Harvey Fox
Daydream Review
Space Gators
Sleeping Village
October 20th
Harvey Fox / all đź“· : Kyle Land
A core group of fans and friends turned up at Sleeping Village on Sunday to celebrate the release of Chicago rock outfit Harvey Fox’s second record Lullabies For The Restless, their first with local imprint Midwest Action. The crisp fall evening fell away as the fog pumped into the back room venue (so much fog!) creating a swampy atmosphere that fit the psych inspired jams of the evening like a hazy glove. Since opening last year Sleeping Village’s light shows get better each time we’re lucky enough to catch a show at the Avondale venue, and the flashy presentation during all three acts, accentuated by the endless amounts of stage fog, gave the whole night an arena rock vibe.
Our first experience with the classic 70s grooves of Space Gators made for a fitting start to the evening's festivities. With clear influences from British psych pop giants The Kinks and Small Faces, among others, this collective of local gents, fronted by Ryan Deffet (also of Faux Furrs), takes the iconic genre and adds some psych jam chops to make a stew of rock magic all their own. With only a few singles under their belt, Space Gators were trying out quite a bit of new material on the receptive crowd, who moved ever closer as the set opened up and a few of the tunes threatened to wander into the extended jams Faux Furrs are known for, though they quickly reined themselves back into the tight psych pop style. A debut record is on it’s way soon, and then they will unleash their full rock selfs upon Chicago.
Another first was taking in the psych wave of Daydream Review. If Space Gators represented a nod towards the 70s, Elijah Montez’s brainchild has a firm grasp on the drug fueled revolution of late 60s pop. With a dreamy vintage sensibility and the guitar chops to hang with the aura of reverb soaked nostalgia, Montez had along Kaitlyn Murphy on harmonies, Zac Bron (Breether) on synths and percussion, Jackson Davis holding down the low end, and Erick Black (Big Blood) gluing down the symphonic breeze to the earth on the kit. Impressively groovy, Daydream Review should be on everyones must see list, good thing they’re hitting Emporium Wicker Park on October 29th! Be there or be ⬜.
Framing the songs from the new record with a few fan favorites, Harvey Fox blew the lid off the room with their energetic performance of Lullabies For The Restless. Hook filled rock, with elements of indie, psych, folk, and straight up radio rock, these four cats (plus backing vocals from guest Annalee Hoosen) kept the set clicking along at all cylinders with bassist/guitarist Tom Garvey’s never stop moving approach, Drake Morey’s energetic melodies from his keys, and Dario Velazquez providing the back beat for the gears to go. Though the bands emotional centerpiece is clearly frontman Colin Fox, whose chameleon vocals can seemingly match any style. Look no further for an example of his talented modulations than highlight “Tonight We Live Forever,” as Fox stretches from pop smoothness to heavy rock howl in a matter of moments. Killing it from start to finish, Harvey Fox should be on the radar of every Chicago music fan, with their spirited genre blend, backed by their passionate performances.