Pinkshift Brings Power, Integrity and Community To A Packed 7th Street Entry

Watching bands grow is one of my favorite things to do. It's not just so I can say that I saw an epic band in a super intimate space; more, I love to see bands evolve. I like to see them hone in on their creativity and their craft to a point where they refuse to be ignored. Pinkshift is a band I have been watching for years, and after seeing them perform at a packed 7th Street Entry on Tuesday night, it's clear that I am witnessing an epic evolution. To say I'm excited for the future of this band would be an understatement, but that was just the cherry on top of an explosive and unforgettable night on Tuesday.

I was stoked to finally see the opening band, Combat, perform. Their song "Stay Golden" came across one of my random playlists that I put on when I don't know what to listen to, and it had me hooked. From the quirky and all-too-real lyrics to the breakneck speed with which the song was presented and the way you could feel sweat dripping down your back just from listening to the track because it put you firmly in the middle of a mosh, I was hooked. Combat didn't disappoint. Their set on Tuesday was everything I could have asked for and more. Every song was performed at breakneck speed as I had suspected, but each track was also presented with a sense of fun and personality, which, although I had an inkling it would be the case, really blew me away. Vocalist Holden Wolf was nothing short of charming. The way they screamed or sang every word with such a sense of emotion and conviction, yet also a sense of joy, left me as thrilled as it did perplexed.

Just like any other flawless pop-punk band, Combat's ability to take hard and often deep topics lyrically and match them with sounds that make you want to jump and move around was on point, but the way that this group's personality shone was so much more than just that. Holden must have said the words 'Stay Gold' no less than three dozen times throughout the quick, thirty-minute set. He was obviously promoting their new album of the same title, but the way he did it was super funny by continuously saying the phrase, but then quickly following up with, "But that's not the name of our band. We are Combat and we are playing songs off of our new album 'Stay Gold'!" Okay, maybe you had to be there but that personality mixed with the feeling that reminded me of the first time I saw the legendary Jeff Rosenstock in this very same room years ago told me everything I needed to know-- Combat is more than just a band with a song that I like-- they are a band I need to follow a bit more closely and I can't wait for them to come back to the Midwest in the near future.

What happened next is going to be nearly impossible for me to put into words. The text that I sent my boyfriend when he asked how the show was going really sums it up the best way that I can: "It was like 100 Gecs meets Niki Minaj at a rave but with a Rage Against the Machine undertone and a performance worthy of RuPaul's stage." I know that sounds bizarre, which is kind of what LustSickPuppy's set was to me, but, at the same time, it was absolutely perfect. There was something oddly intimidating about LustSickPuppy. Just the way they moved on stage was almost as if they were daring you to just stand still while they performed their craft, and, honestly, I was terrified to stand still. Luckily for me, their music is the kind of music that you can't stand still to. The heavy and loud beat that had all three of my nose rings rattling around in a way that I hadn't felt in a hot minute, mixed with the intense rap-styled vocals that seemed to be all over the place when it came to the lyrical talent all swirled together to create an atmosphere that felt so much more like a Friday or Saturday night rather than a sleepy Tuesday.

LustSickPuppy definitely didn't fit the mold of the night (if you could even say that there was a mold to the night). Their music, like their performance, wasn't pop-punk or even punk. Sure, it had metal and punk tendencies scattered throughout it, but their music and set were out of left field compared to the rest of the night. This would mean a flop for some shows, but the packed audience at the 7th Street Entry was the kind of audience I live for —they didn't care what kind of music was being played. They, like me, clearly just needed the feeling that comes with live music, and this led to a sense of optimism when it comes to the future of music. People like to say that the scene is dead. That kids these days just don't care, but when I looked around the room on Tuesday night, all I saw were kids who cared. They cared about the music, they cared about the people around them, and that, mixed with the relentless energy that LustSickPuppy brought to the stage, led to a standout set.

Honestly, I felt I had gotten more than my money's worth when it came to this show already, but we still had the one and only Pinkshift to see. Although my timeline with this band doesn't go super far back (the first time I saw them was in April 2022, when they opened for PUP at The Fillmore in downtown Minneapolis), I feel like I've seen an insane amount of growth from this young band, with Tuesday night being no exception. I remember being struck by Pinkshift's sound that fateful night in 2022. It was all over the place. Sure, it was first and foremost punk, but there were grunge and pop elements sprinkled throughout the sound, along with other elements that dabbled into something a bit more commercial and, sometimes, something a bit more intense. I really liked the sound, but my first thought was that this band really needs to rein it in if they are going to move to the next step. I hated thinking that because I liked their interesting blend, but I've been doing this long enough to know what sells and what lasts, and I knew, that first time I saw them, that I wanted Pinkshift to last.

Obviously, I'm no one to this band. I didn't talk to them about honing in on their craft or somehow refining their sound to give it a more cohesive feel, but that's precisely what they did, and there was something so special and touching about seeing that new sound unfold on Tuesday night. Don't get me wrong, Pinkshift still has a super interesting sound. They still weave in many different elements that keep their sound as exciting as it is innovative, but I just feel like, as they played through songs from their new album, 'Earthkeeper', that I finally heard what this band was always meant to be and what will undoubtedly catapult them to the next level.

All that being said, I don't get the feeling that this band cares about their level. Okay, that's wrong. Obviously, everyone wants to become the next big thing, but it was quite clear that Pinkshift was more concerned about giving their fans a place to go. A place where there's a sense of community and love, while everything around us in the outside world seems to be in shambles. They accomplished that so easily. They didn't care who you were when walking into the 7th Street Entry on Tuesday night. All egos, all histories, all baggage were left at the door. When you were in the audience during Pinkshift's set, you were you. Nothing more, nothing less. You were a piece of a puzzle that made for an amazing night, and even if you felt that you did nothing during their set to add to the night, the night wouldn't have been the same without you. I know, this all seems so dramatic for this Tuesday night show, but it truly was one of those moments where all I could do was lean back against the wall and watch everything unfold in front of me. I watched the band and let their sound soak into my soul. I watched the young audience turn from strangers to friends in the blink of an eye. Basically, I saw the power of music playing out right in front of my eyes. I saw the high that I chase night after night come to fruition, and it was beyond perfect.