In the wake of a slough of national and local press, Tapes 'N Tapes sold out First Avenue in Minneapolis Saturday night as part of an awesome lineup of local music. The show, opened by STNNNG and Kill The Vultures, featured Tapes 'N Tapes in the third slot, and was closed out by 2024 Records recording artists The Plastic Constellations.
Despite having photo access, the room was so crowded and hot near the stage it was nearly impossible to get a shot off, though I did manage to snag this picture of frontman Josh Grier joyfully bringing the band's near hour-long set to a close in front of well over 1,000 screaming fans. (See the rest of the photos from this show here.)
"This is fucking insane" said Grier from the stage earlier in the set, one of the most energetic I have heard them play to date. And "fucking insane" is no overstatement when it comes to describing the entire evening. The hot, sweaty crowd was packed in like sardines, and many of the younger fans - the show was 18+ - screamed for the band as only teenagers can. The cheers which arose following songs like the popular, driving "Insistor" and the frenzied "Cowbell," as well as other tracks off the band's forthcoming XL Recordings release of The Loon were those you might expect for a national act at a stadium show. (I think they'd better get used to it.) Is this really the same band that played the Entry, the Turf, the Hexagon, The Triple Rock and the Fine Line these past few years to devoted but certainly smaller and less rabid crowds of fans? Yes. The band is pretty much the same. It's the world that changed.
Want a couple examples? On Tuesday, July 25th the band will appear on C.B.S.'s Late Night with David Letterman. Then August 25th and 27th, they will rock the Brits for the second time this year, this time from the coveted BBC Radio 1 Stage at England's Leeds and Reading Festivals. Tapes 'N Tapes video for "Insistor" has been in rotation on MTV2 since the end of June.
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