Girl at the Rock Shows

The Minneapolis scene is truly one of the best in the world. I know I’ve said that many times, but I can’t say it enough. Extreme Noise is one of the many things that makes our scene better than most. Extreme Noise is a volunteer-run co-op that specializes in punk and metal music. It’s the kind of record store you walk in and instantly feel at home. There’s no judgment there, only people who love music and are more than willing to have a three-hour conversation with you about music from the mainstream to the obscure (but mostly leaning into the obscure). Honestly, it’s a treasure that I don’t go to often enough, but I was not going to miss celebrating thirty years of this genuinely amazing store and community. Unfortunately, I had to miss the first couple of shows that they put on this year, but I was lucky enough to find a way into their completely packed anniversary show on Saturday night featuring Dillinger Four, Home Front, Canal Irreal, Condominium, and Buio Omega at the legendary First Avenue main room.

There are a lot of bands to get through, so let’s jump right into it with the opening set by local punks Buio Omega. This band has been on my list for some time, but my timing hasn’t lined up with their schedule until now. There’s a reason why all of my friends are talking about this band. Their stage presence, like their sound, was intense and abrasive but in a perfect kind of way. I loved how none of the members of this band could seem to stay still during their set. Although it led to a challenge as far as getting non-blurry photos was concerned, I loved that it made their set feel like so much more than just an opening set. Sure, they were first up in the night, and it was super early when they hit the downbeat right at 6 PM, but that didn’t stop Buio Omega from coming off as a national touring act that, I’m sure, in no time, will be headlining shows like this. I also really appreciated that this band took a small slice of their time from their already super short time on stage to mention the fight to unionize First Avenue staff. It was very on-brand for them, and it was something that I was glad to hear mentioned on Saturday night.

After Buio Omega was Minneapolis-based Condominium. I won’t even try to seem cool and say that I’ve known about this band for a long time because I haven’t. Saturday night’s performance was my first introduction to this band, and I instantly got hooked. Condominium is one of those no-frills kind of punk bands. They got up on the stage, shared their raw and DIY- styled punk music with the packed audience, and then left. That was it. It was loud, it was fast, and it was perfect. I will say that up against some of the other bands that brought an insane amount of energy to the stage, Condominium kind of got lost in the mix for me but, at the same time, that just leaned into the no-frill style of their sound, and I truly appreciated it.

It took me a second to catch onto why the singer of Canal Irreal looked familiar, but when I did, I was a bit shaken. Canal Irreal is a south-side Chicago underground supergroup featuring Sin Orden, Scott Plant (of Droids Blood), and Martin Sorrondeguy (from Los Crudos and Limp Wrist). It was seeing Martin Sorrondeguy that told me everything I needed to know about this band. I was about to be blasted by another band with a very no-frills kind of hardcore punk sound, but it would come with an undeniable sense of heart. I was right. Canal Irreal’s time on stage, like that of everyone else, was super short, but that didn’t stop them from powering through track after track of pure aggression that was delivered with love and heart.

I was super intrigued as the second to last band, Home Front, took the stage. As they were doing line checks and making sure everything was in order before the screen concealing the stage disappeared into the ceiling, I heard the sound of 80s styled synths. Thus far, the entire night had been about hardcore punk, which was great, but was everything about to change with Home Front? Were they going to give me a more synth pop sound to the night and drop the hardcore punk thing? The answer is both yes and no. Home Front did give me heavy 80s vibes, but they were just as intense as the previous acts. Watching vocalist Graeme McKinnon stalk the stage while jumping high into the air at random times during his stalk was truly a sight to see. It added a sense of intensity that matched that of the previous bands, yet the music was so different and added a little razzle-dazzle to the night in a perfect way. Honestly, out of all of the bands that I was introduced to at the show on Saturday night, Home Front is the one that intrigued me the most, and I can’t wait to dig into their discography and history a bit more.

Closing out this celebration was the almighty Dillinger Four. Although I saw this local act over the summer at Riot Fest, which was in Chicago, and seeing D4 at a hometown show is always just a bit more special and a bit more glittery than seeing them on the road. Even though the headliners of the night, Dillinger Four, didn’t have a lot of time on stage, they somehow fit in a seventeen-song set followed by a two-song encore. They played hits like “Doublewhiskeycokenoice” and “Gainesville” but also played some songs that they hadn’t in years, like “Open and Shut,” which was shouted out by someone in the audience (and had been requested in Boston, but the band didn’t play it for Boston, they played it for us). Sure, there were mistakes and hiccups here and there, but that’s the charm of seeing D4 at a local show. The band is made up of local guys that live in town, hang out in town, heck, even bartend in town (shout out to Grumpy’s). It’s something that we all here in Minneapolis take advantage of– like, these are all just regular guys, but every once in a while, you get to see them take a legendary stage and do their thing, and it’s truly magical.

Saturday night was an all-ages show. That may not mean much to you, but here in the Twin Cities, some weird rules come with that. One of those rules at First Avenue means you can only have drinks upstairs. With the older demographic on the stage and in the audience, the upstairs was packed throughout the night, with the main general admission floor feeling slightly scarce until headlining act Dillinger Four took the stage. Honestly, this could have easily been a 21+ show giving people the chance to get a little silly while enjoying the show from the floor. But that’s not the Twin Cities punk scene. That’s not what Extreme Noise is about. It’s about accessibility and, although annoyed that I couldn’t have as many drinks as I may have wanted for this night of celebration, I loved the fact that this show was accessible to all– regardless of age, what style of music you like, or anything else.

Saturday night continued to prove that I live in the best city in the country for live music. It continued to prove that we have not only the best but the most accessible scene in the world. Okay, maybe I’m slightly biased, but Saturday night was one of those nights where I was genuinely proud to be able to call this scene home.

Line Up:

Buio Omega

Condominium

Canal Irreal

Home Front

Dillinger Four

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd:47 (but I loved seeing all of the little kids around)

Crowd Surfers- Many (Honestly was too busy getting lost in the moment to keep track)

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 5.4 out of 10

Broken Bones- None Spotted

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Bodies

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 1

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

Buio Omega – 0

Condominium – 0

Canal Irreal – 0

Home Front – 0

Dillinger Four – 17?

Celebrity Sightings – Andy of Whiskey Rock N Roll Club Mpls; Ann of Mostly MN Music; Dumpster Juice; Members of Battery Eyes; Alan from Harbor and Home (Okay, this is cheating– he’s also my boyfriend); Tim formerly of Space Monkey Mafia; Members of Arms Aloft– honestly, this was a who’s who in the local scene. Everyone was out and it was amazing

Overall Score – 11 out of 10

Show on Deck —45th Annual John Lennon Tribute with Curiss A (and friends); Johnny Delaware / C.M.M.

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