By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
June 1, 1992
A huge stars-and-stripes banner emblazoned with the Arabic numeral “1” and “Material Issue” served as a not-so-subtle backdrop for the Chicago trio when it kicked off a national tour over the weekend with concerts at the Oak Theatre.
If there were any doubts that Material Issue actually warranted a No. 1 plug, they weren’t on Jim Ellison’s mind as he confidently led his group through a tight, familiar set, where punk-fused instrumentation set the stage for bittersweet pop melodies.
In the first of two consecutive sold-out shows Friday night, Material Issue split their set list between songs from the group’s debut, “International Pop Overthrow,” and its followup, “Destination Universe.” Much of their music relies on the same basic chord changes and swirling choruses, but the band delivers them with a frenetic energy that still escapes their recordings.
Mike Zelenko beat his drums with such ferociousness his sunglasses almost slipped off his nose several times. Bassist Ted Ansani played a laid-back second fiddle to Ellison, but when he sang his heartbreaking harmonies, it was clear he had a lead voice.
But it is Ellison who writes the group’s love songs that succinctly capture the pain, passion and spitefulness of teenage lust (“I would like to tell the very first lie”). He sometimes assumes that young fans automatically will relate to his own visions: “I want a man with lips just like Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart’s hair and Keith Richards’ stagger/That’s what girls want.” Yeah, maybe girls from the ’70s. Today’s teenagers probably would identify more with names like Mike Edwards, Charlie Sexton and Tim Burgess.
The four-man British group Veldt opened the show with a stunning 22-minute set. Daniel Chavis has a gently wailing voice that is an expressive hybrid of U2’s Bono and the Cure’s Robert Smith. With twin brother Danny’s jangly guitars layered over the vocals, Veldt’s music takes the best elements of hip hop, punk and soul to create a new sound that is vaguely familiar, but worthy of another visit.
