Girl at the Rock Shows

I’m back! Wondering where I went? Well, Saturday was my birthday and my birthday is the one day a year I don’t go to a concert. I use it as a break. I didn’t open my computer all weekend. It was refreshing, and it was nice to take a night off and just spend it with some friends, but by the time Sunday rolled around, I was ready for the feeling of live music. Thankfully for me, I kicked my 35th year on this earth off with a bang and an absolutely jaw-dropping show at one of my favorite venues in town- The Turf Club.

Kicking the night off with a dark and slightly eerie vibe was local group Magenta Vice. This local duo dates back nearly thirty years which, in itself, is a huge feat. The music of Magenta Vice definitely set the vibe for the night. It was dark and electronic-infused with a slight industrial beat behind it. Their sounds made me feel like I was in more of a dungeon bar than the familiar vibe of The Turf Club, but I liked that. It set the stage for a night where I felt entirely out of my element and in a new surrounding, but, at the same time, I knew I was home and kicking off my 35th year of life in the perfect way.

Following Magenta Vice was another local band- North Innsbruck. Part of me wonders if this duo lives in my neighborhood as I live in a development called North Innsbruck, but, at the same time, it really didn’t matter. Where these two amazing humans live has nothing to do with the dark and ominous yet creative beats that they were pushing through the speakers on Sunday night. There was something super cinematic about the sound of this group that instantly had me hooked. I really can’t put it into words, but I felt like I was in some dark and retro-feeling slasher film (minus the slasher). On top of that, I found the sounds that this duo made to be super intriguing. Although some of the tones and beats were familiar, North Innsbruck’s sound felt completely new and foreign to me, adding a sense of danger and addictiveness to the already intriguing sound.

I noticed a lot of people walking outside as the third act, Essenger, played through the third set of the night, and I honestly couldn’t tell you why. Personally, I liked his sound. He brought vocals to the forefront for the first time of the night, and as a lyrics lady, I really appreciated it. The vocals of Essenger were part rap, part electronic. A friend pointed out that it was very Linkin Park feeling, which is probably why I liked Essenger’s sound so much. It was also the reason why people were taking a break from the show during his time on stage. His set definitely stood out as being more mainstream than the others, but did it really warrant taking a break? Essenger was clearly on the stage pouring his heart out, whether it was through those vocals, the guitar that slung around his neck for part of the set, or the keyboards he was dabbling on. Whether or not the music from Essenger was for you, there’s no denying that he mixed up the more dark and ominous vibe that reigned supreme throughout the night.

Like so many other nights of my life, I walked into this show blind. I knew nothing about the headlining act, Magic Sword other than the fact that my best friend’s brothers loves them, and their promo picture had me intrigued. The picture shows three figures in dark cloaks with solid bars of light covering the eyes of otherwise masked faces. Sure, a promo shot is just a promo shot, and it could have been nothing, but I felt a sense of thrill as the band took the stage wearing this exact outfit. After the three band members got settled on the intimate stage of The Turf Club, those bars of light across their eyes turned on, and, well, the rest is history.

Magic Sword is one of those epic kinds of bands. Their sounds lack vocals but don’t lack heart, and there is undoubtedly no shortage of talent. Their sound was synth-heavy, which kept them in line with what I would call an industrial and dark and ominous vibe of the night, but there was also this almost heavy metal influence when it came to the shredding guitar solos. Add a slight EDM beat behind it all, and the seemingly random audience quickly made sense to me. Magic Sword is one of those bands that is creative enough to dabble in all sorts of music and talented enough to pull it off, making it feel like one cohesive sound.

I may have walked into this show completely blindly, but I was one of the only people who did so. I loved seeing many people in the packed-for-a-Sunday crowd walking around with their own magic swords. That’s right, “Magic Sword” is more than just a band name; it’s a prop used by the band and fans. Every time ‘The Keeper of the Magic Sword’ (the human with the red light) powered on his blue-lit sword to pose dramatically with on stage, people in the audience would do the same with their swords. Although a bit cheesy and a bit more Dungeons & Dragons feeling than I can really get into, I loved this interaction and loved how this little thing made an already immersive feeling show feel that more immersive.

I don’t know what my 35th year on this earth will hold but I think it’s safe to assume that, by kicking it off with these four bands, there are some amazing shows coming at me this year and I don’t even know it yet.

Line Up:

Magenta Vice

North Innsbruck

Essenger

Magic Sword

Venue: Turf Club

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 43

Crowd Surfers- None Spotted

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 1 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)-

Magenta Vice – 0

North Innsbruck– 0

Essenger – 0

Magic Sword – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 7.5 out of 10

Show on Deck — Killer Mike and the Mighty Midnight Revival / Trackstar the DJ

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