Girl at the Rock Shows

Rob Zombie absolutely killed it on Saturday night. It was truly an amazing show full of amazing sounds and production but I was still riding the high of First Avenue’s Rock Lottery from Friday night. There’s just something about seeing a stellar local show that even the best of nationally touring acts can’t compete with. I am beyond grateful to have the opportunities to cover large acts like Rob Zombie but I definitely felt a bit more at home as I entered the 7th Street Entry on Sunday night for a local showcase celebrating the release of Oister Boy’s new EP.

Before I get into the music of the night, let me just give Oister Boy a huge congrats on selling out the Entry on a Sunday night. That’s right– sold out. I have to be honest, I was shocked as I saw the “Sold Out” sign walking up to the door but it made my heart so full. Although I knew nothing about this band when walking in, I knew that them selling this out meant everything not only to the band, but to me. Being able to see a local show sell out is one of those “highs” that I’m constantly chasing and it’s something that seems to be happening more and more so a huge kudos to all of the musicians and staff involved in the show but also a huge kudos to everyone who spent their Sunday night at The Entry.

I was first introduced to Killed By Kiwis when I saw them just a couple of months ago at The Turf Club. I remember being struck by their psychedelic look and their rock vibe so I was excited to see what a couple of months had done to the band. To no surprise, time has been on this band’s side and although it had only been a couple of months since my introduction to this band, I could tell that they are aging like a fine wine. Their set had a bit more personality and, although they had dropped that psychedelic look, they still had something about them that had my eyes glued to the stage throughout their quick opening set.

The energy of this band is immeasurable. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic but really, I got a thrill from watching all of the members of this band throughout their set. Everyone was clearly doing their own thing and bringing their own flare to the stage and the sound yet they all felt so together and cohesive. I mentioned that this band was having an identity crisis last time I wrote about them and I still stand by that but I also stand by my statement that this crisis works so well for them making for a dynamic set and a perfect way to kick my Sunday night off.

Following Killed By Kiwis was Present Company. I thought I knew nothing about this band but, as I woke up this morning after sleeping on my thoughts of the night, I realized I knew exactly who this was. I had reviewed their album ‘Talking On Couches’ back in March of 2021 (you can check out the review HERE!). I have to be honest, I kind of forgot about that album in a way just due to time passing and the amount of new music I check on a daily basis but I will never make that mistake with this band again. Their set on Sunday left me speechless and had a buddy of mine saying “They have “it”” and, by the end of the set, I couldn’t help but agree.

Present Company’s set started off fine. It was good– solid but I didn’t get hooked the way my buddy had. After just a couple of songs, he turned to me to explain that they really have “it” but all I could do was give him a confused face. Sure, I was loving it but there was nothing there to really have me call this band the next big thing to come out of the cities. That’s when it happened– vocalist Christian Nelson smashed an empty beer can on stage and everything seemed to change. Just like my friend said, this band follows no rules and I finally got to see and hear that after the beer can crush. With influences that ranged to an 80’s post-punk vibe to a more indie-pop feeling all the way to what I can only describe as theatrical, I feel like that beer can smash was all I needed for me to see what my friend had seen. Present Company absolutely has it and I don’t know why I had been blind to it at the beginning of their set but I know that, by the end, I was left absolutely speechless.

Clearly I loved Present Company but the night was not over yet. We still had Oister Boy who Sunday night was really all about. The show was in support of Oister Boy’s brand new EP, ‘Wycliff St.’. It quickly became clear that I was one of the few people in the audience who hadn’t already checked out the album but that didn’t change the way Oister Boy’s music hit me. Much like Present Company, Oister Boy has a unique blend of sounds that comes together to create their own vibe. Moments of pop-punk were scattered throughout a more garage-punk sound with an almost hip-hop styled vocal that came through here and there. It was truly all over the place making it a super dynamic set that was easy to fall in love with.

As mentioned, the audience was eating it up and had clearly already spent some time with the EP as everyone near the stage was singing along to the tracks with a sense of ferocity. That ferocity continued to grow and grow throughout the first couple of songs until it erupted into a small push pit in the center of the floor. It was honestly super cute and one of those moments that, as an onlooker, just made me lean back and smile. The way the audience was responding to every moment on stage and every note floating through the speakers told me everything I needed to know about Oister Boy. Sunday night may have been my first time with this band but it certainly won’t be my last.

Again, I want to give a huge shout out to all of the bands that performed on Sunday night a special shout out to Oister Boy on the release of a brilliant album!

Line Up:

Killed By Kiwis

Present Company

Oister Boy

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing

Average Age of the Crowd: 22

Crowd Surfers- None spotted

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 5 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

Passed Out Kids- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

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)-

Killed By Kiwis– 1

Present Company– 0

Oister Boy – 0

Celebrity Sightings – Andy Holmaas of Whiskey Rock N Roll Club MPLS

Overall Score – 8.7 out of 10

Show on Deck — Protomartyr / Idle Ray

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