ghostbusters. I adore Combat, keeping their newest album, Stay Golden, on repeat since it dropped in August, so I was stoked to catch them play their first ever Chicago show. They completely blew me away. They played so well that before they were even done with their first song, I was already trying to figure out when I would see them next. Particular highlights of their set included the title track “Stay Golden,” “Full Speed Ahead,” “Epic Season Finale,” and my personal favorite off the record “Weird Ending Explained Pt. 1.” You could feel a shift in the crowd when this band played, like everyone knew they were seeing the beginning of something really special. I cannot express how impressed I was with this band; all I can say is that I am certain they are going to take over the world.
Closing off the night was headliner Arcadia Grey, a pillar in the Chicago DIY scene, and one of my favorite bands since High School. I have been listening to Arcadia Grey since 2019, but this was only the second time I managed to catch them live. When I glanced at the setlist before they started playing, I knew I was in for a treat. Arcadia Grey released their sophomore album Casually Crashing this past May, a shoe in for my year end list. I was glad to see a good mix of new and old songs on the setlist, and I don’t think they could have chosen a better mix if they tried. “Moshpit Girlfriend” is a perfect opener, and “Konami Code,” “Made 4 Love,” and “Kevin Pickles and the Great Pool Noodle Excursion” all back to back nearly killed me (in a good way), but the coolest moment of the set was when they invited fan/friend of the band Lizzie Xanos on stage to play guitar on “Godzilla 98’ Sux!!!.” I got a chance to talk to Lizzie after the show and ask them how they made that happen, learning that this was not the first time they have played that song live with Arcadia Grey. Lizzie expressed how important Arcadia Grey was for them as a musician, telling me “I don’t think I count as a real musician, and the first time I ever felt like I was a real musician was when I played on stage with them, so they’re kind of like my comfort, my home.” I think that really says something about the environment this band has created. This is not a band that plays at you; they feed off the energy in the room and give you back twice what they get from the crowd. I was also fortunate enough to get to chat with Burke Comenduley of Arcadia Grey, about what it’s like to be on the musician side of a show like this. “Being on stage is really fun, I feel like the room itself is just like a perfect size to get people moving… I think it just really comes together at Beat Kitchen shows,” he said. “I really appreciate all the people that come out and it’s just loads of fun every time.” In my opinion, there’s no better way to spend a Tuesday night.