Weekend Reminders

Thursday posts focus on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Plus, the occasional event taking place this weekend that has just come to my attention, or concert tickets going on sale.

The Kooks’ June 9 concert at The Vic Theatre in Chicago is on Monday, but that’s close enough to merit a reminder. The English rock band recently kicked off the North American leg of its All Over The World Tour, and will be promoting songs from its latest album. Never/Know was released in May, and perhaps sparked by the first single “Sunny Baby,” climbed to the number five spot on the official UK charts. The opening act throughout the tour will be the L.A.-based lovelytheband, who gave us “Broken” a few years back, and worked with The Kooks on the popular 2024 song “Jeanie.”

The Chicago Blues Festival, an annual event since 1984 and believed to be the world’s largest blues festival, opened today and will run through Sunday. Mavis Staples will be among the headliners, and there will be a centennial tribute to the late B.B. King. Today’s events take place at the Ramova Theatre at 3520 S. Halsted and feature performances by Bobby Rush and Billy Branch And The Sons Of The Blues. The remaining events will take place in Millennium Park.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for Lola Young’s November 24 concert at The Salt Shed in Chicago. She’s the English singer whose irresistible “Messy” single has been getting a lot of airplay on WXRT here in Chicago. Tickets also go on sale tomorrow for Morrissey’s September 27 concert at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, and for Lloyd Cole at City Winery Chicago on September 2. Here’s a video of “Jennifer She Said,” a cool song by Lloyd Cole And The Commotions back in 1987.

June has long been a good month for major art events in Chicago, with the Gold Coast Art Fair and 57th Street Art Fair being prime examples. They return this Saturday and Sunday in Grant Park and Hyde Park respectively; each has been around for over 50 years.

The quirky and critically acclaimed English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock has a gig coming up this Saturday night at The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago.