Make a scene Razzle Dazzle ‘Em: Punks, rockers and self-starters from Chicago

Like any sky-scraping, neon-lit, buzzing big-city, Chicago has permeated culture in pretty much every way possible. Urban architecture, baseball, gangsters, jazz, the word ‘dibs’, a musical named after it and best of all; DEEP-DISH PIZZAS (mmmmm). But in terms of razzlin’ dazzlin’ guitar music, Chicago seems to stick out like a sore thumb –and one that’s positively giving a Miley-Cyrus-foam-hand-sized thumbs up.

There’s something really unified about Chicago guitar music. It generally ain’t about arty chord changes or high-brow aesthetics. Instead, it’s about being young and carefree; cruising through the sonisphere with a strung-up Fender Jaguar and a load of booze and generally giving not a single fuck. The music’s messy, raw, down-to-earth and best of all; it’s hookier than New Order’s bassist going for a spot of fishing. In every sense of the word, it is vital; it is both essential listening and full of youthful vigour.

To paraphrase Chicagoan and cult celluloid hero Ferris Bueller; “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”; so let’s stop and look now at the best punks, rockers and slackers that Chi-Town has to offer.