Pretoria is a five-piece independent rock band founded in Grand Rapids, MI by high school friends Josh Bilisko, Rob Gullett, and Ben DeWitt in early 2018, releasing the now-archived Pretoria EP. The group briefly featured Evelyn Timmis as a guitarist and singer, ultimately parting ways later in 2019. Talented multi-instrumentalist Matt Burdick then joined as a guitar and synth player.

During these early days, the group released works such as "Lafayette Ave," the band's Capetown EP, and highly-praised, music-festival-winning single “Keep Two-Stepping.” Propelled by this success, Pretoria continued writing and releasing indie rock and pop oriented songs like "Gently," "Skinny Dip," and "Expert" - making all sorts of friends as well as a name for themselves in the Midwest.

Having weathered the effects of COVID-19, the band returned in full force in 2021 with the addition of Matt Pavlock on guitar. Together, over the next two years, the group would release a cover of "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young, Certainly, a two-sided single "I Blew It / Roller Derby," "Fat Chance," and their full-length debut album Where Will the Night Take Us?

With the 2024 on the horizon, the band began planning a move from Grand Rapids to Chicago, IL. They kept excitement flowing with new indie-pop flare singles Seven and Televisional, the latter of which was supported by friend and producer Jake Rye at Social Recording Company. They partnered with Sparta Distribution and bid farewell to Grand Rapids at longtime beloved venue The Pyramid Scheme and re-established in Chicago. The conclusion of 2024's liveshows was where Pretoria would bid loving farewells to Josh Bilisko and Matt Pavlock as they embarked in new careers. Together, the newly Chicago-based group would carry the torch, aiming for 2025 to be its biggest year yet.

Full of endearing personalities, Pretoria is exactly the sort of DIY music scene gem you want to catch live and meet after the show.