Asobi Seksu & White Birds

The ever-alluring Asobi Seksu rolled into Chicago’s Schubas on September 25th to lay down the indie rhythms that have made the New Yorkers into such a reliably loveable ensemble.  The news of the night was the WORLD PREMIERE of new member, bassist extraordinaire Billy Pavone (name/instrument subject to change, pending intensive vetting by the QRO Fact Checking Department), and it sounded like the new four-stringer fit like a glove – all systems were go.  Good thing, because Asobi Seksu, after a decade together (casting back to the early 2000s when they were called Sportfuck – nice!), have a gritty yet polished sound that benefits from a competent rhythm section.  A little psych, a little pop, a little hard to describe.  But with lead songstress Yuki Chikudate commanding the mic, it’s a pleasure every time.

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Click here for photos of White Birds from this show in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Openers White Birds were the least surprising surprise of the night, delivering exactly the sort of Garfunkel-meets-R. Stevie Moore ballads that had Drink Up Buttercup (White Birds has ex-DUB members – not sure how many or which – the Fact Checking Department is working some furious overtime) courting bona-fide widespread indie-stream success.  But the past is the past, the present is an appallingly beautiful self-titled White Birds limited run cassette (QRO review), and the future is wide open for this talented four piece, picking up where Drink Up Buttercup left off.

White Birds

Asobi Seksu