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I feel like I just got viciously thrown around in a mosh pit. Actually, that’s exactly what happened to me at the most recent Twin Peaks show, and despite a few bruises, I loved every thrown elbow of it. Chicago’s Twin Peaks can loosely be described as throwback garage rock, but should really be known as the glorious soundtrack for every new age teen who wants to relive the grimy days of the seventies.  Three local bands, The Liqs, Modern Vices, and Landmarks opened for them on the final day of Tomorrow Never Knows festival.

The Liqs played first. Musically, the performance was pretty much spot on. The flow was composed and there weren’t any hiccups in the set. The genre was a little different than the other bands that played, but the energy the band put out was much appreciated. The three piece is known for getting a little wild at the end of their set and this time proved no different, with a guitar almost being smashed and a bass being tossed into the crowd. The Liqs have a while to go, but it seems like they could pick up some good recognition.

Modern Vices, who seem to be following in Twin Peaks’ footsteps, put on a stunning performance. The self-proclaimed “dirty doo wop” band skirts around the typical garage rock sound, instead mixing it up a bit with Alex Rebek’s crooning vocals and dreamy tunes. Considering this was arguably the biggest show they’ve yet to play, I was extremely impressed with their composure and movement on stage.

With their slower, laid back sound, Landmarks was an oddball in the set. They didn’t do much for the audience and sounded like any generic indie band, and their set should have preceded The Liqs.

Twin Peaks shows are always crazy. Each time I see them, there’s more Doc Marten clad fans, wild stage antics, and a sea of crowd surfers. Twin Peaks encourage this, jumping around the stage madly while somehow gracefully avoiding knocking into stage equipment and each other.

Lead vocalist Cadien Lake James, kept the audience from delving into complete mayhem by switching from screeching notes to groovy psychedelic influenced “Mirror of Time”. Preventing the show from going into complete chaos while still captivating the crowd with an insanely lively personality is one of the band’s greatest talents. There’s toned down tunes like “Irene” during which fans can appreciate the astonishing music ability of the group while songs like “Making Breakfast”, penned by Clay Frankel, fill the cold void of Chicago winter with hot, danceable chords.

I have to admit, the absence of Jack Dolan, previous bassist for the group, did dampen my spirits, and this Metro show included a new setup for their show at the Metro, including a new bass player as well as a keyboardist. Luckily for avid fans though, despite the new members, it’s still the same band. With the new added instrument, Twin Peaks sounded full and just like the rock band Chicago loves.