Grand Duchy topped off day one of Wicker Park Fest Saturday night with a headlining slot on the North Stage. Unfortunately, the performance was a bit marred by technical difficulties, with sound check issues keeping the show from starting on time and forcing the band to cut the set a bit short to be done by 10 p.m. Even so, husband and wife duo Black Francis and Violet Clark, along with Jason Carter on drums and a very pregnant keyboardist named Silver Sorensen (you don't see a lot of pregnant women on stage at rock and roll shows, it was pretty awesome), delivered a very enjoyable set of their new wave-inspired rock.
The band played seven out of the nine songs on their debut album, Petits Fours, with highlights being the pulsing, intense "Long Song," the melodic pop gem "Ermesinde" and the incredibly catchy single, "Lovesick." Clark's girlish, expressive voice is well suited for this sort of material and sounds great paired with her husband's. It's too bad time didn't allow them to play "Black Suit," which is the only track on the LP that finds Black Francis making full use of his familiar scream-singing, but for being able to catch a thoroughly fun set on a beautiful July night for only $5, who can complain?
The setlist went something like this:
Come on Over to My House
A Strange Day (Cure cover)
Threshold Apprehension (Black Francis solo track)
Lovesick
Ermesinde
The Long Song
Fort Wayne
Break the Angels
Volcano!
Here are some more photos from the show:
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Yeah, this was a fun show but it was such a short set
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