The Twin Cities are truly a magical place. That was a message that resonated throughout Saturday at Surly Brewing’s annual Darkness Day. Not only was it a celebration of this amazing brewery’s dark beer (dubbed “Darkness”), but it was a full-on festival complete with art, food, music, and more. Some people go to Darkness Day for the beer, some people go for the spectacle of the interactive art (brought by Southside Battletrain), this year, some went to enjoy the last gasp of summer air, but for me, it’s all about the music. I could go on and on about all the amazing things to see at this local festival, but come on now, you know I’m here to talk about the music, so let’s just jump right in.
Unfortunately, due to the radio show I co-host on the weekends, I missed the first band of the day, God Came From Space. Having seen this band many times before, I know the mistake I made, and I’m sure they absolutely killed it. My apologies to all of the members of this band. I owe you!
I made it just in time to see Impaler after spending more time than I’d like to admit looking for parking (it was only noon, but it was already absolutely packed). Impaler was up to their usual games. Their sound of glam metal meets shock rock rang through the gorgeous biergarten of Surly, and I watched with a smile on my face as vocalist Bill Lindsey disemboweled Dr. Corpse (also known as Zach Lindsey– Bill’s son). I don’t care how many times I see this band; it never gets old, and this was a great way to start my day.
Following Impaler’s brutal set was more brutality from Havok. Hailing from Denver, Colorado, Havok is a legendary band from the thrash metal scene. They have been around since 2004, and although they have undergone numerous member changes, leaving just one original member in the mix, their set on Saturday was flawless. Watching this band perform is something that cannot be put into words. Their talent is as fierce as their sound is, and I felt completely mesmerized by the band throughout their time on stage.
I had only ever seen The Iron Roses’ name before; I had never experienced their magic live, but they had me within their intro. They amped the crowd up as Chumbawamba’s “The Day The Nazi Died” floated through the air. As that song ended, The Iron Roses kicked into their set. Sonically, this blend had a super cool flow of everything from punk rock to ska. It was the kind of music that made you want to dance and get involved, even though the abnormally warm temperatures were starting to climb and the sun was beating down on the grounds. Beyond the sound of this band was their message. It was a message that was shared by all of the bands and can be broken down to, essentially, screw the government, be yourself, love yourself, and take care of your community. I could write a whole post on this band and how much I loved them, but we have so much more music to get through, so I’ll just have to make it a point to catch them again sooner rather than later.
I was ridiculously excited to see the next band, Codefendants. This group has been a personal favorite of mine since I was introduced to them a couple of years ago, and the fact that they were joined on stage by two members of Zeta (another one of my personal favorites) made it a highlight of my day. Codefendants’ sound stood out from the rest of the bands of the day because it felt just a bit lighter, a bit more reggae and rap-inspired. Although their music may not have been as intense as some of the other bands throughout the day, there was no shortage of energy when it came to their time on stage, and being able to see some of the members of Zeta again after just a couple of months since seeing them absolutely kill it at Zhora Darling in Minneapolis was nothing short of dreamy.
I feel like I’ve seen Bad Cop/Bad Cop before, but I honestly can’t place it. That doesn’t matter. All that matters is that when they were on stage on Saturday, it felt like it was just me and this amazing band. There was something so intimate and raw about their performance, but at the same time, there was a larger-than-life kind of feel to it. I loved watching these women be honest with the crowd, but also be as fierce as I knew they would be. Their punk sound perfectly matched their messages of support, self-love, and frustration. Although I was starting to fade due to the heat and the sun beating on me all day, seeing BadCop BadCop breathed a sense of life into me that I so badly needed to get through the rest of the day.
I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Radioactivity before Saturday’s show, but after their short set, they are all I can think about. Their sound was a no-frills kind of punk-leaning rock n’ roll vibe. There’s really not a lot about this band online, so I can’t give you a full history or even tell you the history of the members of this band, but I can tell you that I was clearly seeing something special. The band opted to blast through song after song rather than addressing the crowd. At first, I found this to be a bit odd, especially when all of the other bands had taken time to point out how special this event was, but, at the same time, it just seemed to be how this band rolls. They are all about the music, and I have no complaints about that.
The changeover time between Radioactivity and The Marked Men didn’t take long, but that makes sense since the bands share a common vocalist. The only thing I knew about The Marked Men was that I had been told I missed a great show when they played at Cloudland last year. After seeing them blast through their set on Saturday, I understand why. Like Radioactivity, their sound was a perfect blend of punk and good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. Every song seemed to carry a different feeling to it, and I loved the way that this group had so many vocals going because every time the “lead” vocalist would change, something about their sound would change as well. It was a dynamic set that definitely left me wanting more, so, like Radioactivity, I plan on spending some time digging into The Marked Men’s world because, clearly, I’m missing out.
Closing out the fantastic day of music was the one and only Strung Out. This legendary punk band slammed through their 1996 album ‘Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues’ before performing a handful of other songs from their storied ten-album discography. I’ve been a huge fan of Strung Out for decades, and although I’ve only seen the band twice in recent memory, I love the fact that both shows were much more intimate than other fans have probably gotten. The last time I saw them was at The Hook & Ladder Theater last spring. I held back a bit to give the rest of the audience a chance to get up close and personal with this band that night, but not on Saturday. I was right there and taking every note with a giant smile on my face. I didn’t care how tired I was, how sunburnt I had gotten, or how much my feet were hurting from standing on loose gravel all day; I was in my happy place as Strung Out closed the day.
This review was quick. I easily could have written a full post on every single band I saw on Saturday, but then the magic of what Surly’s Darkness Day is would be gone. I saw a full festival for free (oh yeah, that’s right, did I mention this was a free show?!). It wasn’t just a local festival; it was a festival with huge names throughout the day. I mean, come on, I saw the almighty Havok play at 2 PM in the afternoon. Just let that sink in a wee bit. I know that a lot of places have little festivals like this, but I genuinely think that what Surly does every year for Darkness Day is one of a kind, and that thought was driven home by the way all of the bands mentioned how special this place, this community, and the Twin Cities really are.
Before I let you all go, I want to thank a lot of people. First– the bands. Some of these bands had to leave right after performing because they literally had to get on a plane to go to the next show or festival. Second (and maybe more important than the bands)– The staff of Surly. One of the bands that performed mentioned that Surly had 200 people on staff to make this event happen. That may be an accurate number, it may not, but either way, the Surly staff made this such a wonderful experience. From keeping everything clean and in order to ensuring the day went smoothly and everyone was happy, I sincerely commend all the staff on all that they did to pull this off. Third– the people who came out. When scanning the audience, there was no common factor to be found. There were people from all walks of life. Really, there were people in attendance that I’m sure I had nothing in common with, yet we were all dancing and singing together like old friends. Have you ever wondered what community looks like? That’s what was in the spotlight throughout Saturday at Surly Brewing, and it was truly beautiful.
Line Up:
Venue: Surly Brewing
Smell-O-Meter: The amazing food of Surly Brewing
Average Age of the Crowd: 38
Crowd Surfers- 0
Stage Divers- 0
Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10
Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0
Broken Bones- None Noticed
Spotted Flying Through The Air-Nothing
Fights- None
Pukers- 0
Passed Out People- 0
Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0
Celebrity Sightings – Members of Whiskey Rock N Roll Club MPLS, Careful Gaze, Cymothoa
Overall Score –9 out of 10
Show on Deck —The Spill Canvas / Mae / Cheap Bouquet
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