It’s been a busy summer for the team at Twin Cities Media so far, and we’re barely two weeks into June. I myself found myself once again at 7th Street Entry on Tuesday night – this time for Dichotomy and Gang of Youths. Neither of these bands I knew much about, but I had a glass of wine and biked down to First Ave from Uptown. I really had no expectations going into the evening, but both bands we’re a pleasant surprise of rawness, realness and music for the soul.
Opening up the evening was Minneapolis-based two piece – Dichotomy. Making up this duo is Alex Kauffman (vocals/guitar/drums) and JOE (synth/keyboard) according to the band’s Facebook. Dichotomy’s set combined elements of dark synth, pop, rock, with a very dark, brooding, almost hypnotic sound. Think video game/film soundtrack sounding. Dichotomy’s mellow stage presence perfectly matched their hazy, synth-driven, experimental sound. Their set was roughly 30 minutes but I have a feeling these guys have a lot more material. As a local-based project, we look forward to seeing more from these guys.
The headliners of the evening were Gang of Youths, the 5-piece Australian rockers currently based in London. At the beginning of the evening and in between sets I heard chatter in the crowd with thick Australian accents, a bit of a surprise here in the Minneapolis! It seemed that Gang of Youths had some friends or fans in the crowd, again a pleasant surprise on a quiet Tuesday evening in Minnesota. Again, I didn’t know much about Gang of Youths before walking into the evening, but I was immediately taken by frontman Max Dunn’s energy and presence. From his vocals to the sense of urgency he played guitar with, there seemed to be something special, something different. Dunn spoke with an unabashed freedom – taking jabs at the shit show of politics that is unfolding in our country, our healthcare reforms, and again the all around twlightzone-esque world of politics we’re living in. Dunn seemed like a guy who shoots from the hip, says what he feels and really doesn’t give a damn whether it offends you or bothers you or not – a depth not often seen (or not often shared) by artists on stage. Aside from Dunn’s no-f’s given stage presence, Gang of Youths rocked through their set with a feel very reminiscent of The Replacements, Hüsker Dü and other great punk & rock bands of the 1980’s, formed right here in the Twin Cities. “So we wanted that song to sound like Bruce Springsteen and The Replacements, so I guess this is the right city to say that in,” Dunn joked between songs. “This is the city that produced Bob Dylan and Prince, it’s kind of amazing” he went on. Hearing on Australian rock band that sounds like The Replacements talk about Prince and Bob Dylan in the 7th Street Entry pretty much sums up why I love this city so much. There’s about a thousand more words I could write about Gang of Youths set, like Dunn’s story of an ex-fiance he lost to a battle with cancer that brought me to tears, but I don’t think my words would do these guys justice. Be sure to catch Gang of Youths next time they are in a city near you, and experience the unexpected for yourslf.
Gang of Youths tour continues this week in Denver before they head off to the West Coast to wrap up the tour!
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