TOPS / Sean Nicholas Savage

Doors: 730PM // Show: 830PM

$16 // 21+

TOPS

“Last spring when all our tours got cancelled most of us ended up in Montreal and we spent the summer writing and recording some new songs. The song we’re sharing today - “Party Again” - seemed too appropriate to not use it to announce our rescheduled dates. The song is about missing someone that you only see when you go out”, says TOPS about their latest single.

TOPS were formed in Montreal when song-writing duo David Carriere and Jane Penny decided to join forces with drummer Riley Fleck. Since then they have become one of the most influential underground bands of the past decade, creating a space for sophisticated pop music in the indie world.

Their tendency to opt towards making straight-forward, stripped down and honest recordings lets their pop songwriting shine out in the open. With a heart firmly attached to their sleeves, their songcraft delves into the emotional intricacy of personal relationships, asking questions about power and desire. Riley Fleck’s measured drumming and David Carriere’s trademark guitar licks mesh with Marta Cikojevic’s lush keyboards. All these elements work in tandem and in service of Jane Penny’s unmistakable, wistful voice.

The result of this mixture is a collection of four self-produced records and a handful of singles that cover a range of moods and a complex emotional realm while maintaining a groove and musicality. Soft rock infused pop hits flow easily, surrounded by their signature moody ballads.

SEAN NICHOLAS SAVAGE

A prolific emotional songwriter, and avant garde live performer, SEAN NICHOLAS SAVAGE came out of the thriving Montreal underground scene with a multitude of releases throughout the last decade. The latest, 2020's Life Is Crazy, is a set of piano-led lyric heavy ballads, which takes a turn towards chamber or chanson music.

Extensive tours in Europe and around the world, along with strikingly raw and minimal live shows, have brought Savage a cult status and fan base. Sentimental, like a misty romantic drama that makes you long for a life you never lived and yet understand to your soul, Savage’s repertoire is packed with beauty, wonder and hope.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western Avenue, Chicago, United States