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Photos: Porridge Radio – Chicago, IL – 1/30/2025

Ben Pagani

Porridge Radio will soon break up. The Brighton, UK based band led by singer and guitarist Dana Margolin shared that their upcoming EP The Machine Starts To Sing will be their last. The band is wrapping up its final US tour dates now. They’ll perform across Europe this spring and summer before ending their time as a band. See a full list of remaining tour dates here.

“Don’t be sad,” Margolin told fans about the breakup during Porridge Radio’s show at Thalia Hall in Chicago. “I’m fine with it.” 

Porridge Radio’s last Chicago show, and the majority of their US shows, put heavy emphasis on their latest album Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me. The successful record was released in October 2024. Margolin wrote to her substack subscribers that it was the best music the band’s ever made. The Chicago show opened with Clouds… lead single and album finale “Sick Of The Blues.” 

Porridge Radio has a playfulness on stage. There’s time to let the sad moments breathe. There’s time to have a rocking breakdown. The show has time for everything, and packed crowds that have come to see these final shows know it.

Porridge Radio performed tracks from their breakthrough record Every Bad and even played “Eugh” from the 2016 album Rice, Pasta And Other Fillers. Margolin strummed guitar on a saddening solo rendition of “Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky.” There was a contentedness about this being one of the band’s final shows. For anyone considering buying tickets-it’s a treat to see this celebrated group one last time.

Porridge Radio will be missed, but don’t be sad. Like clouds in the sky, their music will always be there.

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Ben Pagani
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Ben Pagani

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.