Last week, I saw Superchunk play at Thunderbird. They are an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They formed in 1989, originally consisting of singer and guitarist Mac McCaughan, bassist Laura Ballance, Chuck Garrison, and Jack McCook. They have been releasing music and touring since, although the band now consists of Mack McCaughan, Jason Narducy, Jim Wilbur, and Laura King. McCaughan has been the longstanding vocalist and guitarist. Narducy and King are newer members- their latest album, Songs in the Key of Yikes (2023), is their first album on which King appears. 

For me, they are a very “Dad” band. The band and audience are a bit of an older crowd, but they still bring energy. 

I (unfortunately) missed most of the opener, Tee Vee Repairman. The Australian punk group sports a strong bassist, energetic vocals, and drums, and they look like they’re having fun on stage. This set the tone for the rest of the evening. 

Superchunk opened with Precision Auto, one of their most popular songs- they didn’t make you wait. They then played 3 songs from Songs in the Key of Yikes– Is it Making You Feel Something, Everybody Dies, and Bruised Lung. They shifted to some of their older music next, playing Detroit has a Skyline, Animated Airplanes Over Germany, and Iron On, from Here’s Where the Strings Come In (1995). Some other favorites they played were Nu Bruises, Me & You & Jackie Mittoo, Driveway to Driveway, and Slack. They gave a broad, energetic overview of their discography. 

Towards the end, they played multiple covers, starting with You’re a Bigger Jerk Than Me, a Karl Hendricks Trio classic, honoring the Pittsburgh band. They paid tribute to some of their influences, Sebadoh and Magnetic Fields, playing Brand New Love and I Don’t Want to Get Over You, respectively. 

It was a good show- the energy was high, and they played their hits and some great covers.