Girl at the Rock Shows

It’s been hard to clear my mind lately. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve just felt a bit on edge all week. I’ve had shows, and they’ve all been fine, yet I just can not seem to settle down at all. I was anxious as I drove downtown on Thursday night. I knew nothing about the two shows I was going to, which is something that typically thrills me, but, in this case, it just added to my anxiety. Again, I can’t tell you why this is or why I’m having such a tense week, but that’s just the way it’s been until I walked into the 7th Street Entry on Thursday night.

I felt an instant sense of relief when I walked into The Entry to the sound of The Swongos. It was calm, cool, and collected, but it gave me a sense of energy that I was going to need to get through my two shows. Stylistically, The Swongos are definitely a surf rock band, but I feel like there’s more intricacy to their sound that that description just does not do justice. There were moments where I got an almost Frank Zappa kind of artistry to The Swongos’ sound, and others where it felt almost like a tropical getaway. There were other moments where I was picking up on a definite sense of angst and energy that made The Swongos’ sound hit a bit more like a punk band than anything else. The way this instrumental trio is able to weave so many elements into their sound, yet make it feel so natural and cohesive, is something that should absolutely be envied.

I’ll be honest, there wasn’t much to see as this trio pumped through their opening set. Other than a moment when bassist Lisa Mangelsen and guitarist Thomas Mangelsen were trying to do an almost flamingo-like pose on one leg (which failed miserably for Thomas, but Lisa was able to hold it for a few seconds), there wasn’t much movement on the stage, but it worked. This is not a band that is meant to be watched– I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved watching them buckle down and produce such a perfectly curated sound– this is a band to be listened to and felt, which is exactly what I did on Thursday.

If you haven’t heard of the London-based band Yuuf, I highly encourage you to change that immediately. Yuuf were the headliners at the 7th Street Entry on Thursday night, and although their sound was so out of left field compared to what I typically listen to, like the music of The Swongos, it hit the spot and took me away from my high-anxiety week that I had been having.

Like The Swongos, I could sit here and call Yuuf a psychedelic instrumental group, but that almost feels like an insult to the music that this band creates. This band is pure magic. It is made up of four musicians, all from different countries. You have England, France, Denmark, and Switzerland represented in this group. Now, I don’t know what the vibe is in any of those countries since I’ve never visited, but I know that the sound of Yuuf is something that can only come from organically mixing different sounds, preferences, and experiences together. There were moments where there was a definite jam rock kind of feeling to Yuuf’s sound, but others that felt a bit more artsy and a bit more abstract. Some moments drifted me off to the tropical island that The Swongos had introduced to my mind, and others had me drifting off in the middle of the ocean without a care in the world. I didn’t care what world Yuuf took me to; I was just happy to leave my own mind and be taken somewhere exotic and fun.

Yuuf is definitely a band made up of professional musicians. You couldn’t just hear that, you could see it. It was heads down for most of the time as the members of this group performed their intricate and perfectly poised music, yet they found time to have fun. At one point, Andrin Haag (handpan and percussion) approached the front of the stage with a triangle in hand. Not only did Andrin play the triangle like a true professional, but they also started a bit of a dance line with Anthony Boatright (bass) and Hugo Cottu (guitar), and the trio started doing a synchronized shuffle-type dance across the stage, which, in time, had the entire audience joining in. Although just a small moment in an absolutely dazzling set, it was a moment that will definitely stick with me. I just loved seeing such professionals and such masters of their craft get a bit silly with it and let loose ever so slightly while still producing their unique brand of jaw-dropping talent-induced music.

I didn’t know what world I needed to go to to get out of my own head on Thursday night, but I went with my gut and went to the 7th Street Entry, not knowing anything about anyone performing. Thankfully, it was just what I needed to calm down for the first time this week and just really have a moment to relax and breathe.

Line Up:

The Swongos

Yuuf

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- 0

Dance-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

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Celebrity Sightings – 0

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

The Swongos – 0

Yuuf – 0

Show on Deck — Gouge Away / Wednesday

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