Little Fevers Setlist
Previously
According to the band, they’ve been working at Pleasure Horse’s Timothy Evenson’s studio and were excited to showcase their new songs. The first single they’ve released is called “Waiting Place” (which was played mid-set). Read More
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A cold night in St. Paul was the real opener for a local show headlined by Little Fevers at Turf Club.
Echo Parlor was first up. A classic quartet (guitar, bass, keys, and drums) had a solid indie rock sound that edged in different directions depending on the song; more folk rock in the long opening song Different Lanes, more 90’s alternative in the second. Great backing vocals made a lush sound. This was only the fourth show for the Eau Clair band, and their first in the Twin Cities. I’ll give any band credit for calling a song (their second to last) their “dragon-slaying song” (actually titled The Difference). A quick chat after their set was informative. While this was the band’s first show in the Cities, these are more seasoned performers who have been part of other bands. Fun fact, hearing these songs live is the only way that most of them can currently be heard. We’ll be watching for more from this band.
Betty Won’t came out with a very country & western feel from the five piece band. There was a heavy twang in the vocals, with wistful regret showing up in the second song Tomorrow. Guitar instrumentals echoed that western feel in the third song, Muck Around and were solid throughout. As the lead singer laughingly said, “We have another sad one for you”. This was a very consistent set and band, who have largely nailed an ethos. There was a great intro to the song Cash It In, with the lead singer saying “this is a song about being sad AND lonely” which was followed up by a band mate saying “Aren’t they all?”.
The country theme carried through to the next band Pleasure Horse. The stage was full for this sextet, with a slide guitar taking up front stage right. With the lead singer often on harmonica, there was a lot going on musically, but centered within that Americana sound. There was a bit of Jayhawks similarity here, as they edged towards a more rock & roll sound at times, but always came back to a more country feel, particularly with Matt Johnson’s slide guitar work. Aways Away, normally their closer, was pulled to mid-set and is probably a great starting point to their music. After a very straight country number (Still Getting Over You), the band played a country waltz. A cover of NRBQ’s Magnet closed out the set.
Long time band Little Fevers took the stage to finish out the night. A board mishap delayed the start a bit, but was eventually overcome. One surprise was that one of the members had played the entirety of the set with Pleasure Horse. But this is a very different sound, as Little Fevers is an indie pop band. The opening song, Hunter, was straight indie bubble gum and set the tone. Lead singer Lucy Michelle’s strong vocals cut through the guitars and the dual back up vocals make a pleasant contrast.
The song Baby’s Baby’s (from their 2024 release, Singles, Vol. 2), had a quiet start before opening into the full band’s sound. The lead guitar work grew increasingly central in the middle part of the set, with a number of solid solos. In the “first time I’ve seen that department”, we had a shoe cymbal for a song, that somehow wasn’t ridiculous. Little Fevers showed a calm throughout the set while still bringing a lot of energy. A late song, Stranger Romance, was a delight and led to a lot of audience appreciation, as did the song Gimme Time.
It was pretty obvious from the start of the closing song, but I confirmed with Michelle that she is the voice of an iconic and commonly played call for the University of Minnesota’s Radio K (“This is Little Fevers and you’re listening to Radio K”, as well as the opening lyrics of Can’t Get Enough bring played for Radio K’s weekly release spotlight). Although it may have been cold outside, Little Fevers helped the audience forget about it for a while and really, what more can you ask?
Little Fevers at Turf Club (05 Dec 2024) Pleasure House |
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thaddeus ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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