Hum Brings The Volume At First Show In Seven Years

The Illinois-based rock band Hum performed its first live show since 2019 on May 15, 2026, at the Brooklyn Paramount in New York. The performance was part of the annual Slide Away festival and took place before a sold-out, multi-generational audience.

During the event, the quartet premiered three songs from its 2020 comeback album, Inlet. These live debuts included the album opener Waves, the track Step Into You, and the album’s finale, Shapeshifter, which the band extended to nearly 12 minutes during the performance.

The lineup for the May 15 show featured Jason Gerken, the drummer for Shiner, who stepped in for the band’s late drummer Bryan St. Pere, who died in 2021. Notable moments from the set included the song Desert Rambler and the atmospheric breakdown of Folding, which featured luminous guitar interplay. Frontman Matt Talbott also hit an incorrect chord during the introduction to the band’s 1995 hit Stars, though the audience continued to sing along at a high volume.

Based in Champaign, Illinois, Hum is most widely recognized for the alternative rock success of Stars. The band released two albums under the major label RCA: You’d Prefer An Astronaut in 1995 and Downward Is Heavenward in 1998. Despite these releases, the group did not achieve mainstream breakthrough success before disbanding in 2000.

Early in its career, Hum was often categorized as a derivative of bands like Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins. However, the group eventually gained recognition for its heavy, stoner-friendly Midwestern shoegaze sound. This reappreciation grew in the mid-2010s when Hum reunited for performances with the band Failure and began recording Inlet, which was released during the first summer of the pandemic in 2020.

The return to the stage was facilitated by Domenic Nicky Palermo, the frontman of the band Nothing and the organizer of the Slide Away festival. Palermo worked to convince Matt Talbott to perform, addressing the frontman’s concerns that audiences were no longer interested in the material from Inlet.

Matt was very concerned that people didn’t care about Inlet at all. And I had to tell him, no, they absolutely do. People are dying to hear these songs. All I could do is offer the support and reiterate how much Hum’s music means to people.

Domenic “Nicky” Palermo

During the encore of the May 15 performance, Talbott quietly thanked the participants and attendees, acknowledging the efforts of Palermo and others to establish Slide Away as a DIY alternative to corporate music festivals.

The band’s Instagram account later shared a post from a fan who noted the presence of many young attendees crowd-surfing and singing along. The attendee described the experience as a testament to the timeless nature of the music, noting that seeing a younger generation enthusiastic about a band that existed before they were born was a significant experience.

Hum is scheduled to perform a second show in Brooklyn on May 16, 2026. Following the New York dates, the Slide Away festival is scheduled to continue with events in Chicago and Los Angeles. The band has not announced any further plans beyond these dates.

In addition to Hum, the Slide Away festival featured a performance by Nothing, which played its 2016 album Tired of Tomorrow in its entirety. Other performing acts included the reunited U.K. Shoegaze group Chapterhouse, as well as Frankie Rose, Bleary Eyed, and loveliescrushing.

Hum Set List — May 15, 2026

• Little Dipper
• Iron Clad Lou
• Desert Rambler
• Green to Me
• Afternoon With the Axolotls
• Waves
• Step Into You
• Stars
• Folding
• Shapeshifter
• I’d Like Your Hair Long
• I Hate It Too