Magnetars

  So a week ago last Wednesday I saw this free show at Darkroom.  The bands that played were Panda Riot, Magnetars and Bliss City East.  All shoegaze bands.   All with female singers, and so I go after it like a moth to a flame, and I bring my brother-in-law with me.  What a way to send him on his second leg of his vacation.  Panda Riot has played Darkroom at least twice before...I think.  This city is fortunate to have them live here.  Their music enriches the local culture.  I've written about them already.  I'll go see them again and again.  And they are writing new music.   Bliss City East, as new as they are have band members with a long local history dating back at least 10 years in other bands.  I'm happy to see them productive still today.   Magnetars I have never seen before and they really blew me away.  They were awesome.  The singer Elizabeth was playful and sweet on stage.  Even before she took the stage I noticed her.  She had this little top hat on and this silvery-grey costume.  Ms Elizabeth stood out before she sang a note.  She used props, wore different masks for each song.  Every song was a new dedication.  "This one goes out to all the sexy people" she would say....or something like that.  Ms Elizabeth loved performing.   For one of the songs she wore these huge sunglasses that made her look like Katie Jane Garside from Queen Adreena.  Elizabeth did this cute robotic dance for that specific song.   It was a fortunate find for me to see them because they will be traveling to some festival in Manchester, England in May.  It's great for Magnetars because so early in their development do they have this chance to travel and be influenced by this gig.  And for Manchester it's a chance to see a hint of what we have here.  When next they perform back home in Chicago it shall be as seasoned travelers.