Illinois Soul 1st Anniversary Celebration with Loose Ends featuring Jane Eugene

Everybody loves an anniversary, and we’re celebrating a big one: The first anniversary of Illinois Soul! In 2024, Illinois Public Media launched Illinois Soul, a new radio station serving the Black community, to “amplify Black voices, music, and culture throughout central Illinois.” We are proud to partner with Illinois Soul in their important mission. Come enjoy a free pre-performance reception in the Lobby at 6:30pm with R&B music, appetizers, cash bar, and giveaways, followed by a ticketed concert featuring the celebrated techno-soul group Loose Ends. Happy Anniversary, Illinois Soul, and here’s to many more to come!

When Loose Ends emerged out of the London soul underground in 1980 with the single “In the Sky,” the group was so far ahead of its time that today its sound is as refreshing and vibrant as ever. Their vibe signaled the dawning of a new age of synthesizer and rhythm machine-driven grooves, channeling the Islands and the lushest, jazziest of soul – as much of a splash down into Caribbean Sea as the Milky Way. With international career defining hits such as “Hanging On A String (Contemplating),” “Choose Me (Rescue Me),” “You Can’t Stop The Rain,” “A Little Spice,” “Slow Down,” “Stay a Little While Child,” “Watching You,” and a delicious cover of Philly Soul maestro Dexter Wansel’s “The Sweetest Pain,” Loose Ends defined a refined approach to sexy soulful sounds – from the club floor to the Quiet Storm.

Today, original lead vocalist/songwriter Jane Eugene leads a United States-based edition of Loose Ends that is carrying the blue-flame torch with pride and much success. Under Jane’s leadership, Loose Ends is wowing audiences in several capacities. So relevant yet nostalgic, fluid yet flexible is their sound that Loose Ends is compatible enough to share sold out bills with classic soul legends such as the Isley Brothers, Charlie Wilson, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, the Whispers, and Parliament-Funkadelic; current hit-makers JOE, Faith Evans, and Leelah James; Smooth Jazz wind downs with Roy Ayers, Brian Culbertson, and Will Downing; and, of course, their `80s techno-soul peers such as the S.O.S. Band, Midnight Star, and Evelyn “Champagne” King. Loose Ends and its infectious international sound sit comfortably in the middle of all these styles and generations. This now classic band in its own right connects the dots to all top-shelf Soul music, creating a vibration that reverberates within a listener with 360 degree intensity.