A Metro Local Series: Pinksqueeze, Uniflora, and Sharp Pins
Friday night, just down the road from Wrigley Field, three Chicago based bands performed at the Metro for a local series event.
First up to play were Sharp Pins, a solo project of talented musician Kai Slater. Kai’s local to Chicago, and part of two other bands, Lifeguard and Dwaal Troupe. Sharp Pins is a lo-fi noise pop group, that were the perfect kickoff for the evening. Sharp Pins mainly played from their new album, Turtle Rock.
They also weren't sure to skip over one of their popular singles from last year, "You Turned off the Light," which had the crowd very pleased. Sharp Pins danced effortlessly around stage, sang their hearts out, and left us with a wonderfully vibrant performance.
Next up was Uniflora, who had big shoes to fill after Sharp Pins. With Ruby O’Brien on drums, Theo Williams on bass, and Quinn Dugan on guitar and vocals, the post-punk three-piece band did not disappoint. It’s important to note the trio from Chicago are teens, making the performance all the more impressive. The group came out immediately with a lot of edge, there were quite a few head bangs in the crowd. The shredding by Quinn and Theo was unbelievable, Quinn was even on the floor a couple points, everyone loved it! The group was electric. These kids have something special, introducing a modern take on punk rock.
Unflora has one EP out, Plastic Sturgeon, where they played songs such as "Precipitation" and "In the Door." But it was their newest single, "Hellgirl" that seemed to be a fan favorite. Talk about a song with grit and spunk.
Last, but certainly not least, was Pinksqueeze as a closing act. By the time Pinksqueeze took the stage, the venue was packed. Anna, April, Ava and Logan make up the four-piece Chicago based queer indie rock band. They’re all about advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, finding your identity, and living life unapologetically. The members put on an incredibly interactive show, for their song "Midday Midnight" we got to sing our own parts with the group. It’s also worth noting there were a few moments where the band asked us to collectively scream at the top of our lungs with them, I’m pretty sure South Loop could hear us!
Right now, all eyes are on these rockers, the band just won Chicago Reader’s “Best Local Album of the Year” for Be Gay Have Fun. The album was put out this past May and has accumulated quite a fan base.
The rock band is going on tour with Zeta starting this upcoming May and has a few more solo shows until then, follow their socials to follow what they're up to!