Saturday night wasn’t my show. Honestly, I never even would have had the show on my radar had it not been for a good friend and her boyfriend. My friend is a blogger like myself and she and I have fan-girled over more shows than I could possibly count and her boyfriend always seems to just watch over us, probably judging us, and just kind of going with the flow. Last night was not my show, last night was his show. Finally, a band that he gets excited about and, as a good friend of his, I just had to see him have a moment just as his girlfriend and I have had night after night.
Los Angeles based Negative Gemini was the perfect way to get the sold out show at The Fine Line started. Her lo-fi electronic vibes blared through the speakers and fell over the clearly excited and slightly intoxicated crowd. Although the music was a little sleepier than I would have preferred for my Saturday night, it was chill and something you could truly just vibe out to but also a sound that refused to stay in the background. Sure, lo-fi is the best way to explain the sound coming out of the speakers but Negative Gemini’s live show was anything except lo-fi. Lindsey French (she is Negative Gemini) had an uncanny way of captivating the audience even though it was next to impossible to see her through the fog and whizzing lights. Lindsey is a true power on stage and although it definitely wasn’t my scene or my type of music, there was something about her and the bandmates supporting her that kept my eyes glued to the stage and my ears stuck on the speakers throughout her opening set.
Although Negative Gemini was great, she wasn’t the reason for the sold out Saturday night show. It was because of Kero Kero Bonito. Hailing from London, Kero Kero Bonito is fronted by Sarah Midori Perry who, much like Negative Gemini, is a complete force. As mentioned, I would never know of this band had it not been for my friend’s boyfriend. It’s definitely not my normal thing. A little J-pop mixed with a lot of indie pop all wrapped up in a bow of electronic, yeah, definitely not my thing but I think the fact that he had fallen so in love with this group had me intrigued and was the main reason I had to be at last night’s show (well that and I wanted to see him have a fan-girl moment).
As soon as the band took the stage and Sarah was seen behind the keyboard with a giant astronaut-looking puffy coat on, the audience went off and that excitement never faltered. I was a little shocked when I started counting just how many songs this band had pumped through by the time their set was done. Twenty songs and a two song encore with only one cover thrown into the mix, I was impressed to say the least. Kero Kero Bonito only has two full length albums and smattering of singles and EPs and, in the music world, they are still a fairly young band having just gotten their start in 2011. With all of that being said, the fact that they had sold out one of the mid-tier venues in the Twin Cities on a Saturday night had me stunned and the fact that the audience was singing along to every world was more than enough to make me realize that it would have been a shame to miss this show and maybe my friend’s boyfriend was onto something here.
KKB’s entire set was high energy and, for lack of a better word, fun. Even though I couldn’t sing along and stayed towards the back of the venue outside of the jumping crowd, I couldn’t help but feel that excitement that was surely being produced by the sweaty mess of a crowd closer to the stage. It was a care-free kind of set with infectious beats and a style that forced you to smile whether you wanted to or not. I think it’s safe to say that very few people actually enjoy U2’s “Vertigo” but KKB’s cover of the song had me singing along to a song that I had sworn off years ago. There was something magical happening on the stage throughout their set and it’s something that I just can’t put into words but something that I hope all of my readers get to experience at some point.
Saturday night’s show seemed to be KKB’s first visit to Minneapolis (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong but I couldn’t find anything about any past shows up here from the band) and, although the band didn’t say much to the audience between songs, they made it a point to say they had a great time with us and would make it a point to come back. I hope that’s true. Sure, KKB’s music isn’t for me but their live show is exactly what I live for and I would love a chance to experience it all over again.
Humor your friends and go to the show that excites them. Buy them that round of drinks and sneak away to buy them a t-shirt. Concerts don’t have to be just about you and what you want to see. Sometimes it’s more fun to see someone else having the night of their lives and, while doing so, you may just end up having the time of your life as well.
