MisterWives & Bishop Briggs Don’t Let Down The Shed

Ahhh, another sold out night at The Salt Shed. Where stale Flaming Lips confetti still shakes free from the rafters as MisterWives and Bishop Briggs make their co-headlining stop in Chicago on The Don’t Look Down Tour.

An ambient roar brings Bishop Briggs (Sarah Grace McLaughlin) to her mark atop the tallest stage platform. LED panels of electric fog lead us into the ‘Art Of Survival’, an intro truly befitting of her school girl demigod persona. A defiant anthem for all the self-filming, ADHDers out there (which might be everyone at this point).

“You guys came,” coos Briggs from a darkened stage before performing ‘Wild Horses’. A song that paints the picture of two untamed lovers that can’t seem to be broken. Her set is full of weighted distorted strums; crisp, clashing drums and snappy synth breaks.

Briggs closes with her hit, ‘River’, after a brief anecdote that involved a former Chicago crush and a bloody dental emergency.

MisterWives’ multi-tiered entrance wastes neither time nor space. Mandy Lee belts, ‘Out Of Your Mind’ from the center column, her leather clad legs firmly planted at the base of the tallest podium. Lee is a force of glittery grunge edge wrapped in a barbie bop. She’s surrounded by her obedient “misters” (that’s just what I call them), who make being subservient look sooooo cool. Their matching suits and little black ties, paying perfect contrast to Lee’s combo of flannel half-sleeves and Dr. Marten knee-high air-kicks nailing the transition between ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ to ‘rock bottom’.

Lee mirrors the cover of their latest album 'Nosebleeds’. Silhouetted in honeycomb light, staggered arrows in her back, feet dangling from a seat at a questionable height. During ‘Trip Around The Sun’, you can’t help but appreciate Lee as a true talent. She’s pitch perfect in every aspect while still bringing a vulnerability that makes you feel unique for liking the popular girl.

A Closing Note About The Opener:

Raffaella was the show opener, but I was late. So here is a Spotify rundown. My top of the top tracks? ‘BLONDE’. It would go well on a post-breakup playlist. It pairs well with that bit of lag time where you’re almost happier being alone and sad than you ever were with the person. Anyway, her latest EPs ‘LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (Act 1) and (Act 2)’ was released last year and is full of that nostalgic, adolescent sound that everyone seems to be striving for. What sets Raffaella above the rest is her sincerity, intimacy and emotional maturity. Check her out. She’s rad.

Notes From 4 Beers Deep:

Someone’s vape smells like AXE body spray and I am concerned.
Are Mandy’s sleeves flannel or plaid? I dunno the difference. Is it in design or material? Mandy, if you’re reading this, please let me know.
There was a little girl dancing on her parent’s shoulders during the Bishop Briggs performance. She called her “munchkin” and then preemptively apologized for cursing.
A saxophone solo…wait…MULTIPLE saxophone solos? Jesus. Michael Murphy fucks.

MisterWives/Bishop Briggs next head to Indianapolis on the The Don’t Look Down Tour to play the Old National Centre. MisterWives is touring their latest release ‘Noosebleeds’, and Briggs is currently touring her latest EP ‘When Everything Went Dark’. For tour and ticket information, click here.

Check out our full gallery from Friday’s show at Chicago’s The Salt Shed: