Friko Announces SXSW Schedule + Upcoming Spring Tours
Today, Chicago band Friko — vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger — shares a new live video for “Crashing Through” from their debut album, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here (out now on ATO Records), and announces new tour dates across North America this spring with Water From Your Eyes, Willis, and Mind’s Eye. Filmed at Treehouse Records in Chicago by Alex Basse, the video captures the band’s infectious energy in a live setting. Kapetan’s vocals and distorted guitar is highlighted by Minzenberger’s bombastic drumming, as the song’s “harmonics embrace the untapped, energetic potential of a live show” (Paste).
Since its release last month, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here has been warmly received with glowing reviews and features from Pitchfork, SPIN, Alternative Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Paste, UPROXX, FLOOD, Relix, and more. Over the weekend the band headlined the 1,000 capacity Metro in Chicago to celebrate the new album. Yesterday, NPR Music’s All Songs Considered podcast featured album standout “Get Numb To It!,” a track that has also received playlisting from Apple’s UNTITLED, Matt Wilkinson’s playlist, Spotify’s New Music Daily, New In Indie, New In Rock and more! Influential radio stations WXRT, SiriusXMU, KUTX, WYMS, and KCMP are also spinning the record.
Ahead of the band’s forthcoming tour dates with Water From Your Eyes, Willis, and Mind’s Eye, Friko will trek down to SXSW for showcases with South by San Jose, Luck Reunion, KROX, Waterloo, KUTX, Paste, and more!
Watch the Live Video for “Crashing Through”
An essential new addition to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transform every song into a moment of collective catharsis. Formed in 2019, Friko soon began taking the stage at legendary Chicago venues like the Metro, Empty Bottle and Schubas Tavern, self-releasing their acclaimed debut EP Whenever Forever in 2022 and making their festival debut at Bonnaroo the following spring. Known for their high-energy live show, Friko aim to deliver a live experience that’s fantastically disorienting in its emotional arc. Mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Big Thief) and engineered by Jack Henry and Scott Tallarida, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here embodies a sonic complexity befitting of a band that names Romantic-era classical music and the more primal edges of art-rock among their inspirations. Friko hopes that their music’s emotional potency might have a galvanizing impact on audiences.
Purchase Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
Watch Friko’s “Where We’ve Been” Video
Watch “Crashing Through” Video
Watch “For Ella” Video
Watch “Crimson to Chrome” Lyric Video
Listen to Friko’s “Get Numb To It!”
Friko Tour Dates (New Dates in Bold):
Sun. Mar. 10 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Midwest House Showcase at Half Step (8 PM)
Tue. Mar. 12 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Waterloo in-store (3 PM)
Wed. Mar. 13 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ PASTE Magazine at High Noon (12:40 PM)
Wed. Mar. 13 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ South by San Jose (5 PM)
Thu. Mar. 14 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ KUTX Live at Scholz Garten (9 AM)
Thu. Mar. 14 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Luck Reunion (3:20 PM)
Fri. Mar. 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ KROX at Inn Cahoots (2 PM)
Fri. Mar. 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ SOHO House (Members Only) (5:30 PM)
Sat. Mar. 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Winspear and Pond at Cheer Up Charlie’s (1:30 PM)
Sat. Apr. 6 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls &
Sun. Apr. 7 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch &
Tue. Apr. 9 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake &
Thu. Apr. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy &
Fri. Apr. 12 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall &
Sat. Apr. 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made &
Sun. Apr. 14 – Washington, DC @ Atlantis &
Tue. Apr. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl &
Wed. Apr. 17 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings &
Fri. May 3rd – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s *
Sat. May 4th – Lincoln, NE @ Lincoln Calling Festival
Mon. May 6th – Memphis, TN @ Growlers *
Tue. May 7th – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic *
Wed. May 8th – Oklahoma City, OK @ Resonant Head *
Fri. May 10 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive *
Thu. May 16 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room %
Fri. May 17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Atrium %
Sat. May 18 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project %
Sun. May 19 – Sacramento, CA @ Starlett Room %
Tue. May 21 – Portland, OR @ Mano Oculta %
Wed. May 22 – Seattle WA @ Vera Project %
Wed. May 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge %
Thu. May 30 – San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room %
Fri. May 31 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre %
Sat. June 1 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel %
& w/ Willis
* w/ Water From Your Eyes
% w/ Mind’s Eye
Praise for Friko & Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
“Where we’ve been, Where we go from here… reaffirm[s] that indie rock, as a style and ethos, can still feel like the most exciting thing a young person could be into.” — Pitchfork
“[Friko is] my new favorite band… There is so much abandon in their music.”
— Stephen Thompson, NPR Music’s Running List of the Year’s Best Songs
“[Where we’ve been, Where we go from here] places [Friko] in a lineage of great indie- and alt-rock acts like Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Bright Eyes—bands with prominent weird streaks, arena-sized potential, and the chops to build a bridge between the two.” — SPIN
“Friko have cemented themselves as one of the most distinguished up-and-coming voices in all of indie-rock.” — Paste
“The dust has barely settled on last year’s ‘best of’ music lists, yet there’s already a good contender for the 2024 tallies.” — Chicago Sun-Times
“[Friko are] one of indie rock’s most exciting new acts.” — UPROXX
“Kapetan’s clear emotional commitment to Friko’s music makes the band’s scrappy, homemade aesthetic feel as grand as a symphony.” — Chicago Reader
“Their energy, their artsy tendencies, and Niko’s shaky voice makes me think of mid 2000s indie bands like Bright Eyes and Wolf Parade… and they also remind me of that era because they sound like weirdo indie kids who are ambitious enough to take over the world.”
— Brooklyn Vegan
“I firmly believe that upon hearing Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, I’ve encountered a musical pinnacle that will remain unmatched in 2024.” — The Big Takeover
“Friko is on the cusp of something special…” — WGN-TV
“Friko’s debut album is a one-stop shop, catering to whatever mood listeners might crave.”
— Luckbox Magazine