$30 advance $35 day of show
Buy tickets in person (without fees) at the State Theatre box office Fridays 10am-5pm, or the night of any State Theatre show starting 1 hour before doors. Please note that ticket prices may fluctuate based on demand.
Whitney is a folk rock/Americana band from Chicago, formed in 2015 by guitarist Max Kakacek and drummer/vocalist Julien Ehrlich following the breakup of their previous band, Smith Westerns . Their music blends elements of folk, soul, and country, characterized by Ehrlich’s falsetto vocals and a nostalgic, summery sound.
The band’s debut album, Light Upon the Lake, released in June 2016, received critical acclaim for its warm tones and introspective lyrics. Their second album, Forever Turned Around (2019), continued their exploration of themes like love and friendship, further solidifying their place in the indie music scene. In 2020, they released Candid, an album of cover songs, showcasing their versatility and appreciation for diverse musical influences.
In 2022, Whitney released Spark, marking a shift towards a more classic pop sound while retaining their signature emotional depth. The band continues to evolve, captivating audiences worldwide with their heartfelt performances and timeless melodies.
Revered in their hometown of Chicago the Mayor of the city created a Whitney day to honour their contribution to the local music scene
Whitney has many international tours under their belt, performing at festivals like Lollapalooza Music Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Coachella Music Festival. They’ve also completed tours across Australasia boasting performances at Australia’s iconic, Laneway Festival. In Europe and the UK, they’ve played Primavera Sound, Green Man Festival, Iceland Airwaves, etc.
Melbourne/Naarm-based Folk Bitch Trio deliver a point of view as undeniable as their songs and voices. Here is a fresh, young band pulling from traditional forms: in their vocals, in their themes, in their songs’ compositional structures. The so-called “trad” isn’t hidden; the harmonies are rich and timeless. But what makes Folk Bitch Trio exciting is they’re unafraid to get a little scuffed up, to be funny, to take risks, to subvert the genre’s expectations and pull it into the present. The result is lively, layered and beautiful; thoughtful and playful in the right places; serious, but never humorless.
Folk Bitch Trio formed five years ago, and its members – Gracie Sinclair (she/her), Jeanie Pilkington (she/her) and Heide Peverelle (they/them) – have been largely inseparable since. “We have three individual voices,” they say, “but the story we tell is unified because our hearts are very melded.” Their music comes from the deep connection and collaboration that evolves between the three of them, encapsulating the growing pains they felt as people and a band in their early adult lives, touching on, as Heide says, “loss, fear, sex, rage, elation but most importantly love and laughs.”
The band showcase this during returning single “The Actor”, their first release for new label Jagjaguwar (Angel Olsen, Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten). It’s a song about “falling hard and fast and breaking down quick too”, they explain, through lyrics that “flow down from affectionate details you notice about someone when falling in love, fighting and fucking, and ultimately the demise of a relationship at your partner’s solo theatre play”. There’s honest, confessional storytelling delivered via their signature resplendent three-part vocals, laced with barbs, humour and in-jokes of shared experiences.
After a 2024 which saw the release of breakthrough single “God’s a Different Sword” and worldwide shows from SXSW festival to support slots for the likes of Alex G, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Julia Jacklin and Courtney Barnett, the band are currently readying their debut album, due later this year via Jagjaguwar.
