(Live Review) ALL THEM WITCHES + KING BUFFALO - Chicago, IL (12/6/25)
- Mark McQueen
- 18 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Welcome friends, fans, and followers to the last Rock & Metal show of Beard and Little Johnny’s 2025 concert season. With just fifty-two shows and 152 bands this season we backed off quite a bit from our previous two years as the Beard turned his attention to his newscast and other styles of reviews and Little Johnny turned his attention to his new sponsor Espolon Tequila. Still, we got back together once more this year to attend the second evening of a two-night sold out show at south side venue Thalia Hall featuring All Them Witches & King Buffalo.
On the plus side of the ledger, the Beard loves Thalia Hall venue. This place has great sound and lights, and most bands are at their best when they play here. On the negative side, we were only able to score general admission tickets and with a sold-out show, we knew this was going to be sardine can viewing. While Little Johnny is quite used to this type of concert going experience, the more seasoned Beard, (yes, Johnny I know that means old you don’t have to say it over my shoulder.), doesn’t much care for getting to know my fellow concertgoers quite so intimately. (Ed: Especially at the urinals!)
None the less here we were on the main floor awaiting a band the Beard had seen live a few times and always enjoyed ...
KING BUFFALO
King Buffalo is a New York based trio playing heavy psyche style music. Since 2003, King Buffalo has had six studio releases, and the Beard owns five of them. I recommend Acheron (2021) for the best King Buffalo introduction. If you like that one, you will enjoy everything else they do. Their music as indicated above is like stoner surf music. They generally have a water theme and the music cruises along, riding a wave or groove until just the right moment when they pivot into something else and take off again. They can be boring for those who prefer to hear seven songs in the eight minutes it takes King Buffalo to play one, but the Beard has always enjoyed them.
Coming out with "Mammoth" from their latest Regenerator LP, vocalist/guitarist Sean McVey wasted no time getting right into the groove musically. Thalia Halls’ lights are always a fantastic addition for King Buffalo and the band’s long relationship with the headliners allowed them to utilize about three quarters of the available lighting, so they looked great.
"Silverfish" from The Burden of Restlessness was another solid choice as it rippled along wonderfully before they broke into "Balrog", their most recent release and one of my favorites of 2025. Then it was back to The Burdens of Restlessness LP for "Burning" before they broke out some old school numbers to finish their set including "Drinking from the River Rising" (2016’s Orien), and "Morning Song" from 2018’s Longing to be the Mountain.
King Buffalo is almost entirely about the feel of the song. Taking you right to the edge and then pivoting right or left just as the musical wave is cresting. I enjoyed their set as I always do, and I granted them 87/100 for another well-done concert.
What did you think Johnny? "
Well, they’re cool and all Beard, but you know their stuff doesn’t allow any circling or surfing. I guess I am getting a little old for that these days. Soon I’ll have to face being thirty and all, so I get why this is more your kind of music than mine. It was good though."
ALL THEM WITCHES
Next it was time for my second ever viewing of All Them Witches, a band originally from Nashville and featuring singer songwriter Charles Parks Jr. My first time seeing this band was actually only a year or so after they formed. I was not too sure what they were about then and to be honest I still do not really know.
All Them Witches have been described as hard rock, stoner rock, southern rock psyche rock, folk rock, and blues. So, I guess it’s best to just classify them as All Them Witches music. Like King Buffalo, All Them Witches have released six studio albums. Unlike with King Buffalo however, I do not own any of them.
These guys played a long fourteen song set including such odd titled songs as "Funeral for a Great Drunken Bird", "The Children of Coyote Women", & "Saturnine" & "Iron Jaws". Other titles were equally as simple including "3-5-7", "1X1", and closer, "Red Rocking Chair".
Now, here are two views of this set and both are absolutely true. The sold-out crowd at Thalia Hall freaking loved this band. They were loud and happy all throughout the set. I personally do NOT know why that was. There were moments and even songs where I got into what they were doing, but there were lonnnng stretches where frankly I could have just nodded off and taken a couple song nap. Obviously, I am NOT getting it because most of this set was boring me to sleep.
Now, before fans and people who loooovvvveeee this band start burning me in effigy, let me say clearly. All Them Witches have talent. Parks is a clear singer with a not unpleasant voice. Allen Van Cleave played a good violin and yes, the violin added to the song… but I just was not getting their vibe. Every time the crowd erupted with applause, I just wasn’t feeling it.
There’s no doubt that the two bands (Witches & Buffalo) belonged on the same bill, they each play tranquil genre bending selections and they both have talented musicians doing it, but for whatever reason the King Buffalo stuff hits me in the right place and the All Them Witches stuff just misses me entirely. While I could listen to McVey and the boys jam for hours, I wanted Parks set done far sooner than anyone else in Thalia Hall did. All Them Witches gets 70/100.
And that my friends’ fans, followers, and critics wraps up the latest reviews of 2025. The year is not quite over yet though as the Beard and Little Johnny will be putting together our own independent lists of what we believe were our top twenty live acts of 2025. As always, readers can expect Little Johnny’s list and mine to differ greatly. Watch for both near the Holidays as they are always fun filled and controversial.
So, as we say goodbye for 2025, we thank you all for reading along and taking another wild ride through live music with us. We also thank our boss Mr. Chris Tighe of Mighty Decibel, Wild Dogs Radio and many other sites for giving us a chance and a continued opportunity these last five years to review bands and write about them, and finally I thank Little Johnny who is pretty much not little any longer but has been a great partner once again on the Beard's marvelous metal journey.
So, until we start reviewing again in 2026 this has been the Beard & Little Johnny saying Live Life, Stay Heavy and Horns Up.
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