Nothing super exciting happened at The Turf Club on Thursday night but that’s what made it such a stellar show. Other than a movie playing in the background during the opening act that had both the band, myself, and many others in the audience distracted for some weird reason, it was one of those nights that was purely about the local music scene and the perfection that comes with it.
Getting the night start promptly at 8 PM was Closetalker. I knew nothing about this band but, within the first song, I wanted to know everything about this four-piece. Their sound was intense but calm at the same time in a very mewithoutYou way. Even though I felt like their set started a bit rocky with a few moments that had me fearing that they were going to fall apart, the band quickly pulled it together and had the whole audience in the palm of their hands. My favorite part of their sound was absolutely the vocals. Two of the members took turns providing the vocals and each of them had a very distinct sound and style but somehow they came together to make a cohesive song both within the tracks and throughout the set. The changes in vocals plus the fact that their songs didn’t seem to really fit into the standard composition mold that so many punk-inspired acts fall into kept Closetalker’s set feeling fresh with every song that passed.
At one point, the bassist admitted that he kept on getting distracted by Snow Dogs playing on the TVs behind the bar. “Give it up for Cube Gooding Jr. in this amazing roll!”, he joked. It was a weird moment and it made me feel a bit guilty as I realized I had spent the majority of Closetalker’s set also watching this cinematic gold (I really need to go back and watch that full movie) but it was weird because I felt like I didn’t miss a second of their set at the same time. I may have been intrigued and lost in a world of nostalgia as I watched the movie but Closertalker’s music never took a back seat to that which says more about their sound that my redundant words ever could.
I heard No Encore, the second band of the Thursday night show, before I saw them and, when I finally saw who was playing what I was hearing, I was shocked. I expected a full 5-6 piece band on stage with the amount of power and sound I was getting from them but, instead, realized that this is just a duo act. To say I was instantly sold on them because of this and the flawless nature of their sound would be an understatement. No Encore has a classic Midwestern pop-punk sound. The vocals are just ever so slightly raspy and the beats were quick and contagious. Sets were short on Thursday night due to it being a four-band line-up so I felt like No Encore’s set was way too short for my personal liking. I really could have watched them for at least a few more hours before getting bored with it. There was just something about their sound and stage presence that felt so understated and simple yet so strong. No Encore absolutely has my attention and I will be making it a point to catch them live again soon.
I had caught Dead History, the next band to take the stage, when I showed up at the wrong show back in March of 2022 (long story but read about it HERE!). Although I was at that show as a fluke, I felt like it was fate that I saw Dead History that night because it sparked a fire in my soul. Dead History doesn’t play often and joked on Thursday night that they only play once a year so this was it. I wanted to laugh but hearing that also made me want to cry. Their set on Thursday was just as solid as the set I saw back in March 2022. I was just as captivated by the whole band as they played through their songs that have a very Quicksand inspired sound. Although nearly a year has passed since the first time I saw Dead History, I felt like I recognized some of the songs. That could have been me just absolutely losing it but I think it’s also a sign of just how distinct their sound is and how they straight-up own it. Dead History is not trying to be anything other than what they are and that was something super refreshing to hear and see.
Headlining the chill but amazing night at The Turf Club was a personal favorite of mine, Loss Leader. I had reviewed one of their albums awhile back and catch myself going back to it more often than not. I know they have played a lot of killer shows since I did that review but Thursday night was my first chance to catch them live and they absolutely did not disappoint. The thing I loved the most about Loss Leader when I checked out ‘True North’ was the vocals. They are raspy to a fault yet convey an undeniable sense of emotion and energy. Seeing that happen on the stage right in front of me on Thursday was just what I had wanted from this band. Their sound live was super close to that from the album but it also had a bit more of a garage-punk twist to it that fit their Midwestern Pop-Punk sound perfectly.
Being that I had never seen this band before, I truly did not know they were a trio up to just a couple of shows ago when they added a second guitarist. You could have fooled me. The four-piece played so well together and the sounds they made as a cohesive group were powerful and flawless as if they had been playing together for decades. Although all four members were clearly having fun on stage and were not taking themselves too seriously as they joked with the audience and each other, they came off as well-rehearsed and flawless.
Like I said, nothing really exciting happened on Thursday night at The Turf Club but that’s what made it such a great show. It was yet another night spent basking in the glory that is the local Twin Cities music scene.
Line Up:
Venue: The Turf Club
Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable
Average Age of the Crowd: 32
Crowd Surfers- None Spotted
Stage Divers- None
Mosh-ability- 4 out of 10
Sausage-Fest Meter- 8 out of 10
Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0
Broken Bones- None
Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing
Fights- None Witnessed
Pukers- 0
Randomly Shirtless Men – 0
Passed Out Kids- 0
Idiots Taken Out By Security – None Spotted
How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 0 out of 10
How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-
Closetalker – 0
No Encore – 0
Dead History – 1
Loss Leader – 0
Celebrity Sightings – Andy of WRRC; Nato Coles
Overall Score- 8.3 out of 10
Show on Deck — RadioBody: Radiohead Danced and Played in Jazz (Yeah, this is going to be an interesting one!)
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