Written by Audio Content Editor, Kacie Fuller
When Anthony, a fellow KJHK DJ and staffer, and I showed up to The Bottleneck to see Vermont-based indie rock band Sir Chloe, the first thing we noticed was the fact that we didn’t recognize a single person. The venue was fully sold out, meaning surely we should have seen someone; the avid concertgoer, the regular to every house show, that one person from class, but alas. No one.
We started to ask around and that’s when we found out a large number of people had driven up to eight hours to see Sir Chloe live in Lawrence. We also learned that this was a lot of people’s first concert, meaning that dozens of shows had come and gone and they had chosen to go to this show above all others and drive the distance, which is a pretty impressive pull.
Lille Venn, a Norwegian pop-punk band, opened for Sir Chloe. I don’t think openers get enough credit as is, but certainly not Lille Venn. Lille Venn had a wonderful stage presence and, despite the fact that it seemed the crowd didn’t know who they were initially, by the end of it they had the entire crowd dancing and singing along. They encouraged folks to look out for one another and started up an Olivia Rodrigo sing-along to get those who were still nervous to join in with something more familiar. Curating this positive environment while instilling concert etiquette into an audience is key to newcomers’ continued enjoyment of concerts as a whole, and on top of that? Their music is great! I haven’t had that much fun with an opener before, which is why they have a significant portion of this review dedicated to them. Not to mention how sweet they were to fans during the after-show meet and greet. When we spoke to people during the intermission a lot of folks were extremely impressed by Lille Venn, again, a sentiment I don’t hear often involving openers. Overall just a wonderful and talented group of people. If you’re into pop-punk or international bands, please take the time to check out Lille Venn.
When Sir Chloe finally made their appearance on stage, the crowd was already so excited that I noticed a couple of folks getting emotional, turning away from the stage in order to collect themselves. Sir Chloe’s lead, Dana Foote, brings an intimidating energy to the stage that makes one feel like they’ll miss out on something big if they look away for a single second which had everyone pulled in from the start.
Sir Chloe performed a mix of fan favorites like Michelle, Cake, Too Close, and Sedona, as well as lesser-known songs from previous albums. Rewarding die-hard fans for their knowledge, while keeping more casual listeners equally entertained. Foote has phenomenal stage presence; standing right on the edge of the stage to loom over the audience or even jumping into the crowd. Twice. Which, on one hand, stressed me out from a safety perspective, but from an audience perspective, it was cool as hell. Thankfully, both times they pulled themselves back onto the stage without incident. Overall, the performance was amazing. I think I could’ve been there for three more hours and still had just as much fun.
After what must have been an exhausting set, Sir Chloe gathered around their merch table to meet fans. I appreciate Dana Foote’s patience and kindness as Anthony and I fumbled our way through the conversation once we did finally meet her, she’s very cool and it scared us. We’ll work on it. Anyway, I can’t think of a single thing that was bad or unenjoyable, it was just a really good time overall.
In closing, even if you have no idea who either of these bands are, if they pass through a town you’re in, I’d 100% recommend going. The energy is great, the music is great, and if it’s your first concert you’re in very capable hands. I sincerely hope they both come back to Lawrence sometime soon.