Review by guest author Mary Icenogle.
From posting covers on YouTube seven years ago to her first headlining tour in the Gratitude Tour, Tiffany Day is just getting started. Singer/DJ/producer/songwriter Day has been touring across North America with Alex Porat on the first leg of the tour, but for her Chicago show, Day was the main attraction with no opener.
It was Friday night and the crowd was thrumming with excitement in Wicker Park staple, Subterranean. Fans mill around waiting for the show to begin in the familiar dim second floor room with checkered floors and an intimate, dimly lit set. Before the show, drummer Ross Murakami handles the merch table as the venue fills with fans endlessly trickling in after school and work for the early show. Murakami has joined Day since her first (mini) tour last spring, playing more than 30 shows together. When he isn’t touring as Day’s drummer, Murakami is a member of YIP YOPS, an experimental electronic music duo from Palm Desert, California. With 15 minutes to go before the show, Murakami heads up to the second floor of the Music Room and the crowd begins buzzing with excitement for what’s to come.
Tiffany Day wastes no time, taking the stage at 6:30pm on the dot. The stage goes dark and after a pause of silence and anticipation from the crowd, crashing electronics blare from the speakers. “Dreams Abt Optimism” blasts forward, a chaotic, high-energy track that sets the scene for the rest of the set. Day then seamlessly transitions into “Party W Out Me,” another track from her most recent EP, The Gratitude Project, before switching to “Calone, a leading single from an earlier project. The rest of the show features tracks from throughout her career, including a more chilled out poppy hit, “TWFNO,” and a true banger made for dancing and jumping around, “Spoiled Bitch.”
A 10-minute intermission with Day taking on her alternate persona Monolid gives the crowd time to let loose and lets Day show off her considerable DJ-ing talents, before continuing with her jam-packed hour-long set. The driving beat from Murakami on the drums keeps the energy high during hits like “If I Don't Text You First” (her most streamed song and a total crowd favorite) and “Heart to Heart in the Tattoo Parlor” (my personal favorite).
Aside from showcasing her singing chops, Day is also a self-taught guitarist. Her performances of “Nights W U” and “Hanna” gave her guitar-playing skills time to shine. Day had her first taste of virality in 2017 on Twitter by singing into a well in Italy on a school trip (yes, you heard that right), and after that, she’s hit the ground running and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
Keep up with Tiffany Day at @tiffdidwhat on social platforms and stay tuned for new music (or listen to her released projects) on all streaming platforms. Day will be on the Gratitude Tour until April 5 before traveling to Spain for Asian music festival, BUBBLEPOP, in the summer of 2023. She’ll be joining other big names like LeeHi and REI AMI.
This review and photos of Tiffany Day's performance at Subterranean are by guest author Mary Icenogle. You can see more of her photography at her website.