The mighty Galactic Empire! Join the galaxy’s foremost progressive technical heavy metal Star Wars cosplay & John Williams tribute band as they lay waste to Chicago, Planet Earth. Prepare for an evening of most impressive heavy metal.
Bit Brigade performs rock covers of full NES game soundtracks as their gamer speed runs the game live on stage. They will be playing “Castlevania” + “Contra” + “DuckTales”.
Cosplayers and gamers welcome!
GALACTIC EMPIRE
Galactic Empire is the galaxy’s foremost instrumental Star Wars cosplay heavy metal John Williams tribute band. Their first music video was a viral hit, gaining over 10 million views with national press coverage including Huffington Post, Guitar World, Entertainment Weekly, and MSNBC, along with a live TV performance on E! Entertainment during their coverage of the 2016 Academy Awards. The band has released two full-length albums with Rise Records (produced and mixed by Carson and Grant), along with four more music videos. They’ve toured extensively, headlining multiple national and overseas tours, including Canada, Europe, Japan, and Australia, along with appearances at major festivals, comic cons, sporting events, and supporting arena acts Ozzy Osbourne and Babymetal. In 2022 the band signed with Pure Noise Records, and released their third studio LP “Special Edition” May 3. The band is primed to continue their journey toward becoming the ultimate power in the universe.
Bit Brigade performs rock covers of full NES game soundtracks as their gamer speedruns the game live on stage.
“When was the last time you attended a live music performance with a genuine element of risk involved? And no, going to a Gwar show with a white t-shirt on doesn’t count. When Bit Brigade takes the stage your mind will frantically oscillate between “Oh! Agh!! Please don’t die!!” and “YES! He’s doing it!!” Combining the dread and daring of a live video game speed run with the spot-on technique of a live band covering the musical accompaniment to everything you’re seeing on-screen in real time, Bit Brigade will
have you swinging between the two mediums. From thrashing about to live renditions of your favorite stage themes, fingers yearning to the sky in a rock ‘n roll parody of sea anemones seeming to silently plead, “Please, feed us more fretboard pyrotechnics!,” to being locked in stock-still rapture as the infallible maestro of the d-pad, Noah McCarthy, takes on the final boss and risks his video game life under the threat of intense peer scorn (or the reward of night-long glory and a credits score). No matter the outcome, Bit
Brigade must play on until the deed is done – which it always is – on the first (and last) try. Once Noah’s NES buzzes on, there’s no turning back.” – Metalhead Mike of The Shizz, summer 2011
