International Pop Overthrow - Chicago has its first 2023 showcase this Friday night at Montrose Saloon (see my 4/17 post), and will follow that Bash (pun intended) with two separate lineups on Saturday. IPO Founder/CFO David Bash has additional shows scheduled at Montrose Saloon through April 29. Most of the 60+ acts involved are from the Chicago area, although there are some out-of-state visitors.
This Saturday’s first showcase starts with a 2:00 pm set by Brother Derek, who are no strangers to Montrose Saloon, but will be making their IPO debut. Their 2022 album Parade Rest finds them taking a satirical point of view while exploring various genres. IPO regulars The Red Wigglers have 25 years of experience on the Chicago club scene, and have released four albums. They take an adventurous and often funny approach to rock via coed vocals and horn accompaniment. The Shake Ups highlight acoustic guitars and vocals in their live sets in Chicago clubs, and are IPO veterans.
Mammals are self-described creators of “garagey power pop,” and that’s exactly what you’ll hear on the assorted singles on their Bandcamp page. “In The Darkness” sounds like a Halloween song by The Ramones, and the rollicking “Expanding Heart” features impressive vocals. Your Academy brought about “the resurrection of Memphis power pop” by featuring members of The Scruffs, The Dwight Twilley Band, and Crash Into June on its self-titled 2022 album. The collection offers guitar-driven melodic songs, with an occasional dose of beguiling piano accompaniment. When The Larvettes wrap up the afternoon showcase, they’ll probably play songs from the Happy Go Lucky Times EP they released almost a year ago. Don’t let the title fool you, these guys love to spike their energetic rock tunes with bitter observations.
The Saturday evening showcase will start just a few hours later with Jesse Vaz And The Velvet Reign. Vaz is an IPO vet with this group, as well as with The Craze and with Tramps In Stereo. From what I can tell, Velvet Reign is more elaborate than his previous groups. The Queue released a six-song EP titled Get Out Of Now last year and quickly followed that with the single “Love Save Us All.” These IPO vets pursue an easygoing melodic style of pop. The Mark Watson Band have done well on the club scene with an energetic power pop approach that draws on Cheap Trick and Fountains Of Wayne. Their song “When Two Still Feels Alone” was included on the impressive 2021 Big Blast Records compilation The Big Singles Vol.1.
The three-piece band 6Kitty was formed in 2018 and released its debut album Tux last year. Members cite Courtney Barnett and The Beths as being major influences. “Tidal Wave” and “Starfish’r” are good examples of their hard-edged but melodic approach. The Bishop’s Daredevil Stunt Club were also on that Big Blast compilation (with the Rolling Stones flavored “X Play”) and have released a number of their own recordings over the past 10 years. Their 2022 EP Vanishing Point, with its Halloween theme, was particularly impressive. Penthouse Sweets have been offering fun and occasionally wild performances on the Chicago rock scene for over 20 years. They’ve released a number of impressive recordings of indie rock in that time, and have performed at IPO several times.
Check out the International Pop Overthrow website for the festival’s full schedule. Also, quite a few of this acts are on Bandcamp, so might even have a few favorite songs before you see them live.
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