Being well north of the halfway point of the lifespan of the average male, in my mind I inhabit a faraway kingdom where rock is king. Of course, those days are long gone, yet there are still worm holes in the space time continuum where bands like The Paranoyds emerge. Are they punk? Are they rock? The Paranoyds certainly didn’t punk the capacity crowd at the 7th Street Entry Sunday night, but they most definitely brought the rock.
Starting off the night were local rockers In Lieu. Grungy guitars and carefully crafted arrangements made this opening set amazing. Vocalist/Guitarist Nikii Post haunting voice cut through the mix wonderfully. There were lots of fans in the crowd, many sing along with Nikii. Sadly, this would be the last show for the bands bassist and guitarist.
Crispy, fuzzy, psychedelic punk rock, can that really be a thing? Yes, it can, and it goes by the name of Spendtime Palace. These California natives make music that is pleasantly nostalgic, and the band had an abundance of cool on Sunday night. They mentioned that this was their first trip to Minneapolis and that it was colder here than California.
Headliners The Paranoyds came on around 10 and ripped right into. They were tight on Sunday night. Very clean, spacey sound. Anticipation, tension then climax. There sound was uncomplicated, straightforward and powerful. Underneath it all, were polished musicians with carefully crafted songs that lent themselves to moments ripe with killer harmonies. I’m always blown away when band members can switch instruments, Staz Lindes and Lexi Funston swapped them and vocals showcasing their musicianship.
Laila Hashemi was amazing on the keys, at times she seemed to be channeling the B 52’s and created some mighty crescendos that pummeled the sweaty Entry. The whole band gave off a we give 0 fucks vibe. Not the case, according to one audience member though. According to her, the tunes attack social issues, but this reviewer was too dense to make the connection.
The Paranoyds set on Sunday night was bad ass and proves once again that while it may be on life support, don’t close the coffin, because rock aint dead yet.
