grandson (w/ Royal & The Serpent, Nova Twins) Gets Loud at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge [Photos]

grandson’s “Death Of A Tour” made one of its last stops with a sold-out show at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge on Sunday.

Having made their way across the pond from London, England was opening band Nova Twins. An urban punk/rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South, the band kicked the night off with a bang as they played “Bullet,” “Undertaker,” and “Taxi” off of their 2021 debut, Who Are The Girls? They also threw in a few newer songs including “Cleopatra” and “Antagonist.”

The theme of badass women in rock continued as Royal & The Serpent were next on stage. Royal & the Serpent (also known as RATS) is the creation of LA-based singer/songwriter Ryan Santiago, whose mix of hyperpop and experimental alt-rock has quickly gained her a following—evident in the number of fans singing along to her opening songs “i can’t get high” and “GO PHUCK YOURSELF.”

RATS’ set was a good mix of new tracks from her 2022 release IF I DIED WOULD ANYONE CARE, such as “PHUCKBOI REJECTS,” “BETTER,” and “ALT B!TCH POSER.” Fans were also treated to a special sing-along cover of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, as well as RATS’ newest track “happier in hell,” which will be released on April 8th.

grandson fans, or as grandson likes to call them, his “grandkids,” were decked out for the occasion in suits, ties, and Xs on their eyes as they waited for him to take the stage. The pseudonym of Canadian/American artist Jordan Benjamin, grandson is a mix of rock and roll, hip-hop, and electronic music with a focus on personal and relatable lyrics.

This couldn’t be more evident than in grandson’s latest release, Death Of An Optimist, in which grandson is the protagonist with an unrelenting optimism for change; who in turn creates his antagonist “X” with opposing views in order to explore personal anxieties and political realities.

grandson began his set in his normal persona, dressed in a black t-shirt and dark pants—choosing to open with songs “6:00,” “Darkside,” and “Overdose.” And in true rock fashion, grandson never stayed still as he jumped around the stage and treated fans to more tracks with “Dirty,” “Bury Me Face Down,” and “Rain;” before stripping things down to an acoustic version of “The Ballad of G and X.”

The transformation of grandson to “X” began as he left the stage and returned as “X,” dressed in a suit, tie, and with Xs on his eyes.

“X” is substantially more erratic than grandson as he performs “Identity,” “WWlll,” and “Despicable” before diving into the crowd to surf his way back to the stage. Once there, “X” chose to close the show with “Stigmata” and “Blood // Water.”