Indie band Sharp Pins plays at Gabe’s

Sharp Pins, an indie, pop-rock band, played at Gabe’s during the Stop/Time festival with sold out tickets.

Brody Hunt, Arts Reporter

April 5, 2026

The band Sharp Pins performs at Gabe’s in Iowa City on Saturday, April 4 2026. The performance is part of the Stop/Time Festival, a music and literary festival in its inaugural year in Iowa City. (Ava Neumaier / The Daily Iowan)

Gabe’s Iowa City was packed with music enthusiasts, and Stop/Time festival goers, on Saturday night. The room was dimly lit, where the only sound you could hear was the band on stage. The floor was electric, with fans young and old filling it for the Sharp Pins performance.

Sharp Pins is an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, which performs music known for its authentic 1960s pop-rock feel. Some of the band’s most popular songs have reached over 350,000 listens on Spotify, with the top song being “Popafangout.”

Sharp Pins was a part of Iowa City’s inaugural Stop/Time festival. The festival had many events open to the public from April 3-4.

Molly Matlock, who was working the merch booth for the night, said she heard about the job on Iowa Radio and said the experience of selling merch while bands played sounded fun.

“What’s really good about Gabe’s is you can feel the crowd around you, and it makes you feel a part of it. You’re up close and get to experience more,” Matlock said.

Many people came to Iowa City to share the musical experience that Stop/Time had to offer, some traveling from Chicago.

“We came all the way out here from the Chicago suburbs for this. We wanted to make a whole day of the events, and this one was great. I’ve had a really fun time here!” Sam Tapper, an audience member, said. “Being in a venue like this, you can feel the energy around you. It’s really something.”

Attendees look through the merch stand during a performance by the band Sharp Pins at Gabe’s in Iowa City on Saturday, April 4 2026. The performance is part of the Stop/Time Festival, a music and literary festival in its inaugural year in Iowa City. (Ava Neumaier / The Daily Iowan) (Ava Neumaier)

Gabe’s was electrified, causing the floor to shake as the audience jammed along with the music. Not only did it allow for a more close up experience with the artists, but it’s a much more grounded feeling than a bigger venue.

“It’s super cool where you can be up close here, instead of a bigger place like a stadium where the band is untouchable. It makes you feel more a part of the crowd, and other like minded people here,” Sarah Burnick, a fan of Sharp Pins said. “I really can feel the music in my body, and it makes me want to dance. I find it so much easier to dance to surfer rock, and I just love it. Being here is just really fun.”

In a festival like Stop/Time, artists get to experience a taste of crowds and publicity, while the audience gets to experience smaller artists before they “make it big.”

Stop/Time had many other artists that played through the evening, through several different venues on campus, with a unique artisanal experience to each one, ranging from smooth jazz, to alternative folk. The venue Gabe’s in Iowa City is unique for its closeup experience to the artists, and a connection to others in the audience. The crowd gets to feel the live music experience close up.

“I like to come to these to see the smaller artists make music, and before they make it big. That’s something that’s unique.” Otis Tapper, the husband of Sam Tapper, said. “We originally came here for Frankie and The Witch Fingers, but this is really good too!”