Live Music: Omni
The Hideout in Chicago, IL
By Kayla Thornton
Cigarettes.
The day was over. After an exhaustive day of making iced vanilla lattes, I was feeling as bitter as a bad shot and in need of a pack of cigarettes. So cigarettes I bought, making my way over to the show of the night. The Hideout is a peculiar place in that it is just that: a hideout located in the downtown of Chicago. Who knew your favorite neighborhood patio paradise was near a not so yellow brick road of questionably dark streets? I didn’t, but it was magical, intimate in its feel of a small family gathering.
Not many know of Omni, but when you do you throw in your moral support like the proud big brother [you aren’t]. The band Omni has been throwin’ out post punk licks over the last year, yet it was only in the last few months that I fell in love with their electric vibe. With the anticipation of a child eating ice cream on a hot summer day, this was it. My fellow smoker of a friend and I relaxed on the the patio, cigs in hand, when a guy approached us with the hopes of bumming a cigarette: Phillip, bass player and vocalist of Omni. As he took a cigarette he sat down and joined us as we talked casually from everything about his band to the ups and downs of slinging ‘spro. From there we went inside and danced our way through their set, with an occasional photo here and there. They played classic songs such as “Afterlife” and “Earring,” along with many new tracks from their up and coming record to be released in September.
The summer night air was sweet, filled with contentment upon a fulfilled night; we parted ways smoking one last cigarette and a few polaroids for me and the boys. Listen to Omni, friends, and maybe keep a cigarette or two on you. You never know when you’ll need ‘em.
