Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago, IL — August 28, 2024

Psych-pop rock band, Glass Animals landed at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island in Chicago for the first of two nights on their Tour of Earth 2024 on Wednesday. Their fourth and newest album, a retro space concept album centered on love, I Love You So F****** Much, was released on July 19th. The stage was set up as a spaceship with an octagonal UFO-esque overhead structure, elaborate control panels behind the band, and piles of space rocks to the sides. Before the show started, a pineapple was placed among the space rocks (a longtime fan favorite reference to the line “pineapples are in my head” from the song, “Pork Soda”). Band members Dave Bayley, Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward then emerged, spanning the large stage.

The British group, comprised of four friends since school, has been active for over a decade and cultivated a passionate and wide-ranging fanbase across album releases. While some fans arrived with the ubiquity of “Heat Waves,” others have been along for the ride since ZABA.

Starting with “whatthehellishappening?” and closing with their sleeper hit “Heat Waves,” the band rocked out with high energy and whimsical visuals—rhythmic glitchiness, TV static hallucinations, a blowfish conducting diagnostics on human interactions, a psychedelic Rorscach test, and more. Each album that Glass Animals has released circles a certain vibe and concept that on its face can feel sonically disparate. On tour, the band plays songs from across their discography, making it all make sense with their charming energy and captivating world-building. There is an underlying dream-like quality to everything, from their idiosyncratic lyrics to Bayley’s frequently falsetto voice. The band still has over a dozen dates on the US leg of the tour including two nights at Red Rocks. Then, in October, the UK pop group is headed on their UK/EU run followed by four shows in Australia.

Words & Photography: Anson Tong