Horsegirl live at High Noon Saloon, Madison WI (Aug 4th, 2025) [complete set]

In my previous post here on the YouTubes (Snail Mail) I mused about how there seem to be all these talented young people making very compelling music. And if there is yet another young band that deserves a similar treatment, it's gonna be Chicago's Horsegirl. Man, do I love this freaking band... Now, the current age of the three members of Horsegirl in 2025 is between 20 and 22. I first saw them live 3 years ago, when they were touring behind their debut album 'Versions of Modern Performance' (which is quite possibly the favorite album of 2022 at indie_music_travels HQ), out on the legendary Matador records. So, you do the math. Horsegirl's backstory is pretty cool, as Nora (guitars & vox), Penelope (guitars & vox), and Gigi (drums) essentially met while still in high school through a youth music program. So instead of forming a roving gang of violent young offenders, the members of Horsegirl decided to create a band that vitamixed a range of musical influences (indie, punk, shoegaze, and all the rest of the good stuff) into a really powerful sound. But Horsegirl's musical diet goes beyond the usual suspects. Their episode of "What's in my bag" in the Amoeba Records channel shows just how daring their musical tastes really are. In any case, although hailing from Chicago, members of the band have relocated to NYC to attend school. And in between that and touring and playing shows, they finally got around to recording and releasing a new album, 2025's 'Phonetics On and On'. I'm not going to lie, their first album was such an intoxicating maelstrom of equal parts dissonance and captivating melody that it could easily give rise to the dreaded sophomore jinx. So I was a little nervous as the first couple of songs for the new album started to emerge. They were not bad, just "different". Whereas their first album was heavily influenced by Sonic Youth's guitar snarl at their melodic best, by Stereolab's cool vocals, the new material had a more minimalist vibe a la Velvet Underground. But really, I had nothing to worry about. The thread running through both albums is Nora and Penelope's vocal harmonies, which remain as haunting and lovely as ever. But as a band, all three members have embraced the power of the more minimalist approach. Gigi, whose fiery drums propelled the band in the first album, is not afraid to simplify to Mo Tucker territory on some tracks. Overall, the songs have plenty of negative space, the guitars are cleaner, the melodies simpler and reminiscent of childrens' songs. The album as a whole is just fabulous, so soon as news emerged of a summer tour here in North America, like a heat-seeking missile, I zeroed in on target dates for a little road-trip. On August 4th, 2025 I was lucky to catch Horsegirl on the first date of the tour at High Noon Saloon in Madison WI. Due to its proximity to Illinois, some of Nora's family was in attendance and I was able to talk to her rockin' granny for a bit!!! I honestly could have used a longer show, with the band playing both albums in their entirety. But hey, I'm a selfish glutton. So much so that I saw them on the following night in Minneapolis as well... Enjoy the show! #livemusic #2025 #horsegirl Official Website: https://horsegirlmusic.com On Insta:   / horsegirlmusic   On X: https://x.com/musichorsegirl On FB:   / horsegirlmusic   On Matador: https://matadorrecords.com/pages/arti... The Setlist 00:00:00 (Opening Credits) 00:00:40 (The band takes the stage) 00:01:22 Where’d You Go? 00:03:17 Switch Over 00:06:29 Option 8 00:10:10 Well I Know You’re Shy 00:13:57 Information Content 00:20:08 Rock City 00:24:49 Julie 00:29:33 In Twos 00:35:11 Sport Meets Sound 00:39:35 I Can’t Stand to See You 00:42:21 Anti-glory 00:45:49 2468 00:49:52 (End Credits)