King Tuff & Sheer Mag in Chicago

King Tuff is the garage-rock project of American singer, songwriter and guitarist Kyle Thomas, who has also played in Witch and Happy Birthday. He debuted under the name with Was Dead, followed by albums including King Tuff, Black Moon Spell, The Other and Smalltown Stardust; “Bad Thing” and “Black Moon Spell” are among his best-known songs. King Tuff toured behind the 2012 self-titled album and performed at Pitchfork Music Festival that summer; the band appeared at Coachella the following year. Later tours supported Black Moon Spell and The Other in clubs and theatres, using a full electric-band lineup built around Kyle Thomas on guitar and vocals.

Sheer Mag are an American rock band formed in Philadelphia in 2014. Their guitar-heavy mix of hard rock, power pop and punk first appeared across a run of EPs, later collected as Compilation, before the albums Need to Feel Your Love, A Distant Call and Playing Favorites. Their best-known songs include “Fan the Flames,” “Nobody’s Baby” and “Expect the Bayonet.” Sheer Mag played Coachella in 2016 and crossed the Atlantic for Primavera Sound in Barcelona later that year. In July, the band also performed at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.