“You’re an artist,” Hannah Hooper insisted as the crowd cheered in response. She was arguing, mid set at Grouplove’s sold out show at The Van Buren on Saturday night, how you’re an artist if you make art. Simple as that. Full time, part time, even if nobody sees your art. And that’s what saved Grouplove, the ability to create and have an outlet through the many seasons of life.
It’s the direct answer to the name of the tour: Rock & Roll You Won’t Save Me. But the five-piece certainly brought the energy of a proper rock show and reminded us they’re part of the conversation when discussing who has made the greatest impact on the alt rock genre.
But first: Bully. She was just at Innings Fest with a full band but pared down the extras for this tour and played a solo singer-songwriter set to open the show. With little more than her guitar, her voice shone on songs like “Lose You” and “Days Move Slow.”
Then, Grouplove kicked it into gear. After “Come Together” played over the venue’s sound system, the band emerged for “Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten,” “Primetime,” and “Deleter” to kick off their set. Hannah and Christian bounded all over the stage, and fans were dancing along with them.
Though Grouplove is technically touring on last year’s I Want it All Right Now, they know how beloved their debut album is — even 13 years later — and drew mostly from it for their Phoenix set. (The setlist varies from night to night, and Christian informed us there’s a fan-run discord server that posts updates in real time during the shows.) That meant singing along to “Spun” and “Itching on a Photograph” and the modern classic, “Tongue Tied.” It also meant the band got to joke when they played newer songs that they “have to sneak them in somewhere.”
After a short story about the making of “Colours,” and how it was the jumping off point for the band, the group played the song to close the show. The journey through Grouplove’s catalog showcased how they’ve always been unapologetically a little weird, and that’s a good thing. Because, as discussed, they’re making art. And it’s never gone unappreciated.
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Story and photos by Taylor Knauf
