A Beacon School Entrances The Hideout
Article and photos by Grace Wallace
Amidst the overcast evening on Saturday, June 8th, fans near and far drifted into The Hideout for a night of dream pop escape.
The show marked a first for New York-based A Beacon School, who had yet to perform in the Windy City. Created by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Patrick J. Smith, the band is best known for their debut album Cola and its compilation of tracks, featuring intricately layered guitars, synthesizers, and vocals. The tour showcases Cola and their new LP released in October 2023. Titled 'yoyo,' the album “is an untainted exploration of the unconscious artistic self and the oscillation of time.”
Concertgoers were treated to E.R. Jurken as an opener, who performed an acoustic, one-man set. Jurken’s voice engulfed the room with its emotionally haunting quality. Performing tracks off his album I Stand Corrected, many were shorter bites of melody, but still just as moving, if not arguably more so, than the usual 3-5 minute radio single. The lyrics for “Coliseum” were playfully eccentric, opening with “Ticket taker knows my maker / Takes me through the turnstile / Thanks me as I walk on through.” Strings of “la la la’s” are followed by crescendos as he sings the title of the track, growing with each syllable of the word. Being a one-man set did not stop Jurken from capturing the minds of all attendees.
More people streamed into the venue during intermission, their excited anticipation turning into an eruption of cheers once A Beacon School took the stage. Besides Smith on lead, there was Patrick C. (or “young Pat”, as Smith joked) on guitar, Chase Wagner on bass, and Aidan Shepard on drums. The opening chords of “Fade in Nylon” from Cola filled the air, soon followed by Smith’s vocals perfectly blending with the instrumentation. “Jon”, a track from yoyo, was a seven-minute auditory journey. Named after a friend, Smith has said that for him, the song “always evoked New York at night.” The bass beats and synth rhythms added character to its electronic drone, building on this idea of a dark NYC flickering with lights. The guitars on “Dot” gave it a shimmering quality, with additional depth from Smith’s vocals. Some of my favorite lyrical moments had to be from “Ash”; as the audience swayed along in the beginning, Smith sang “It’s good to have a tether / It’s good to coexist” before transitioning into soft oohs. The song’s latter half is much grander in sound, perfectly accompanied by Smith again, singing “Won’t be forever / Nothing will I’m telling you / We’ll be together.”
Each song brought rolls of applause and cheers. Understandably, when Smith announced one song was left, a symphony of sighs escaped the audience members, who wished the evening’s close was far from sight. Smith spoke again, “One more song… wink,” leaving the crowd in raptures as the band jumped into one of my favorite Cola tracks, “It’s Late.”
From shoegaze to synthpop, the range of songs performed showed A Beacon School cannot be boxed into one musical niche, providing a rich concert experience. Though Chicago marks the second to last stop on their tour, concluding in Columbus on June 9th, both albums are available to stream, and you can keep up with their Instagram for future releases and shows.