Girl at the Rock Shows

I know I went to a show on Wednesday night, but there’s something different about going to a show with your mish-mashed friend group that has turned into family. Sure, Wednesday was good, but Thursday was what I needed to bring me back to life after living the rock star life in Las Vegas during Punk Rock Bowling, and it truly enhanced an already amazing show. Four bands played, so let’s just hop into the magic that happened at The Fine Line on Thursday.

Baltimore-based Tomato Flower were the first to take the stage and instantly set the mood for the night. Their sound overall was very indie rock, but these cool electronic intricacies were scattered throughout their set, giving a unique twist to their sound. Their set, although short, sent the quickly growing audience on a journey that spanned emotions ranging from beautiful and soft to raw and intense in just a matter of seconds. This was another signature move of this band that definitely caught my attention. Overall, Tomato Flower was the most chill band to grace the stage on Thursday, but it was a great way to ease into the night.

There was something scrappy yet perfect about the next band, babybaby_explores. This group really dug into the electronic tendencies that Tomato Flower had started the night off with. They filled the room with a sense of intensity and chaos while also bringing songs with precise composition and an unmistakable thought behind them. My instinct tells me to compare this group to The Faint, but I think I’m only saying that because The Faint is the only band I know that even gets close to what babybaby_explores is doing. That was part of the magic of their set. I was left trying to find relatable moments and segments, but it seemed to come up short every time, proving that what this group is doing is original and unique.

I didn’t quite catch what happened, but everything came to a screeching halt towards the end of babybaby_explores’ set. Technical difficulties left the room silent for multiple minutes. You could tell that both band members and sound staff alike were doing everything they could to recover, but whatever had happened was not an easy fix. You could feel a sense of disappointment wash over the stage as vocalist Lids B-Day explained to the audience that they might not be able to give anything else due to this hiccup. The audience was clearly and audibly disappointed as they pushed back, pleading with the band to at least try. babybaby_explores gave in and finished off the set, technical difficulties and all, with a sense of triumph and power. babybaby_explores is a brand new name in my arsenal of music, but they left me beyond impressed. I hope that their name is one that graces this blog again sooner rather than later.

I thought that the sounds of babybaby_explores were insane and chaotic until the next act, The Flying Luttenbachers, started playing. You could hear this trio before you could see them as they started playing before the screen concealing the stage pulled up into the ceiling, and I was instantly in love. As mentioned, they were chaotic. There was a sense of insanity and dissonance throughout their set, but, more importantly, there was a sense of organic creativity as well. Although it was clear that they were playing songs that had been written and well thought out, there was also something freeing about it. Overall, I would call their style noise-prog-rock, but there were definitely nods to everything from free jazz to hardcore sprinkled in there. Regardless of the note the trio was playing or the style a certain measure of music fit, this band did everything with an undeniable sense of power and conviction, leading to a set that left my jaw on the floor.

The three opening bands were absolutely amazing, but I was definitely anxiously waiting to see the headlining act, Melt-Banana. I went into this show thinking I had never seen Melt-Banana before, but a friend was quick to mention when they opened up for Napalm Death and The Melvins at First Avenue back in 2016- a show that I covered (read that review here, but, again, keep in mind, this was 2016). I mean, come on, that was nearly ten years ago, so I don’t remember anything from that night, but I feel like that added to my excitement of catching this Japanese noise rock band on Thursday night. Seeing this band before or not didn’t change the fact that they instantly had the packed audience fighting for personal space. Okay, a bit dramatic but, as soon as Melt-Banana started playing, the audience turned from an otherwise chill place to stand and enjoy music to a sweaty mess of a pit.

The craziest thing to me about this band is that they are a duo, but if you weren’t looking at the stage when they were playing, you would have sworn it was so much more than that. Beyond the power and the wall of sound that Melt-Banana gives you is the flawless nature of the programmed drums they use. Programmed drums are nothing new, but I’m always quick to notice when they are being used. They have a certain hue to the tone that just screams “fake” (for lack of a better word), but that’s not the case when it comes to this duo. Their drums sounded so crisp, so clear, and fit into the music so perfectly. Although I loved everything about Melt-Banana’s chaotic sound, it was this phenomenon that really impressed me.

Things were weird and a bit tense outside of the Fine Line on Thursday night. There had just been an officer-involved shooting a couple of miles away. The Timberwolves had just lost their game, meaning they were out of the playoffs, and Trump was found guilty on a bunch of charges (although we don’t know what that really means yet). I get it if you felt like the world was going a bit crazy on Thursday night because myself and a lot of other people at the show were talking about it, but inside of The Fine Line, there was nothing but amazing music and fantastic company. People ask me why I feel the need to go to a show night after night… because of nights like Thursday when reality can be a bit dark and twisty, but a place with music can be a bright spot of passion and heart.

Line Up:

Tomato Flower

babybaby_explores

The Flying Luttenbachers

Melt-Banana

Venue: Fine Line

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 39

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 6 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 People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Tomato Flower– 0

babybaby_explores – 0

The Flying Luttenbachers – 0

Melt- Banana – 1

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score- 9 out of 10

Show on Deck —Alien Ant Farm / Strange Daze / Los Outsiders

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