There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes with watching a hometown show unfold in real time. I first caught Pixel Grip on day two of Chicago’s 2024 Riot Fest, slotted for a noon set on a sparsely attended AAA Stage. Under unforgiving sunlight, the Chicago electronic trio flexed the full force of their confidence, swagger, and raw talent, radiating brighter than the sun overhead. A year later, that same energy has carried them through a new album, Percepticide: The Death of Reality, and a nationwide tour that eventually boomeranged back home. Their return culminated in a sold-out show at The Metro, greeted by the deep, pulsing DJ selections of Justin Aulis Long as fans streamed into a venue already too warm for November.
With no need for coats, skin was shown, ass was thrown, and we all celebrated Pixel Grip’s triumphant homecoming after a wildly successful year.
The room buzzed well before the headliners emerged, thanks to opening act The Serfs. The Cincinnati outfit crafted industrial-tinged dance tracks that played like slow, intentional foreplay. Just enough to stoke the fire without burning the place down. Their minimal setup of a guitarist, keyboardist, and a vocalist working an incomplete drum kit left space for imagination, but their beats were lively enough to keep bodies moving. By the time they wrapped, anticipation had stretched itself to a perfect breaking point.
Pixel Grip’s set began with a disembodied recording explaining the idea of “percepticide,” which melted seamlessly into the night’s first track, “Crows Feast.” Intimate and vocal-forward, it gently hooked the room. Rita Lukea’s voice was graceful even as she insisted it was “fucked up”. When the group launched into “Last Laugh,” the crowd erupted, pulled headfirst into the band’s loud, unapologetic industrial voyage.
The deep bass lines of Pixel Grip burrowed into the audience’s eardrums and stayed there.
Lukea never let her energy falter. Her confidence, positivity, and extravagant fit drew constant cheers. Mid-set, she paused to share what fueled the album: “justice, catharsis, and peace,” and emphasized the power of using your voice as a political tool. The moment crescendoed into calls of “Fuck ICE” and “Free Palestine,” which she threaded directly into the explosive Percepticide standout “Stamina.”
Most of the set leaned heavily on the new album, with tracks like “Insignificant” and “Noise” shaking the room. Heavy Handed didn’t make an appearance, but ARENA favorites “Pursuit” and “Dancing on Your Grave” unleashed a nightclub pulse that swept through the Metro. People danced like they had nothing to lose and no one to impress. Near the end, Lukea invited “alphapussies” to flood the stage for the 2021 banger “ALPHAPUSSY,” creating a wild, joyous wave of shared catharsis. The night ended in a frenzy with “Bet You Do,” the crowd screaming, sweating, and glowing as if the walls themselves were vibrating.
Without question, Pixel Grip has proved why they’ve become Chicago heroes.
Obviously, industrial music attracts the freaks in the most loving, celebratory way. For me, that confidence and freedom in people’s outfits and movements was genuinely beautiful to witness. This was a band that once played a lonely Riot Fest noon slot; now, they’ve turned a sold-out hometown show into a victory lap. The music hits hard, the aesthetic is razor-sharp, and the energy is electric. They’ve earned every step of the ascent, and they’re nowhere near done.
All photography by Oscar DeLeon
