Dog Guitar, Electronic Mothership, Ten Til Dead
DOG GUITAR is a group of several local fREaKs bringing you queer punk chaos. Electric Mothership is a Chicago-made, Afrofuturist psych rock band inspired by Funkadelic. They merge heavy metal riffs with psychedelic themes, over the top visuals, and radically inclusive energy. Their music is a call to action—equal parts sonic assault and alien rave. Dubbed “fierceness of femininity” by AfroPunk, lead vocalist GoldGrrl is a living vortex whose voice sucks in anything within earshot. Electric Mothership builds immersive, techno-spiritual spaces with cutting edge lighting and original songs. They have performed at Museum of Contemporary Art, Book Club, and are artists-in-residence at University City Church. Also featuring Ten Til Dead
Moth Cock, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Naturalblkinvention, Support, Paige Naylor
Moth cock is Pat and Doug good friends who’ve been making a goofy brand of noisey jazz music for the past 20 years. Tasha’s Hideous Laughter is a freely improvised duo project consisting of friends Max Allison (Mukqs, Hausu Mountain) and Joey Meland (Cocojoey). Much like the project’s namesake D&D spell, they aim to stun audiences with uncontrollable laughter. Expect to be joyfully frozen in place by kaleidoscopic synth landscapes, piano improvisation, no wave breakdowns, operatic dreamscapes, shrieking hellscapes, and abundant sample chopping across a multi-act improvised set. The only rule is there is no rehearsal. We might get stunned too. Support (Nicole Alonso and Melon Sprout) disorients samples and field recordings into the furthest edges of their sonic origination. Bending and flexing sound sources into scintillating glitches, and oscillating throbs, Support weaves meaning through meticulously textural, rhythmic, and atmospheric explorations. Paige Alice Naylor is a Chicago-based experimental vocalist, sound artist. Through sound-making and performance, she investigates time, perception, the breakdown of language, and themes of death through electronically processed voice, multichannel sound installation, hardware electronics, tape loops, handmade electronics, and samplers. =RYN= will accompany with live analog video synthesis using glitch and video feedback to respond to sound. Also featuring Naturalblkinvention
Don Bloom, Authentic Pines, Poster Girl
DON BLOOM HAS BEEN STEADILY RISING IN THE CHICAGO MUSIC SCENE SINCE 2021, CARVING OUT A LANE WITH HIS CONSISTENT AND GENRE-BLENDING SOUND. RELEASING NEW MUSIC EVERY TWO WEEKS, HE’S BUILT A GROWING CATALOG THAT REFLECTS BOTH HIS CREATIVE RANGE AND RELENTLESS WORK ETHIC.A TRUE ONE-MAN POWERHOUSE, BLOOM WRITES, PRODUCES, RECORDS, MIXES, AND PERFORMS EVERYTHING HIMSELF. AS A MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST AND SONGWRITER, HIS MUSIC WEAVES BETWEEN INDIE, ALTERNATIVE, AND EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDS, ALWAYS PUSHING BOUNDARIES WHILE STAYING TRUE TO HIS VOICE.WITH MOMENTUM BUILDING AND A TOUR PLANNED FOR EARLY 2026, DON BLOOM IS PROVING THAT CONSISTENCY, VISION, AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY CAN GO A LONG WAY AND HE’S JUST GETTING STARTED. Authentic Pines is an Alt-Punk band from the Chicago area – They have been active since April 2017 and have amassed a local following for their intense live shows, hard-hitting punk tracks, and vibrant personas. Poster Girl is an alternative band weaving together the warmth of indie pop with the grit of 90s alternative and 2000s rock revival. Critics have drawn comparisons to Mazzy Star, beabadoobee, Clairo, Paramore, and The Cranberries, their songs mix shimmering melodies with moody guitar lines and lyrics that feel like late-night confessions. With equal parts playfulness and vulnerability, Poster Girl makes music that sounds like nostalgia reimagined for right now.
Man-Eaters, Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes, The Metric Ton, Nightfreak
Man-Eaters – Soft rock performed by hard men Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes – Garagey-punk! They might be excited cause we are silly colorful and total goofballs! The Metric Ton – A conglomerate of sounds from Cincinnati, Ohio, embarking on a celebratory tour of our latest album, Can’t It All Be So Simple? NightFreak – Blood, sweat, and beers. We play fast, loud, and frantic heavy metal tinged punk. We have a sold out LP on Big Neck Records and have toured a ton which has helped us build up a loyal following. We are known for our wild and energetic live shows! For fans of Annihilation Time, Motorhead, Gang Green also featuring Maneaters
French Inhaler, Side Hug, Kangaroo, JFK Healthworld
French Inhaler hail from Logan Square, Chicago. The trio play a blend of 80’s new wave synth-pop with a modern post-punk ethos. For fans of Joy Division, The Wedding Present,The Postal Service. On their debut album New Language, Chicago’s Side Hug encourages us to embrace change both in our lives and in their sound. Released on Easy Does It Records, it’s a bold reinvention of the band’s sound and spirit. The 10-track project is anchored in change — embracing it, surviving it, and emerging with clarity.New Language marks a sonic evolution for the band, moving beyond the nostalgic indie-folk of their earlier releases into the atmospheric textures of post-punk, shoegaze, and art rock. Produced by writing partners Allan Cardenas (guitar/bass/synth) and Lyd Landor (guitar/vocals), and engineered/mixed/mastered by Erik Rasmussen at Chicago’s Palisade Studios, the album is as raw as it is refined, fusing twinkling guitars, serrated basslines, and synth flourishes with emotionally resonant songwriting.“The album really focuses on this idea of change: accepting it, learning from it, and letting things go,” says Landor. “Things kind of suck right now, but they will get better. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”Following a string of transformations, from relationship upheavals to lineup shifts and newfound sobriety, Side Hug’s New Language mirrors personal growth with musical reinvention. The band crafts a new identity that’s moody, melodic, and defiantly hopeful. Kangaroo is a band of contrasts. They’re loud and noisy, but their songs are hyper-melodic and practically beg to be sung along to. They’re brain-pummeling rock and roll, but they tackle deeper subjects in their lyrics. They’re a punk band that has a nuanced view on religion and spirituality. Chicago’s JFKhealthworld blend shoegaze haze with emo heart, creating songs that are equal parts cathartic and catchy. Known for their choreography and Heelys, they bring sincerity and energy to every set. Fresh off their show with Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) and Emperor X, JFKhealthworld deliver a live experience that’s as heartfelt as it is unforgettable.
Javelin, Basement Party, Sattva Dog, Weaklung
Javelin – We are a noise rock/grunge band and this will be our first time at Coles! The Basement Party merges the raw high-end spirit of skate punk with smooth sun soaked vibes of surf rock Satvva Dog – Chicago Psych Punk Noise Weaklung is a loud noisy rock band who grabs you by the throat with guitars, and hits over the head like a sack of door knobs with thick bass. Drums will poke at you all night. Weaklung are from Chicago and sound like it.
Glad Rags, Cowboy Neal, Arm Candy
Glad Rags is a music collective from Chicago that blends chamber pop, psychedelic rock, new wave, electronica, and experimental jazz. Cowboy Neal is an energetic six-piece band from Chicago, IL. Bringing frenetic, diverse performances, you’ll hear music inspired by The Talking Heads, Fela Kuti, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Pom Poko, and black midi. Cowboy Neal has performed at many venues in the city: Bookclub, Beat Kitchen, Subterranean, the Burlington, and more! Come and dance with Cowboy Neal! Arm Candy is an energizing rock group that fuses ethereal, dynamic instrumentals with insistent, anthemic vocals. Like a sugar rush, Arm Candy is something you’ll crave again and again.
May + the Ladies, Basal Jones, Night Beach, Emily Rach Beisel
May Klug is a composer based in Minneapolis, MN. Her project May + The Ladies celebrates high-femme pop spectacle, drawing from her experimental synthesizer practice, past as a frontwoman in queercore bands, and deep love of house, bubblegum bass, and electroclash. Joined by Jared Hemming and Cleo Pupillo, this is May’s heartfelt, desperate, and misguided attempt to make extremely likable music. Basal Jones – I am a rap artist who has a taste for different sounds and cultures. This EP will include everything from a medieval bop to a crash course into the City Girl lifestyle. Night Beach is a 4-piece band playing creative indie songs about love, identity, and a life in common. FFO Elliot Smith, Parquet Courts, & Yo La Tengo. Expect new chords, sweet melodies, and seismic revelations on the nature of reality (DISCLAIMER: revelations not guaranteed) Emily Rach Beisel is known for visceral performances blending extended vocal and instrumental techniques with analogue electronics. Their works is described as “heavy stuff, sounds retrieved from the deeper places… Beisel pokes around in the sonic depths and brings leviathans out to play. (A Jazz Noise)”
Triplets of Gonzo, Zakary Extract, Beastii
Triplets of Gonzo began as a street performing act in Mexico, where Selinger Gonzo and Jess Northup first developed their guitar and vocal chemistry. After relocating to Chicago, they teamed up with drummer Todd Waters and pushed their sound into something more mature and expansive, a melding of early-2000s Chicago underground, 70s prog sprawl, and Latin-leaning rhythmic patterns. Their new EP Gift (recorded with Mike Lust) digs into that mix with intricate guitars, massive synth bass, razor-tight drums, and a powerful vocal presence that cuts through the chaos. Onstage, the compositions intensify as the band cranks up the energy, balancing a tight, dialed-in sound with Selinger’s magnetic stage presence. Zakary Extract is a singer-songwriter from Chicago Illinois making intricate, hand-crafted art rock. On his new full length record “Elsewheres,” Extract trades biting electric guitars for lush, ephemeral psychedelia. Beastii – Surfy moody grungy groovy garage pop
Big Chemical, Disaster Kid, Growing Boys
Big Chemical is a twangy indie rock band formed in Ann Arbor and currently based in Chicago. They take inspiration from The Band, Dear Nora, and The Replacements to bring a complex and high energy performance. Chicago Nostalgia rock trio Disaster Kid finds reflection at the core of their music. Packed together by vivid detail and passionate melodies, their cathartic indie rock sound is lined with lyrical storytelling which puts an emphasis to the mysticism in the mundane. Growing Boys, a folk and alt band, is the brainchild of two best friends whose harmonies are as tight as their bond.