Photos: Squid – Chicago, IL – 5/11/2025

May 12, 2025 Ben Pagani

Squid, the boundaryless band from Brighton in the United Kingdom, currently find themselves experimenting on stages across North America. Sunday night in Chicago, Illinois, the group performed songs that spanned their nine year career, with an emphasis on tracks from their most recent studio album Cowards. The band is scheduled to perform North American shows for the next week, with dates on the East Coast. Scroll down to see where Squid are performing next.

The band’s live shows, especially those in the United States and Canada, have evolved exponentially since 2021. It was in that year that Squid first came to this side of the world in promotion of their first full-length record Bright Green Field. The group played in bars like the Beachland Tavern in Cleveland, Ohio. They’ve since elevated to larger rooms, including in 2024 when they toured sophomore LP O Monolith. Now they’re playing even larger theaters. Loyal fans are still in the crowd and so are plenty of new listeners.

Squid have an unusual approach on stage. They are a five piece, made of singer and drummer Ollie Judge, guitarist Louis Borlase, guitarist Anton Pearson, bassist and horn player Laurie Nankivell and keyboardist plus percussionist Arthur Leadbetter. Each band member has several auxiliary instruments in front of them. That, plus the volume of people in the group makes for a packed stage.

That doesn’t disrupt quality though. Squid have a playful stage presence. Their songs feel limitless. Even their long and complex studio versions of tracks tend to sound like completely different numbers during the band’s live shows. That’s a major part of why Squid fans think the group is one of the best live acts of this decade.

Purchase tickets for their upcoming shows here.

Squid 2025 North American Tour Dates:

05-13 Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit Hall

05-14 Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar

05-16 Detroit, MI – El Club

05-17 Toronto, Ontario – The Opera House

05-19 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

05-20 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts

05-21 Washington, D.C. – Black Cat

05-23 Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw

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Ben Pagani

Music Projects Manager at Beyond The Stage Magazine

Ben is a music journalist living and working in Chicago. They joined Beyond The Stage as an intern and have stayed on the staff for several years. Now serving on the editorial board, Ben is proud to be BTS' Music Projects Manager, coordinating coverage between international record labels and our staff. Ben has interviewed, photographed and written about bands from across the world. Ben has lived all over the United States working in television and media. They are an Emmy Award-winning writer. Ben can be found spinning records as 'DJ Wearing Sunglasses' in clubs and basements across the US.