Girl Tones Bring High-Energy Alt-Rock to the House of Blues Chicago
Article by Liliah Teniente
Alternative rock sister duo Girl Tones with a minivan and dream played on a rainy Thursday night at the House of Blues Chicago. The Kentucky-based duo consists of guitarist/vocalist Kenzie Shultz, and Laila Crowe on drums. The duo recently released their single, “Volcano,” which made an appearance in their set and highlighted their rock sound. Girl Tones wasted no time grabbing the crowd’s attention. While being an opener for Peter McPoland, they set the mood right with their major stage presence and high-energy sound which shut off the gloomy weather outside.
When Girl Tones stepped onto the stage, colorful lights hit the crowd as the sisters proved that they are enough to command a room. They began their set with, “Got It” leading the song with a chant led by Kenzie to get the crowd engaged. This response immediately pulled the audience in, turning the first moments on stage into an interactive experience. As the song continued, Kenzie's vocals and guitar riffs blended with Laila’s precise drumming, creating a full sound that filled the venue despite the duo’s minimal setup. From the start, you can clearly see the chemistry between the sisters by observing Kenzie’s confidence moving around on stage with Laila holding down the momentum behind the drum kit.
Girl Tones continued this energy into their next song, “Burnout.” They used the lighting and the audience’s strong atmosphere to their advantage. The flashing vivid lights matched the intensity of the music while the crowd started to fill in closer to the stage, with fans jumping and feeding off the duo’s high-energy performance.
Later on in the set, Girl Tones had some playful banter with the crowd during the song “Fade Away” by stopping the music if the crowd wasn't clapping enough and they actually stuck to their words. The sisters addressed the crowd about their energy, but everyone quickly caught on and responded back with louder claps and cheers. This moment created a lighthearted interaction that made this performance more personable. With the crowd fully energized again, Girl Tones jumped right back into their performance and carried the momentum through the rest of their set.
Before closing out the set, the sister-duo shared a simple, but meaningful message, encouraging fans to “start acting like yourself” and to let the “music speak for itself.” This message felt fitting for the band whose performance was filled with authenticity and raw energy. Girl Tones closed out their set with the song “Again.” This final track carried the same high energy that defined the rest of the performance, with Kenzie’s powerful vocals and Laila’s steady drumming pushing the song forward.
As the final notes and goodbyes entered the stage, the audience responded back with loud cheers and applause, clearly impressed by their high confidence and energetic performance. Girl Tones’ stage presence and strong chemistry left the audience with a memorable start to the night before the headliner took the stage.
