REVIEW: BEACH BUNNY BRINGS THE POOL PARTY TO THALIA HALL
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY ALINA PAWL-CASTANON ☆
Vendor and artist Camile “coo.do” Estrada’s table
Beach Bunny ends the year with a bang with Pool Party on Ice Fest at Thalia Hall on December 28th and 29th in Chicago. Inspired by the 2016 EP of the same name, Pool Party made its debut at the Salt Shed in August of last year and has come back to amplify women and queer voices in music with electrifying performances.
Beach Bunny began as a solo project by lead singer and Chicago native Lili Trifilio, who’s indie-pop EP titled Animalism blossomed while attending classes at DePaul in 2015. Beach Bunny expanded into a full band in 2017, with the release of their song “Prom Queen” the following year putting them on the map and across international stages.
The sold out two-day music festival highlighted a wide range of artists, from local punk band Scarlet Demore and LA-based songwriter Caroline Kingsbury, to former Disney stars Aly and AJ and Beach Bunny themselves.
One of the most noteworthy moments during the festivities was when Trifilio joined Aly and AJ on stage to perform a song together in an emotional trio, causing a massive reaction from the crowd as AJ's belts radiated through the room.
While the performing acts made their way to the stage, vendors set up shop on the second floor to promote the variety of talents that Chicago has to offer. On one side of the room, pool party themed temporary tattoos and disposable cameras were offered from Cry Baby Tattoo shop in Thalia’s neighborhood in Pilsen and Constant Agitation local film lab. On the other side, local coffee shop Katherine Anne Confections had an array of hot chocolate and marshmallow goods.
Artist and performer Camille Estrada stood proudly showcasing her vast “Coo.do” creations, helping concert goers assemble their own keychains out of handmade charms. When she’s not making clay and animated work, Estrada is performing in local band Calico Plaid.
Estrada said that Beach Bunny is everything that's right about the local music scene.
“They’re giving back to the community and supporting Chicago artists and businesses.” Estrada said.
Pool Party on ice wasn’t just a reminiscence of warmer days during the cold and somber holiday season. It's an event that offers a space to celebrate artists at all different levels of their careers; from supporting Morgan Power’s second show as a band and Aly and AJ’s resurgence as a Christian Rock duo, to the creatives in between that brought the love and energy that made Beach Bunny’s vision a reality.
Saturday, December 28th.
Hank Heaven’s performance was an intimate stand alone act full of bedroom poppy influences and storytelling lyrics that dances on the boundaries of dreamy imagination and reality. Performing songs from their debut EP Matchstick, Hank delivers a conversation of yearning and loneliness to the audience in between the swells of isolated synth. With songs like “Reno” and “Plan 2”, Hank showcases their folk-indie influences, creating a twangy harmony between the upbeat guitar and their vocals.
They take a moment to tell a touching story of how they and Beach Bunny vocalist met, before barking at the audience. The crowd, pausing from their soft swaying, barked back.
LA-based songwriter Caroline Kingsbury is a whirlwind of 80’s nostalgia with a modern rock twist. Bedazzled handset at her side, Kingsbury dominates the stage in swirls of purple and pink, electrifying the audience with powerful show stopping belts and playful crowd banter. The performance explored Kingsbury’s killer debut album Heavens just a flight, her alto tone carrying the depths of heartbreak, longing, and the complicated feelings of loss within a neon haze. As her voice swelled over the electric instrumentals, the crowd put their hands in the air and swayed for the ethereal heart jerking performance of “Kissing someone else”. Kingsbury not only crosses genre lines but redefines them within her sound to create an unforgettable set.
Honey Revenge brought the energy to Thalia Hall. Opening with their single Recipe for Disaster, the group hits the ground running with choreographed dances, high kicks and strong paramore-esque sound. Voices swelled as the vocalist twirled to the thrilling guitar, darting back and forth across the stage as they interacted with the crowd.
With big smiles, the La pop rock band dove into their 2023 album Retrovision, filled with strong rhythms and poppy electric undertones, the lyrics explore themes of self reflection and criticism that rises above the upbeat instrumentals.
A decorative blow up heart graces the stage as Beach Bunny closes Pool Party day one with an anticipated hour long set of classic hits that got the crowd into a frenzy. With lyrics that have a poetic essence of growing pains and self reflection, paired with the dancing upbeat instrumentals, the influences of pop enmeshed with the foundations of rock and indie elements ring through the energetic breakdowns. Lead singer Lili Trifilio effortlessly banters with the audience, asking to sing along to songs like “Clueless” and taking a moment to get the crowd prepared before diving in.
As the night starts to come to an end, Beach Bunny maintains the energy, debuting their new unreleased song “Tunnel Vision” as the crowd is revived to a boiling point.
Sunday, December 29th.
Morgan Powers breaks open Pool Party day two with a tranquil set to mark their second show together as a band. An orange Kirby is carefully placed on an amp before leading into the first song. With soft vocals and melodic instrumentals, the crowd lightly sways as the guitar slides into a twangy resonance. The folky undertones and elegiac lyrics pull influence from the bug collectors' tender tone.
Local band Scarlet Demore is a punch of feminine rage you didn’t know you needed. The gut wrenching screams and ascending vocals paired with exciting guitar and gritty energetic rhythms makes for a thrilling performance that maintains its stamina throughout. The crowd is itching to mosh as Scarlet Demore pour into their recent EP Baby Teeth, exploring the emotional arches of stolen innocence, mental health, and manipulation.
Near the end of their set, they perform their new song “Ticket to Heaven” that sends waves through the audience as the band plays the opening notes. With hard hitting rock influences, soft vocals and brain scratching guitar, it pulls back into the bands earlier punk influences while making room for a developing sound.
Rafaella is a powerhouse of blunt honesty through angelic vocals and soft poppy instrumentals. The crowd sways to the beat as Rafaella pulls from her new EP Live, Raff Love (Act 2) exploring different waves of indie pop influences with matter of fact lyrics emitting heartbreak and self realization. There is an ethereal childlike wonder to her performance as she moves. Sweeping across the stage, she embodies a graceful marionette, creating bends and arching into a point throughout the performance that had the audience transfixed.
Beach Bunny came in stronger than ever for their second performance on Sunday, playing a mixed set of old and new songs to get the crowd riled up. The band seemed more confident this time around, with members taking advantage of the stage to dance and powerful belts from the vocalist that got the audience on the balcony standing up for more. As the audience were screaming the lyrics back, the smiles from the band members could be seen from across the venue.
Aly and AJ brought the tired crowd back to life as they closed out the Pool Party on ice festivities. Guitars in hand, they start the show with a statement of appreciation before performing an emotional set, pulling from their most recent albums such as “With love From” and “A touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun.” Giving fans a wide fusion of genres, to country with folk influences to indie bedroom pop.
Towards the end of the night, Aly and AJ perform their single “Siren” and take a moment to connect with the audience about the sisters' shared experience of gun violence while on tour, leaving the once buzzing crowd transfixed. A single “I love you!” pierced from the silence from a concert goer, earning a smile from the duo.
The set ended with an alternative version of their 2007 song “Potential breakup song.” With Aly playing the keyboard and AJ on the mic.
For many of those in attendance, this last act was a way to relive the last inkling of our childhoods that are now long past. For some, it instilled a newfound appreciation for what the sisters called a “second chance” to develop their sound in the music industry.
With Beach Bunny’s Pool Party on Ice Fest closing its doors Sunday night, those in attendance leave with the feeling of being a part of a piece of newfound music history. While the festival is still young, the event leaves the local Chicago music scene exciited to see what's in store for women and queer artists in this vibrant community.
