Say She She, with their soulful disco harmonies, stopped by Chicago’s Thalia Hall to share infectious melodies from Cut & Rewind and beyond. The trio – comprised of Sabrina Cunningham, Piya Malik, and a vocalist named Alicia who was filling in for Nya Gazelle Brown at this show – shared joy throughout the night while also giving fans an outlet to release any pent-up emotions surrounding the current state of the country.
“We’re so happy to be here. It feels more important than ever for us to be going around the United States of America right now. To be honest with you, it feels like we need to be out here protecting spaces like this. And when I say spaces like this. I mean spaces of joy,” said Malik early in the night before leading a venue-wide chant of ‘Fuck Ice.’” “It is so nice to know that we’re in a room with like-minded humans right now because that is not always a given, but we have these spaces for each other, with each other. The vibes are so strong tonight.”
The vibes were strong as the group, backed by a collection of funk-master musicians, swept through a setlist that began with “Collage,” “Forget Me Not” – which was all about audience participation – and “Disco Life.” The defiant yet breezy “Take It All” was another stand-out as was a stellar cover of Talking Heads’s “Slippery People” which absolutely brought the house down.
Earlier in the night, the Los Angeles artist Katzù Oso got the good times rolling playing songs like “Better With You” and “kiss you better,” the latter of which, Oso noted, is making the rounds on TikTok at the moment.
Oso also took time out to thank Say She She for bringing him and his band out on this leg of the trek, saying, “We’re super grateful they took us on this whole month-long tour with them and it’s been a party every night.”
When the going gets tough, the tough get going, but before getting back to the important work of resistance, it’s a good idea to recharge your soul with a night full of happiness, community, and music. And, that’s exactly what Say She She provided in Chicago.
Check out photos of Say She She below and click here to pick-up tickets to future tour dates. More information can be found at Saysheshe.com.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)