Cut Worms Delivers a Warm, Melodic Night at Lincoln Hall
By Shawna O’Hara – Photo credit: Caroline Gohlke
May 10, 2026
As the crowd filled the storied Lincoln Hall on Saturday night, a woman stood at the front of the stage reading. It was an oddly perfect image for the atmosphere surrounding Max Clarke’s Cut Worms’ stop in Chicago. Younger fans and older indie devotees alike filled the venue, creating a notably relaxed atmosphere for a Saturday night show.
Conversations remained low and easygoing throughout the evening, with audience members quietly swaying along rather than clamoring for attention. Even before the music began, the night carried an unusually calm sense of community. The crowd was filled with mellow but loyal fans of the band and their opener, the mighty three-piece, Tchotchke, both acts filling the room with nostalgic harmonies and understated sincerity.
Tchotchke took the stage shortly after 8 p.m. and was met with an enthusiastic reception. Their sound blended retro-inspired harmonies with friendly crowd banter. Though rooted in retro pop influences, the trio from New York – Eva Chambers (bass, piano/keyboards, backing vocals), Anastasia Sanchez (drums, lead vocals), Emily Tooraen (guitar, backing vocals) proved to be quietly powerful. Their chemistry onstage felt effortless, with each member weaving in and out of harmonies and instrumental changes without overpowering one another.
Tchotchke held the crowd’s attention effortlessly throughout their 30-minute set, launching into favorites such as “Skipping Around” and “Playin’ Dumb” (the title track of their 2025 album), as well as a set of covers to round out their evening. Though largely inspired by the 1960s, their sound is fresh, not derivative, with melodies reminiscent of the Ronettes, the Beach Boys, and, at times, the Go-Go’s. Tchotchke’s set blended jangly guitar pop, tight harmonies, and dreamy melodies that occasionally recalled mid-period Beatles arrangements as much as 90s alternative radio.
By the time Brooklyn-based Cut Worms took the stage, the crowd was visibly warmed. Max Clarke and his band, comprising four guitars and, at times, piano arrangements, brought together a sound that felt both unique and comfortably familiar. Rather than building toward explosive moments, Cut Worms leaned into consistency and atmosphere, allowing the craftsmanship of the arrangements to carry the performance.
The set rarely seemed interested in spectacle, instead relying on subtle shifts in instrumentation and melody to hold the audience’s attention. The layered guitars complemented rather than competed with one another as the band moved efficiently through a generous set list that included favorites such as “Ballad of the Texas King” and a piano-led performance of “Dream,” a reflective ballad off of their latest album, Transmitter, produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.
After returning for an encore, the band closed with a cover of “Can’t Hardly Wait” by The Replacements, finally pushing the mellow, somewhat reserved Lincoln Hall crowd into full-throated singalong mode.
Cut Worms’ set flowed like a carefully sequenced album or an episode of MTV Unplugged, unhurried, symmetrical, and intimate. Rather than demanding the audience’s attention, the band quietly earned it over the course of the evening. The band’s banter throughout the evening was sparse but warm, making the performance feel less like a spectacle and more like a gathering among old friends.
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About Cut Worms:
Max Clarke, known by his stage name Cut Worms, is a singer, songwriter, and musician hailing from Ohio who is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.
On Cut Worms, Clarke leaves behind the legendary studio and sought after producers for a more homegrown approach, working with a cast of gifted friends and collaborators. As opposed to recording the entire album in one chunk at one studio, Clarke varied his methods.
Three of the songs were cut from start to finish in his shared rehearsal space; two others were recorded in Brooklyn by Brian and Michael D’Addorio of the Lemon Twigs, who also played piano and bass, respectively, on these two songs. Further basic tracking was done by Rick Spataro (of Florist) at his Hudson Valley studio, Onlyness Analog, with contributions from the long-standing Cut Worms live band: keyboardist John Andrews, bassist Keven Louis Lareau, and drummer Noah Bond.
Clarke went about overdubbing in his signature fashion, and found himself leaning toward arrangements that translate more easily to a live performance. The instrumentation is subtle and the harmonies often delicate. Clarke’s tenor sits front and center amid an ensemble of celestial guitar leads, stacked horns, and strolling piano lines. The success of last year’s self-recorded single, “Dream Most Wild,” gave him the confidence to take on the roles of mixer and producer for the first time on a full-length release.
A youthful spirit breathes through Cut Worms’ nine songs as Clarke wrestles with a paradox — the joys of experience cannot be won without the loss of experience. On “Ballad of a Texas King” Clarke sings, “Hey kid come along… something is wrong… I believe you know… All this to say, only one way that this can go…” It’s as if he’s reaching out to his younger self, letting him know the changes are inevitable.
How do we hang on to a dream? How do we not lose ourselves in a world that is lost? The only way out of a nightmare is to keep going. Clarke’s answer lies in his art, where the search for love and the perfect pop song coalesce and transcend him to that other plane.
Links:
Official: https://www.cut-worms.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCutWorms/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cutworms/
