Flipturn Brings ‘Something More’ To Chicago
Article and photos by Finley Harrison
Elbow room was practically nonexistent at Chicago’s House of Blues on Friday, March 22. Fans of Florida-rooted indie rock band Flipturn, stylized as flipturn, had packed the venue to the brim shortly after doors opened. On the road for their “Something More” tour with support from Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners, flipturn had visited 11 cities in 16 days by the time they arrived in Chicago. Despite their loaded, seemingly exhausting schedule, the energy from both bands was palpable the entire night.
Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners took the stage around 8:00 in the evening, opening their set with “WET SOCKS,” an intoxicating indie folk track from their 2019 album Subliming. After playing a more subdued song, “A moment,” also from Subliming, the band moved on to the album’s title track. The dreamy and enchanting tune, “Subliming” had the entire audience swaying with their flashlights in the air. Following these performances was the moment that many who were familiar with Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners were surely waiting for. The opening strums of their breakout song “Evergreen” filled the House of Blues, causing the audience to erupt in hollers. With just one minute and 27 seconds worth powerful lyrics, “Evergreen” is nothing short of memorable. The band ended their set with an absolutely stunning piano ballad titled “Lucerne.” As they exited the stage, both long-standing and new fans cheered them off.
After a brief intermission, flipturn made their grand appearance. The band consists of vocalist Dillon Basse, guitarist Tristan Duncan, and bassist Madeline Jarman — the three founded the band as seniors in high school. In more recent years, the trio has added Mitch Fountain as a double threat on the guitar and synthesizer, as well as Devon VonBalson on the drums.They began their set with “Churches,” the third track from their 2018 project Citrona. According to Basse, “Churches” is about “finding your passion, finding what you want to do.” Three songs into their set, flipturn performed what many would argue is the perfect song to play in the Windy City. Fans celebrated wildly as the opening notes to “Chicago” began. The third track from their 2017 EP Heavy Colors, “Chicago” encourages listeners to practice independence and forge their own path. The synchronous enthusiastic cries of the song’s chorus, “I’m going to Chicago / Somewhere I don’t really know / See the sun rise on the east coast / See it set in San Francisco” filled the atmosphere, touching the ears, and hearts, of the concert’s attendees.
As the show continued on, flipturn performed a range of songs both new and old — even teasing audiences with an unreleased track. The band ended their main set with a fan favorite, “Space Cowboy,” from their most recent album titled Shadowglow. Before they could fully exit the stage, chants begging for an encore had begun. After a momentary break, flipturn returned to the stage to perform a cover of The Strokes’ “Reptilia.” Following the cover, the band treated the audience to yet another unreleased song — one they had previously announced is titled “Burnout Days.” To end the show, flipturn revisited Citrona to bid farewell to the crowd with “Nickel” a song that incites a cathartic and almost therapeutic feeling in listeners and tells of the importance of staying true to oneself.
flipturn are currently in the midst of their “Something More” tour, spanning the United States and Canada. They will end their tour in their home state of Florida on April 27.
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