Day 1: Lady Gaga, Mavis Staples, The Black Keys and more more ›

Admittedly, we had a little pre-show skepticism about Hot Chip's sold out concert Monday night at the Riviera. Not only is the Riv a little too large for our taste, but also the British electropop act’s newest album, One Life Stand, wasn’t quite what we expected. Because it was unusually full of slow love ballads -- some too underwhelming compared to the cheeky, glitchy, emotionally-charged dance beats Hot Chip is known and loved for -- we feared the concert might be more like a high school slow dance than a wild dance party. more ›

Last night The xx were in town for a set of shows at Lincoln Hall. We were fortunate enough to catch the first of two sold out shows, and while the early 7 p.m. start time didn't quite feel right, we were excited nonetheless. The xx's path to success most readily reminds us of Phoenix, gaining most of their initial exposure through blogs fawning over the dreamy melodies and even dreamier vocals. What's even more impressive is that the band is younger than most of its listeners, having recently graduated from a high school with notable alumni Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. The xx quickly dashes any thoughts that they might be inexperienced or unwise--their debut LP xx sounds as refined as any work we've heard in a long time. So how does it translate on stage? more ›

Lady GaGa is far from the only queer-friendly musician coming to the Windy City this winter/early spring. Check out these recommendations for five very good, gay-ish live shows we're looking forward to in the coming months, including La Roux, Miike Snow and Tegan and Sara. more ›

"Today is special. It's our first time playing in Chicago," announced Oliver Sims, co-lead of British trio The xx partway through a whisper-soft set of selections from the band's much heralded 2009 debut. It was appropriately cold and pitch black in the cavernous Bottom Lounge as a packed house stood silently, welcoming the musical newcomers with their undivided attention. more ›

Special to Chicagoist from Sarah Cobarrubias more ›