W♥M

Minneapolis: September 26 to September 28

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

09/26 The Wombats with Red Rum Club at First Avenue Read More The Wombats Fix Yourself, Not The World is the forthcoming album from The Wombats. The popular band will be heading out on tour to promote the record in 2022 ...

09/26/2023 Tuesday

The Wombats
with Red Rum Club
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

The last time we heard from The Wombats, they released Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This? on AWAL. It looks like the Liverpool band is back on tour.

Wombats (05 Feb 2022)

We previously saw Wombats in 05 Feb 2022 and said, “Originally hailing from Liverpool, The Wombats have been on our radar for over fifteen years and are now enjoying their biggest success to date with the January release of fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not the World (on AWAL Recordings), their very first to Top the UK Album charts after going Top Five previously.”

Red Rum Club to open.

Tour dates:

Sep 15 Liverpool, UK Arts Club
Sep 16 Liverpool, UK Arts Club
Sep 19 San Francisco, CA, US The Regency Ballroom
Sep 20 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US The Bellwether
Sep 23 Salt Lake City, UT, US Union Event Center
Sep 24 Denver, CO, US Ogden Theatre
Sep 26 Minneapolis, MN, US First Avenue
Sep 27 Chicago, IL, US The Vic Theatre
Sep 29 Boston, MA, US Big Night Live
Sep 30 Outdoor Columbia, MD, US All Things Go Music Festival
Oct 2 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer
Oct 3 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel
Oct 7 Coldstream, VIC, Australia Grapevine Gathering VIC
Oct 8 Mount Cotton, QLD, Australia Grapevine Gathering QLD
Oct 14 Caversham, WA, Australia Grapevine Gathering WA
Oct 21 Pokolbin, NSW, Australia Grapevine Gathering, NSW
Oct 22 McLaren Vale, SA, Australia Grapevine Gathering SA

09/27 The Glorious Sons with The Velveteers at First Avenue Read More The Glorious Sons JUNO Award winning, two-time CRIA Platinum-certified and six-time CRIA Gold-certified rock group The Glorious Sons will stop by the Varsity Theater .... The Velveteers To start things off, Boulder CO band The Velveteers were determined to make the large outdoor venue feel more like a small club with a primal indie ....

09/27/2023 Wednesday

The Glorious Sons
with The Velveteers
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Canadian rock band The Glorious Sons are currently on tour in support of their new album Glory (BMG Records). The group is known for such hits as “S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun)” and “Panic Attack.”

The Velveteers (25 Aug 2023)

The Velveteers (not to be confused with the The Velveteens) to open. We previously saw this band in Aug 2023 and said, “To start things off, Boulder CO band The Velveteers were determined to make the large outdoor venue feel more like a small club with a primal indie rock sound that, like the headliners, sounds much bigger than coming from just three people. They’re out in support of 2021’s Nightmare Daydream (on Easy Eye Sounds, Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach’s custom label) and the big sound can be attributed to dual drummers Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig and the wails and sharp riffs of singer/ baritone guitarist Demi Demitro.”

Tour dates:

9/11 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
9/13 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
9/14 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
9/15 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
9/16 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
9/18 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
9/20 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
9/21 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
9/22 - Peoria, IL - Crusen’s
9/23 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
9/25 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
9/26 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s
9/27 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
9/29 - Tulsa, OK - Vanguard
10/1 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
10/2 - West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
10/3 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall
10/5 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
10/6 - Bend, OR - Domino Room
10/7 - Crystal Bay, NV - The Bay Club
10/9 - Bozeman, MT - The ELM
10/10 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
10/12 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
10/13 - Kansas City, MO - Madrid Theatre
10/14 - St. Louis, MO - Red Flag

09/28 girli with DJ Sci-Fi at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

09/28/2023 Thursday

girli
with DJ Sci-Fi
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
first-avenue.com

Girli (aka Milly Toomey) is touring in support of her brand new EP, why am i like this??.

DJ Sci-Fi to open.

Tour dates:

23rd September: Sonia’s, Boston MA
25th September: D9, Washington DC
26th September: Milkboy, Philadelphia PA
28th September: Amsterdam, Minneapolis MN
30th September: Lost Lake, Denver CO
2nd October: Holocene, Portland OR
3rd October: The Fox Cabaret, Vancouver BC
4th October: Crocodile Madame Lou's, Seattle WA
6th October: Popscene at Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco CA

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Wombats with Clubhouse at the Truman, Kansas City, MO (2022-02-05) review

THE WOMBATS SETLIST Flip Me Upside Down This Car Drives All by Itself Moving to New York Cheetah Tongue Techno Fan Ready for the High Pink Lemonade Everything I Love Is Going to Die Kill the Director People Don't Change People, Time Does Lemon to a Knife Fight Worry Jump Into the Fog Wildfire Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming with You Greek Tragedy -- Encore -- Method to the Madness Let's Dance to Joy Division Turn CLUBHOUSE SETLIST No Way! Dance on my Heart Electric Feel (MGMT cover) Flipside Are We Going Too Slow? Haunt You Weekend Home Videos WOMBATS TOUR DATES FEB 07 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN FEB 08 Buckhead Theatre Atlanta, GA FEB 10 House of Blues Houston, TX FEB 11 Emos Austin, TX FEB 12 House of Blues Dallas, TX FEB 14 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO FEB 15 Union Event Center Salt Lake City, UT FEB 17 The Showbox Seattle, WA FEB 19 Revolution Hall Portland, OR FEB 21 The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA FEB 22 Observatory Santa Ana, CA FEB 25 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA MAR 20 Lollapalooza Buenos Aires, Argentina MAR 25-27 Lollapalooza São Paulo, Brazil APR 14 First Direct Arena Leeds, UK APR 15 The O2 London, UK APR 16 Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, UK APR 18 Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow, UK APR 19 Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow, UK APR 21 Liverpool Guild of Students Liverpool, UK APR 22 Liverpool Guild of Students Liverpool, UK APR 23 Liverpool Guild of Students Liverpool, UK APR 29 La Machine du Moulin Rouge Paris, France MAY 01 Carlswerk Victoria Köln, Germany MAY 02 Uebel & Gefährlich Hamburg, Germany MAY 04 Slaktkyrkan Stockholm, Sweden MAY 05 Rockefeller Oslo, Norway MAY 07 HUXLEY'S NEUE WELT Berlin, Germany MAY 09 Gasometer Wien, Austria MAY 10 Backstage Werk München, Germany MAY 12 Estragon Bologna, Italy MAY 13 Fabrique Milan, Italy MAY 14 Komplex 457 Zurich, Switzerland MAY 16 DE ROMA Borgerhout, Belgium MAY 18 De Oosterpoort Da Groningen, NL MAY 26 Scarborough Open Air Theatre Scarborough, UK JUN 05 HBF Stadium Mt Claremont, Australia JUN 07 Town Hall Hobart, Australia JUN 15 UC Refectory Bruce, Australia JUN 17 Riverstage Brisbane, Australia JUL 22-24 Tramlines 2022 Hillsborough Park Sheffield, UK JULY 28-31 Kendal Calling 2022 Penrith, UK (Clubhouse opening all US dates) Read More The Wombats Fix Yourself, Not The World is the forthcoming album from The Wombats. The popular band will be heading out on tour to promote the record in 2022 ...

Their new album has been described as “a self-help manual for the domesticated malcontent” and the live show featured a trumpet-playing marsupial…!?

The Wombats returned to Kansas City, to play a very sold-out Truman in the heart of downtown on a chilly winter night, in front of some very loyal fans.

The evening opened with an easygoing thirty-five-minute set from Clubhouse, a young indie pop band from Columbus, OH (now LA-based) in support of its new seven-song EP, Are We Going Too Slow? (on AWAL Recordings), which they managed to write and record amid chemotherapy treatments, multiple surgeries, and a global pandemic.

Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Max Reichert has had to battle cancerous tumors in his leg and lungs, but he and the band have emerged in a happier place, evident in their performance as the set progressed and the crowd soaked up the good feelings.

An early set MGMT cover stopped any errant crowd conversations to pay attention and the EP’s title comes from a statement the band reflects on itself that Reichert sings on the title song’s chorus, “Another day spent in your head/You're taking life too slow”. Any opener that gets applause when they come back out to dismantle their own gear, is clearly gaining fans and becomes one to watch.

We told you so--

Originally hailing from Liverpool, The Wombats have been on our radar for over fifteen years and are now enjoying their biggest success to date with the January release of fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not the World (on AWAL Recordings), their very first to Top the UK Album charts after going Top Five previously.

As a result of the ongoing pandemic and the band being in different corners of the world (singer/guitarist Murph – LA; bassist Tord Øverland Knudsen – Oslo; drummer Dan Haggis- London), the album was created remotely and handed to several noteworthy producers, with obviously successful end results. Their ninety-minute headlining set was the chance to hear the culmination of those efforts, as well as revisit older favorites.

The set opened as the new album does, with the fever dream funk punk of “Flip Me Upside Down” and Murph singing, “You flip me upside down, I'm kind of getting into it” followed by the helplessness of humanity embodied in an automated vehicle in “This Car Drives All By Itself”. Knudsen’s energetic bass note drop to help start “Moving to New York” sent the sold-out mass in group motion and the sound of 1200 people clapping in unison helped propel 2011’s “Techno Fan”.

The new “Ready for the High’ brought out an actual trumpet-playing marsupial (ok, a guy in a furry wombat costume with a plastic toy instrument) that decided he needed to be center stage for his solo before losing his headpiece and being chased off by Murph and Tord as the song finished. The costumed wombats would later return in the set, multiplying into two, as a couple members of Clubhouse were determined to suit up and have some fun themselves.

Even though he’s re-located to sunny LA, it’s encouraging that Murph can still write a UK-dreary song like “Everything I Love is Going to Die”, a Cure/New Order homage made upbeat by its lyrical determination to live life to its fullest and the song’s own snappy rhythms. Fans knew all the words to 2007’s “Kill the Director” and Murph’s lemons-as-futility theme continued on 2018’s “Lemon to Knife Fight”, one of many songs inspired in part by his wife.

Murph taught everyone the chorus of the new “Wildfire” and the electro-pop of the obsessive “If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming With You,” lyrically makes it their “Every Breath You Take”. 2010’s “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)” is admittedly the most “disco-y” song in their catalog which was a perfect excuse to dance, and the main set ended with 2015’s “Greek Tragedy”, given a huge second life as an Oliver Nelson remix went massively viral on TikTok (over 600,000 videos featuring the song!), resulting in an even bigger audience for the band.

The encore began with the fuzz throb of “Method To The Madness” set in Barcelona during Murph’s honeymoon when he made a cathartic breakthrough to let go of worry and forge his own way. The jangling intro of 2007’s “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” encouraged chants of “so happy!” and pogo-ing in place and the endearing chaos of 2018’s “Turn” and Murph singing, “Maybe it's the crazy that I'd miss, it won't get better than this” would end the evening.

“I don't wanna lose myself in someone else's game” is the lyric on the title track of The Wombats new Fix Yourself, Not the World, and after almost two decades of blazing their own trail and forging their own path to the success of a new Number One album, it’s clear that their musical uniqueness remains well-loved and best work may be yet to come.

(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)

CLUBHOUSE

CLUBHOUSE

CLUBHOUSE Max Reichert

CLUBHOUSE SETLIST

WOMBATS Dan Haggis

WOMBATS Tord Knudsen

WOMBATS Murph

WOMBATS

WOMBATS

WOMBATS

WOMBATS SETIST

The Wombats at The Truman, Kansas City, MO (2022-02-05)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

We♥KC - February 1-15 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

February is upon us and other than a mostly mild winter, there’s not too much to celebrate.

Our KC Chiefs were bounced out of the playoffs in an overtime thriller and the pandemic is still putting a lot of tours on hold, but the good news is that many acts are still carrying on and the season is starting to get busier.

Luke Bryan, Slipknot, Decemberists, and Poppy all have had recent show announcements, though navigating through the postponements and cancellations is like being an air traffic controller, but everything below is current as of press time.

02/01 Elton John at T-Mobile Read More Elton John Two of the world’s biggest recording artists, Ed Sheeran and Elton John, just released their charity single “Merry Christmas”, via Atlantic Records. Watch the official music video on YouTube (directed by …

Given the current public health state, assume masks and/or vaccination proof are required for entry.

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence area for the First half of February:

Tuesday February 1Elton John, T-Mobile Center. $66-$1,038

Despite the piano man recently catching Covid and having to cancel his Dallas shows, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour is determined to continue (look at that top ticket price!) and the show is on (as of this writing), with attendees recommended to arrive early and be seated by 8pm. 

El Ten Eleven, RecordBar. $15

Wednesday February 2

02/02 Magic City Hippies w courtship at Madrid Read More Magic City Hippies Miami’s Magic City Hippies is currently on tour in support of their forthcoming album Water Your Garden. This new album is the first album that the trio were in various locations in the USA …

Wale, Uptown. $30-$40

UPDATE: CANCELED Magic City Hippies w courtship, Madrid

The Miami trio’s new AM rock/poolside pop record, Water Your Garden was just released, with member Robby Hunter saying, “Water Your Garden is the first album we created while all three of us were in separate places around the US. Completely remote and sending songs back and forth throughout quarantine- while everyone was locked down in their respective homes. Pat finally moved out to LA- locked down in his studio. Robby moved out into the mountains of Montana, and John held down the home base in Miami.”

Make sure to arrive early for courtship, who we caught last fall with Dayglow.

Thursday February 3Gabriel Iglesias, Cable Dahmer Arena. $48-$79

The extra fluffy comedian hits the road once again, playing this small suburban arena. 

UPDATE: POSTPONED to Feb. 18 Josh Abbott Band, Granada – Lawrence, $22-$25

Friday February 4

02/04 Hembree with Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear and Dreamgirl at The Truman Read More Hembree Kansas City’s hometown indie-rock heroes return for a Black Friday headlining show, that is the perfect palette finisher after a day of shopping for holiday deals. Latest album is 2019’s House on Fire … …

Hippie Sabotage, Uptown, $35

This Sacramento EDM duo should maybe collaborate with Magic City Hippies, but in the meantime have brought along Daisy Guttridge and promise some fun Covid-era dancing. 

UPDATE: CANCELED Hembree with Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear and Dreamgirl, The Truman. $15-$20 (postponed from Nov. 26)

Hometown heroes’ second album, It’s a Dream! Is finally released this coming Friday and the band has a solid three-act release party to celebrate.  Of the new record lyricist Isaac Flynn says“This album is a fully-realized vision for the band. I want this record to lift people up, and for the music to be a positive experience in their own lives.”

Sounds like the affirmation we can all use. 

Galactic, Knuckleheads. $28-$38.50

Augustana (solo tour), Granada Lawrence, $22.

Iliza Shlesinger, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland POSTPONED TO APRIL 8

Smile Empty Soul, Bottleneck - Lawrence POSTPONED
Saturday February 5

02/05 The Wombats w/ Clubhouse at The Truman Read More The Wombats Fix Yourself, Not The World is the forthcoming album from The Wombats. The popular band will be heading out on tour to promote the record in 2022 ...

The Wombats w/ Clubhouse, The Truman. $25-$50.

WHM loves this Liverpool trio and we’ve had them on our radar since 2006, when they only had secured a small record contract in Japan.  Flash forward a decade-and-a-half and the band is still going strong, despite being located in separate corners of the world. 

The new album is Fix Yourself, Not the World, a result of files being shared back and forth, and a handful of producers including Jacknife (U2, Killers) Lee putting their finishing touches on things.  A previous Oliver Nelson remix went viral on TikTok as well, introducing them to an even wider audience. 

Rising openers Clubhouse are Columbus, OH-based (and probably itching to tell the KC crowd how the Bengals are Super Bowl-bound and the Chiefs are not). 

Hailey Whitters , Knuckleheads, $17-$20

(Your) Baroness, Bottleneck- Lawrence POSTPONED to APRIL 2

                                                               Tuesday, February 8
UPDATE: Canceled Devotchka,  recordBar, $25

Marcus King, Uptown Theater, $35-$59

Set It Off, Granada- Lawrence. $25

Jamestown Revival with Robert Ellis Knuckleheads POSTPONED (?)

02/10 Dark Tranquillity with Kataklysm and Nailed to Obscurity at Granada Read More Dark Tranquillity Fans of Scandinavian death metal will want to check out Swedish band Dark Tranquillity on their USA 2015 tour, in support of 2013's Construct. … 02/09 Everything Is Terrible! at RecordBar Read More Everything is Terrible! I can’t tell you if I’ve seen the first Everything is Terrible! movie, I’ve either seen a knock off or another Everything is Terrible! film, but I can tell you that they’re a collection of weird found VHS footage. …

Wednesday, February 9Dark Tranquillity with Kataklysm and Nailed to Obscurity, Granada- Lawrence. $25

Sweden comes to the heartland as the Gothenburg death metallers are out in support of their seventh studio album, Moments, which was mixed/mastered by the acclaimed Jens Bogren. 

The band brings with them Canadians Kataklysm and Essen, Germany’s Nailed to Obscurity for a rare and truly international head-banging affair.

The Beach Boys, Kauffman Center. $54-$104

Fun, fun, fun will undoubtedly be had as the band plays hits from six decades of music. 

We caught the band’s good vibrations back in 2019. 

The Black Angels, Bottleneck - Lawrence POSTPONED

Thursday February 10Beth Hart w/Quinn Sullivan, Uptown. $35-$227

Blues rock with a touch of Zep – the lauded singer takes on Robert Plant and company as she releases A Tribute to Led Zeppelin on Feb. 25, via Provogue/Mascot Label Group, so expect some familiar classics. 

Arrive early for the talented and Buddy Guy-mentored young guitarist Quinn Sullivan. 

Everything Is Terrible! RecordBar, $15 

Now this might be the ideal remedy for any Covid blues we’re all having- the video and performance art collective has unearthed thousands of forgotten DVD & VHS tapes aimed at yesterday’s youth to bring you their most mind-melting movie to date.

Watch in awe as all colors of the rainbow join forces to destroy the tyranny of adult civilization!  A feature film, live performance (with likely life-size puppets) and need we say, the unexpected, make this potentially the most talked-about show of the new year. 

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, Kauffman Center POSTPONED

Friday February 11Lee Brice, Ameristar. $78-$95

Kyle with Col3trane and Leven Kali, Granada. $29

Todd Barry(comedian),  recordBar, $20

Skillet, Tauren Wells, KB, Colton Dixon, T-Mobile Center, $10/door

                          Saturday February 12

Anat Cohen Quartetinho, Folly. $20-$55

Sleigh Bells, The Truman. $30-$60 UPDATE: Postponed to August 10

Kolby Cooper, Uptown. $22

Rosanne Cash, Lied Center. POSTPONED TO MAY 5

02/14 The Backseat Lovers w Over Under at The Truman Read More Backseat Lovers We caught The Backseat Lovers in Oct 2021 and was blown away at their massive fanbase. We even talked about how they sold out with many fans outside the venues, looking for a way ...

Monday February 14The Backseat Lovers w Over Under, The Truman. $25-$50

The Salt Lake City quartet recently released a new live record, Live from the Troubadour recorded at the legendary LA venue and bring their guitar-heavy indie rock style to songs like “Kilby Girl” and “Heavy” and the young band has already played festivals like Lollapalooza, ACL, Ohana, and others.  Nothing says a Valentine’s night out like a Backseat Lovers show.

Opening are friends and fellow Utah-based indie rockers Over Under.

Guardin, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $20-$23

Wednesday February 15Hot Tuna (acoustic), Knuckleheads. $35

Erasure, Uptown. POSTPONED

The Kid Laroi, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland POSTPONED TO AUGUST 31

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Minneapolis: February 4 to February 5

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide… Animals Edition? (Wombats, Wolves, roaring Tiger, and Dande“Lion”)

02/04 The Wombats with Clubhouse at The Fillmore Read More The Wombats Fix Yourself, Not The World is the forthcoming album from The Wombats. The popular band will be heading out on tour to promote the record in 2022 ...

02/04/2022 Friday

The Wombats
with Clubhouse
at The Fillmore
fillmoreminneapolis.com

Beloved Liverpool indie-rockers The Wombats returns to Minneapolis this February 4th.

North American Dates:

January 20 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
January 22 - The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA
January 25 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
January 26 - House of Blues, Boston, MA
January 28 - Corona, Montreal, QB
January 31 - St. Andrew’s, Detroit, MI
February 1 - Newport, Columbus, OH
February 3 - Park West, Chicago, IL
February 4 - Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN
February 5 - The Truman, Kansas City, MO
February 7 - Cannery, Nashville, TN
February 8 - Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
February 10 - House of Blues, Houston, TX
February 11 - Emo’s, Austin, TX
February 12 - House of Blues, Dallas, TX
February 14 - Ogden, Denver, CO
February 15 - Union, Salt Lake City, UT
February 17 - Showbox Market, Seattle, WA
February 18 - Venue Nightclub, Vancouver, BC
February 19 - Revolution Hall, Portland, OR
February 21 - The Regency, San Francisco, CA
February 22 - The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
February 25 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
April 14 - First Direct Arena, Leeds
April 15 - The O2, London
April 16 - Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
April 18 - Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
April 22 - Mountford Hall, Liverpool
April 23 - Mountford Hall, Liverpool
April 29 - La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris
May 1 - Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne
May 2 - Übel & Gefährlich, Hamburg
May 4 - Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm
May 5 - Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo
May 6 - DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen
May 7 - Huxley's Neue Welt, Berlin
May 9 - Gasometer, Vienna
May 10 - Backstage Werk, Munich
May 12 - Estragon, Bologna
May 13 - Fabrique, Milan
May 14 - Komplex 457, Zurich
May 16 - De Roma, Antwerp
May 17 - Paradiso, Amsterdam
May 18 - De Oosterpoort, Groningen
May 19 - TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht
May 26 - Open Air Theatre, Scarborough

02/04 Los Lobos with Them Coulee Boys at First Avenue Read More Los Lobos Electronic artist Marc Rebillet played eight cities in June, Los Lobos played in Southern California on July 4, Andrew McMahon just reprised his Jack Mannequin days with a pair of successful shows in Anaheim . … Them Coulee Boys Lake Monster Bash: Halloween Music Fest Haley Bonar, Farewell Milwaukee, Them Coulee Boys, Actual Wolf Lake Monster Brewing Sat 10/28/2017 (12pm/$15) . …

02/04/2022 Friday

Los Lobos
with Them Coulee Boys
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Los Angeles’ Los Lobos (“The Wolves”) returns to touring in support of their new album Native Sons, out now on New West Records.

Tour dates:

01/13 - Honolulu, HI - Blue Note Hawaii
01/14 - Honolulu, HI - Blue Note Hawaii
02/9 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center
02/10 – Clearwater, FL – Billheimer Capitol Theatre
03/3 - Raton, NM - Shuler Theater
03/4 - Fort Collins, CO - Washington's
03/5 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Strings Music Pavilion
03/7 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
03/23 - Brownfield, ME - Stone Mountain Arts
03/26 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center
03/31 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
04/1 - Brugge, Belgium - Stadsschouwburg Brugge
04/2 - Leuven, Belgium - Het Depot
04/3 - Antwerp, Belgium - De Roma
06/24 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily's Place Amphitheater
06/25 - Mobile, AL - Mobile Civic Center
06/28 - Indianapolis, IN - The Amphitheater
07/1 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation
07/2 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
07/3 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts
07/6 - New Haven, CT - Westville Music Bowl
07/8 - Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center
07/9 - Burlington, VT - Midway Lawn
07/10 - Patchogue, NY - Great South Bay Music Fest
07/12 - Lewiston, NY - Artpark
07/15 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
07/16 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
07/19 - Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
07/21 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park
07/23 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
07/24 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Center
07/26 - Aurora, IL - RiverEdge Park *
07/29 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
07/30 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

02/05 Grady Spencer & the Work with Al Church at 7th St Entry 02/05 The Greeting Committee with The Brazen Youth at Amsterdam Bar & Hall Read More The Greeting Committee Join Kansas City’s The Greeting Committee on their first-ever North American headlining tour at the 7th Street Entry this Tuesday, June 11th. The band opened up for MisterWives in June 2017. …

02/05/2022 Saturday

Grady Spencer & the Work
with Al Church
at 7th St Entry
first-avenue.com

Fort Worth, Texas-based band Grady Spencer & the Work is in tour in support of their new album Wait. The band will stop by 7th Street Entry this Feb 5th.

Al Church to open.

Tour Dates:

12/31 / Fort Worth, TX / Magnolia Motor Lounge
01/20 / Starkville, MS / Rick’s Cafe
01/21 / Atlanta, GA / Vinyl
01/22 / Nashville, TN / Basement East *
01/28-29 / Key West, FL / Mile 0 Fest
02/1 / Athens, GA / 40 Watt
02/3 / Ferndale, MI / Magic Bag
02/4 / Chicago, IL / Carol’s Pub
02/5 / Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
02/9 / San Antonio, TX / Sam’s Burger Joint
02/10 / Austin, TX / Antone’s
02/17 / Denton, TX / Dan’s Silverleaf
02/18 / Roswell, NM / The Liberty ^
02/19 / Lubbock, TX / The Blue Light
02/24 / Trinidad, CO / Trinidad Lounge
02/25 / Denver, CO / Globe Hall
02/26 / Amarillo, TX / Hoot’s Pub
03/10 / Fayetteville, AR / George’s Majestic Lounge
03/11 / Tulsa, OK / The Shrine
03/18 / Houston, TX / White Oak Music Hall
03/19 / Oklahoma City, OK / Beer City Music Hall

* with The Vegabonds
^ supporting Eli Young Band

02/05/2022 Saturday

The Greeting Committee
with The Brazen Youth
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
first-avenue.com

Kansas City’s The Greeting Committee will stop by the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul, as part of their 2022 tour for their sophomore album Dandelion.

Tour Dates

February 5 – St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam Bar & Hall
February 6 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
February 8 – Toronto, ON – Drake Underground
February 9 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
February 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
February 11 – Boston, MA – Café 939
February 12 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
February 15- Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
February 16 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
February 18 – Austin, TX – The Parish
February 19 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada
February 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
February 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
February 23 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of The Hill
February 25 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
February 27 – Portland, OR – Holocene
March 1 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
March 2 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
April 9 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

When Animals Attack: Wolf Alice, Wombats, Thundercat, Lady Bird

Read More Wolf Alice London-based four-piece Wolf Alice will release their debut album My Love Is Cool on June 23rd via Dirty Hit / RCA Records. They actually did not include the cover artwork, but they did ...

Read more When Animals Attack.

WOLF ALICE
wolfalice.co.uk

It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than a decade that London-based Wolf Alice was first formed by singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie.

They actually didn’t release their debut single, “Fluffy”, until 2013, which, of course, we wrote about it in January 22, 2013: “Wolf Alice's debut single, "Fluffy" is out February 11th on Chess Club Records. Despite thinking her name is Alice Wolf, it's really Ellie Rowsell, and her band will be doing a UK tour this year - starting off at the NME Awards Show”.

Wolf Alice at Coalition, Brighton (16 May 2013)

We caught them at Great Escap 2013: “Brody and Jess just saw Wolf Alice at Coalition in Brighton as part of the Great Escape Music Festival taking this weekend. Wolf Alice's next Great Escape appearance will be on Friday (05/17) at SMACK. It is a free show, with their motto as "no wristband, no problem."”

When they finally played their first concert in Minnesota, in May 2015, we were there to cover it. We noted, “Based on the excited fans and sold out status of the Turf Club, the band will definitely be returning to Minneapolis... except, of course, they'll play a much bigger venue.”

Wolf Alice at First Avenue, Minneapolis (27 March 2018)

Yes, of course, they played much bigger venues, such as First Avenue in Oct 2015 and Mar 2018. Their finest hour seems to be nominated for a Grammy and winning the 2018 Mercury Prize.

Now, post-pandemic, Wolf Alice is returning to the stage at the sold-out Fine Line Music Café, in Minneapolis, on November 6th.

Tour dates:

10/25/2021 The Showbox Seattle, WA
10/26/2021 McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
10/28/2021 Teragram Ballroom Los Angeles, CA
10/29/2021 Teragram Ballroom Los Angeles, CA
10/30/2021 August Hall San Francisco, CA
11/03/2021 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
11/04/2021 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
11/06/2021 Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, MN
11/08/2021 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
11/09/2021 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
11/11/2021 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
11/12/2021 The Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
11/13/2021 The Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
11/18/2021 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN
11/20/2021 Terminal West Atlanta, GA
01/05/2022 Barrowland Glasgow
01/07/2022 Barrowland Glasgow
01/08/2022 Barrowland Glasgow
01/12/2022 O2 Apollo Manchester Manchester
01/13/2022 O2 Apollo Manchester Manchester
01/14/2022 O2 Academy Sheffield Sheffield
01/15/2022 O2 Academy Liverpool Liverpool
01/18/2022 Eventim Apollo London
01/19/2022 Eventim Apollo London
01/20/2022 Eventim Apollo London
01/22/2022 O2 Guildhall Southampton Southampton
01/23/2022 De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill-on-Sea
01/24/2022 Olympia Theatre Dublin, Ireland
01/25/2022 Olympia Theatre Dublin, Ireland
01/28/2022 Wolf Alice Plymouth Pavilions Plymouth
01/30/2022 O2 Academy Bristol Bristol
01/31/2022 O2 Academy Bristol Bristol
02/20/2022 Rockefeller Music Hall Oslo, Norway
03/02/2022 La Riviera Madrid, Spain
07/06/2022 Mad Cool Festival Madrid, Spain
07/08/2022 Glasgow Green Glasgow

Read More The Wombats The good news is that with their third album Glitterbug just recently released (April 13, 2015), the band is back in the USA on tour. They are stopping by the Varsity Theater on May 6th. ...

THE WOMBATS
thewombats.co.uk

Fix Yourself, Not The World is the forthcoming album from The Wombats.

The popular band will be heading out on tour to promote the record in 2022, and they’re stopping by the Fillmore in Minneapolis on February 4th. We caught the band in Oct 2018 and wrote, “After some time off, the formerly Liverpool-based trio needed some triangulation logistics (singer Murph is recently married and living in LA, bassist Tord Knudsen has a family in Oslo, and drummer Dan Haggis is settled in London) to all come together, but their playing remains solid despite their distance, and the songs still have their distinctive hummable hooks and choruses amid Murph’s anxious and often somber tragi-comic lyrics.”

Tour dates:

January 20 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
January 22 - The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA
January 25 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
January 26 - House of Blues, Boston, MA
January 28 - Corona, Montreal, QB
January 31 - St. Andrew’s, Detroit, MI
February 1 - Newport, Columbus, OH
February 3 - Park West, Chicago, IL
February 4 - The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN
February 5 - The Truman, Kansas City, MO
February 7 - Cannery, Nashville, TN
February 8 - Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
February 10 - House of Blues, Houston, TX
February 11 - Emo’s, Austin, TX
February 12 - House of Blues, Dallas, TX
February 14 - Ogden, Denver, CO
February 15 - Union, Salt Lake City, UT
February 17 - Showbox Market, Seattle, WA
February 18 - Venue Nightclub, Vancouver, BC
February 19 - Revolution Hall, Portland, OR
February 21 - The Regency, San Francisco, CA
February 22 - The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
February 25 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
April 14 - First Direct Arena, Leeds
April 15 - The O2, London
April 16 - Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
April 18 - Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
April 22 - Mountford Hall, Liverpool
April 23 - Mountford Hall, Liverpool
April 29 - La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Paris (France)
May 1 - Carlswerk Victoria, Cologne (Germany)
May 2 - Übel & Gefährlich, Hamburg (Germany)
May 4 - Slaktkyrkan, Stockholm (Sweden)
May 5 - Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo (Norway)
May 6 - DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen (Denmark)
May 7 - Huxley's Neue Welt, Berlin (Germany)
May 9 - Gasometer, Vienna (Austria)
May 10 - Backstage Werk, Munich (Germany)
May 12 - Estragon, Bologna (Italy)
May 13 - Fabrique, Milan (Italy)
May 14 - Komplex 457, Zurich (Switzerland)
May 16 - De Roma, Antwerp (Belgium)
May 17 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
May 18 - De Oosterpoort, Groningen (Netherlands)
May 19 - TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (Netherlands)
May 26 - Open Air Theatre, Scarborough

Read More Thundercat Grammy-winning bassist & singer Thundercat (not to be confused with the cartoon ThunderCats) is touring in support of his new album Drunk. The sold is show at …

THUNDERCAT
ninjatune.net

Grammy winner and bassist Thundercat (not to be confused with the 80s cartoon) will be touring this Fall in support of his album It Is What It Is. The album garnered praises from the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the LA Times… and it won the Grammy in 2020 for the Best Progessive R&B album.

Thundercat Tour Dates

10/24/21 Orlando, FL The Plaza Live
10/26/21 Jacksonville, FL Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
10/27/21 Tampa, FL Jannus Live
10/28/21 Thu. New Orleans, LA The Joy Theater
10/30/21 Austin, TX Stubb's Waller Creek
10/31/21 Atlanta, GA The Eastern
11/2/21 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/4/21 Thu. Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore
11/5/21 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/6/21 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/7/21 Boston, MA House of Blues
11/9/21 Boston, MA House of Blues
11/10/21 Montreal, QC MTELUS
11/11/21 Thu. Toronto, ON History
11/12/21 Las Vegas, NV Day N Vegas
11/14/21 St. Paul, MN Palace Theater
11/16/21 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
11/17/21 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
11/19/21 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
11/20/21 Dallas, TX House Of Blues Dallas
11/22/21 Mon. Santa Fe, NM Meow Wolf
11/23/21 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren
11/27/21 Los Angeles, CA Shrine Expo Hall
11/29/21 Mon. Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
11/30/21 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
12/1/21 San Francisco, CA The Warfield Theatre
12/3/21 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
12/4/21 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
12/5/21 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Boise
12/7/21 Denver, CO The Mission Ballroom

Read More Lady Bird The feel-good coming-of-age film Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan, is a big sleeper hit. What’s even cooler is the outstanding soundtrack, featuring our favorites The Monkees and Alanis Morissette, among others. …

LADY BIRD
twitter/ladybirdthisis

Kent’s Lady Bird (no relations to the film of the same name) announced their debut album WE, set for release in February 25th 2022 via Alcopop! Records.

There will be a promotional tour to promote the record… so come see the band live: Don Bird (vocals/guitar/organ), Alex Deadman (guitar), Joe Walker (drums).

2021 Live Dates

16th Oct - Live At Leeds
17th Oct - SWN Fest, Cardiff

2022 Live Dates

8th Mar - The Crypt, Hastings
9th Mar - Joiners, Southampton
10th Mar - Crauford Arms, Milton Keynes
11th Mar - Yellow Arch Studios, Sheffield
13th Mar - Caves, Edinburgh
14th Mar - The Wardrobe, Leeds
16th Mar - The Musician, Leicester
17th Mar - lfor Bach, Cardiff
18th Mar - The Old Blue Last, London
19th Mar - YES (Basement), Manchester
20th Mar - Patterns, Brighton
21st Mar - Bullingdon, Oxford
25th Mar - Forum, Tunbridge Wells

ZOO facebook/abandcalledzoo Cincinnati-based Zoo (stylized as ZOO) will be releasing their forthcoming album No Man's Land. The album is coming out October 22, 2021, via Good Eye Records, and there will be an album release show on October 29 at MOTR Pub with Curt Kiser (of Carriers) and Turtledoves.

THE COYOTE instagram/thecoyoteofficial Writer and composer The Coyote (aka Elan Levy) announced his new EP Bad Killer, set to be released on December 3rd, 2021. You can preview the EP via the lead single and video for “Stranger Danger”, which began streaming on Oct 15th via Variance Magazine.

BLACK SWAN DIVE BOMB facebook/blackswandivebomb Detroit’s Black Swan Dive Bomb (Dakota Starr, Woody Locke, Fann Daigh, and Dan Carney) will be releasing their debut four song EP Light the Match, Ignite the Flame on October 26, 2021. The four-track EP is described as “jam-packed with dynamic changes and unbridled energy.”

HAWKINS facebook/thehawkinsswe Swedish garage rockers The Hawkins just released Aftermath on October 15, via by The Sign Records. The vinyl will arrive on October 29th. Aftermath is described as a conceptual mini-album, “dealing with the destructive aftermath of past relationships.” We’re not actually sure what is the differences are between a mini-album and an extended play (EP).

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Wombats at Go Show - Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (08 Oct 2018)

Wombats at Fine Line Music Cafe Wombats Setlist Cheetah Tongue Give Me a Try Black Flamingo White Eyes Techno Fan Emoticons Lemon to a Knife Fight I Don't Know Why I Like You but I Do Bee-Sting Pink Lemonade Moving to New York Jump Into the Fog Lethal Combination Let's Dance to Joy Division -- Encore -- Turn Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) Greek Tragedy Barns Courtney Setlist Fun Never Ends London Girls 99 Glitter & Gold Golden Dandelions Kicks Fire Tour Dates 10/15/2018 Marathon Music Works Nashville, TN 10/16/2018 The Mill & Mine Knoxville, TN 10/18/2018 The National Richmond, VA 10/19/2018 The Fillmore Philadelphia, PA 10/20/2018 Rams Head Live! Baltimore, MD 10/22/2018 Port City Music Hall Portland, ME 10/23/2018 College Street Music Hall New Haven, CT 10/24/2018 House Of Blues Boston, MA 10/26/2018 Corona Theatre Montreal, QC 10/30/2018 Terminal 5 New York, NY 02/01/2019 SSE Arena, Wembley London, UK Read More Go 96.3 We were really impressed with Go 96.3 FM's first Go Show #1 (featuring New Politics and Banks at Aria on Mar 2015). We were wondering how they can top that debut show … The Wombats The good news is that with their third album Glitterbug just recently released (April 13, 2015), the band is back in the USA on tour. They are stopping by the Varsity Theater on May 6th. ... Barns Courtney The evening was opened by Ipswich, UK singer-songwriter Barns Courtney (not to be confused with Australian singer/guitarist Courtney Barnett) in support of his Hands EP (Virgin EMI Records). …

A night of lemons and honey--

The interestingly titled new album, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life (Kobalt Records) from alt-pop trio The Wombats, brought them back to Minneapolis, to headline a radio-sponsored sold-out Go Show at the Fine Line Music Cafe.

The event was one in a series of shows brought in by local alternative radio station Go96.3, which helps foster fan support for up-and-coming bands, as well as station favorites (The Wombats had previously been part of a winter-themed Go Show at Northrop Auditorium in 2015).

Rising singer-songwriter Barns Courtney opened the evening with a spirited half-hour opening set that left him completely drenched at the end of things. New full-length is due soon on Virgin Records, but in the meantime, Courtney has released various singles and has both a lyrical sensitivity and a big room stomp sound to his songs, which include radio-friendly songs, ‘99’, ‘Glitter & Gold’, and ‘Fire’ (which first caught on in the Bradley Cooper-as-chef movie, Burnt).

“You guys are pretty saucy!” Courtney exclaimed dousing himself with water bottles for the final two numbers, the new ‘Kicks’, and ‘Fire’ which found everyone clapping along in double-time and singing along, as Courtney got the crowd to crouch low before all jumped up excitedly for the song’s crescendo.

With a backdrop of the new album cover, The Wombats emerged for their eighty-minute set, beginning with the heartbeat intro sound of the new album’s opening ‘Cheetah Tongue’ immediately going next into an arresting ‘Give Me a Try’ from 2015’s previous album, Glitterbug.

After some time off, the formerly Liverpool-based trio needed some triangulation logistics (singer Murph is recently married and living in LA, bassist Tord Knudsen has a family in Oslo, and drummer Dan Haggis is settled in London) to all come together, but their playing remains solid despite their distance, and the songs still have their distinctive hummable hooks and choruses amid Murph’s anxious and often somber tragi-comic lyrics.

‘Black Flamingo’ with its comfort in dysfunction, was paired live with the social awkwardness of ‘White Eyes’ before things turned more electronic again with 2011’s ‘Techno Fan’. The new album’s first single, ‘Lemon to a Knife Fight’ is an ideal bit of buzzpop about Murph’s place in relationships, and was one the first of a few lemon-themed songs of the set.

New single ‘Bee-Sting’ (which will be available on the upcoming deluxe version of the new record), with its lyrics, “You drive me crazier that a wingless bee, you drive me crazier than I ought to be” also prompted some on-stage conversation about what honey actually is (i.e. If it’s a fruit or a pollen, prompting shouted theories and drummer Haggis searching his phone).

‘Pink Lemonade’ (another lemon-themed song) had to be re-started due to all the honey talk, but Murph quickly got back on track, with the new album’s ‘Dip You in Honey’ sadly not played, as it would have completed the night’s theme. Murph also alluded to the so-called Minnesota Nice demeanor, mentioning one of his good friends in LA, is originally from the area, and so overtly and genuinely pleasant, he wasn’t sure he could trust him at first.

‘Jump into the Fog’ ended with an extra bit of instrumental bombast, with drummer Haggis mentioning it might have been from the influence of seeing Metallica headline in Austin over the weekend, and their informal stuffed animal mascot, Steve the Squirrel was introduced before the main set-closing ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’.

The three-song encore began with Haggis reading the crowd the dictionary definition of honey, before Murph cut him off (“we could be here all night…!”) with the straight-ahead new love song that is ‘Turn’. The synth intro of ‘Tokyo’ found everyone clapping along and before some last trivia about honey from Haggis, ‘Greek Tragedy’ ended the evening with Murph emoting, “I love this feeling but I hate this part, I wanted this to work so much”.

With their fourth full-length, The Wombats are showing a musical maturity not seen before, making lemonade out of any lemons and taking influence from the three corners of the globe each member is based in- the result is something that is musically sweet, viscous, and irresistible – honey.

(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)

Go 963 DJ Reed

Barns Courtney

Barns Courtney

Barns Courtney

Wombats Setlist

Wombats

Wombats

Wombats

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Wombats

The Wombats at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (08 Oct 2018)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Rocktober: October 7 to October 9, 2018

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from October 7 to October 9, 2018.

Read more: Minneapolis Music Guide.

The Wombats Go Show Read More Go 96.3 We were really impressed with Go 96.3 FM's first Go Show #1 (featuring New Politics and Banks at Aria on Mar 2015). We were wondering how they can top that debut show … The Wombats The good news is that with their third album Glitterbug just recently released (April 13, 2015), the band is back in the USA on tour. They are stopping by the Varsity Theater on May 6th. ... Barns Courtney The evening was opened by Ipswich, UK singer-songwriter Barns Courtney (not to be confused with Australian singer/guitarist Courtney Barnett) in support of his Hands EP (Virgin EMI Records). …

THE WOMBATS
+ Barns Courtney
Fine Line Music Cafe
Mon 10/08/2018 (7:30pm/$19.63)
finelinemusic.com

The latest Go Show will feature Liverpool’s The Wombats. This is not the Wombats’ first Go Show, in fact, they appeared at Go’s Snow Show in Dec 2015.

The Wombats’ new album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life will be out on November 9th via AWAL Recordings. Expect to hear some preview songs, such as the forthcoming single “Bee-Sting” on their set.

Barns Courtney to open. We saw Barns in Nov 2016 and said, “Courtney and band worked hard to get the still-filling room into his corner and pulled it off with songs like his initial single, ‘Glitter & Gold’ and even pulled a move out of the Tantrums playbook during hit, ‘Fire’ (heard in the Bradley Cooper chef movie, Burnt as well) by having everyone huddle low on the ground, before exploding up for the song’s chorus. Based on the warm reception he’s received locally, expect a return headlining show, once the album is released.”

NOTE: This show was originally scheduled at Minneapolis Music Hall, but has been moved to the Fine Line. Original tickets for MMH will be honored, of course.

As a special price bonus, tickets are sold at $19.63, which is Go’s 96.3 FM dial.

Tour dates:

09/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theatre
09/28 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
09/29 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
10/02 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex - Grand Room
10/03 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
10/06 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/08 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
10/09 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
10/11 Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
10/12 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
10/13 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/15 Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
10/16 Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine
10/18 Richmond, VA @ The National
10/19 Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
10/20 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live!
10/22 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall
10/23 New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
10/24 Boston, MA @ House of Blues
10/26 Montreal, QB @ Corona Theatre
10/27 Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
10/30 New York, NY @ Terminal 5

SG Lewis North American 2018 Tour Sarah Shook 2018 Tour Noah Cyrus Good Cry Tour Amy Helm at the Cedar Read More Miley Cyrus Miley Cyrus' oversexualized Bangerz shows have been getting a lot of attention, criticized in TMZ where they comment how her parents were in the audience at one of her recent show. … Sarah Shook Chapel Hill, NC-based group Sarah Shook & the Disarmers is touring for their second album Years (Bloodshot Records). The group will stop by the Turf Club on May 9th. … Amy Helm Other shows in the area: 05/12/17 Singer/songwriter Amy Helm will be playing at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant. Cindy Cashdollar to open. 7pm, $33. …

Other shows in the area:

SG LEWIS
+ Yoshi Flower
7th Street Entry
Sun 10/07/2018 (7:30pm/$17.50)
first-avenue.com

Songwriter, producer and musician SG Lewis is touring in support of the second phase of his upcoming three-part concept album Dusk, Dark, Dawn (Casablanca/Republic Records).

Tour dates:

09/25/2018 - Union Stage - Washington, DC
09/26/2018 - The Foundry - Philadelphia, PA
09/28/2018 - Elsewhere - Brooklyn, NY
09/29/2018 - Elsewhere - Brooklyn, NY
09/30/2018 - The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA
10/02/2018 - Mod Club - Toronto, ON
10/03/2018 - Fairmount Theatre - Montreal, QC
10/05/2018 - El Club - Detroit, MI
10/06/2018 - Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
10/07/2018 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN
10/10/2018 - Come and Take It Live - Austin, TX
10/11/2018 - House of Blues - Houston, TX
10/12/2018 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX
10/14/2018 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO

SARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERS
+ The Trongone Band
Turf Club
Sun 10/07/2018 (7pm/$15)
turfclub.net

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers is back in town, they’re be headlining the Turf Club in St Paul on Sunday, October 7th.

Tour dates:

9/22+23/18 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Bristol TN
9/29/2018 Devils Backbone Hoopla Roseland VA
10/2/2018 123 Pleasant Street Morgantown WV
10/3/2018 Ace of Cups Columbus OH
10/4/2018 Pioneer Indianapolis IN
10/5/2018 The Shitty Barn Spring Green WI
10/6/2018 Cactus Club Milwaukee WI
10/7/2018 Turf Club St. Paul MN
10/8/2018 Showboat Saloon Wisconsin Dells WI
10/9/2018 Raccoon Motel Davenport IA
10/10/2018 Knuckleheads Saloon Kansas City MO
10/11/2018 Off Broadway St. Louis MO
10/12/2018 Willie's Locally Known Lexington KY
11/2/18 Deventer NL Burgerweeshuis
11/3/18 Groningen NL Take Root
11/4/18 Breda NL ROOTZZ 2018
11/5/18 London UK Old Blue Last
11/7/18 Barcelona ES Rocksound
11/8/18 Zaragoza ES Rock & Blues
11/9/18 Madrid ES Boite Live

NOAH CYRUS
+ Maty Noyes
Varsity Theater
Mon 10/08/2018 (6:30pm/$25)
varsitytheater.com

Although Noah Cyrus is a Platinum-selling artist, people still think of her as Miley Cyrus’ younger sister. Noah’s “The Good Cry Tour” may or may not have something to do with her breakup with rapper Lil Xan.

NOTE: This is an all-ages show.

Tour dates:

09/22 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution
09/23 Orlando, FL Beacham Theatre
09/25 Atlanta, GA The Loft
09/26 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
09/28 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
10/01 New York, NY Irving Plaza
10/03 Philadelphia, PA The Theatre
10/05 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
10/07 Chicago, IL House of Blues
10/08 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
10/10 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
10/11 Houston, TX House of Blues
10/13 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
10/16 Los Angeles, CA Belasco Theatre
10/18 San Diego, CA House of Blues
10/20 San Francisco, CA August Hall
10/22 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
10/23 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
10/24 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom

AMY HELM
Cedar Cultural Center
Tue 10/09/2018 (7:30pm/$20)
thecedar.org

American musician Amy Helm is headlining the Cedar Cultural Center in support of her latest album This Too Shall Light (Yep Roc Records). The record was produced by Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Joe Henry.

Tour Dates:

09/27/2018 Cohoes Music Hall Cohoes, NY
09/28/2018 Center For The Arts Homer, NY
09/29/2018 Buffalo Iron Works Buffalo, NY
09/29/2018 Buffalo Iron Works
10/04/2018 The Kent Stage Kent, OH
10/05/2018 Otus Supply Ferndale, MI
10/09/2018 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
10/18/2018 3rd & Lindsley Nashville, TN
10/21/2018 Culture Center Theater Charleston, WV

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Wombats at First Avenue, Minneapolis (12 July 2016)

Wombats Setlist Give Me a Try Jump Into the Fog Moving to New York 1996 Be Your Shadow Your Body Is a Weapon Patricia the Stripper Pink Lemonade Techno Fan Emoticons Curveballs The English Summer Kill the Director Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) -- Encore -- Isabel (Murph solo acoustic) Greek Tragedy Let's Dance to Joy Division Coast Modern Setlist Going Down Guru Tiny Umbrella Dive Cool Comb My Hair Animals Pockets Hollow Life Tour Dates 07/19/16 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom 07/23/16 Zwarte Cross Festival 07/24/16 Liverpool Intl Music Festival Summer Jam 07/29/16 Osheaga Festival 08/01/16 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom 08/03/16 Los Angeles, CA Fonda Theatre 08/05/16 Santa Ana, CA Observatory 08/06/16 Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival 08/08/16 Buffalo, NY Waiting Room 08/10/16 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall 08/12/16 Providence, RI Waterplace Park 08/13/16 107.7 The End Summer Camp 08/26/16 Leeds Festival 08/28/16 Reading Festival 09/23/16 Life Is Beautiful Festival 09/27/16 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre 09/29/16 Omaha, NE Waiting Room 09/30/16 Des Moines, IA Wooly's 10/01/16 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre 10/07/16 Austin City Limits Music Festival 10/08/16 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall Read More The Wombats The good news is that with their third album Glitterbug just recently released (April 13, 2015), the band is back in the USA on tour. They are stopping by the Varsity Theater on May 6th. ... Coast Modern Los Angeles duo Coast Modern (Coleman Trapp & Luke Atlas) will open the show. Their debut single went viral on the HypeMachine Charts and got about a million streams ...

We’re unabashed fans of The Wombats—

…not the actual marsupial, which is a fine animal native to Australia (fun fact: a group of wombats is called a wisdom); rather the indie synth-pop Liverpool-based trio, making music since 20003 and out in support of third label full-length, Glitterbug (Bright Antenna Records).

The band was back in town last week for its third proper local concert on the current tour (after last May at the Varsity and a brief slot at December’s Go 96.3 Snow Show) and their audience seems to be only growing.  The show was all but sold out, with a crowd still seemingly getting younger, which is rare for a band that has been around for over a decade.

W♥M gave a heads-up about the band as early as 2007, and yours truly was likely the first DJ in the country to play the band, spinning a limited ‘Lost in the Post’ single, long before the band had signed to any label.  So, we’ve been on board for a while…

Coast Modern

The evening began with a spirited short set from relative newcomers, Coast Modern, a Los Angeles-based duo (Luke Atlas and Coleman Trapp) rounded out by a full band and in support of a handful of singles (on 300 Entertainment).

Self-proclaiming themselves “America’s Newest Band”, their forty-minute set was filled with the eagerness and exuberance of a band just starting out, and happy to be reaching audiences everywhere for the first time.

Coast Modern

The released singles (‘Guru’, ‘Animals’, ‘Hollow Life’) were sprinkled in-between even newer tracks, likely destined for their first album, with not much talk between songs, choosing instead to properly introduce themselves with their music.  Grouplove and Cage the Elephant comparisons have been made, but the duo is clearly striking out on their own and returns again in September, opening for The Temper Trap.

Murph

Choosing to open with ‘Give Me a Try’, The Wombats properly introduced themselves to any of the uninitiated with an open invitation to enjoy their music.  ‘Moving to New York’ started uncharacteristically quiet, but quickly built into a dervish, with drummer Dan Haggis pounding increasingly harder, and bassist Tord Knudsen leaping from one end of the stage to the other as his instrument kicked in. “Let’s see you dancing!”, singer Matt “Murph” Murphy asked (but didn’t have to).

Murph recalled the band’s first gig in town years back, and driving past First Avenue that day, being told of the venue’s history, saying how grateful they were to finally grace the legendary stage.  The irony of ‘Patricia the Stripper’ is that Murph’s mother is a Patricia, though the song thankfully has no relation.

‘Pink Lemonade’ was written in Barcelona in the midst of a relationship squabble Murph had, and older favorites ‘Kill the Director’ and ‘Tokyo’ had the crowd clapping and singing along to end the 70 min. main set.

After chants of “one more song”, the crowd was actually given three as an encore, starting more gently with Murph alone singing ‘Isabel’ with its opening lyric, “Two tickets to the rabbit hole, please”.

The new album’s second single ‘Greek Tragedy’ made things more cheerful with the bartender sending a set of shots up to the band following the song, of which Murph viewed the pours and described them as “American-sized” before downing his own.

Fueled by a little alcohol (except for Knudson), the set-ending ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ got everyone moving and singing along with its “So happy” lyrical bridge before the song ended with a crunchy, hard rocking instrumental end.

For bypassing Minneapolis on its initial US tours, The Wombats have more than made up for it, playing here at least three times each for the last two tours, and to ever-growing audiences.  They’re a secret no more- the cat, err, wombat, is out of the bag, and with glorious results.

The Wombats at First Avenue, Minneapolis (12 July 2016)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Minneapolis: July 12, 2016

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on July 12, 2016.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More The Wombats The good news is that with their third album Glitterbug just recently released (April 13, 2015), the band is back in the USA on tour. They are stopping by the Varsity Theater on May 6th. ...

THE WOMBATS
at First Avenue
Tuesday, 07/12/16, 7:30pm ($20)
first-avenue.com

We last saw The Wombats at the over-sold-out Varsity Theater show last May 2015, and noticed that they have a ton of fans. Many of them rushed to the front of the stage, leaving very little room on the dance floor. With top 5 album Glitterbug, appearances on national television, and recently, over 28 million streams for their single ‘Greek Tragedy’, expect those same rabid fans to show up at the First Avenue show next Tuesday.

Los Angeles duo Coast Modern (Coleman Trapp & Luke Atlas) will open the show. Their debut single went viral on the HypeMachine Charts and got about a million streams on Spotify. The synth-pop duo already toured with BØRNS earlier in May, and now spending their summer with the Wombats.

NOTE: Don’t miss this show... but if you have other obligations, check out Coast Modern again when they come back on September 27th with The Temper Trap at the Varsity Theater! We haven’t seen The Temper Trap since 2010 and is very excited to have the Australian band back in town.

Tour dates:

07/08/16 Milwaukee, WI Henry Maier Festival Park
07/09/16 Kansas City, MO Kansas City Live
07/11/16 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe
07/12/16 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
07/13/16 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
07/15/16 PromoWest Fest
07/16/16 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
07/18/16 St. Louis, MO The Ready Room
07/19/16 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
07/24/16 Liverpool International Music Festival
07/29/16 Osheaga Festival
08/01/16 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
08/03/16 Los Angeles, CA Fonda Theatre
08/05/16 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
08/06/16 Outside Lands Music
08/08/16 Buffalo, NY Waiting Room
08/10/16 Portland, ME Port City Music Hall
08/12/16 Providence, RI Waterplace Park
08/13/16 107.7 The End Summer Camp
08/26/16 Leeds Festival
08/28/16 Reading Festival
09/23/16 Life Is Beautiful Festival
09/27/16 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
09/29/16 Omaha, NE Waiting Room
09/30/16 Des Moines, IA Wooly's
10/01/16 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre

Read More Oh Pep Stadium Cake Oh Pep Olivia Hally and Pepita Emmerichs met in music secondary school in Melbourne, Australia, drawn together by a shared love of songs with no boundaries or expectations. ....

OH PEP!
at Cedar Cultural Center
Tuesday, 07/12/16, 7pm ($12/$15)
thecedar.org

Australian duo Oh Pep! (Olivia Hally and Pepita Emerichs) will be headlining the Cedar Cultural Center next Tuesday, July 12th, in support of their debut album Stadium Cake (out now on Dualtone). Stereogum called their lead single ‘Doctor Doctor’ as “ultra-fun”.

Laulu to open.

Tour dates:

Jul 7 - Jammin' Java - Vienna, VA
Jul 8 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
Jul 9 - Green River Festival - Northampton, MA
Jul 11 - Schubas - Chicago, IL
Jul 12 - Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis, MN
Jul 15-17 - Vancouver Folk Festival - Vancouver
Jul 19 - Sugar Club - Victoria, BC
Jul 21-23 - Calgary Folk Festival - Calgary, AB
Jul 25 - Revolution Roof Deck - Portland, OR
Jul 27 - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA
Jul 28 - Bootleg Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Aug 1 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO
Aug 3 - Demo - St. Louis, MO
Aug 4 - High Watt - Nashville, TN
Aug 5 - Evening Muse - Charlotte, NC
Aug 6 - Cats Cradle - Carrboro, NC
Sep 18 - Rams Head Live - Baltimore MD *
Sep 19 - The National - Richmond, VA *
Sep 20 - Jefferson Theatre - Charlottesville, VA*
Sep 22 - Buskirk-Chumley - Bloomington, IN*
Sep 23 - The Castle Theatre - Bloomington, IL*
Sep 26 - The Englert Theatre - Iowa City, IA*
Sep 27 - Pabst Theatre - Milwaukee, WI*
Sep 28 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI*
Sep 30 - The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE*
Oct 1 - Madrid Theatre - Kansas City, MO*
Oct 2 - The Blue Note - Columbia, MO*
Oct 3 - Codfish Hollow Barnstormers - Maquoketa, IA*

+ w/ Lord Huron and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
# w/ Lord Huron
* w/ The Mountain Goats

Read More Big Thief Brooklyn’s Big Thief to open. The band was previously in Minneapolis with Here We Go Magic last November 2015. Big Thief’s Masterpiece will be out May 27th, 2016, on Saddle Creek. ...

BIG THIEF
at Triple Rock Social Club
Tuesday, 07/12/16, 7:30pm ($10/$12)
triplerocksocialclub.com

Didn’t we just see Big Thief three weeks ago (June 15)? Well the Brooklyn’s quartet (Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, James Krivchenia, Max Oleartchik) is back in town at the Triple Rock Social Club in support of their Masterpiece album (Saddle Creek).

Currently, there are no opening bands listed... however, knowing the Triple Rock, expect two additional local bands.

Tour dates:

07/07/16 Portland, OR Bunk Bar
07/08/16 Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern
07/09/16 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
07/12/16 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
07/13/16 Evanston, IL SPACE
07/14/16 Lakewood, OH Mahall's 20 Lanes
07/15/16 Buffalo, NY Sugar City
07/19/16 Rock On! Cruise
07/28/16 Washington, DC Rock And Roll Hotel
07/30/16 Summer Art Market
07/30/16 Philadelphia, PA Boot & Saddle
08/03/16 New Haven, CT Bar
08/04/16 Troy, NY The Hangar
08/05/16 Providence, RI Columbus Theater
08/06/16 Denmark, ME Denmark Arts Center
09/23/16 Summerstage

Read More Holy White Hounds Sparkle Sparkle Holy White Hounds My friend Cody from A Twitch of the Death Nerve told me about this band before the album was released. He is always solid on his recommendations so I pre-ordered the album ...

HOLY WHITE HOUNDS
at 7th St. Entry
Tuesday, 07/12/16, 7:30pm ($10/$12)
first-avenue.com

Alternative/indie rockers Holy White Hounds is headlining the 7th St. Entry on July 12th in support of their debut album Switchblade. The record is currently #12 on the Rock Radio charts and their single ‘Switchblade’, looking to crack the Top 10.

From photos of the band, they sure look fun. The band was last seen in Minneapolis in December 2015 as part of the Communion Music Showcase.

The Holy White Hounds is songwriters Brenton Dean (vocals/guitar) and Ambrose Lupercal (bass), who later on added James Manson (guitar), and Seth Luloff (drums).

Special guests The Unlikely Candidates,Tabah, and Whiskey Rock 'n' Roll Club to open.

Tour dates:

07/08/16 80/35
07/12/16 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
07/16/16 PromoWest Fest
07/26/16 Toronto, ON Adelaide Hall
07/31/16 WEDG Edgefest
08/19/16 89.7 KIWR River Riot
09/04/16 Riot Fest & Rodeo
09/16/16 Riot Fest

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Go96.3 Snow Show (Day 1) feat. Silversun Pickups, Metric, Wombats, Melanie Martinez at Northrop, Minneapolis (03 Dec 2015)

Silversun Pickups Setlist Cradle (Better Nature) Well Thought Out Twinkles The Royal We Nightlight Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance) The Pit Friendly Fires Latchkey Kids Panic Switch Ragamuffin Lazy Eye Metric Setlist Lie Lie Lie Youth Without Youth Help I'm Alive Too Bad, So Sad Cascades Black Sheep Synthetica Combat Baby Gold Guns Girls The Shade Breathing Underwater Wombats Setlist Give Me a Try Jump into the Fog Moving to New York Be Your Shadow Techno Fan Emoticons Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) Greek Tragedy Let's Dance to Joy Division Melanie Martinez Setlist Cry Baby Sippy Cup Tag, You're It Soap Mrs. Potato Head Read More Go 96.3 We were really impressed with Go 96.3 FM's first Go Show #1 (featuring New Politics and Banks at Aria on Mar 2015). We were wondering how they can top that debut show … Silversun Pickups Having spent many times stopping in Minneapolis at smaller venues, like the 7th Street Entry, Silversun Pickups' Brian Aubert was amazed at the massive crowd for Rock the Garden, that he said, "This is a big deal!" … Metric I've seen Metric twice (four times if you count Emily Haines solo or Broken Social Scene), so you know I love this little Canadian band. Their Rock the Garden's set was very similar to their … The Wombats The good news is that with their third album Glitterbug just recently released (April 13, 2015), the band is back in the USA on tour. They are stopping by the Varsity Theater on May 6th. ...

Thanks to an El Niño weather season, there hasn’t yet been much Snow, but the musicals acts playing made for more than enough Show, at the first night of the inaugural Go 96.3 Snow Show, held at Northrop Auditorium.

The holiday show attempts to become a year-end tradition, in the same spirit as other eclectic-act year-end concerts in other major markets, and the local alternative rock FM station is well on its way to having the Snow Show do just that, having already introduced the GO Fest this summer at Target Field, and a series of exclusive Go Shows, held at smaller venues.

Here’s a rundown of the acts that played the first night of the two-night show:

MELANIE MARTINEZ

The relative newcomer that most know from NBC’s The Voice, opened the evening with a 25 min. five-song set culled from her debut, Cry Baby (Atlantic Records).

Wearing socks, a frilly pink Casper the Friendly Ghost sweater, and sporting dual colored hair, Martinez charmed the crowd (some of whom were still finding their seats) with seemingly spry and child-like but really sadder, undertoned songs like the title track and ‘Mrs. Potato Head’ which shines the light on beauty pressures with little girls that “pucker up their lips until they suffocate”.  ‘Soap’ can be heard on the radio currently and she is everywhere next year, including a March return locally to Myth in Maplewood.

THE WOMBATS

The Wombats photo: John

We’re unabashed fans of the Liverpudlian trio (Matthew Murphy, Dan Haggis, and Tord Øverland Knudsen) having discovered them with early single ‘Lost in the Post’ and covering them just about every time they’ve come to town.  Latest album Glitterbug (Bright Antenna Records) came out in the Spring and features their trademark poppy songs while gaining them further momentum and mass appeal.

Their abbreviated 40 min. set was still fun, having to convert a seated crowd that mostly hadn’t heard of them (fitting then to start with ‘Give Me a Try’) and singer Murph did so with kind words, as bassist Knudsen (wearing a local Electric Fetus t-shirt) used the large stage to catapult manically from end to end.

Murph successfully got the crowd all standing for ‘Techno Fan' and the new album’s ‘Greek Tragedy’ was more than familiar to regular listeners of the sponsoring station.  The bouncing ‘Let's Dance to Joy Division’ ended their short set, getting even the oldest and jaded in the crowd, moving.

METRIC

The Canadian four-piece (Emily Haines, James Shaw, Josh Winstead, and Joules Scott-Key) is out in promotion of their sixth full-length Pagans in Vegas (Metric Music Intl) and started their 55 min.with a dimly lit stage, odd spoken word introduction, and new song, ‘Lie Lie Lie’.

Singer Haines made an immediate impression, dressed mostly in black, wearing shorts, a floppy hat, and a showgirl jeweled peacock feather set of wings that made her also appear Christmas Tree-like.   Longtime fans may have been disappointed that songs were mostly from the last three albums, but given the nature of the show, they wisely played to the strength of the more recent material.

Their set was well put together and paced, with Haines dancing at one point with a flowing yellow scarf held aloft by twin floor fans, as she moved between vocals, keys, and even guitar.  A spacey and affirming spoken word intro led into ‘Synthetica’ and new album lead single, ’The Shade’ sounded more urgent played live.

Highlight was undoubtedly the closing and extended ‘Breathing Underwater’ lasting some eight minutes that started as an anthem and ended stripped to its essence, acoustic with the crowd clapping and singing back the chorus.

SILVERSUN PICKUPS

The Los Angeles foursome (Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao and Joe Lester) has been around since 2002, but is just starting this chapter of the band with their fourth full-length, September’s Better Nature (New Machine Recordings).  The new material is slightly more synth based with less guitar, though the mix of new and old songs seemed to please the crowd, most of whom were there for the headliner.

The stage had been cleared out, leaving a sparse area for the band to take their places (as they seem to prefer) opening their 65 min. set with (sort-of) title track, ‘Cradle (Better Nature)’.  Roughly half the set was new album material, though they did dial it back several times, including two songs from their 2006 debut.

New album single, ‘Nightlight’ added more punch live than on record, with singer Aubert avoiding so-called “rock talk” but admitted his enthusiasm in “making records just to play places like this” and promising to keep the secret of how great the area is, to live in.  ‘Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)’ featured bassist Monninger (in a sparkly dress), who we missed at the band’s Rock the Garden appearance a few years ago, when she was off having twin girls

Drummer Guanlao got jibed about his NBA allegiance to the Lakers, though peace was made when it was reminded that the team was originally the Minneapolis Lakers.  ‘Panic Switch’ got rave applause, while ‘Ragamuffin’ started with an Edge-like infinite guitar intro in front of a brooding bassline.

Silversun Pickups Setlist

Aubert echoed his whisperings of “spoilers” earlier in the set by leaking a key Game of Thrones fact for anyone that hadn’t seen it, before launching into the set and show-closing ‘Lazy Eye’, looking rambunctious and unapologetic with the band waving and leaving the stage to a standing ovation.

Operationally, the venue’s sound was impeccable, the result of a recent total building refurb and the radio staff came out between acts, to introduce bands and rave up the crowd.

Initial set times slowly fell by the wayside, with the Pickups taking the stage at 10:23 instead of their 9:40 posted start, but no one seemed to mind (unless you had to be at work extra early the day).

So, with little Snow outside, but plenty Show inside, consider the inaugural Go96.3 Snow Show a success with the hope that this becomes a bigger and better holiday tradition, for years ahead.

All photos below are by Jayme Halbritter.

Metric	Metric	Metric	Metric	Metric	Metric
Metric	Metric	Metric	Silversun Pickups	Silversun Pickups	Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups	Silversun Pickups	Silversun Pickups	Silversun Pickups	Silversun Pickups	Silversun Pickups

Silversun Pickups at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis (3 Nov 2015) photo courtesy of Jayme Halbritter, jaymehalbritter.com

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic